The Atlantic Coast Conference finally is whole. An often cantankerous two-year struggle to expand ended earlier this summer when Boston College officially joined Miami and Virginia Tech as transplants from the Big East.
Now, let the games begin, and they won't end until the first championship game Dec. 3 in Jacksonville, Fla.
"I think what we've been able to do together is to solidify the future of this league for years to come, with 12 institutions that fit very, very well and give us a great deal of strength in every way," ACC commissioner John Swofford said.
"I think we'll see that excitement throughout the regular season, because there's more to play for in our league at this point in time than there ever has been before."
The Hurricanes and the Hokies came aboard last season and immediately proved their worth, playing for the conference title on the last week of the regular season. Virginia Tech won that game for its eighth consecutive victory and completed a surprising run through the ACC.
Picked to finish sixth in what was an 11-team league, the Hokies gave coach Frank Beamer his third outright league championship in his 18 seasons in Blacksburg. They have 14 starters back in 2005 and another quarterback named Vick - Marcus Vick, Michael's younger brother, returns after a one-year suspension for a variety of legal issues.
"Last year, we just had a group of players who came together and played as a team," Beamer said. "Hopefully, this year's team can do the same thing."
Virginia Tech is favored to win the Coastal Division ahead of Miami, with Florida State the preseason pick by the media to come out on top of the Atlantic Division. Some confusion about the six-team groupings is sure to happen, since they aren't divided geographically.
The ACC tried to come up with two equal divisions and started the process by separating longtime powers Florida State and Miami, then randomly selected from there. Each division has two of the North Carolina schools, and both Virginia and Virginia Tech are in the Coastal with the Hurricanes.
"I think it adds excitement to all of us," North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato said. "All of us are dreamers. None of us have lost a game yet."
But there already have been losses. The Seminoles had dominated the conference since becoming a member in 1992, finishing with at least a share of the crown in 11 of the first 12 years. They finished a game behind Virginia Tech a year ago, but equaling that effort might be difficult in 2005.
So far in the offseason, Florida State has lost cornerback Antonio Cromartie (knee injury) and quarterback Wyatt Sexton (Lyme disease) for the season. Linebackers Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson both had run-ins with police over the summer, but coach Bobby Bowden plans to keep both in the lineup for the Sept. 5 season opener against Miami
Another offseason casualty was defensive lineman Clifton Dickson, who was declared academically ineligible and must graduate from a community college before he can be readmitted to the university.
