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1. Most quarterbacks come off the field, get on the phone to their coaches upstairs, and then sit with teammates. Florida State senior EJ Manuel refuses to rest. He stands on the sideline watching the game, both to support his defense and to look for tips to give them about the opposing offense. Manuel’s whereabouts can annoy head coach Jimbo Fisher. “Jimbo will make me sit down because he likes (to know where) I’m going to be so he can come talk to me,” Manuel said. Nothing like an elusive quarterback, right?

2. North Carolina State will challenge the Seminoles in the ACC Atlantic. The Wolfpack grew up over the course of last season. After losing its first three games against FBS opponents, NC State won six of its last eight. Coach Tom O’Brien has 16 returning starters, including senior quarterback Mike Glennon, senior tailback James Washington and four offensive linemen with a total of 90 career starts. NC State could be 4-0 when it goes to Miami on Sept. 29. Florida State comes to Raleigh the following week.

3. One thing the BCS did right is create a distinctive trophy for the national champion. The crystal football has separated itself from the generic-looking NCAA championship hardware. It is, like the Stanley Cup or the Claret Jug, instantly recognizable. Unlike them, however, a silversmith can’t repair any damage. Alabama football staff members were still finding pieces of glass Monday, two days after a crystal football on display got knocked off a table in the Mal Moore Athletic Center. Some dropped balls can’t be recovered, which makes this trophy all the more special.

Russell Wilson's Grange-Griffin Trophy was less than two hours old by the time news broke of Dayne Crist's reported exit from Notre Dame.

The parallels, of course, are obvious.

Wilson, who won the Big Ten title game MVP Saturday night, starred in his lone season in a Wisconsin uniform, leading the Badgers to their second consecutive Rose Bowl one year after he was taking snaps for North Carolina State.

He was able to do this, of course, because of a rule that allows players who have already graduated and have one year of eligibility remaining to transfer to another school and play immediately, provided that the player enrolls in a graduate program not offered at his previous school.

Crist will get the same chance at any school that will have him, as the Irish senior is set to graduate this month and will likely enroll at a new school for spring semester.

The rule -- or loophole, as some have referred to it as -- has been the subject of much scrutiny. The SEC banned such one-year transfers this past summer. Many feel this is the equivalent to "renting" players and takes the "student" out of student-athlete.

Wrong. It might be the only rule in the NCAA manual that actually rewards the "student" part of that term.

Players are told all the time what they cannot do. Coaches who make millions often jump from job to job without consequence. Here, players are simply rewarded for fulfilling their academic duties.

Crist, from what we have seen so far, is no Wilson. It would be unreasonable at this point to think he would be the difference between a good team and a Rose Bowl-bound one, permitting he even ends up on a good team.

Wilson threw for 8,545 yards, rushed for another 1,089 and had a total of 93 touchdowns in his three years with the Wolfpack. In three years with the Irish, Crist has just 2,327 passing yards, 74 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns.

Crist's most notable stats won't even show up in the box score. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2009, ruptured the patella tendon in his left knee nearly one year later and then lost his starting job after one mediocre half against South Florida in Week 1 of this season.

Though unavailable to reporters since the Week 1 loss, Crist has, by all accounts, handled the bad breaks with class and dignity. And, as mentioned earlier, he is scheduled to graduate later this month, with a degree in management-consulting.

Having redshirted his freshman year, Crist still has one year of eligibility remaining. And, with a lofty high school ranking (he entered college as ESPNU's 22nd overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback) and not a lot to show for it yet in college, he deserves the chance to showcase his talents for the next level. That just isn't going to happen at Notre Dame, where a pair of sophomores (Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix) have already moved ahead of him on the depth chart and where a freshman (Everett Golson) is currently redshirting in hopes of bright days ahead.

What good does it do Crist to sit his final year, his degree already in hand? His perseverance through a pair of potentially devastating knee injuries shows he wants to play, and he deserves that chance.

If he can get that opportunity somewhere else while earning another degree and, who knows, maybe a little bit of hardware for himself in the process, then — dare we say it? — more power to him, the student-athlete.

1. Remember when Notre Dame fired Bob Davie for having the temerity to go 35-25 (.583)? Neither of his successors, Ty Willingham (.583) or Charlie Weis (.565), surpassed him. New Mexico announced Wednesday that Davie will be its next head coach. It has been 11 seasons since Davie last ran a practice or coached a game, a longer hiatus than any current FBS head coach has on his resume. Given the mess that Mike Locksley made of the Lobos, you have to assume that Davie will have time to scrape off his rust.

2. Love this note that ACC blogger Heather Dinich sent me. North Carolina State sophomore corner David Amerson leads the FBS with 10 interceptions, three more than anyone else. Not only has no defender picked off 11 passes since safety Jim Leonhard of Wisconsin in 2002, but if Amerson maintains his pace of one interception per game, he will be the first to do so over an entire season since safety Terry Hoage of Georgia in 1982. You now may find Hoage in the College Football Hall of Fame.

3. If No. 11 Houston falters down the stretch, there are two other non-AQs waiting to qualify for an automatic BCS bid. If either No. 19 TCU wins the Mountain West Conference or No. 20 Southern Miss knocks off Houston to win Conference USA, it’s possible that one of them will reach 16th or higher in the final BCS standings. That would qualify the higher-ranked team of the two of them for a BCS bid. One of them will end up in the Fiesta or the Sugar.

1. Boston College may be having a bad season -- the Eagles have won two of their last three games to get to 3-7 -- but junior linebacker Luke Kuechly is matching the All-American standard he set in 2010. Kuechly, who leads the FBS with 168 tackles, 30 more than any other player, made nine stops Saturday against North Carolina State in the first three quarters. He made nine in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles beat the Wolfpack, 14-10.

2. Undefeated, No. 11 Houston remains behind No. 10 Boise State in the BCS ratings. However, the Cougars, not the Broncos, still would qualify for an automatic BCS bid. Undefeated Houston would be a conference champion. Boise State is not. The BCS rule reads, “The champion of [the non-AQ leagues] will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if…such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings.”

3. If you ever wondered why coaches consider turnover margin an important statistic, consider this: No. 2 Oklahoma State leads the FBS at plus-18. No. 1 LSU is second at plus-15. The best record of any team with a negative turnover margin belongs to No. 20 Southern Mississippi, which is minus-1. But the most impressive statistic of all is that somehow, SMU is 6-4 while being minus-11. That seems mathematically impossible.

It's not often that NC State has something to offer the Pac-12, but more than a few of you apparently think the Wolfpack and coach Tom O'Brien have a gift for the Conference of Quarterbacks: Russell Wilson.

Some of you say, "Who?" Others exclaim, "Go west Russell! Go west!"

Wilson, as ESPN.com's Ryan McGee points out , is presently the second baseman for the Class A Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League. But in a previous incarnation he was a dual-threat quarterback for the Wolfpack, one who led the ACC in total offense (3,563 yards passing, 435 rushing).

And O'Brien has released him from his scholarship, which means he can play anywhere free-and-clear next fall (other than another ACC team or NC State nonconference foe).

Hey, California and UCLA: Is that something you might be interested in?

Sure, it might make sense for Wilson to remain in the region, which means the SEC. And South Carolina and Auburn are two schools that might be interested in Wilson. But what about a sense of adventure? Los Angeles or the Bay Area would broaden your horizons, Russell.

There is a catch: baseball. Wilson is under contract with the Colorado Rockies and, as McGee points out, they don't seem terribly flexible about allowing Wilson to skip off this summer for a preseason camp, on the East or West Coast.

[Rockies senior director of player development Marc] Gustafson said he had read the stories and the comments made by Wilson. Asked if he expected Wilson to play for the Tourists until the season ends Sept. 5, he said, "Absolutely."

Sept. 5, obviously, means that Wilson wouldn't be available for the opening of the season on Sept. 3. Would any team be willing to bring him to town, despite missing fall camp and the first game? Well, stranger things have happened but it's not a great formula for locker room chemistry.

Of course, desperate times at quarterback call for desperate measures. And there are always loopholes and politicking that could get Wilson aboard sooner. If Wilson really wants to play football, he will.

The odds, though, seem remote, particularly of him ending up in the Pac-12. But in January 2010, who would have thought that Jeremiah Masoli would end up the starting quarterback at Ole Miss and not Oregon?

1. The shift of power in the SEC from the East to the West this season is stunning in scope. Four SEC East teams already have three losses; South Carolina and Vanderbilt have two. In 18 seasons, the East champ has had as many as two losses only four times. But there is hope. The SEC West once had a winner with three conference losses -- LSU in 2001. The Tigers upset No. 2 Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game, 31-20.

2. Army coach Rich Ellerson has performed a miracle in only a season-and-a-half at West Point. It’s not merely that the Black Knights are 4-3, it’s how they’ve done it. In the three seasons before Ellerson took over, Army had a cumulative turnover margin of minus-42. Since he has arrived, Army is plus-16, and leads the nation this season at plus-11. While we’re at it, kudos to Oregon State, the only team in the nation yet to lose a fumble.

3. North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson threw 379 passes before an interception from 2008 into 2009. That’s an NCAA record, and it was, figuratively speaking, a long time ago. Since the streak broke against Wake Forest in the fifth game of last season, Wilson has thrown 20 picks, including nine in the Wolfpack’s past four games. Yes, he has thrown 37 touchdowns over the same 16 games. But his reputation for accuracy has outlived his performance.

1. Not that Stanford isn’t used to being 4-0 and ninth in the nation, but the Cardinal have lost its past six games when ranked in the top 10. Stanford hasn’t beaten a top-10 team since the Rose Bowl season of 1970 and it hasn’t begun 5-0 since the Rose Bowl season of 1951. To accomplish both of those tasks, all the Cardinal must do is beat No. 4 Oregon at Autzen Stadium, where the Ducks have won 12 straight games. Ho hum.

2. Time and again, you’ve heard a losing coach say the video on Sunday didn’t look as poor as he feared on Saturday. Not Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson. After the Yellow Jackets’ 45-28 loss to North Carolina State, Johnson sounded stupefied as he described 85 missed assignments by his veteran team. “These are guys that have played for two or three years,” Johnson said, “and it is not new stuff. This is just mental lapses and holes in concentration.” I imagine Georgia Tech is in the midst of a long week of practice.

3. Oregon announced Tuesday that it has signed Chip Kelly to a six-year, $20.5 million contract through the 2015 season. The bonuses available early in the deal -- $60,000 for a top-10 finish, for example -- diminish or disappear as his salary escalates. As an employee, I’m all for bonuses. But if I’m an athletic director, I wonder: Aren’t we paying the coach big bucks to win championships? Why am I paying a bonus, too?

Key stretch: at Miami, Boston College, at NC State (Oct. 9-Oct. 28)

Analysis: The rivalry game against the Hurricanes is almost always a thriller, and the Seminoles likely haven’t forgotten that Miami won last year’s game on the final play after a Florida State pass was ruled incomplete in the end zone. Boston College is an opponent the Seminoles can’t afford to overlook, as they lost to the Eagles last year and three of the past four meetings. The game should help determine the Atlantic Division winner. Although expectations surrounding NC State are lower, last year’s seesaw game was proof anything can happen, and this year the Pack will host Florida State in an ESPN-televised Thursday night game.

Prediction:The matchup against the Canes would be much more interesting if both programs won their respective nonconference games, giving the rivalry a restored national subplot. Otherwise, it could be a sneak preview of the ACC championship game, much like the Clemson-Georgia Tech game was in 2009. Regardless of what’s at stake, it’s a game that’s impossible to predict, so I’ll stick with the home team and give the Canes the preseason edge. As for Boston College, home-field advantage hasn’t helped the Seminoles. BC has won in Tallahassee both times since joining the league. Still, Florida State’s offense has more depth -- particularly at running back -- and should have the edge up front when they have the ball. The NC State game is another wild card. Look for an upset in Raleigh.

More key stretches:

• Georgia Tech
• Maryland
• Miami
• North Carolina
• NC State
• Virginia
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest

Each school brings two players to the annual ACC media days, which will be held July 25-26 in Greensboro, N.C., and the conference today announced the attendees.

Boston College:
Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle, senior, Hawthorn Woods, Ill.
Mark Herzlich, linebacker, senior, Wayne, Pa.

Clemson:
Chris Hairston, offensive tackle, Senior, Winston-Salem, N.C.
DeAndre McDaniel, safety, senior, Tallahassee, Fla.

Duke:

Bryan Morgan, center, senior, Hoover, Ala.
Chris Rwabukamba, cornerback, senior, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Florida State:

Christian Ponder, quarterback, senior, Colleyville, Tex.
Everett Dawkins, defensive tackle, sophomore, Spartanburg, S.C.

Georgia Tech:

Roddy Jones, A-Back, junior, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Jason Peters, defensive end, junior, Baton Rouge, La.

Maryland:

Torrey Smith, wide receiver-kickoff returner, junior, Colonial Beach, Va.
Alex Wujciak, linebacker, senior, West Caldwell, N.J.

Miami:

Matt Bosher, place-kicker/punter, senior, Jupiter, Fla.
Allen Bailey, defensive tackle/end, senior, Sapelo, Ga.

North Carolina:

T. J. Yates, quarterback, senior, Marietta, Ga.
Robert Quinn, defensive end, junior, Ladson, S.C. .

NC State:

Owen Spencer, wide receiver, senior, Leland, N.C.
Nate Irving, linebacker, senior, Wallace, N.C.

Virginia:

Marc Verica, quarterback, senior, Lansdowne, Pa.
Ras-I Dowling, cornerback, senior, Chesapeake, Va.

Virginia Tech:

Tyrod Taylor, quarterback, senior, Hampton, Va.
John Graves, defensive tackle, senior, Richmond, Va.

Wake Forest:

Josh Adams, running back, senior, Cary, N.C.
Russell Nenon, center, senior, Memphis, Tenn.

A few observations:

• It will be nice to have BC linebacker Mark Herzlich and NC State linebacker Nate Irving back and talking about football again. Get ready for a lot of injured-linebackers-return stories.
• Nine of the players are linemen, as over half of the conference has some studs up front. Hopefully a lot of folks will take some time to talk to Duke center Bryan Morgan, an unheralded guy who is super-smart, much improved and downright interesting.
• No Nesbitt? No problem. I like the guy, really I do, but he's one of the quietest players in the league. I've asked him dozens of questions every which way and every time it seems like the last thing in the world he wants to do is an interview. Jones and Peters will represent the Jackets well and say all the right things.
• No Clemson quarterback? No kidding.
• Who doesn't want to talk to Miami's kicker?
• Oh c'mon, leave Yates alone. I feel like his big sister. Yeesh.
• Best interview not on the list: Georgia Tech's Anthony Allen.
• Speaking of ... Man, is Bobby Bowden gonna be missed at this thing. Prime time entertainment at that table.

The key to a successful season is starting off strong, as September can set the tone for which direction a program is headed. Look at what happened to Virginia last year after losing the season opener in embarrassing fashion to William & Mary. Or how about Maryland, which started 2009 with a loss to Cal and then came home to barely beat James Madison and then lose to Middle Tennessee and Rutgers. Miami, on the other hand, knocked off three of four ranked opponents after opening with a win over Florida State. It can go either way, which is why it’s worth a look at who in the ACC is most likely to lose in the opening weekend.

Here’s a ranking of who has the highest chance at falling first:

Maryland vs. Navy: You would think Maryland would be favored to win all of its in-state matchups, but that probably won’t be the case in this game. Navy was a 10-win team last year and narrowly missed a chance to beat the Terps the last time these programs met.

Virginia Tech vs. Boise State: The Broncos return all but one starter from last year’s undefeated team, and the Hokies’ depleted defense will be tasked with stopping one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Kellen Moore.

North Carolina vs. LSU: The Tar Heels’ defense should make it difficult for LSU’s offense to show how much improvement it made from a year ago, but the ACC hasn’t fared well recently against the SEC in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff.

Virginia vs. Richmond: This one could be tricky because of the familiarity Richmond has with its former coach, Mike London. The seniors at Virginia have yet to win a home opener, and the Spiders won 11 games last year.

Duke vs. Elon: This FCS opponent is a good chance for rookie starting quarterback Sean Renfree to adjust to his new role, but Elon won nine games last year and Duke isn’t invincible against FCS opponents in openers (See: Richmond, 2009).

Boston College vs. Weber State: The Eagles have one of the easiest nonconference schedules in the ACC and should be able to take advantage of this Big Sky opponent and its penchant for turnovers.

Miami vs. Florida A&M: The odds of the Canes losing at home in a Thursday night opener are slim, but Florida A&M won eight games last year and in-state opponents always come to Coral Gables with something to prove.

Clemson vs. North Texas: At least the Tigers open with an FBS program, but the Mean Green won just two games last year and had one of the worst defenses in the country. Andre Ellington should have a great start.

Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina State: This will be the Jackets’ first game in Al Groh’s 3-4 defense, and it comes against a 10-win FCS program. There should be no threat of an upset, though, as Georgia Tech should be superior in talent.

NC State vs. Western Carolina: The Pack should be able to handle an FCS team that was 2-9 a year ago and ranked 100th or worse in the nation in eight different statistical categories. No running backs with starting experience? No problem. Western Carolina ranked 109th in rushing defense last year.

Wake Forest vs. Presbyterian: Regardless of who starts at quarterback, there shouldn’t be any excuse in losing to a program that finished 0-11 at the provisional FCS level.

Florida State vs. Samford: Bobby Bowden’s shadow continues to loom as the Noles will host Bowden’s former program, but Samford won just five games last year. Those within the program will be eager to prove things are different under Jimbo Fisher.

There's always the potential for a surprise contender, a late-season push by an unheralded opponent (see: Duke, 2009).

The ACC race is so wide open this fall it wouldn't be a true surprise if any of the following teams won the conference title: Clemson, Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami or North Carolina.

So who would be a surprise, that darkhorse who creeps up on everyone?

My early pick is the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Here are three reasons why:

1. It's about time. Coach Tom O'Brien is due. He's entering his fourth season and hasn't been able to catch a break. Injuries or other setbacks prevented O'Brien from showing what he can do when he's got everything in place. O'Brien is a better coach than his 2-6 ACC record last year indicates, and wins over Pitt and UNC are proof. If everyone on this team can stay healthy and out of trouble, the Pack should be back in the postseason.

2. Russell Wilson should still be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He completed 59.3 percent of his passes last year for 3,027 yards and a league-leading 31 touchdown passes. He finished 15th nationally in pass efficiency with a 147.77 rating. He also finished 19th nationally in total offense.

3. The defense will be better. Linebacker should be a strong position, especially with the return of Nate Irving, who had 80 tackles and four interceptions in 2008, and Audie Cole, who was NC State's leading tackler a year ago with 73. They'll be under the guidance of former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, who was hired to coach the linebackers. The secondary was young and ever-changing last year but should be better with the return of two starters in C.J. Wilson and Brandan Bishop. Four other defensive backs started last year.

Congratulations, ACC fans. You came out in droves this spring to watch what amounted to intrasquad scrimmages, leading me to believe there will be a heightened interest in ACC football this fall. (And no, we’re not using Alabama as the standard here.)

Four programs –- Clemson Tigers (27,000), North Carolina Tar Heels (29,500), Florida State Seminoles (51,300) and Virginia Tech Hokies (41,000) –- each set attendance records at their respective spring games this year. The Miami Hurricanes had a sellout crowd of 10,000 at Traz Powell Stadium, which is about normal because of the smaller venue, and the North Carolina State Wolfpack had 25,372.

There are reasons to be excited about ACC football this year, but here are my top five:

1. BCS contenders. Virginia Tech has already been deemed a top-10 preseason team. Georgia Tech is coming off an Orange Bowl appearance. Miami came close to a BCS bid last year. All three teams finished 2009 among the top 15 in the BCS standings. Florida State could represent in the Orange Bowl with an ACC title, but so could more than half the league.

2. Heisman hopefuls. Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams and FSU quarterback Christian Ponder are the first two names that come to mind. Don’t forget, though, that Jacory Harris’ name entered the conversation last September after the Canes’ hot start, and fans can (and will) argue the legitimacy of Josh Nesbitt as a contender.

3. Beefed up schedules. Based on opponents’ overall records from 2009, ACC teams will face the most difficult schedules in the nation this fall. ACC opponents compiled a winning percentage of .604, making the ACC the only league where its opponents won at least 60 percent of their games. And they’re not all creampuffs. Ohio State, Pitt, Alabama, LSU, Boise State, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia and BYU are all on the list.

4. Championship changes. Bring on Charlotte! Last year’s matchup between Clemson and Georgia Tech was a step in the right direction. It was one of the best games of the conference season. Now that the game will be moved to what the folks in Greensboro refer to as the “geographical footprint” of the ACC, the overall atmosphere and attendance is expected to improve.

5. Coaching. There are subplots at almost every school, whether it’s a new coordinator, new head coach, or current coach starting to feel some heat. Will this be Ralph Friedgen’s last year? Not if he has anything to say about it. What can Dabo Swinney do without C.J. Spiller? How quickly can first-year defensive coordinator Mark Stoops improve FSU’s floundering defense? What can John Shoop do to catch the UNC offense up to the Tar Heels’ stellar D? How will Al Groh fit in at Georgia Tech with his 3-4 scheme? Can Mike London work a miracle and get Virginia to a bowl in his first year? The list goes on.

When it comes to defense, the ACC has earned a reputation as having some of the best in the country on a consistent basis. Last year was no exception, as four teams -- Virginia Tech, UNC, Boston College and Clemson -- were ranked among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, allowing fewer than 21 points per game. Those same four teams were ranked among the top 26 nationally in total defense.

Much of the focus, though, was on what the conference didn't do defensively -- i.e., Florida State, NC State and Georgia Tech. The latter was a middle-of-the-pack defense, hardly horrendous, but it disturbed coach Paul Johnson enough to fire Dave Wommack and hire Al Groh as defensive coordinator.

Here's a statistical look at which teams are in need of the most defensive improvement in 2010, followed by a guess at which programs will show the most progress the fastest:

MOST IN NEED OF A MAKEOVER:

1. Florida State -- The Seminoles ranked 108th in rushing defense, 110th in pass efficiency defense, 108th in total defense, and 94th in scoring defense.

2. Maryland --The best news for Ralph Friedgen last year was that Florida State's defense was worse -- and it stole the show. The 2-10 Terps, though, allowed 31.25 points per game and ranked No. 100 in the nation in scoring defense.

2. NC State -- The Pack had a young secondary and were without their best player in Nate Irving. They finished No. 99 in the country in scoring defense, and No. 106 in pass efficiency defense.

FASTEST ROAD TO RECOVERY:

1. Maryland --The Terps return all of their linebackers and should be more productive in the second season under defensive coordinator Don Brown.

2. Florida State -- The Seminoles have nowhere to go but up, and first-year defensive coordinator Mark Stoops is installing a scheme that better fits the personnel.

3. NC State --The secondary is still young, and all four starters up front must be replaced. The additions of Jon Tenuta and Irving should help.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, ACC fans. Being that I’ve got a quarter Irish in me, I couldn’t let the holiday go by without acknowledging it. Besides, there’s an Irishman in this conference who could use a little luck in 2010. Thanks in large part to injuries, NC State coach Tom O’Brien has been one of the unluckiest guys in the conference since he came to Raleigh, and he’s got two of the greenest position groups this spring. (Did you know that in 2005, O’Brien received the John F. Kennedy National Award, given to “an outstanding American of Irish descent for distinguished service to God and country?”)

Since it’s a good day to be green, here’s a look at the ACC’s youngest and most inexperienced groups throughout the conference:

1. NC State’s defensive line: The Pack have to replace all four starters up front, including two of the top five tacklers from a year ago, Willie Young and Alan Michael Cash.

2. NC State’s running backs: For the first time since 2005, the Pack don’t have any tailbacks with starting experience.

3. FSU’s secondary: Aside from Ochuko Jenije, none of the defensive backs have played more than one season.

4. Miami tight ends: There are only two participating in spring practice, and one is a redshirt freshman. The Canes signed four in this recruiting class, but none were early enrollees.

5. Wake Forest quarterbacks: The Deacs will replace the winningest quarterback in school history with somebody who has never had any starting experience. Ted Stachitas is the veteran of the group, with one series against Elon.

We’ve looked at each team individually heading into spring practices, but now that more than half the conference has actually started practicing, let’s take a broader view of the questions facing the ACC as an entire conference this spring:

1. How quickly will the returning injured stars shake off the rust? Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans, NC State linebacker Nate Irving, and Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich all missed the 2009 season and are hoping to make impacts this fall. Evans’ progress will help determine the redshirt status of David Wilson in addition to how the carries are shared with Ryan Williams. Regardless of how much he is able to contribute on the field, Irving’s mere presence has been a boost to a struggling defense in need of one. And Herzlich’s return, coupled with the maturation of teammate Luke Kuechly, could give the Eagles one of the best linebacking corps in the country.

2. Which quarterbacks will emerge this spring? With starters Jacory Harris, Josh Nesbitt, Sean Renfree and Russell Wilson not participating in spring ball, the door has opened for their backups. (Unless you’re at Florida State, where backup quarterback E.J. Manuel will miss his second straight spring session with an injury.) There are quarterback competitions from Chestnut Hill to Coral Gables this spring, and whether or not Wilson and Clemson’s Kyle Parker choose baseball careers could shake up the conference race.

3. How quickly can the defenses rebuild? The ACC has earned a reputation as a defensive conference, but several programs will be under new leadership this spring. At Georgia Tech, the defense is switching to a 3-4 under Al Groh. Virginia is switching back to a 4-3 now that Groh is gone. Marion Hobby will now call the plays for Duke and at Florida State, new coordinator Mark Stoops is tasked with turning around one of the nation’s worst defenses in ‘09. At NC State, former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta has taken over the linebackers and all four defensive linemen will be new starters. Virginia Tech will be missing seven starters this spring and the best defensive player in the conference -- former Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan -- is simply irreplaceable.