ESPN College Football

The theme this week at ESPN.com has been 100 days, as we began the countdown until the season begins. Practice, though, is even closer. Here's a look at when each team in the ACC reports to summer camp, according to the league office in Greensboro, N.C.:

North Carolina defensive end Kareem Martin returns as one of the leaders of the Tar Heels' defense for 2013. Martin had an outstanding spring game, with four sacks and six tackles for loss, and is also getting some pub as one of the top defensive end prospects in the country.

I had a chance to catch up with him recently. Here is a little of what he had to say.

What do you feel you worked on this spring to improve your game?

KM: Just tried to work on different aspects that I felt were my weaknesses during the year, pass rush, ball get off, all the things a defensive lineman needs. Going into spring, I felt like if I was going to be an effective, great player I would need to work on those things. I feel like I accomplished those goals. I was able to have a good spring game and I felt like it was an overall successful spring for me.

How did you go about working on those different things?

KM: Just taking it one day at a time. In the spring time, you have a lot more individual periods, so I took those a lot more seriously than maybe I have in the past, making sure every move that I do I’m doing it with a purpose as opposed to going through the motions. When you treat a practice like a game, that’s when you make a lot of strides. I think it really helped me out.

So did you have a different mind-set than the way you treated practices in the past?

KM: I’ve always treated practice seriously, but this year I feel like it’s my year to step up for this defensive line. A lot is expected of me so I’m focused a little bit more. I treat every rep like it’s my last and give it my all because I know the team is going to be looking for me to be a leader on this defense. To do that, I have to show it in practice so I can perform in games.

That also sets an example for your teammates since everybody is looking at you, too.

KM: Yeah you know I think the defensive line as a whole, I think we made a lot of strides this offseason. We have a lot of young guys who played a little bit last year who got a lot of reps this springs, guys like Justin Thomason, Jessie Rogers, both those guys played a little bit last year but this spring really helped them out, allowed them to get a lot more live reps. That’s what helped us out.

You guys obviously started playing a new scheme last year. How was playing defensive end different?

KM: With the scheme, there was a lot more movement than your average 4-3. There was a lot more slanting and stunts and everything because they were sending guys all the time. It was played a lot differently than what I had played in the past.

How long did it take to make that transition?

KM: The hardest part was learning the playbook. We weren’t familiar with the staff at the time so there were communication errors in the beginning. Going into fall camp as the transition was over, then I was used to doing all the movements and knew what to expect.

You went from seven tackles for loss in 2011 to 15.5 in 2012. How do you feel about your productivity?

KM: You’re able to pin your ears back with this defense. We do a lot of movements, and it keeps the offensive linemen on edge. They never know what you’re going to do, so that plays to our advantage. We’ve got guys coming through the gaps and they don’t know who to block. Also me getting bigger, faster and stronger allowed me to do a lot of things for this defense last year.

With Sylvester Williams gone, who’s been filling in that role and who do you expect step up there?

KM: Right now, we have me, Tim Jackson and Shawn Underwood. Both of those guys do great playing the nose and the tackle. It’s hard to fill the void Sly left. He’s a first-rounder. It’s hard to replace that production he had, but with those two guys and with our quality backups, we will have to play more as a unit as opposed to depending on that one person. I think if we can all buy in as a unit we should be able to fill that void that he left.

How much better can the defense be in Year 2?

KM: The defense will be a lot better. Year 1 we were just adjusting. The playbook was very limited, we still had guys trying to learn the playbook and that hurt us early on. The Wake Forest and Louisville games had a lot of missed assignments. But Year 2, everybody has a grasp of the offense, we’ve been working at it all offseason, getting the younger guys involved. As a defense this spring, we really stepped and were able to fly around a lot more.

Experience counts.

Nobody in the ACC has more of it returning in 2013 than Miami -- and nobody lost more of it than Florida State. How much that will matter in the conference race is yet to be determined, but it can't be overlooked.

Here's a look at who has the most starters returning in the ACC, according to numbers provided by the conference:

Miami: 20
Wake Forest: 18
Boston College: 17
Virginia Tech: 17
Duke: 17
Georgia Tech: 17
Pittsburgh: 16
Virginia: 15
North Carolina: 14
Maryland: 14
Syracuse: 13
Clemson: 13
NC State: 12
Florida State: 11

Here's another way to evaluate the experience returning in the ACC, as per a note from the conference office:

Three ACC teams rank among the top 10 teams nationally in the FBS in numbers of games their returning players have started. In a survey put together by Colorado sports information director Dave Plati, Texas leads all schools nationally with 393 returning starts. Duke leads all ACC schools and is third nationally in number of returning starts with 364. Georgia Tech is right behind the Blue Devils with 361 starts, and Virginia Tech ranks 10th (331).

The Nation’s Top 10:

Pl. School ....................................... Starts

1. Texas ..............................................391

2. Mississippi .....................................365

3. Duke ..............................................364

4. Georgia Tech ................................361

5. East Carolina ..................................355

6. UNLV.............................................346

7. Stanford .........................................336

Arizona ..........................................336

9. Rice ................................................334

10. Virginia Tech ................................331

The Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's top center, released its watch list and the ACC was well-represented:

• Russell Bodine, North Carolina
• Jay Finch, Georgia Tech
• Macky MacPherson, Syracuse
• Shane McDermott, Miami
• Bryan Stork, Florida State

Two of the five players include a pair of repeaters from the 2012 Watch List in Finch and MacPherson.

From the ACC's release:

Finch led a Georgia Tech offense which finished 4th nationally in rushing yardage in 2012 and has rushed for more yards in the past three years than any other school in the nation. MacPherson, is the hub of a Syracuse offensive line that set school records in 2012 for total offense, passing yards and touchdown passes. He is the grandson of Syracuse Hall of Fame head coach Dick MacPherson.

Stork keyed a 10th-ranked Florida State team which finished ranked 10th nationally in scoring offense and 19th nationally in total offense. McDermott blocked for a Miami team which averaged 31.4 points per game and 440 yards of total offense per game. Bodine helped lead a UNC offense which set school records in total points (487) and points per game (40.8), as the Tar Heels finished 8th nationally in scoring offense.

The ACC was one of three conferences with five nominees, including the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain West Conference. Only the Southeastern Conference (9) had more selected to the 2013 Spring Watch List.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All-America Teams: American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCF), Sporting News (SN), and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

As of today, there are 100 days until the start of the college football season.

You bet we’re counting.

If you’re Scot Loeffler, Virginia Tech's new offensive coordinator, 100 days must feel like a nanosecond. The Hokies aren’t the only ones, though, with plenty of work to do before the season begins. Here’s a checklist of five things the ACC and its teams must accomplish before the opening kickoff:

1. Name starting quarterbacks. Syracuse can’t even talk about Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen yet because he’s not on campus and won’t enroll until next month, but the Orange are just one of several teams in the ACC that still have an ongoing quarterback competition. Virginia’s quarterback controversy has seemingly gone on for years, and Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has yet to officially anoint Jameis Winston as EJ Manuel’s successor. Pitt is also still searching for a dependable leader, along with NC State.

2. Find an offense in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech has become one of the ACC’s brand-name programs, a consistent winner and a representative in the Top 25 and BCS standings. That changed last season when the Hokies bumbled their way through their most disappointing season in 20 years. Coach Frank Beamer made sweeping changes to his offensive staff, but little improvement was seen in the spring game. Loeffler said it wasn’t a true indication of the progress that was made in the other 13 practices, but also conceded there is still a lot of work to be done. With Alabama looming in the season opener, all eyes will be on the ACC in Week 1. When the Hokies are good, the ACC is better.

3. Improve defensively. With the exception of Florida State, which finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country in scoring defense, 2012 wasn’t a banner year for ACC defenses. The conference usually has some of the nation’s best defenses -- including Boston College -- but there was no Luke Kuechly and no identity for the Eagles last fall. Miami beat Duke 52-45. Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 68-50. Clemson beat NC State 62-48. Clemson took a major step forward defensively with its bowl win against LSU, but the defense must become elite in its second season under coordinator Brent Venables if Clemson is going to be a national-title contender.

4. Minimize the turnovers. Virginia Tech was No. 86 in turnover margin last year, and quarterback Logan Thomas threw three picks in the spring game. Boston College was No. 88 in the country in turnover margin, FSU No. 93, NC State No. 99, Maryland No. 104, Virginia No. 110. That’s almost half the league ranked among the worst in the country in turnover margin. The Hokies play Alabama. Virginia plays Oregon. BC plays at USC. FSU is at Florida, and the Seminoles turned it over five times versus the Gators in FSU's 37-26 loss last year. The Gators scored 10 points off turnovers in that game. If the ACC is going to stand a chance, it can’t give away freebies.

5. Stay out of the trainer’s room. Virginia Tech standout corner Antone Exum is still rehabbing from the torn ACL he suffered in a pickup basketball game. The bulk of Wake Forest’s offensive line was walking wounded all spring, and that group will make or break the Deacons' season. Clemson backup quarterback Chad Kelly and starting tight end Sam Cooper both tore their ACLs this spring. If the ACC is going to beat the best this fall, it needs its best players on the field. For some programs, like Boston College, the depth isn’t there to afford injuries.

ESPN expert Mel Kiper wraps up his look at the top prospects for the 2014 draft today with offensive linemen and defensive tackles.

Here is a look at where some ACC players rank:

Offensive line

No. 5 Cameron Erving, Florida State

Next up

Tackles: James Hurst, North Carolina

Centers: Bryan Stork, Florida State

Kiper says of Erving: "The Florida State coaching staff is really excited about Erving, and when I took more time to watch him specifically, I can see why. In spring of last year, they converted Erving to tackle after years spent as a good but not great defensive tackle. At 6-6, 310 pounds, Erving is extremely athletic for his size, and he moves his feet to deal with rushers easily."

Defensive tackles

No. 2 Timmy Jernigan, Florida State

Kiper says of Jernigan: "At a hair under 300 pounds, Jernigan now carries the size of a 4-3 3-tech defensive tackle, but he still has the quickness you'd associate with a defensive end. He can penetrate and not merely disrupt plays, but actually chase down runners and quarterbacks in pursuit."

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Commissioner John Swofford has floated the idea of potentially playing some games overseas, but that was not a large topic of discussion during the ACC spring meetings.

Still, coaches and athletic directors weighed in on the idea. On the surface, it sounds like a game in Ireland or England could be intriguing.

"Or a nightmare," one coach said.

Depends on your point of view.

But Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick gave his enthusiastic recommendation to playing overseas after his team opened last season against Navy in Ireland.

"I think it ranks at the very top of the experiences I've had at the university," Swarbrick said. "It was remarkable. Our student athletes had a great time. It was interesting because I would tell you they were probably reluctant when we boarded the plane. Not sure they wanted to be there. To a person, they just loved it. There's a lot of magic in what happened over there in those days. It's a great thing for American universities to do. So many of them have overseas campuses. It's really great for football."

A handful of coaches who discussed the topic said they would be interested, but they needed more information about logistics.

"I think it’d be kind of exciting," North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. "I don’t know how it would work or how it would fit into your schedule. I’d have to know how it’s all going to work around it. It’s not necessarily that game or preparing for that game, but it’s the next one or the one before it."

Interestingly enough, Notre Dame did not have a bye after opening in Ireland. The Irish returned home and played Purdue the following week. Navy, on the other hand, did have a bye the following week.

"I think as long as nobody has a home-field advantage, it would be OK," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "When we went out to play Stanford, that was a nightmare for us. Time wise, the trip and playing late was crazy for us, but I think if both teams are traveling, it would be great. The trick is in scheduling, finding a way to recover when you get back. But I think it would be really cool."

Time to check in with ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. to see where the top ACC prospects for the 2014 draft rank at quarterback, linebacker and tight end.

Quarterback

No. 2 Tajh Boyd, Clemson

Next up: Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

Of Boyd, Kiper Jr. writes, "People who would question Boyd because he was throwing to a great arsenal of pass-catchers last year should watch what he did against LSU in the Chik-fil-A Bowl. Boyd might as well have gone 12 rounds with Rocky in that game. Not only did he take hits on a lot of designed runs, the LSU defense battered him. But he played through it. The kid is tough."

And yes, you knew Thomas would make this list, considering how high Kiper Jr. has been on the senior-to-be in the past. Kiper calls him a "must-watch prospect" for 2014. Boyd and Thomas are featured on ESPN Insider Travis Haney's "make-or-break scenarios" for top quarterback prospects.

Kiper also gives a shout out to Bryn Renner of North Carolina, Stephen Morris of Miami and Pete Thomas of NC State in a "more I like" category.

Tight end

No. 3 Eric Ebron, North Carolina

Kiper Jr. writes: "He has the athleticism to be split out at the next level a la an Aaron Hernandez, but I like that Ebron displays a willingness, and even a bit of a nasty streak, when called on to block."

Outside linebacker

No. 5 Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech

Next up: Christian Jones, Florida State

Kiper Jr. says of Attaochu: "Tall, rangy and with good closing speed, he could play either outside linebacker or defensive end, but projects better at OLB for the NFL."

Want more? Haney ranks the Top 10 most talented teams in America . Florida State checks in at No. 4, and Miami is at No. 8. Clemson just misses the cut at No. 12. Of those three teams, only Miami is not projected to start the season in the Top 25. But don't be surprised if the Canes end the season there.

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- No, North Carolina coach Larry Fedora was not wearing his Coastal Division championship ring during the ACC spring meetings.

Yes, he did expect the backlash that followed after it was revealed his players got those rings despite being ineligible for the postseason.

"I knew there would be but that’s not why it was done," Fedora said. "I didn’t do it for the backlash. It was done for those seniors and those kids that accomplished everything they could accomplish. They had nothing to do with what happened so they were paying the price. I felt like they deserved it."

North Carolina would have played for an ACC title last year had it not been serving a postseason ban for NCAA violations committed well before Fedora and his players arrived on campus. The way Fedora explains it, he was looking for any source of motivation to give his players, who had no championship or bowl game to play for last season.

"I was searching for any reward that I could give them because I was proud of what they did," he said.

When it was revealed a few weeks ago that the players received rings, a firestorm erupted, and a great debate ensued. Was it right to hand out rings proclaiming yourselves champions when Georgia Tech ended up representing the Coastal Division in the ACC title game against Florida State?

None of that much mattered to Fedora, who was only looking out for his players. Fedora actually was not in town when the rings were handed out shortly before players finished up the semester. He does have his ring, but as is his custom, Fedora never wears any of the championship rings he has won.

And for the record, the ACC does not officially recognize North Carolina as Coastal Division champions.

Heather Dinich talks about UNC's top performer from spring practices.

The current bowl math doesn’t favor the expanded version of the ACC.

With eight bowls and 14 teams in the conference, that means only 57 percent of the ACC will make the postseason this year, at most.

3682361With 14 teams in the conference, including Pittsburgh and Syracuse, there has to be more than the current eight guaranteed bowl slots moving forward, but what number will constitute the “sweet spot” ACC commissioner John Swofford said he is looking for? Especially considering how Notre Dame will soon be elbowing its way into the league’s bowl lineup and taking one of those coveted spots? (If Notre Dame is ranked higher than or equal to an ACC bowl-eligible team, or is within one victory of a bowl eligible team, the Irish can be selected for that bowl spot.) Swofford recently told ESPN.com that the league could increase its bowl tie-ins to nine or 10 games. Will that be enough? Too many?

Last year, when the SEC went to 14 teams, it added the Independence Bowl as its 10th bowl tie in, but only nine teams qualified, and one -- Alabama -- was playing in the national championship. With the new College Football Playoff system to start in 2014, the ACC will have to replace the Chick-fil-A Bowl in its lineup, as that bowl will be one of the host bowls in the playoff. The ACC also has to consider the possibility of having a team in the playoff. It also has to acknowledge the reality of having only eight bowl-eligible teams on average:

ACC’s bowl eligible teams during 12-team era

2012: 6 (not including UNC and Miami, which were ineligible)

2011: 9

2010: 9

2009: 7

2008: 10 (ACC record)

2007: 8

2006: 8

2005: 8

The number of bowl games is currently up for debate. Cast your votes now.

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- ACC coaches are in favor of having the coaches' poll be a part of the criteria used by the selection committee to determine the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe, serving as league coaches' chair, told ESPN.com on Wednesday during the league's spring meetings that his group also is in favor of having every single coach have a vote in the poll and complete transparency in the voting. They also favor doing away with a preseason poll, and releasing their first poll at some point during the season -- much in the way the BCS standings are released.

League coaches also favor the model used by the NCAA basketball selection committee, with either current athletic directors or conference representatives serving on the committee, as opposed to retired coaches.

"For the most part, we wanted to see conference representation and institutional representation rotated to some degree but the biggest item for us is the criteria of selecting those four teams. We want our coaches’ poll to matter," Cutcliffe said. "In another sense, all the coaches have a vote on the committee, and we think that’s good for the game, for the coaches to be good stewards of who’s in that national championship picture.

"All of us having a vote, the vote becoming transparent and the vote being conscientiously done. We think we’re qualified. We’re not watching every game on the East Coast, on the West Coast, but no one else is, either. We see a lot of film of a lot of people. We know who’s good, and who’s best -- maybe moreso than anybody else is looking at the game."

The one key piece to the College Football Playoff puzzle that remains unresolved is how the selection committee will look, and how they will go about selecting the four teams to make the playoff. Conference commissioners left meetings last month without any clear consensus, though it appears unlikely the committee will feature a representative from all 10 FBS leagues.

Cutliffe said there was no consensus from the coaches on who should serve on the committee, only that they favored having various leagues represented.

The coaches' poll is currently used in the BCS formula, but those with a vote have come under some heavy criticism in the past for their final votes. Some have shown bias in favoring their own conference in their final rankings. Others have pointed out that some coaches do not even do their own voting.

The BCS standings are being eliminated this year.

"Part of our concern was when you start naming individual coaches, it’s so hard to not have bias by coaches that have coached in certain leagues so the way we looked at it is if we allowed all the coaches to vote in the coaches poll and the coaches poll was looked at as a major contributing factor to the selection process, then all college coaches would have some input into the selection process," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "We’re just throwing things out right now because I don’t think anybody has a firm grasp of things.

"Will you have some bias from each coach? Absolutely you will, but through the country if it got balanced out, you’d probably still have a pretty legitimate idea of at least who the coaches thought the top four teams were."

Coaches agree bias cannot be completely eliminated in this process. That is why they are hopeful football adopts the basketball committee model. Ten members serve on the NCAA Division I basketball committee, and the group is balanced geographically. Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski served as committee chair for the last two tournaments.

"There is a model because basketball’s had a committee for a long time," North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. "You’re going to have some of that. There’s nobody going to be out there that’s an expert on football that doesn’t have some affiliation somewhere in the past with a league or a team or anything so I don’t think you can do away with that."

Ingrained biases or perceptions do not concern at least one league coach.

"With the schedule that Clemson plays every year, if we take care of our business, all that stuff takes care of itself," Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. "All I can tell you is Clemson worries about Clemson. We go and handle our business on the field, if we’re a one-loss team or no-loss team, Clemson with the brand we have, we’re right there."

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. weighs in Tuesday with his top prospects for 2014 at running back and safety.

Here are the ACC players who made his lists:

Running back

Nobody from the league was listed as a Top 5 prospect, though Florida State running back James Wilder Jr. made the "up next" category. Kiper said of Wilder: "Has the bloodlines, and shows off good power, bouncing off tacklers." Note: Wilder is a junior.

Safety

No. 5 Tre Boston, North Carolina. Kiper says of Boston, "I might be a little higher on Boston than some others, but I really like his ability to cover. Like a lot of college safeties, he spent time at cornerback and wide receiver in high school. But the thing about Boston is he could have stayed at corner for the Heels and been pretty good, but he has the size and range to be really good at safety."

Florida State safety Lamarcus Joyner is listed in the "up next" category.

Today, Mel Kiper begins a weeklong series looking at the top players at their respective positions for the 2014 NFL draft.

This is obviously an incredibly early look at where some of these prospects rank, but gives a good sense of who stands where with nearly a year to go before the draft rolls around again.

First up: receivers and defensive ends . Here is a look at the top ACC prospects at each spot:

Receiver

• No. 2 Sammy Watkins, Clemson. Kiper says: "Watkins has good size at 6-2, strong hands and is a big threat once he catches the ball. I'd be surprised if he didn't come back with a good season, but he needs to have a good August, too."
• Next up: Devin Street, Pitt.

Headed to the ACC spring meetings in Amelia Island, Fla.

• Quarterback Deshaun Watson is committed to Clemson, but that hasn't stopped a long line of schools from keeping up their sales pitches.
• Duke receiver Blair Holliday honored the woman who saved his life.
• The AJC catches up with Georgia Tech signee Travis Custis.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald has an item on Miami's pursuit of a few quarterbacks in his notes column.
• Former Maryland defensive end A.J. Francis wrote a farewell guest column in the student newspaper.
• Larry Fedora talks about his vision for the future, playing South Carolina and facing Jadeveon Clowney.
• Three players from the class of 2012 are leaving the Pitt football team.
• Former Syracuse great Donovan McNabb tweets that the school will retire his jersey this season.
• Former Virginia lineman Oday Aboushi blazes a new trail as one of a handful of Palestinian-Americans in the NFL.
• Here is a quick recap of the Virginia Tech offensive line after spring practice.