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Here’s a question for this morning: What were you doing in the fall of 2014? I’ll explain why I’m asking later.

First, we have survey results!

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ACC Dark Horses

Hokies, Wolfpack lead the way

In Wednesday’s newsletter, I asked readers to vote for the program they would pick to be the dark horse of the ACC in 2024. Here are the results:

Now, let’s remember to categorize a dark horse as a team that unexpectedly overachieves. Some of these vote-getters (I’m looking at you Clemson, Louisville) might not fit that mold to everyone. But, that’s just the beauty of the unpredictable ACC!

Here’s an evaluation of the top candidates:

Virginia Tech: The Hokies return 22 starters and are coming off their first winning season in four years. Entering his third season, Brent Pry has previous production to work with. QB Kyron Drones set a Military Bowl record with 176 rushing yards and passed for 91 yards and two scores. Drones, who transferred from Baylor, started 11 games last season and finished with 2,084 yards through the air with 17 TDs to three INTs.

Why readers chose the Hokies: “Should be a Bright Horse, not a Dark Horse!”

“Open ACC play with Miami so a good chance to be the start of their inevitable face-plant, then it’s just Clemson and Duke. If (the Hokies) win one, they’re probably in the title game which I think is shaping up to be a coin flip.”

NC State: Dave Doeren’s Wolfpack have a new QB in town with Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall. He’ll have some backup with Duke transfer RB Jordan Waters, too. If nothing else, the Wolfpack are consistent: They’ve won at least eight games in seven of the last eight seasons.

Why readers chose the Wolfpack: “The optimism is very high in Raleigh. Looking at the talent upgrades after the bowl game in both recruiting and the transfer portal, full coaching staff retention, and a very favorable schedule has the Pack feeling good about a gettable ACC.”

“NC State has upset potential against big teams. They won’t win the ACC or be in the top rankings, but they will ruin at least one ACC team’s playoff hopes.”

Georgia Tech: QB Haynes King tied for 12th in the FBS in passing TDs last season with 27. The Yellow Jackets return leading rusher Jamal Haynes and top two receivers Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr. Brent Key’s first full season in charge in 2023 resulted in Georgia Tech’s first winning season since 2018.

Why readers chose the Yellow Jackets: “Georgia Tech might have the best QB in the conference and has done a good job of improving their defense with transfers.  They will give FSU trouble in that first game that might catapult them to a strong year.”

“The schedule is brutal but Georgia Tech should have one of the best offenses in the conference. Haynes King needs to cut down on his interceptions but he is being overlooked because he is dynamic with his arm and his legs. Eric Singleton is also a beast and can take the top off any defense. The defense needs to step up but they were opportunistic last year at forcing turnovers.”

SMU: Can the conference newcomers make some waves? Last year’s Mustangs ranked No. 8 in the FBS in scoring offense and plenty of the production from that unit is returning. That includes QB Preston Stone, who threw for 3,197 yards and 28 TDs in 2023 before breaking his leg in the regular-season finale.

Why readers chose the Mustangs: “They’re gonna be an unknown quantity and they have talent.”

“Great coach, underrated program.”

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An MLB Player in CFB?

A 28-year-old will walk on at Arkansas

A decade after he signed with Nebraska football, Monte Harrison is finally going to put on a college football uniform.

This story is just wild. The 28-year-old Harrison will walk on at Arkansas to play college football as a receiver after 10 years on the professional baseball circuit. He’s still eligible because his eligibility clock never actually started. He signed with Nebraska in 2014 but never started coursework. Instead, Harrison was selected in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed a $1.8 million deal.

The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman spoke with Harrison’s high school football coach and the Nebraska baseball coach who helped recruit him back in 2014, both of whom praised his athleticism.

That brings us back to our opening question! What were you doing when Harrison could have started his first year of college football? I was a freshman in high school. 🙂

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Quick Snaps

More ACC reading for you! Miami has arguably its most complete team in two decades, but there are plenty of reasons not to believe success is on the way. That’s why it’s about time the Hurricanes deliver, Manny Navarro writes.

More than 400 SEC players have entered the transfer portal since December. Today, Kenny Smith recaps the biggest losses and additions in the conference.

If you missed Chris Kamrani’s deep dive into Dan Lanning’s choice to stay at Oregon, add it to your list today.

You can buy tickets to every college football game here.

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(Top photo of Preston Stone: Gregory Fisher / USA Today)