Talking ACC player of the year

Been playing a lot of catchup lately trying to catch stuff I missed over the last two weeks, and noticed Heather Dinich's attempt to rank the ACC's top 25 players.

HD gives DeAndre McDaniel a lofty ranking, placing him at No. 2, and thus DMac is very much on the radar for ACC player of the year honors.

C.J. Spiller, of course, took the award last year in landslide fashion while breaking a lengthy POY drought for Clemson (the Tigers' previous winner was Michael Dean Perry, way back in 1987).

So, after going 21 seasons without having a player named ACC player of the year, Clemson could end up doing it in back-to-back years.

It's a rare feat for one ACC school to claim the honor in successive years. The last to do it was Florida State, whose Charlie Ward won it in 1992 and 1993.

And if Dinich's listing of elite players is a good indicator -- I'd say it is -- then there's a good chance the ACC will have a defensive player take POY for the first time since E.J. Henderson in 2001.

Nine of her top 16 are defensive players, and UNC's Robert Quinn will make it a 10th when she makes him her No. 1 player in the ACC (I can't imagine her picking anyone else).

On the topic of Dinich's Top 25, I have some issues with it. Among them: Russell Wilson at No. 7 (too high) and Tyrod Taylor at No. 17 (too low).

Maybe TI should release its own ranking. The wheels are turning...

For a former rapper who used to be as nasty as he wanted to be, Luther Campbell sure has a lot of clout with Miami's program.


Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail looks back at Clemson's 2009-10 athletics year and says it was a year of what-ifs for the Tigers.

Indeed. Seems like a broken record for Clemson fans.

Maybe my perception is clouded by the fact that I cover the Tigers, but is there another athletics program whose three major sports have been such a tease over the years?

Football, basketball and baseball have been solid, no doubt. Their combined success and consistency is absolutely something to be proud of.

But gosh, how many times have they reached the precipice of something great, only to trip as they walk through the door?

Too many to count, it seems.

The Sears Cup standings are out, by the way, and Clemson finished 48th.

Hell is pretty close to freezing over in my neck of the woods. Have never been much of a fan of soccer, and have been known to ridicule it on occasion by calling it "kickball."

After taking in last week's jaw-dropping game between Ghana and Uruguay, I'm starting to change my tune.

It was only the most incredible ending to a sporting event I've ever seen, so the sport (or maybe just the event) has to get some serious points for that.

The hate-fest between Germany and Argentina reminded me of the old Miami-Notre Dame wars in college football (even though Maradona doesn't really resemble Gerry Faust).

Never thought I'd be saying this, but the DVR is set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bill Simmons pens a column on the World Cup here and he's a fan.

Still have some beefs with the sport, however: The barrage of faked injuries, the galling lack of replay to overturn horrendous mistakes by the officials, and those annoying vuvuzelas.


LW

Click here for the new “Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.