A Jersey Guy: ACC could be "out'' of championship race early

The Atlantic Coast Conference will test its contenders early this CFB season.

Just wondering what's going on while waiting for the CFB season to start.

The popular theory in college football is that you can afford to lose games early in the season and remain a national contender.

In looking at the opening week of the 2021 schedule. it is possible that the entire top the ACC could be in the discard pile by the end of Labor Day weekend.

Consider this list of 4 games involving ACC teams.

Sept. 3--North Carolina at Virginia Tech.

The Tar Heels, led by Heisman-contending QB Sam Howell,  are a consensus pre-season pick to win the ACC Coastal Division title.

Coach Mack Brown's team is also one of a group of "sleepers'' as a Final Four participant.

Having said that, winning in Blacksburg is never an easy proposition. 

There is also this to consider. The ACC Coastal has been a graveyard for favorites for much of the past decade, with six different teams winning the title in the past six seasons.

Sept. 4-- Clemson vs. Georgia (Charlotte)

A major Top 5 battle to start the season between two long time rivals, both of who expect to be contending at the end of the season.

But someone has to lose this opener and if its Clemson, the Tigers will immediately drop into the lower half of the Top 10. Considering the overall weak nature of the  Tigers' schedule (no ranked teams) it will be a tough climb for the Tigers who will probably have to run the table the rest of the season.

Sept. 4--Alabama vs. Miami (Atlanta)

Miami wants to be back in the mix as a national championship contender. This is way to get back quickly. But the defending national championship Tide will be Miami's toughest game of the season.

Sept  5--Notre Dame at FSU

FSU wants to be back in the mix as a contender--both the ACC and in the national championship race. This is a guaranteed way to do that, although the Irish are not projected as national contenders this season.

There you have it, four ACC contenders: Clemson and NC, the  two pre-season division favorites, Miami and FSU, whose past legacies have been tarnished.

A 4-0 record would be a clear message that the ACC is open and ready for ready for business this fall.

But it could easily 0-4. 

Should be fun.

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What's in the drinking water in the Tampa Bay area?

In case you missed it, the Tampa Bay Lightning are two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Bucs are the defending Super Bowl champions and the Tampa Devil Rays went to game seven of last year's World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers and are 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the American League East standings at the All-Star break.

Common denominator: Tom Brady, who arrived in Tampa in the spring of 2020. Nothing but good news since TB 12 established residence.

Champa Bay?

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No spectators at Olympic events in Tokyo will just make the Games more of a television dominated event than ever before. Irony is that NBC, which will broadcast the games, will have a large contingent covering the games from its Connecticut studio base.

Roger Federer's early departure in Wimbledon was a surprise, but it raises the possibility that Federer, who has 20 Grand Slam titles, may have won his last Major.

Approaching 40 years old, Federer, who has a record 8 Wimbledon crowns, acknowledged it after his 1/4 final loss round to 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz, who was 6 years old when Federer won his first Wimbledon crown in 2003: "Of course,  would like to play Wimbledon again,'' said Federer. "But at my age, you're just never sure what's around the corner.''

The new and reigning (2019.2020, 2021) Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic won again on Sunday, which also gives him 20 titles along with Federer and Rafael Nadel. Djokovic also has won the French Open last month, which added to his  win in the Australian Open last winter, gives him 3/4 of a same calendar year Grand Slam, with Only the U.S. Open (September) remaining.

No one has accomplished that since Rod Laver's sweep in 1969.

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Maybe it's just me, but there is something wrong about the NBA finals still being contested AFTER the MLB All Star break.