ACC: Early season surprises, the good and bad

Here are the ACC's early season surprises, the good and the bad:

Virginia Tech SF Jarell Eddie is averaging 17.1 points per game. (US Presswire)

The Good

• Virginia Tech -- PG Erick Green has received a lot of attention, leading the league in scoring at 24.9 points per game, but SF Jarell Eddie is third in the ACC, averaging 17.1 points per contest. Virginia Tech has pushed the pace more in its first year under coach James Johnson, and the Hokies are 7-0, last beating No. 23 Oklahoma State 81-71 on Saturday. With just eight scholarship players, the margin for error is slim, but so far, Virginia Tech has shown it can be a factor in the ACC race.

• Duke C Mason Plumlee -- Plumlee has always had the tools. He has elite size and athleticism, but his production has not fully matched his talent on a consistent basis. That is, until this year. Plumlee is averaging 19.6 points per game, more than eight points better than a year ago, and he is leading the ACC with 11 rebounds per game. Duke needed Plumlee to step up in his senior year, and he has delivered in a big way.

• Maryland C Alex Len -- Like Plumlee, Len has made fantastic strides from last season to now. Len is leading Maryland with 14 points and nine rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game. That is an improvement of eight points and more than three rebounds while playing just four more minutes on average. Len's emergence makes Maryland a dangerous team the rest of the season and also puts him in the conversation for the top overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

The Bad

• Florida State -- The Seminoles have lost four games, and all four losses have come at home. There were two upsets from South Alabama and Mercer, but ranked foes Minnesota and Florida both controlled their games from start to finish at Florida State. G Michael Snaer has not played the way most expected, and while the offensive struggles might immediately jump out, it's the defensive regression that has led to such a tough start. Last year, Florida State gave up 89.3 points per 100 possessions, according to kenpom.com. This year, the Seminoles are giving up 95.3.

• Wake Forest F Travis McKie and G C.J. Harris -- McKie and Harris have to play well for Wake Forest to have success this year. Last season, they combined to average 32.8 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting. This year, those numbers have dropped to 25.1 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting. The result is the Demon Deacons continuing to struggle, starting the season 4-4 with double-digit losses to Iona and Nebraska.

• Third year head coaches -- Boston College coach Steve Donahue, Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik and Clemson coach Brad Brownell are all in their third years at their respective schools. The Eagles are 3-5 while the Demon Deacons are 4-4. Clemson is 5-2, but it lost handily to a mediocre Purdue team at home and does not have a win that jumps out. None of the three programs currently looks like it is in a better place than under their predecessors.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.