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In 2009, the Coastal Division was the strength of the ACC, with Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami all ranked among the Top 25 in the final Associated Press poll.

Expect a similar outcome in 2010, only add UNC to the mix.

The Atlantic Division should show improvement across the board, but it's still not ready to catch up to the Coastal.

Miami coach Randy Shannon and UNC coach Butch Davis are both facing higher expectations in their fourth seasons and have the personnel to deliver. Georgia Tech has numerous questions and holes to fill, but doesn't lack for talent or coaching. And Virginia Tech's offense should finally be clicking under Tyrod Taylor, who will have two 1,000-yard backs to work with. There are enough questions at Duke and Virginia to consider them status quo until they prove otherwise.

In the Atlantic Division, the expectations for FSU have increased threefold under coach Jimbo Fisher -- in part because of the talent that is returning on offense, the talent he has recruited and also because of the new energy he has injected into the program. While the Seminoles have the Gator Bowl momentum (not to mention the hype) to be considered a front-runner heading into the season, they're hardly a lock. (And the defense is still unproven.)

Despite the loss of C.J. Spiller, Clemson is still a very talented team, which should again contend for the division in the second season under Dabo Swinney. Boston College will be deeper and more experienced at the quarterback position, which will be key, and who knows what heights the return of linebacker Mark Herzlich can inspire the Eagles to. Maryland has nowhere to go but up after a 2-10 season, and the coaching staff at Wake Forest likes the talent on the roster, despite the uncertainty at quarterback. NC State has two legitimate quarterbacks to depend on, and winning a bowl game should be SOP for TOB in his fourth year.

Because of the progress we should expect to see in the Atlantic Division, this could be a season closer to the one we saw in 2008, where the conference was legitimately deep and there were an NCAA-record 10 bowl-eligible teams. Could be. Last year, the Atlantic Division simply wasn't very good.

Each team in the conference heads into 2010 with significant questions to answer, but the teams in the Atlantic Division have more to prove. Florida State, Maryland, NC State and Wake Forest combined for a 19-30 record last year. If the overall perception of the league is going to improve in 2010, that record has to improve first. Odds are, though, some of the toughest competition will come from the Coastal Division.

It’s early, but it’s never too early for pre-spring power rankings -- especially since Duke kicks off spring practice on Feb. 15. Now that the NFL departures have been announced and signing day is over, it’s time for the first look at how the ACC might stack up in 2010. Keep in mind that this can -- and most likely will -- change. The ACC is all-too familiar with star players getting hurt before the season begins, and there are other factors like position battles to be won and coaching changes to acclimate to that can impact this later. For now, though, here’s how the ACC looks heading into 2010:

1. Virginia Tech – The Hokies’ spot at the top is based on their historical ability to reload on defense, but they can fall quickly if significant progress isn’t made this spring and summer in replacing six starters. In an unusual twist, the offense is in a position to keep this team in contention early.

2. Florida State – Things are different under coach Jimbo Fisher, but this ranking is based on the assumption that the defense will be different -- and improved -- under first-year coordinator Mark Stoops. The Noles will have a championship-caliber offense led by quarterback Christian Ponder, who will be playing behind a standout veteran offensive line.

3. North Carolina – This defense is scary good. It should be one of the best in the country. But visions of last year’s offense should still be dancing in John Shoop’s head. The Tar Heels aren’t far from where they need to be, though, and this defense can take them places, even with an average offense. All T.J. Yates has to do is manage the offense without turning it over, but the players around him need to improve, too.

4. Miami – If Miami is going to take the next step under coach Randy Shannon, it has to protect quarterback Jacory Harris better and improve the running game. That will be difficult after losing three starters on the offensive line and having very little returning experience at tight end. The Canes will also be under the direction of new defensive line and running backs coaches, and have one of the most difficult schedules in the conference -- again.

5. Boston College – The Eagles were in contention for the Atlantic Division until November last year, and they can do the same again if they work out some trouble spots at quarterback and build the depth at running back. The linebacker corps can be one of the best in the ACC.

6. Georgia Tech – There are too many questions to give the defending ACC champs too much credit just yet. Having lost their leading rusher, receiver and top two defenders, the Jackets have some work to do. They also have to adjust to a new defensive scheme under first-year coordinator Al Groh. Odds are the offense makes a seamless transition with Anthony Allen at B-back.

7. Clemson – Some of the most accomplished players in school history have graduated, leaving this season a true test for coach Dabo Swinney. The recruiting has gone well under his direction, and there is still plenty of talent left on the roster, but the Tigers could be without quarterback Kyle Parker if he chooses baseball, and they will have to find a way to replace the production of C.J. Spiller.

8. NC State – The young secondary will still be an issue, and the Pack will be without their starting quarterback, Russell Wilson, all spring because of his baseball obligations. The defense should improve with the return of Nate Irving, but it’s still unclear how much he’ll be able to do this spring.

9. Maryland – There’s only one way for this 2-10 team to go, and that’s up. The pressure should be on in College Park to get back to a bowl game, but the Terps have questions up front on both sides of the ball, and there should be a quarterback competition this spring.

10. Wake Forest – The Deacs are in the lower half for one big reason -- they have to replace the winningest quarterback in school history, and right now, that job is wide open.

11. Duke – The big question holding Duke back right now is the graduation of quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and the fact his backup, Sean Renfree, will miss this spring with a torn ACL. The Blue Devils also have questions on the defensive line and need to improve their running game.

12. Virginia – Progress isn’t only measured in wins and losses, and first-year coach Mike London will make progress, but until he is able to put together a few of his own recruiting classes, Cavs fans will need some patience. First, though, they need a quarterback.

My colleague Ivan Maisel wrote a great piece today on oversigning, the point being that many schools have found a loophole around the NCAA-mandated 25-player recruiting classes. It’s a limit that has applied to FBS schools since 1992. The loophole? The rule says no more than 25 signees may enter the university in the fall term. It says nothing about how many players may sign with the university in February.

How guilty is the ACC of this trend?

Not very.

Since 2006, only 14 of the ACC’s combined 60 total recruiting classes have had more than 25 players sign letters of intent, according to ESPN.com’s recruiting database. Four schools -- Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Wake Forest -- have never gone above 25. And no school is guilty of doing this more than twice since 2006.

Some were quick to criticize Butch Davis’ class of 28 last year, but that’s nothing compared to how the SEC has recruited. The SEC has combined for 34 recruiting classes with more than 25 players each. Mississippi State did it each of the past five years. Alabama did it four of the past five, as have Arkansas and Auburn. Only one school in the SEC – Vanderbilt – has kept its classes at 25 or under.

In comparison, it doesn't appear to be a trend -- or a problem -- in the ACC.

There were no national champions, but there were plenty of 11- and 10-win teams and top 10 finishes to choose from. There were major bowl wins and upsets along the way, and three coaches -- Ralph Friedgen, Paul Johnson and Jeff Jagodzinski -- saw success quickly in their new ACC jobs. Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer, though, has sustained that success, as the Hokies have produced three of the conference's best teams over the past 10 years -- maybe more, if you debate long enough.

Here's a look at the ACC's top 10 teams since 2000:

1. Florida State 2000 (11-2) – FSU finished the season with an 11-2 record, undefeated in conference play, and ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press. The Noles led the nation in total offense under Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke and were ranked No. 7 in total defense.

2. Virginia Tech 2005 (11-2) - Frank Beamer was named the ACC’s Coach of the Year for a second straight season after guiding the Hokies to an 8-0 start and a perfect 4-0 nonconference record, including a win over Louisville in the Gator Bowl. The Hokies led the ACC with seven non-offensive touchdowns and finished the season ranked No. 7 by the Associated Press.

3. Boston College 2007 (11-3) – In their first season under former coach Jeff Jagodzinski, the Eagles started 8-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country (BC’s highest ranking since 1940). They won the Atlantic Division and finished 11-3 (most wins since 1940) and ranked No. 10 (highest ranking since 1984). Quarterback Matt Ryan, the ACC’s Player of the Year, set single-season ACC records in pass completions and passing yardage.

4. Maryland 2002 (11-3) – The Terps finished the season 11-3 and ranked No. 13 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ polls. Led by E.J. Henderson, the Terps capped the season with a 30-3 win over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl. Scott McBrien threw for 2,781 yards, and was second in the conference in pass efficiency. Maryland’s special teams paved the way as Brooks Barnard led the league in punting, Steve Suter returned an ACC record four punts for touchdowns, and Nick Novak led the league in scoring. Chris Downs had 1,154 yards rushing.

5. NC State 2002 (11-3) – Philip Rivers was responsible for 30 touchdowns, as he threw for 20 and ran for 10 and totaled 3,453 yards of offense. T.J. McClendon tied the season record for rushing touchdowns with 18 and ran for 1,101 yards. Jerricho Cotchery led the league in receiving yardage per game with 85.1 and was Rivers’ primary target. They ended the season with a win over No. 12 Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl and a No. 12 ranking by the Associated Press.

6. Georgia Tech 2009 (11-3) – In only the Jackets’ second season under Paul Johnson, they won the first outright ACC title since 1990 and racked up the most wins the program has seen since 1990. They were ranked as high as No. 7 in the country and made their first appearance in a major bowl since 1967. This team featured standout players such as defensive end Derrick Morgan, B-back Jonathan Dwyer, safety Morgan Burnett and receiver Demaryius Thomas.

7. Virginia Tech 2007 (11-3) – The Hokies won their second ACC title in four years and avenged their only regular season loss to Boston College in the ACC title game. The Hokies ranked third nationally in scoring defense and fourth in total defense. This team was comprised of first-team, all-conference stars like Chris Ellis, Xavier Adibi, Macho Harris and Eddie Royal.

8. Virginia Tech 2004 (10-3) – The ACC’s Coach of the Year, Frank Beamer, and the ACC’s Player of the Year, Bryan Randall, led the Hokies to the ACC title and a BCS Sugar Bowl berth during their first year in the league. Virginia Tech finished the regular season with eight straight wins, including three against ranked teams. The Hokies led the ACC and were ranked second nationally in scoring defense (12.8). Randall threw for 2,264 yards and 21 touchdowns and led all conference quarterbacks with 511 yards rushing. Tech finished the season No. 10 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.

9. Maryland 2001 (10-2) – In the first season under coach Ralph Friedgen, the Terps, led by All-American linebacker E.J. Henderson, won their first ACC title since 1985. It was the first time a first-year coach ever won the ACC title. It was also a record for the most wins by a first-year coach. Bruce Perry was the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns. Henderson was named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year. The Terps finished the year ranked No. 11 by the Associated Press.

10. Wake Forest 2006 (11-3) – The Deacs won the ACC's Atlantic Division title, defeated Georgia Tech 9-6 in the ACC Championship game and advanced to the FedEx Orange Bowl – the first BCS bowl game in school history. Wake Forest won a school-record 11 games and ACC Rookie of the Year Riley Skinner led the conference in passing efficiency (139.6). The ACC championship was Wake Forest's first since 1970 and its second-ever ACC title. Sam Swank set an ACC single-season record for most 50-yard field goals with five.

The past decade was reason for the ACC to celebrate.

The conference had a Heisman Trophy winner. It had college football’s winningest coach. It had attendance numbers that continued to soar to record heights straight through the inaugural ACC championship game. Over the past 10 seasons, the ACC had some of the nation’s top defenses and most prolific passers. It had some of the swiftest kickers and most acclaimed coaches.

It also had expansion -- a dramatic, sweeping change that made the conference a 12-team league, added a struggling championship game, and has fallen short in producing the powerhouse image it intended. What the ACC added in swagger, it has yet to gain in substance. The past 10 years in ACC history can be divided into two periods -- pre and post-expansion -- a.k.a Florida State’s reign and Virginia Tech’s coup. Combined, the two programs have won seven of the past 10 ACC titles, moving over only for Maryland, Wake Forest and now Georgia Tech.

The purpose of ACC expansion was to bolster the conference’s image to the likes of the SEC and Big 12. But in the six seasons since adding Virginia Tech, Boston College and prize recruit Miami to the league, the ACC has won just one BCS bowl game, has yet to receive an at-large bid to a BCS bowl, and traditional powers FSU and Miami have yet to meet in the title game. Miami has yet to finish better than third in its division or win a bowl game under coach Randy Shannon, who is 28-23 after three seasons. What the ACC wanted -- national recognition and clout amongst its fellow BCS conferences -- it had earlier in the decade.

It began in 2000 with the last great Florida State team. The Seminoles won their ninth straight ACC title (8-0, 11-2) before losing 13-2 to No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. FSU extended its NCAA-record of finishing in the AP top five to 14 straight years, and Chris Weinke became only the second ACC player to win the Heisman trophy. It was also a season in which the ACC had 13 All-Americans, 21 players were selected in the NFL draft, and former Virginia coach George Welsh retired as the ACC’s winningest coach with 134 wins.

The following season, the ACC sent a conference-record six teams to bowl games -- a number that now pales in comparison to the NCAA-record 10 the ACC sent in 2008, and falls short of the nine guaranteed bowl tie-ins the ACC now has. The 2001 season belonged to Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who was a consensus pick for national Coach of the Year, and players like E.J. Henderson, Woodrow Dantzler, and Julius Peppers.

In 2002, the conference celebrated its 50th anniversary with a league-record seven bowl eligible teams and another ACC title for Florida State. NC State became the first school in conference history with a 3,000-yard passer, thanks to Philip Rivers.

In 2003, Bowden surpassed Joe Paterno as college football’s winningest coach with 342 wins. That season, the ACC was the only conference to have a winning bowl record for three straight seasons. Now, the ACC has gone four straight seasons without a winning bowl record. And Bowden has since retired amidst a swirl of controversy, and Florida State hasn’t had a 10-win season since 2003.

Virginia Tech, however, has had six straight 10-win seasons since joining the ACC. The Hokies have compiled a 99-32 record from 2000-09 (62-18 from 2004-09), and finished no worse than second place in the Coastal Division. Boston College has been the best team in the Atlantic Division (two wins ahead of Clemson) and has earned the third-best overall record (26-14) in the conference (behind Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech) since joining in 2005. BC’s 47 overall wins since 2005 is five behind Virginia Tech for the most in the ACC since 2005.

Expansion has treated the ACC well, if you’re a Virginia Tech or Boston College fan. The past decade has given ACC fans plenty to celebrate, but it’s also a reminder of what they’ve been missing.

The ACC entered this season with high hopes for a national title contender, and by the sixth week of the season -- when Virginia Tech held the No. 4 ranking in the country -- it seemed to be a realistic goal. Not only were the Hokies in the mix, but Miami was ranked No. 9, and with only one loss each, both teams seemed capable of great seasons.

Only Georgia Tech, though, was left standing.

Virginia Tech’s stumble against Alabama in the season opener wasn’t entirely a shock, nor was it a huge blow to the conference’s image, as the Hokies looked respectable in their 34-24 loss to the Tide. It was the back-to-back Coastal Division losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina that sent the Hokies tumbling out of the championship pictures. For Miami, which successfully navigated its way through an unforgiving four-game start to the season, the 40-37 overtime defeat to unranked Clemson was tough to swallow, but it was the loss to North Carolina that closed the door on the Canes’ BCS hopes.

While the Coastal Division eventually handed the reins to the most consistent team of the season and eventual ACC champ - Georgia Tech -- the Atlantic Division was turned upside down. Two first-year coaches -- Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Boston College’s Frank Spaziani -- edged out the veterans in their division and fought for the top spot in the standings until Nov. 21, when BC’s loss to UNC guaranteed the Tigers a spot in the ACC championship game before they even set foot on the field to play Virginia.

Clemson, which started out 2-3, finally exceed expectations instead of disappointing fans, and Boston College earned the overachievers award after forging through a season with two new coordinators and a 25-year-old rookie quarterback nicknamed “Uncle” Dave Shinskie. The entire conference rallied around BC linebacker Mark Herzlich, who was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma cancer but vowed to return in 2010.

Florida State, which was predicted to win the Atlantic Division, hit rock bottom with a 0-3 conference record in October. It prompted a closed-door meeting of high-ranking officials to discuss the future of the program -- a meeting that foreshadowed Bobby Bowden’s eventual retirement. Bowden was hardly the only coach in the ACC, though, that was scrutinized this year. Virginia coach Al Groh was fired shortly after his loss to rival Virginia Tech, and Ralph Friedgen’s job security was questioned for months leading up to the Terps’ 2-10 finish.

Losses to nonconference opponents were a factor in all three of those coaches’ evaluations, as FSU lost to Florida, Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee for a second straight season, and Virginia lost to William & Mary. The ACC struggled again in its nonconference opportunities, as Georgia Tech and Clemson both lost to their in-state SEC rivals, leading to the ACC's 2-5 record against the SEC, but Virginia Tech helped with a win over Nebraska, NC State beat Pitt, Miami defeated Oklahoma, and Wake Forest’s win over Stanford now seems all the more impressive.

Overall, there were plenty of positive signs for the conference this year. Florida State has finally figured out which direction it’s headed, Duke made remarkable progress in just the second season under coach David Cutcliffe and was within arm’s reach of bowl eligibility, and the ACC championship game saw a significant boost in attendance. Although there was a drop-off in bowl eligible teams -- from an NCAA-record 10 to seven -- the ACC did will enter the bowl season with three teams -- Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami -- ranked among the top 15 in the BCS standings.

Offensive MVP – Clemson running back C.J. Spiller. He had three 300-yard games this year, including arguably his best performance of the season, which came in the ACC championship game. Spiller ran for a career-high 233 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries in the loss to Georgia Tech, and has 1,145 rushing yards this year. His four kickoff returns for touchdowns equaled the total for the 11 other ACC teams combined this year.

Defensive MVP – Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan. He should be a top 15 overall pick in the NFL draft, according to Todd McShay, and is currently sixth in the country in sacks and tied for 18th in tackles for loss. Only one other player in the country has matched his 12.5 sacks, and he has 18 tackles for loss.

Newcomer of the Year – Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams. He finished the regular season ranked fifth in the country in rushing yards per game, third in total rushing yards and tied for third in rushing touchdowns. He became the first Tech freshman to rush for 100 or more yards in four straight games. His 1,538 rushing yards are the fourth-most in ACC single-season history. He set the ACC freshman touchdown record with his 20th score, and had nine 100-yard rushing games.

Coach of the Year – Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson. In just his second season, Johnson won the program’s first outright conference title since 1990, guided the Yellow Jackets to the school’s first appearance in a BCS bowl since 1967, a No. 9 ranking in the BCS standings this week and an 11-win season. Only three teams in ACC history have won 12 games in a season, but Georgia Tech could become the fourth with a win over Iowa in the bowl game. With the 39-34 win over Clemson in the ACC title game, Johnson improved to 10-1 in games decided by five points or less while at Georgia Tech.

Biggest surprise – Boston College. The Eagles (8-4, 5-3 ACC) were picked by the media this past summer to finish last in the Atlantic Division, but instead BC was in the hunt to win its division for the third straight year until late November. Under the direction of first-year coach Frank Spaziani, BC finished second in the Atlantic Division behind Clemson. They were able to overcome the growing pains of a 25-year-old first-year starting quarterback who hadn’t played football since high school, and the devastating news that Herzlich had been diagnosed with cancer.

Biggest disappointment – Florida State’s defense. It has to be painful for FSU fans to wonder what could have been had the Noles’ defense been a more formidable group this year. The offense was soaring under quarterback Christian Ponder before he was hurt, but the defense finished the regular season ranked 108th in rushing defense, 113th in pass efficiency defense, 110th in total defense, and 98th in scoring defense. This team was picked to win the Atlantic Division, and with a better defense, it might have been able to.

Game of the Year – ACC championship game: Georgia Tech 39, Clemson 34. Yes, there were other great games throughout the season -- Virginia Tech’s finish against Nebraska, Clemson’s overtime win at Miami, and Georgia Tech’s upset of Virginia Tech all come to mind. But the final conference game carried the most weight, and as far as entertainment value goes, it delivered. Both teams racked up more than 300 rushing yards, neither team punted and Clemson led 34-33 with 6:11 left -- plenty of time for Johnson’s offense to work its magic.

There are only two more weeks remaining in the regular season, which means there’s little time for anyone to make a serious move in the conference race. We know who is the best -- and who is the worst -- in the ACC. Georgia Tech is No. 1 until somebody proves otherwise. We’ll find out this week if Clemson will get that chance in the ACC championship game. Maryland remains No. 12.

Here’s how the ACC hierarchy looks heading into Week 12:

1. Georgia Tech (10-1, 7-1 ACC; LW: No. 1) –The Yellow Jackets clinched the Coastal Division title with their convincing win over Duke, and have the bye week to enjoy it before hosting rival Georgia. They remain at No. 7 in the BCS standings this week, and have earned their spot as the top one-loss team in the country.

2. Clemson (7-3, 5-2; LW: No. 4) – With their win over NC State, the Tigers are finally in a position to make the program’s first appearance in the ACC title game. First they need to guarantee it with a home win over Virginia this weekend. It's been an impressive season for the Tigers in the first full year under coach Dabo Swinney.

3. Virginia Tech (7-3, 4-2; LW: No. 3) – The Hokies got a complete effort against the bedraggled Terps, and haven’t given up on their goal of a 10-win season. While it’s not the finish they had been hoping for this year, Virginia Tech deserves credit for regrouping instead of letting back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina snowball into a disaster.

4. Miami (7-3, 4-3; LW: No. 2) – The Canes have been struggling on both sides of the ball lately, and turnovers have been costly. This isn’t the same team that started the season with a 3-1 record, and the loss to North Carolina on Saturday ruined any remaining shot Miami might have had of receiving a BCS bowl bid.

5. North Carolina (7-3, 3-3; LW: No. 6) – The Tar Heels have reversed their fortunes, and now look capable of contending for the Coastal Division. Unfortunately for them, it’s too little, too late. Still, the program is capable of improving upon last year’s eight-win season and earned a bowl appearance. Hardly the disaster it started out to be. I know UNC just beat Miami, but I keep my power rankings the way my Top 25 looks, and I just sneaked the Tar Heels in this week at No. 24.

6. Boston College (7-3, 4-2; LW: No. 5) – The Eagles have found ways to overcome their weaknesses all season, and Saturday at Virginia was no different. BC picked up its first road win of the season, and kept its hopes alive to sneak into the ACC championship game. They’ll need some help from Virginia this weekend, though, as BC needs Clemson to lose.

7. Florida State (5-5, 3-4; LW: No. 9) – With Christian Ponder watching from the sidelines, backup quarterback E.J. Manuel made a smooth transition into his starting role, and everything was clicking on offense for the Noles in their win over Wake Forest. They seem to have salvaged their postseason hopes, but can’t afford an embarrassing slip-up now at home against Maryland.

8. Duke (5-5, 3-3; LW: No. 7) – Duke proved that there is still a significant gap in the Coastal Division between the best team and the Blue Devils, though the conference standings indicated Duke and Georgia Tech were closer. Duke still has a chance to become bowl eligible, though, and they’ll be catching Miami while it’s down.

9. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5; LW: No. 8) – It was a disappointing home finale for senior quarterback Riley Skinner, who had an uncharacteristically off performance in the loss to Florida State, and the Demon Deacons will be home for Christmas. Wake has a bye week this week, but it does the Deacs little good now.

10. Virginia (3-7, 2-4; LW: No. 10) – If athletic director Craig Littlepage hasn’t begun to think about the program’s future without Al Groh, now is probably the time to start. With only one home win this season -- against Indiana -- the Cavaliers’ fans have had little to cheer for. The only hope left is to play spoiler against Clemson and beat rival Virginia Tech.

11. NC State (4-6, 1-5; LW: No. 11) – The Pack has lost five of its past six, but this one stung particularly hard because it ended NC State’s hopes at bowl eligibility. It won’t get any easier as the Pack will face a ranked Virginia Tech team on the road this weekend.

12. Maryland (2-8, 1-5; LW: No. 12) – The best news for the Terps is that there are only two weeks remaining. They’ll have to face a Florida State team on the road this Saturday during a game in which the Seminoles are still playing for something. Even if Ralph Friedgen were to lose his job -- a costly $4 million option for Debbie Yow -- little would change in 2010.

With two weeks still remaining in the regular season, we’ve got an answer in the ACC:

Georgia Tech is the Coastal Division winner. And rightfully so. Georgia Tech left no doubt it was the better team in Saturday’s 49-10 romp of Duke and earned a chance to play for the ACC title on Dec. 5 in Tampa. The Yellow Jackets played a complete game and looked like one of the best teams in the country on Saturday. Many wondered before this season whether or not ACC defenses would be better prepared to face Paul Johnson’s spread option offense in the second season, but he constantly answered that question by saying the Jackets would be better at executing it, too, and his players have proven him right.

Clemson is one win away from winning the Atlantic Division. The Tigers showed no signs of a letdown in their 43-23 win over NC State in Raleigh, and need only to beat Virginia this weekend to guarantee the program’s first appearance in the ACC championship game. Boston College kept its hopes alive with a 14-10 win over Virginia, but the Eagles will need Clemson to stumble in final conference game of the season if they’re going to sneak back into the title game for a third straight year.

UNC finally looks like the preseason ranked team we thought it would be. The Tar Heels have now won three straight games, and knocked off two of the ACC’s ranked teams in the process in Virginia Tech and Miami. It’s amazing what a little help from the offense can do for one of the best defenses in the country. Since losing to Georgia Tech, Virginia and Florida State, the Tar Heels have made a remarkable turnaround and now have a bowl bid to prove it. This team looks capable of a nine or 10-win season in Butch Davis’ third year.

Florida State can exhale about its quarterback situation. For rookie E.J. Manuel to go on the road and outplay a veteran quarterback in the most dire of circumstances might be the best glimmer of hope for the future of the program Seminoles’ fans have seen all year. With so many questions surrounding Bobby Bowden’s future, the one thing FSU has been able to count on all year has been the play of its quarterbacks, and Manuel’s poise is a big reason why Florida State has a chance to extend its season with a win over Maryland.

Miami's quarterback causing concern. Jacory Harris began the season as Heisman hopeful, but he’s ending it as one of the nation’s leaders in interceptions. Harris threw four against North Carolina, including two that were returned for touchdowns, and he now has 16 for the season. Only Ohio quarterback Zac Dysert has more in the FBS. It could be because he’s making too many mental mistakes, or because they’re asking the sophomore to do too much. Maybe he’s not getting the protection he needs. Regardless of why, it’s become a noticeable problem for the Canes in the second half of the season.

Half the equation has been solved.

Georgia Tech clinched the Coastal Division title with its 49-10 romp of Duke today in Durham.

The Yellow Jackets had 518 total yards of offense and 305 rushing yards. Duke, on the other hand, had 26 rushing yards. Georgia Tech looked like the No. 7 team in the country, and Duke remains two wins short of a bowl bid. Georgia Tech looked dominate, and more than capable of winning the ACC title. Josh Nesbitt threw for almost 200 yards on just 10 pass attempts, and Jonathan Dwyer ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

Georgia Tech's last ACC title was a share in 1998. The Jackets won it outright in 1990, the same year they won the national title. Their last trip to the ACC title game was in 2006. This Georgia Tech team, though, is the best it's been in a long time.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

Despite the program’s bookworm image, grade transcripts aren’t the first thing Duke coach David Cutcliffe looks at when scouting a recruit.

“I absolutely look at the 40-time first,” Cutcliffe said. “Football players first. I’m not going to recruit bad football players.”

Character also counts at Duke.

	Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
	David Cutcliffe has Duke two victories away from bowl eligibility.

Once a player passes those two tests, then Cutcliffe will check out the grades.

“Obviously, there are kids we realize are not in our profile academically or character-wise, and we drop them,” Cutcliffe said. “We disregard their talent at that point in time. That’s just our approach to how we do it.”

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, who said the school’s grade requirements are more stringent than the NCAA’s, has a similar approach to recruiting, and also operates within a limited recruiting pool. What the two coaches have done on the field in their first two seasons, though, has been entirely different. And it hasn’t mattered. Both have proven that with the right players in the right places, it’s possible to build a program with almost any scheme.

“I think there’s a lot of ways to skin a cat,” said Johnson, who has proven any doubters of his spread-option offense wrong with a 9-1 record and No. 7 BCS ranking. “I would venture to guess that in building a program there are a lot of things that are very similar, though, as far as discipline, accountability and those things. That has as much or more to do with building a program than the scheme.”

Cutcliffe and Johnson have both made noticeable improvements to their respective programs in a short amount of time, but they’ve gone about it with completely different offensive philosophies. Duke has the nation’s No. 11 passing offense, and has struggled to run the ball, depending instead heavily on the arm of quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. That stems in part from the personnel Cutcliffe has to work with, but it’s also his forte, as he coached the Manning brothers during his time in the SEC. And Johnson’s success has been a product of his running game, which ranks second in the nation.

	Lee Coleman/Icon SMI
	Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets can clinch the Coastal Division title on Saturday.

Georgia Tech has a chance to clinch the Coastal Division title on Saturday at Duke, but Cutcliffe’s team is just two wins shy of bowl eligibility and in the midst of its best season since 1994. A win over Georgia Tech on Saturday would keep the Blue Devils in the running for the Coastal Division title -- a scenario many outsiders would’ve scoffed at a year ago.

“When you are building a program, the most important thing is obviously first surrounding yourself with good people, which I’m sure we both have done,” Cutcliffe said of he and Johnson. “Then it comes to your approach. You know what you know. You work in an area of your expertise if you’re smart. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat. If there were one, exact, right way, then I would assume we would all be doing it at all levels of football. That’s the beauty of the game. There are different schemes offensively, defensively and in the kicking game.”

And anyone watching Saturday’s game in Durham will see two vastly different styles.

“One of the things I think personally in building a program is the discipline and work ethic have to be established first and foremost,” Cutcliffe said. “That’s the approach we’re taking and as we recruit players who fit our schemes and what we do best, we’ll adjust to what we think we do best from a scheme standpoint.”

The same can be said at Georgia Tech, where Johnson is recruiting a different kind of player for a unique scheme. Both of them, though, seem to be working just fine. Only one of them, though, will work well enough to win on Saturday.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

The ACC finished Week 10 with five teams bowl eligible -- Clemson, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia Tech. The conference also got one other answer: it’s mathematically impossible for Maryland (2-7) to make it to the postseason.

There are still some lingering hopes, though, and they’re mainly in the Atlantic Division, where Wake Forest, NC State and Florida State can still extend their seasons. The catch is, Wake and FSU play each other this weekend, and the Demon Deacons can’t afford another loss. Florida State can, but that would mean it must beat rival Florida in the regular-season finale.

In the Coastal Division, Duke’s chances decreased with its loss to North Carolina on Saturday, but it’s not over yet for the Blue Devils. They need to find two more wins with Georgia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest remaining. Virginia (3-6) needs to win out, and North Carolina (6-3) is one win away with opportunities remaining against Miami, Boston College and NC State.

At this point, I’m counting out Maryland, Duke, Florida State, NC State and Virginia. That's right, the Demon Deacons need some love, and I'm gonna give it to them.

Here are the latest bowl projections for the ACC:

FedEx Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. BCS at large

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. SEC

Gator Bowl: Georgia Tech or Miami vs. Big East or Notre Dame

Champs Sports Bowl: Georgia Tech or Miami vs. Big Ten

Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. SEC

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Big East

Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. Pac-10

EagleBank Bowl: N/A

GMAC Bowl: N/A

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

Things have changed in the ACC.

Last year, it took until late November for the division champions to emerge with any certainty, and there were an NCAA-record 10 bowl-eligible teams. This year, the conference has official frontrunners in each division, and it’s not even November yet.

That’s not necessarily a good thing.

The conference isn’t as deep, and it’s possible as few as six teams become bowl eligible this year. (The ACC has agreements with nine bowl partners.) Now that both Miami and Virginia Tech have lost two games each, the national shine on the ACC has dulled without any teams ranked in the top 10 of the BCS standings.

No. 11 Georgia Tech is creeping up and could still work its way in, and if Clemson continues to build upon its back-to-back conference wins, it’s possible the Tigers could be nationally ranked heading into the ACC championship game in Tampa on Dec. 5. Clemson received 11 votes in the Associated Press poll this week, so the Tigers are at least on the radar now.

The ACC title game should feature Georgia Tech and Clemson -- should. There’s no reason for the Yellow Jackets to lose to Wake Forest and Duke -- teams with a combined 8-7 record -- and Clemson controls its own destiny against Florida State, NC State and Virginia -- teams that have combined for three conference wins. It’s an exciting potential matchup considering how close the regular-season game was, with Georgia Tech winning 30-27. With all due respect to Boston College and Virginia Tech, new faces in Tampa this year would be a welcome, refreshing change, and could give the struggling venue a much needed boost in attendance and interest.

Overall, though, this season seems to have fizzled, with the impact games already behind us and the thrilling prospect of having a three-way tiebreaker with Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia Tech all finishing with 7-1 conference records now impossible. A likely scenario, though, is for the Jackets and Hokies to finish tied, but Georgia Tech would win the head-to-head tiebreaker. As for Virginia and Duke, which are tied and technically still in the mix, both teams still have a lot to prove before they’re considered serious contenders in the division.

Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami are still the ACC’s best teams, and the future is bright for all three programs. Miami is still young -- Jacory Harris is just a sophomore -- and the Canes’ mistakes finally added up. The Hokies’ best player, Ryan Williams, is only a redshirt freshman. And Paul Johnson will have Georgia Tech among the nation’s best on a consistent basis.

But we’re still in the midst of the 2009 season, and the ACC’s best hasn’t been consistently good enough to produce even the nation’s best one-loss team. So while October has provided more clarity for the conference race this year, it’s revealed some unwanted separation at the national level, too.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

There are only two teams in the Atlantic Division with winning records. Nine teams have at least three losses. Really, the question in this league is not who is the best, it’s who’s the worst?

Is it North Carolina, which hasn’t won a conference game yet and suffered a complete meltdown in the second half on national television against Florida State on Thursday night? Is it NC State, which hasn’t won a conference game yet and got beat at home by Duke? Is it Maryland, which has lost five of its past six games and refuses to take the wins when opponents try to hand it to them?

All three are trying to make their case, but one thing is for sure -- it’s not longer Duke.

1. Georgia Tech (7-1, 5-1 ACC; LW; No. 2) -- The Yellow Jackets have established themselves as the frontrunner to win the Coastal Division, and only need wins over Wake Forest and Duke to cement it. They beat Virginia, winning in Charlottesville for the first time since 1990, and have perfected their offense to the point where nobody can seem to get it off the field.

2. Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1; LW: No. 3) -- The Hokies had a bye week but move ahead of Miami because Virginia Tech lost to one of the top teams in the nation in Alabama and ranked Georgia Tech on the road, while Miami lost at home to an unranked, three-loss Clemson team.

3. Miami (5-2,2-2; LW: No. 1) -- This is not a bad football team, but it’s still very young. Quarterback Jacory Harris -- through no fault of his own -- has been acting his age lately instead of playing above it like he seemed to do in the first half of the season. What could have been a great season has been minimized to a good season, and there’s no shame in that.

4. Clemson (4-3, 3-2; LW: No. 6) - C.J. Spiller morphed into the Heisman contender the athletic department promoted him to be this summer, and he proved a triple threat as a running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield and a return threat. The Tigers proved their flash of offense against Wake Forest wasn’t a one-hit wonder, but something to build on.

5. Boston College (5-3, 3-2; LW: No. 4) -- The Eagles had their six-game winning streak against Notre Dame snapped, but they can take some solace in the fact they put up their first respectable road performance of the season. And the fact still remains that nobody in the Atlantic Division has more overall wins.

6. Duke (4-3, 2-1; LW: No. 9) -- The Blue Devils strung together their first back-to-back conference wins since 1994, and matched last year’s win total with five games still remaining. They continue to struggle to run the ball, but have been able to compensate for it with a passing game that can only be slowed, not stopped.

7. Virginia (3-4, 2-1; LW: No. 5) -- The Cavaliers played their toughest opponent to date on Saturday, and it was reflected in the loss to Georgia Tech. Virginia’s wins over North Carolina and Maryland helped turn around the Cavaliers’ record, but considering the struggles both of those opponents have, it will take more than those two wins to change outside perception.

8. Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2; LW: No. 7) -- The Deacs faced a Navy team that was playing without its starting quarterback, and for the second straight year Wake Forest lost to the Mids during the regular season. After back-to-back road losses, Wake Forest is now tasked with rebounding against Miami, and has to win two of its last four games to get to a bowl game.

9. Florida State (3-4, 1-3; LW: No. 11) -- The lasting impact of the Seminoles’ win over North Carolina on Thursday night can’t be measured, other than to say it was the kind of win that could propel FSU into the postseason and quiet some of Bobby Bowden’s loudest critics. Quarterback Christian Ponder put on another spectacular show in front of a nationally televised audience, and rallied the team from an 18-point deficit, proving this team can come from behind in the big picture, too.

10. Maryland (2-6, 1-3; LW: No. 10) -- It’s hard to believe this team’s one conference win could be over the Atlantic Division champs, Clemson. The Terps have sunk into a hole so deep the bye week won’t do anything to help them climb out of it. In order to reach a bowl, Maryland has to win out, and Virginia Tech alone is enough to keep that from happening.

11. NC State (3-4, 0-3; LW: No. 12) -- The Pack had a bye week, but they’ll restart with an emotionally charged Florida State team that will have home-field advantage. If UNC’s defense struggled to stop Ponder, odds are NC State will, too. The difference between NC State and North Carolina right now? The Pack have an offense, the better quarterback and at least a win over nationally ranked Pitt.

12. North Carolina (4-3, 0-3; LW: No. 8) -- The Tar Heels have officially won the title of biggest disappointment in the ACC this year. It’s looking worse than Butch Davis’ first year instead of the improvement expected to see in his third year. Ponder exposed weaknesses in North Carolina’s defense that previous opponents did not, and odds are Virginia Tech will do the same in Lane Stadium on Thursday night.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

Finally, some clarity in these divisions …

1. Georgia Tech and Clemson both control their own destiny. Clemson has already beaten Boston College and Wake Forest, so the Tigers would win their division with wins in their final three ACC games -- vs. FSU, at NC State and against Virginia. With Miami’s loss, Georgia Tech can represent the Coastal in the title game. All the Jackets need are wins over Duke and Wake Forest in their final two conference games.

2. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are the ACC’s top two teams this year. They’ve been the most consistent, well-coached teams in the conference. The Jackets are leading the entire pack now, but Virginia Tech, using the eyeball test, isn’t far behind. Their two losses came to two nationally ranked teams, Alabama and Georgia Tech, both on the road. The only team the Jackets have lost to is Miami on the road. Both Techs have established their running games and improved their passing games and gotten enough out of their defenses on a consistent basis.

3. There is no quit in Florida State. Not after a poor start to the season, and not after a dreadful start in the first half at North Carolina. FSU battled back from an 18-point deficit to win its first ACC game of the season, and it did it on a night when UNC was celebrating its first Thursday night game with former players watching. The win put the Noles in a much better position to reach the postseason. The catch, though, is that the Seminoles still face a road trip to Death Valley in two weeks, where they’ll face a much improved and confident Clemson team playing for the division title.

4. North Carolina is in serious trouble. The nation’s No. 1 pass defense didn’t look like it on Thursday night against Florida State. Quarterback T.J. Yates has not shown much improvement, if any, under this staff, and for all the talk about how good a job Butch Davis has done in recruiting, he didn’t have any playmakers to throw it to on the final possession when he needed one against FSU. Yates threw three straight incomplete passes and then was sacked to end the game. Not a good time for Davis to be asking for millions of dollars in renovations.

5. Duke is the best team on Tobacco Road. UNC and NC State have combined for a pathetic 0-6 record in conference play. Wake Forest has two conference losses and just lost on the road to Navy, which was playing without its starting quarterback. The Blue Devils, though, have just one conference loss -- an acceptable defeat to Virginia Tech -- and have strung together back-to-wins for the first time since 1994. They’ve already matched last year’s win total and still have five games left to play.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

Although an unusual amount of key conference games have already been played in the ACC, both the Atlantic and Coastal divisions remain wide open. All Virginia Tech needs is a Georgia Tech loss (and to keep winning), and the Hokies are back in it. Even if Miami, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech all win out and finish with 7-1 conference records, the human element can factor into the final BCS standings and cause changes in where the ACC’s top two teams are ranked based on their margin of victory.

The bottom line? Nothing is certain right now. But I’ve got a few predictions coming for you today as we spin forward and look at the second half of the season. The broad prediction is this: The conference race will not need a three-way tiebreaker, and the ACC will not repeat last year’s NCAA-record 10 bowl-eligible teams. In fact, it’s possible the conference could wind up with only six or seven teams in the postseason, leaving openings in a few of the nine guaranteed slots. The teams on the fringe are NC State, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia. The teams I think are definitely home for Christmas are Maryland and Florida State.

Stay tuned throughout the day for a team-by-team breakdown of what to expect in the second half of the season and bowl predictions for each team.