ACC: 5 things we learned -- Week 12
Here are five things we learned on the 12th weekend of ACC football:
1. Florida State won the Atlantic Division for the second time in three years. The Seminoles easily took care of the Terrapins to win the division title. Florida State has won five in a row but has not moved up in the polls. It will need an impressive performance against Florida to try to crawl back into the national championship picture, and even then, the Seminoles will need a lot of help to even be considered.
2. Clemson's offense has hit another gear. The Tigers scored 62 points at home against NC State Saturday and put up 754 yards of total offense. Clemson has scored at least 37 points in 10 of its 11 games this season. Now, it'll face a South Carolina defense that has given up at least 20 points against four consecutive FBS opponents after not allowing its first six opponents to score more than 17.
3. North Carolina QB Bryn Renner is becoming more comfortable in coach Larry Fedora's offense. Renner has thrown for more than 300 yards in three straight games, and he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in Thursday's 37-13 win at Virginia. The Tar Heels needed Renner's production considering RB Giovani Bernard was held to 57 rushing yards. Renner proved he is capable of carrying the offense, even when Bernard is not at his best.
4. Boston College coach Frank Spaziani is as conservative as ever despite his tenuous job security. With the game tied, the Eagles had the ball at their own 17-yard line with two timeouts and 1:05 left on the clock. Spaziani could have let QB Chase Rettig air it out and try to make something happen, but instead, he opted to play for overtime. Ordinarily, that decision makes some sense, but not when your team is 2-8 and there is little else to lose.
5. The ACC won't be able to fill its bowl slots. Miami has self-imposed a postseason ban, and North Carolina is also ineligible for postseason play. Boston College, Maryland, and Virginia all cannot make it to six wins. This weekend, Wake Forest needs to beat Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech needs a win over Virginia to make it to bowl eligibility. If Clemson gets an at-large BCS bid, the league might just barely be able to fill half of its eight bowl slots.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.
