Does ACC Have "little brother complex"?

How low can you go? Well, apparently if you look at the stats, the ACC is pretty low. Take this stat for starters. Over the past three years, the ACC leads all conferences in players selected in the first round (25) and overall (115) in the NFL draft.

Now juxtapose that with the following stats. The ACC has lost eight BCS bowl games in a row and hasn't had a team in the BCS championship game since Florida State lost to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl at the end of the 2000 season. And over the past three seasons, the ACC is a combined 32-41 against opponents from other BCS conferences.

Says N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien, "We have to win those games. That's the only way we're going to get credence as the top conference in the country. " Well, it may be a while given the fact that perennial powers FSU and Miami are down and the additions of Boston College and Virginia Tech has not boosted the ACC significantly as was thought.

The ACC will get a chance to get some credibility early this season as in the opening week of the season, Virginia meets Southern California. Clemson gets Alabama in Atlanta and N.C. State takes on South Carolina as they open against SEC opponents. It could get ugly early.

Longtime college football analyst Tony Barnhart in a recent article points to the dismal record of the ACC. The ACC is 2-17 against non-conference teams ranked in the Top 10 over the past four years. In addition, the ACC is 9-31 against non-conference teams ranked in the Top 25 the past four years. And to top that off the ACC has never received an at-large bid to a BCS game.

Some ascribe the ACC's low rankings to a "little brother complex" with the SEC. Matt Hayes of The Sporting News says that the complex is there with the SEC because that is the league against which it recruits the most.

Whatever the reasons, it is clear that the ACC needs to start winning some big games in order to wash away some common perceptions.