PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- With football season little more than a month away and practices starting next week, the Atlantic Coast Conference held its annual media Kickoff event Sunday through Tuesday at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.Sunday, the media voted in the pre-season poll and results were released early Monday afternoon. Virginia narrowly edged North Carolina by one point to be selected to finish fourth in the ACC's Coastal Division.
Miami (374 points) was chosen to win the Coastal Division, followed by Virginia Tech (316), Georgia Tech (279), Virginia (166), North Carolina (165) and Duke (65). Florida State (373) was picked to win the Atlantic Division, followed by Clemson (322), Boston College (269), Maryland (163), N.C. State (124) and Wake Forest (116). Miami was chosen to beat Florida State in the Dr Pepper ACC Championship game, scheduled for Dec. 2 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville.
Groh had no major qualms with the media's picks.
"It certainly looks pretty accurate at the top. Since we are one point ahead of the team that you all picked fifth, I don't see much difference in fourth, fifth," Groh said. "Given who I look at above us, that is probably the pretty accurate, pretty smart thing to do if you want your postseason standings to look like your preseason standings."
Groh added that Virginia hopes to finish higher than fourth.
"We'd always like to finish higher than that," Groh said. "But we look at the reality of things too. We are going to try to win them all, but kind of know where we are as a team and what we need to get done."
Last season, the Cavaliers finished fifth in the Coastal Division, with a 3-5 conference record.
Also in the media poll, Georgia Tech junior wide receiver Calvin Johnson was the overwhelming choice for Pre-Season Player of the Year. Also receiving votes were Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, Clemson running back James Davis, Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford, Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker and Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams.
All 12 conference coaches as well as two players from each team were present at the event for interviews. Quarterback Christian Olsen and cornerback Marcus Hamilton represented Virginia along with head coach Al Groh.
During his Monday sit-down with the media, Groh made several newsworthy comments.
Perhaps most significant was word that junior safety Nate Lyles will be ready to practice when Virginia's training camp opens up next Thursday. Lyles suffered a serious neck injury during last year's 27-17 win over Georgia Tech and missed all of spring practice.
Also of importance was the revelation that cornerback Tony Franklin might be invited back to the team after being dismissed last spring for receiving a possession of marijuana misdemeanor charge. Groh hinted that the decision about Franklin will come very shortly. He said his decision will be based on a conversation with Franklin that he hopes to have before practice starts next week. Franklin was Virginia's fourth-leading tackler last season with 39 and his return would be a major boost for what will be a young defensive unit.
Groh also indicated that he plans to start junior Ian-Yates Cunningham at center with junior Jordan Lipsey backing him up. With the departures of stalwarts D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Brian Barthelemes, Virginia's lack of depth on the offensive line is an area of concern.
Olsen's interview session ranged over a wide variety of topics, from replacing Marques Hagans to Olsen's brief foray into the world of modeling as well as his majoring in drama. Olsen was also paired with Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer in Monday's golf tournament. He faced his toughest questioning when teammate Marcus Hamilton grabbed a recorder.
"Who is your favorite cornerback?" Hamilton asked.
"My favorite cornerback is probably Chris Gorham, because he's probably the toughest to go against when I need to," Olsen replied with a grin on his face. "The other guy [Hamilton] -- we could probably put a cone out there and get more coverage on our receivers than that. But in all seriousness, going against you, Marcus, is probably what's making me a better quarterback. I'm not bull [expletive] you right now. You make Deyon [Williams] better, you make Fontel [Mines] better and you make me better because you're right there and I've got to throw it into tight coverage. It's making me a much more accurate passer."
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