It sounds like a broken record, but Florida State is the only legitimate football team in the ACC. Things were expected to change a decade ago when the conference imported Big East teams Virginia Tech, Boston College and Miami (FL). Unfortunately, Virginia Tech is the only school which has provided any kind of boost to the struggling conference’s reputation.

Call it parity or mediocrity, but it doesn’t change the fact that an astonishing seven of the conference’s 14 teams come into this weekend with five or six losses.The four teams below Florida State have one total quality non-conference win, Louisville‘s upset over Notre Dame.

Things seemed to breaking the ACC’s way as Clemson challenged the Seminoles with their high octane offense led by Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins and North Carolina appeared to be on the verge of reaching the next tier. This scenario did not materialize. This season, Clemson managed just enough offense to keep their record respectable, and North Carolina’s defense imploded, as they allowed 70 points to East Carolina and 47 or more points to opponents in four of their five losses.

The current struggles of Virginia Tech and Miami have made the Coastal Division the worst in any of the five power conferences, as both teams will either be playing an early bowl game or none at all. North Carolina is likely to get some sort of probation for their academic scandal, Georgia Tech seemingly will never get over the nine-win plateau and while Duke‘s unexpected success is a great story, it is not beneficial to the conference’s reputation.

Florida State’s next two games will go far in determining the strength of the ACC. If the Seminoles win over Florida and Georgia Tech, they will be in the playoff, so another ACC team would likely piggyback their way into the Orange Bowl, giving the ACC two major bowl payouts.

The alternative is not quite as pretty, which is why the ACC needs Florida State to run the table. A Seminole loss to Florida puts them out of the playoff but allows them to still be  eligible for the ACC berth in the Orange Bowl, barring a loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship. If Florida State loses to Georgia Tech in Charlotte next weekend, the playoff bid is gone, as well as a competitive Orange Bowl, in which the one-dimensional Yellow Jackets would likely be a large underdog.

It will be interesting to pay attention to the officiating next weekend and the number of holding and chop block penalties called on the Jackets. Don’t think the conference office in Greensboro is not aware of the consequences of a playoff without the Seminoles and a mediocre  Georgia Tech as ACC Champion in the Orange Bowl.