ESPN College Football

The official list for the NFL combine has been released. A total of 48 players from the ACC have been invited to audition for the NFL from February 23 – March 1. When categorized by school, it's somewhat of a reality check to see how many of the best players in the conference are moving on, and which programs will take the biggest hit. It's impossible not to wonder how good North Carolina could have been had all of the following players remained eligible. The Tar Heels will send the most players to the combine with 11.

Here are the players who will represent the ACC:

BOSTON COLLEGE (3)

• Anthony Castonzo
• Rich Lapham
• Mark Herzlich

CLEMSON (7)

• Da'Quan Bowers
• Marcus Gilchrist
• Chris Hairston
• Jamie Harper
• Jarvis Jenkins
• Byron Maxwell
• DeAndre McDaniel

FLORIDA STATE (3)

• Rodney Hudson
• Christian Ponder
• Markus White

GEORGIA TECH (3)

• Anthony Allen
• Mario Butler
• Jerrard Tarrant

MARYLAND (3)

• Torrey Smith
• Adrian Moten
• Da'Rel Scott

MIAMI (9)

• Allen Bailey
• Damien Berry
• Matt Bosher
• Orlando Franklin
• Graig Cooper
• Leonard Hankerson
• Brandon Harris
• Colin McCarthy
• DeMarcus Van Dyke

NORTH CAROLINA (11)

• Marvin Austin
• Kendric Burney
• Bruce Carter
• Greg Little
• Shaun Draughn
• Robert Quinn
• Da'Norris Searcy
• Quan Sturdivant
• Johnny White
• Deunta Williams
• T.J. Yates

NC STATE (2)

• Nate Irving
• Owen Spencer

VIRGINIA (2)

• Danny Aiken
• Ras-I Dowling

VIRGINIA TECH (5)

• Rashad Carmichael
• Darren Evans
• John Graves
• Tyrod Taylor
• Ryan Williams

The ACC has missed out -- missed out this season on one of the most talented players in the conference.

Since Virginia lost at Georgia Tech on Oct. 9 -- cornerback Ras-I Dowling's first start of the season -- Dowling has played three defensive plays against EMU and one special-teams play. For the past month, he has made it through practices, but a lingering knee injury has kept him out of games. Now, as the seniors on Virginia's roster prepare to play their final home games in Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers are hoping Dowling can finish his career on the field, not the sideline.

"Selfishly, you like him on the field, but at the same time you have to understand that you're dealing with your own body," said Virginia coach Mike London. "You're dealing with his future. You're dealing with pain tolerance. It is what it is right now with him. Again hopefully, last home game, that the practices that he practices and the time he puts into it that he feels he can get out there and give us a few reps or more."

Dowling brings playmaking potential to each game, so while it may appear on paper that Virginia's cornerback situation has been respectable in his absence, it doesn't speak to what game-changing plays Dowling may have contributed.

The 55-48 loss to Duke really showed how much Chase Minnifield has stepped up in Dowling's absence -- missing both of them changed the outcome of the game from a defensive aspect. Minnifield, who entered the Duke game tied for the national lead with six interceptions, had an ankle injury and didn't last past the first quarter.

Dowling's role this season has been limited to the sideline, cheering on his teammates. He goes from huddle to huddle, offering encouragement, but his experience and big-play ability is missing in the secondary and has added to some of the growing pains on defense. Minnifield has helped filled that role, but if both of them were out there, the Cavaliers' secondary would be tough to beat. It's currently No. 23 in the country in pass defense.

Sophomore cornerback Devin Wallace and senior Mike Parker have combined to fill Dowling's spot. Against Duke, Virginia had safety Rodney McLeod at cornerback for spurts because of the lack of depth. Still, Dowling's injury hasn't seemed to affect his draft stock. Mel Kiper still has Dowling listed as No. 2 at his position.

"With him I know it's frustrating, without getting into his personal history, there's a lot of issues with him," London said of Dowling. "He obviously has every NFL scout coming by to see him and they know about him. His junior year stands on what it is and what it was. Frustrating that he hasn't had a senior year opportunity to do some of the same things. But his skills are not diminished. Still great character person. A lot of the things they liked about him then, back then, they still like now."

If only Virginia fans could see it one more time in Scott Stadium.

Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs and Northern Illinois defensive end Jake Coffman were among 10 football players selected as finalists for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be classified as a senior and have notable achievements in four areas -- community, classroom, character and competition. The winner will be announced Jan. 10, 2011, on ESPN before the BCS national title game.

Here is the list of finalists:

Sam Acho, defensive end, Texas
Sean Bedford, center, Georgia Tech
Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle, Boston College
Jake Coffman, defensive end, Northern Illinois
Ricky Dobbs, quarterback, Navy
Ras-I Dowling, cornerback, Virginia
Kendall Hunter, running back, Oklahoma State
Christian Ponder, quarterback, Florida State
Ryan Pugh, center, Auburn
Stefen Wisniewski, offensive guard, Penn State

"Philosophical" is not a term that often appears next to USC coach Lane Kiffin's name, but it accurately describes how he's responding to his Trojans "good news, bad news" performance at Hawaii last Thursday.

The good news was his offense rolling up 524 yards and 49 points, with quarterback Matt Barkley turning in a nearly flawless performance with five touchdown passes and no picks.

The bad news was the Trojans yielding an eye-popping 588 yards and 36 points and not tackling worth a spit.

"One game will not define us," Kiffin said. "Just like it will not define Matt on offense. Let's take a couple of games before we evaluate, before we make big statements about sides of the ball."

That said, Kiffin understands the concerns over his defense, which looked to be a strength entering the season, no matter a completely rebuilt secondary. The hand wringing over one bad game that, nonetheless, still ended up being a win is understandable, he said.

"That's who we are right now because it happened," he said.

See: Philosophical! The Trojans defense fell on a island and everyone saw it.

Therefore, that defense will be looking for redemption against Virginia on Saturday in the Coliseum, USC's only home game until Oct. 2. The Cavaliers beat Richmond 34-13 last weekend, the debut for new coach Mike London, but the Cavaliers only welcome back 12 starters from a 3-9 team that got Al Groh fired.

Moreover, Barkley might be working against a secondary minus its two best players: All-ACC cornerback Ras-I Dowling and junior strong safety Rodney McLeod didn't play against the Spiders. Dowling missed much of fall camp with a hamstring injury, while McLeod has a knee injury.

Another boost for the USC offense: The return of freshman running back Dillon Baxter from a one-game suspension. Kiffin has called Baxter USC's "most talented player."

The last time these two teams met in 2008, Mark Sanchez and the Trojans bludgeoned the Cavaliers 52-7 in Charlottesville. But the circumstances are much different this time. For one, there are two new head coaches. For another, USC is no longer riding a run of Pac-10 dominance to a certain BCS bowl berth. The rest of the Pac-10 took care of the former last fall, and the NCAA took care of the latter this summer.

Still, London said he doesn't see a neutered team.

"When you look at the game [film], you see athleticism -- from everybody," he said. "Even the water boy is athletic and fast."

So what went wrong at Hawaii on defense? Kiffin cited a number of things. For one, yes, it did hurt that the Trojans didn't do much full-contact work during fall camp in order to avoid injuries. That's an explanation for the poor tackling. Further, the Warriors surprised USC when they tweaked their spread scheme with a "pistol" formation.

Kiffin also gave credit to Hawaii: "That is a really good offense, and I think we'll see that throughout the year... They are going to put up lot of yards and points on people if they stay healthy."

Kiffin seemed excited that Virginia's style of offense will be more in the Trojans' comfort zone. He called the Hawaii game "a wake-up call" and expects his defense to be highly motivated after turning in an embarrassing performance.

And, no, the Trojans defense, which started hemorrhaging last year (though USC still led the Pac-10 in scoring defense at 19.8 ppg), hasn't lost its confidence. At least not yet.

"I look for us to play a lot better this week," Kiffin said. "If we play like that three weeks into the season, yeah, we're going to have a confidence issue. We're going to have a lot of issues. But I don't think that's going to be the case. I think our guys are going to really respond well this week."

Oh, and by the way, overconfidence shouldn't be a problem, either

"How we can be overconfident; we haven't done anything yet," Kiffin said.

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.

His name has made its way onto preseason watch lists and NFL draft boards, but Virginia senior cornerback Ras-I Dowling said he isn’t paying attention to any of it.

His priorities are bigger than that.

The biggest award Dowling is after this fall? His diploma.

“The one thing I wanted to do, a goal growing up was to get my college degree,” he said. “My dream was always to make it to the NFL, but I wanted to get my goal first and then have an opportunity to go to the NFL. I’ll be the first person in my family to go to college and graduate from college. It’s a great accomplishment for me, for myself. That’s something I wanted to accomplish.”

Dowling, who chose to forgo the NFL draft to return for his senior season, said that when he finally does leave Virginia, he hopes his legacy is as a great person before it is a great player. Considering what he’s already accomplished, though, Dowling has a chance to do both.

Dowling was recently named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, an award which is given to the nation’s best defensive player, and he was ranked No. 21 in Mel Kiper’s first Big Board. Dowling finished the season ranked No. 6 in the ACC in passes defended (11) and No. 11 in interceptions (three). He also averaged 3.4 tackles per game and had two tackles for loss.

Dowling enters his final season with eight career interceptions and 145 total tackles. He has 36 career passes defended. Aside from graduating, his biggest goal this season is winning.

“If I make enough plays, or we make enough plays as a unit, of course we’re going to win,” he said. “I look at last season, and I didn’t make enough plays. That’s one reason why we didn’t win. If we come together as a team, we’re going to win as a team.

“I feel like we can win all of our games. Every player should feel that way. Everybody puts their pants on the same way we put ours on. They hurt the same way, bleed the same way. There’s no way you should come in there and believe another man can out-beat you. You have to come out willing to fight and ready to win.”

Does the rest of the team share his attitude?

Said Dowling: “I hope so.”

It would serve Virginia well if it did.

Virginia's first spring practice of the Mike London era is in the books, and today the team issued its post-spring depth chart.

A few quick points:

• Three positions on defense feature co-starters, including two of the three linebacker spots. Junior Aaron Taliaferro and Steve Greer are listed as co-starters at middle linebacker, while senior Jared Detrick and sophomore Ausar Walcott are the co-starters at weak side linebacker. Junior Chase Minnifield and sophomore Devin Wallace are listed as co-starters at one cornerback spot, opposite co-captain Ras-I Dowling.
• As expected, senior Marc Verica tops the depth chart at quarterback, while Ross Metheny and Michael Strauss are listed as co-backups.
• Offensive line will continue to be a position to monitor during preseason camp, but here are the starters coming out of spring ball: left tackle Landon Bradley, left guard Austin Pasztor, center Anthony Mihota, right guard B.J. Cabbell, right tackle Oday Aboushi.
• Sophomore Perry Jones is listed as the top running back ahead of senior Keith Payne, who rejoined the team after a one-year leave of absence.
• The depth chart doesn't include specialists, but the competition at kicker will spill into the fall after a poor showing at the spring game April 10.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Virginia has shown the two elements that will make it a contender again in the ACC -- Cedric Peerman on offense and a gritty defense led by cornerback Ras-I Dowling and linebacker Clint Sintim.

If Virginia eliminates the turnovers, it can win this game. Marc Verica has already thrown two interceptions (the first wasn't his fault, the second was a poor decision). But Peerman is a difference-maker, and the Cavaliers' defense can keep them in this game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Sorry, snooze button ...

It looks like the Seminoles have finally woken-up, though.

Florida State coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher hasn't "had a fit in three days." Sounds like progress to me. Especially considering Drew Weatherford's quote in that story about getting "rid of some of the garbage" on the team. Yikes. It certainly helps when you replace problems with young talent.

Things are looking up in Miami for left tackle Antonio Dixon, who is back at practice after a scare with his breathing. The Hurricanes also got some good news in that injured projected starting defensive ends -- Eric Moncur and Allen Bailey, who haven't practiced yet this summer -- should be ready to go for the season opener.

Still, Randy Shannon is trying to get the team moving forward at practice, not backwards.

Congrats to NC State coach Tom O'Brien. He's got his quarterbacks narrowed down to three candidates. Unfortunately for them, Harrison Beck and Justin Burke aren't among the options.

Think learning Paul Johnson's offense is easy? Try doing it against Georgia Tech's defensive line every day. The learning curve is steep for this young offensive line.

Virginia coach Al Groh is pleased with the progress of cornerback Ras-I Dowling, and receivers coach Wayne Lineburg has more reasons to smile in his second season.

Virginia Tech is looking to replace its top four receivers, and while the offense has the potential to improve from a year ago, things were a little sloppy in the first scrimmage. Frank Beamer called it "ragged." And running backs coach Billy Hite was fuming.

At least he has options there, which is more than you can say for Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who is trying to find a replacement for injured leading rusher Re'quan Boyette.

One team that obviously has zero problems with the running back position is Clemson.

I can attest to the friendship between Clemson running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. I talked to them on Monday after they ate lunch together.

Still, how far Clemson goes this season might come down to Mark Buchholz's right foot. If so, he's going to have to be better than he was in 2007.

Check back later for more.