Spring Break
Week three: Ranking the Carolinas
Ronnie Woodward, Asst. Sports Editor
Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: Sports
1. ECU
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Won vs. West Virginia, 24-3
The Pirates have officially landed on the national scene after dominating No. 8 West Virginia, 24-3. ECU now has three-straight wins over ranked opponents and has vaulted itself into the top 25, at No. 14. Saturday's win marked ECU's most impressive win in school history, in terms of a ranked opponent. West Virginia, at No. 8, is the now the highest-ranked team ECU has ever beat, eclipsing the Pirates' win over Miami in 1999, when the Hurricanes were ranked ninth in the nation. The sky is now the limit for ECU, and its national ranking and attention can only go up as it continues to rack up wins.
2. Wake Forest
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Won vs. Ole Miss, 30-28
The Deacons gave the ACC some rare hope by holding off a pesky Ole Miss squad at home this past Saturday. Ole Miss scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:01 left to play, making the score 28-27, but Wake quarterback Riley Skinner led the Deacons down the field and fifth-year senior Sam Swank nailed a 41-yard field goal as time expired, giving Wake the hard-fought win. Wake has a bye week this week before playing at Florida State on Sept. 20-a game that could go a long way in deciding the ACC's champion.
3. Clemson
Record: 1-1
Last Week: Won vs. The Citadel, 45-17
Clemson avenged its degrading loss to Alabama in the season-opener by taking out its frustration on The Citadel in week two. Clemson's offense looked like it was supposed to, racking up 525 yards in balanced fashion. Running back CJ Spiller scored three touchdowns, while James Davis added 107 yards and a touchdown of his own on the ground. The Tigers have three more home games against inferior opponents, starting with N.C. State, and a bye week before playing at Wake Forest in a crucial Thursday night game.
4. North Carolina
Record: 1-0
Last Week: bye
The Tar Heels move up a spot, despite not doing anything. We will find out a lot about this team this Thursday night, when it plays at Rutgers on ESPN. UNC didn't look very good in its season-opener, barely beating Division 1-AA McNeese State. Butch Davis is a very good coach however, and we should expect a better performance this week against a much better opponent.
5. South Carolina
Record: 1-1
Last Week: Lost at Vanderbilt, 24-17
The Gamecocks were beat by Vanderbilt for the second year in a row last Thursday. The win was Vandy's first win over a ranked opponent since 1992, and it knocked South Carolina from its No. 24 ranking. South Carolina was down by two touchdowns with about nine minutes left and attempted to fight back late in the game, but the comeback came up short. It will be very interesting to see how Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks respond this week, when the super-talented Georgia Bulldogs come to town.
This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Won vs. West Virginia, 24-3
The Pirates have officially landed on the national scene after dominating No. 8 West Virginia, 24-3. ECU now has three-straight wins over ranked opponents and has vaulted itself into the top 25, at No. 14. Saturday's win marked ECU's most impressive win in school history, in terms of a ranked opponent. West Virginia, at No. 8, is the now the highest-ranked team ECU has ever beat, eclipsing the Pirates' win over Miami in 1999, when the Hurricanes were ranked ninth in the nation. The sky is now the limit for ECU, and its national ranking and attention can only go up as it continues to rack up wins.
2. Wake Forest
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Won vs. Ole Miss, 30-28
The Deacons gave the ACC some rare hope by holding off a pesky Ole Miss squad at home this past Saturday. Ole Miss scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:01 left to play, making the score 28-27, but Wake quarterback Riley Skinner led the Deacons down the field and fifth-year senior Sam Swank nailed a 41-yard field goal as time expired, giving Wake the hard-fought win. Wake has a bye week this week before playing at Florida State on Sept. 20-a game that could go a long way in deciding the ACC's champion.
3. Clemson
Record: 1-1
Last Week: Won vs. The Citadel, 45-17
Clemson avenged its degrading loss to Alabama in the season-opener by taking out its frustration on The Citadel in week two. Clemson's offense looked like it was supposed to, racking up 525 yards in balanced fashion. Running back CJ Spiller scored three touchdowns, while James Davis added 107 yards and a touchdown of his own on the ground. The Tigers have three more home games against inferior opponents, starting with N.C. State, and a bye week before playing at Wake Forest in a crucial Thursday night game.
4. North Carolina
Record: 1-0
Last Week: bye
The Tar Heels move up a spot, despite not doing anything. We will find out a lot about this team this Thursday night, when it plays at Rutgers on ESPN. UNC didn't look very good in its season-opener, barely beating Division 1-AA McNeese State. Butch Davis is a very good coach however, and we should expect a better performance this week against a much better opponent.
5. South Carolina
Record: 1-1
Last Week: Lost at Vanderbilt, 24-17
The Gamecocks were beat by Vanderbilt for the second year in a row last Thursday. The win was Vandy's first win over a ranked opponent since 1992, and it knocked South Carolina from its No. 24 ranking. South Carolina was down by two touchdowns with about nine minutes left and attempted to fight back late in the game, but the comeback came up short. It will be very interesting to see how Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks respond this week, when the super-talented Georgia Bulldogs come to town.
This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.
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