A tough league to predict

GREENSBORO, N.C.

Scattershooting around the ACC, while betting that us media types didn’t correctly pick the conference championship football matchup during this week’s ACC kickoff at Grandover Resort…

Since the inception of the league’s divisional play in 2005, guess how many times in four previous attempts we’ve gotten that matchup correct.

Once. That was the first year, ’05, when we picked Florida State to beat Virginia Tech in the championship game.

In 2006, the preseason pick was Miami over FSU in the title game, but Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech. In 2007, the pick was Virginia Tech over FSU, and we were halfway right, as the Hokies defeated Boston College in the title tilt. Last year, the pick was Clemson over Virginia Tech, and of course, the Tigers folded early after they were overwhelmed in the season opener against Alabama. Tech ended up beating BC again for the championship.

This year, by the way, media attending the ACC kickoff picked Virginia Tech to defeat Florida State in the championship. Odds are one of these teams won’t make it that far.

Tough to start

Virginia coach Al Groh told writers at the kickoff on Monday that two of the Cavaliers’ early season nonconference games are particularly tough.

While he wasn’t overlooking William & Mary (he wasn’t asked about the Tribe), Groh spoke about how difficult games against Texas Christian (here on the second week of the season) and Southern Mississippi (in Hattiesburg the third week of the season) could be.

“[TCU] would be one of the favorites if they were in this conference,” Groh said of the Horned Frogs.

After all, TCU finished seventh in the nation last season, boasted the country’s No. 1 defense and the No. 24 offense.

“They won’t bring a lot of hype with them to the East Coast, but I’m impressed with that team,” Groh said.

Then there’s Southern Miss.

“They’ve been very successful down there,” Groh said. “Their program has won 19 bowl games. How many teams in this conference has won that many?”

The answer is three: Georgia Tech, Florida State and Miami.

Beamer psyched

Chatting with Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer at the kickoff, the veteran coach is fired up about the Hokies’ season opener against Alabama in the Georgia Dome.

“It’s an exciting start,” Beamer said. “I firmly believe that if you win a game like that it gives you great momentum, and if you lose that early in the season, you still have a chance to bounce back.”

Beamer said he was excited about this particular team, which has been picked to win the ACC and will be ranked high when the national polls come out next month.

“I think [the team] is legit,” Beamer said. “We’ve got some good football players. One of the things out there (that he wonders about) is that we may still be too young.”

He was referring to a young team, even though it’s fairly experienced, competing for a national title chase.

A leaner Fridge

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen has often poked fun of himself about his weight problem, but showed up in Greensboro a much leaner football coach.

Friedgen, adoringly referred to by many as “the Fridge,” lost some weight a couple of years ago, showing up at Sawgrass Resort in Jacksonville, Fla., for the ACC kickoff after one noticeable weight-loss program.

Told he looked great after dropping around 50 pounds, he joked, “Yeah, it’s like throwing three deck chairs off the Titanic.”

This time it was different.

Friedgen showed up in Greensboro weighing 306 pounds, which means he lost 95 pounds. When he tipped the scales at 401 pounds eight months ago, he decided to do something and discovered the Medifast diet plan, from a company based in Owings Mills, Md.

He eats five small meals a day, which has boosted his metabolism.

At age 62, the coach is hoping to lose 55 more pounds to help secure a healthier life. But he admits it’s getting tougher now.

“I used to eat all of my meals fast, but they tell you to eat slow,” Friedgen said. “Well, when you’re really eating only one [substantial] meal a day, man, you eat it as slow as you can.”

Short yardage

The ACC kickoff drew a record number of media (255) even though most newspapers and other outlets are experiencing tough times with travel expenses. Part of the reason it was so successful may have been the league’s decision to move the event to Greensboro, home of ACC headquarters, as opposed to sticking with the original site for this year’s event, Tampa, Fla., where the league will hold its championship game in December. ... The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, has announced the pairing for its third game in 2010 — LSU vs. North Carolina in the Georgia Dome. The first two matchups between teams from the ACC and SEC have been sellouts, including this year’s Virginia Tech vs. Alabama, and last year’s Alabama vs. Clemson games.