Mike London faces opponents favored to finish higher than UVa in the ACC.

With football practice starting in a few short days, the road to the ACC Championship begins its paving process. Preseason predictions have pegged Virginia Tech and Florida State as the division front-runners for 2011 and the media ultimately expects FSU to take home the ACC title in December. TheSabre.com takes a look at the rest of the conference as practice looms on the calendar.

Atlantic Division

Boston College

Last Year: It was an up and down season in Chestnut Hill last year. The Eagles, under third-year coach Frank Spaziani, started out 2-5, and then rallied to win its final 5 games behind a stifling defense that led the nation against the run last year and was 14th in scoring. The offense, however, was ranked last in the ACC in scoring and total offense, a not-so-small factor in offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill’s decision to retire after the season.

Players to Watch: Last season, the Eagles’ offense relied mostly on the legs of junior RB Montel Harris, who had 1,243 yards on 269 carries and 8 TDs last season. But with sophomore Chase Retting now established as the starting quarterback after winning that job in the middle of the season last year as a true freshman, Coach Spaziani hopes the previously one-dimensional offense can find some new depth.

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