ACC Football Talk With Mark Packer

For ACC football fans week one of the 2022-2023 season will go down as one of the most electric in recent memory. Instant classics such as North Carolina’s 63-61 shootout win on the road against Appalachian State, or Florida State blocking LSU’s game tying extra point to secure a one point victory in the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff, are just a few examples of the great games that fans were blessed with last weekend. The enormous amount of buzz surrounding the return of college football served as the perfect reason for me to reach out and setup an interview with Mark Packer of the ACC Network. Luckily, the Pack-Man agreed to sit down and chop it up with me on a variety of topics that ranged from whether or not ACC teams should schedule road games against group of five opponents this early in the season, if Drake Maye is already a top five quarterback in the ACC, and what team surprised him the most in week one of the college football season.

Do you think that ACC teams should schedule road games against group of five opponents this early in the season?

Packer: I don’t have a problem with them scheduling it. The bigger issue is you gotta win those games. You know, if you’re a Power Five conference like the ACC, um, scheduling them is one thing, but you gotta win against the, the quote unquote little guy of the group of five. And they play good football there. I mean, we’ve seen that before too. So I know there’s a lot of people that have complained about, uh, well they shouldn’t be playing these games. I disagree. I think there was a ton of local interest when NC State plays East Carolina, and when North Carolina plays Appalachian State, or when Virginia Tech has to go to Old Dominion. I mean, the, the local interest, the state interest in games like that is fantastic. But if you’re the ACC, scheduling them, I don’t have an issue with that. But by the end of it, you gotta win the game, and that wasn’t the case, obviously, for Virginia Tech, and certainly North Carolina and NC State were scared to death with both App State and East Carolina. So scheduling it, I have no problem with it whatsoever. But if you’re a Power Five league, you gotta win those games. 

Is Drake Maye is one of the top five best quarterbacks in the ACC?

Packer: it’s too early to call. The league is too good with experienced quarterbacks. But I think Drake Maye has been great. The fact that he’s not had an interception through the first two weeks of the season, he’ s shown a ton of poise, and he’s put up crazy numbers. I’ve been surprised when he takes off and runs. He’s got better speed than I anticipated. So, he’s off to a great start, but I think, I need to see more before we start categorizing him as one of the elite quarterbacks of the ACC. But he’s off to a great, great start.

Do you think DJ Ugaleilei will be the starting quarterback for Clemson the majority of the season?

Packer: Well, he’s gonna have a chance to, uh, to earn it and keep his gig, I know that much. Dabo has kind of said that Cade Klubnik looked awfully good in the one series that he played on Monday night against Georgia Tech. I suspect in the game coming up this week, and even the following week against Louisiana Tech, that you’ll see Cade Klubnik get more snaps. But it’s DJ’s job to lose, and he’s gotta understand that that’s a really talented guy sitting here as the number two right now. I think Clemson could probably win with both those guys, but Klubnik looked awfully good against Georgia Tech.

Following their thrilling one point win over LSU, do you think Florida State will be a legitimate contender to win the Atlantic Division?

Packer: They’re off to a great start. Like I said, uh, the snapshot of the season, we’re only into week one, so to make any judgment to whether a team’s great or whether they stink after one week is probably a reach, but that was as big a win for Mike Norvell. It’s his best non-conference win. Now, I know he knocked off North Carolina when the Heels were ranked fifth in the country as far as his biggest win, but I just like the way Florida State plays, not only against LSU, but even against Duquesne, a team they were supposed to dominate, and they did. They were efficient, they were smart with the football. They didn’t turn it over, and they dominated that game, and I thought they were the better team against LSU. So, they’re off to a terrific start. Uh, you know, again, Clemson’s gonna be good, NC State’s gonna be good, despite the, the East Carolina performance. Wake Forest with Sam Hartman back is gonna be good. And Florida State, I mean, that division is very, very competitive. So, uh, the ‘Noles need to be good for the ACC, and they’re off to a great start in ’22.

Whether it be good or bad, what ACC team surprised you the most in week one of the regular season?

Packer: Well, I’m gonna give you, uh, one game which answers both ends of the spectrum. And the team that surprised me the most was Syracuse, because they dominated Louisville, and I thought Louisville was gonna be really, really good this year, and they still might be. But with all those offensive weapons, to see Syracuse [inaudible 00:05:40] to seven points, and beat them 31 to seven after being dominated the last couple years by that same team, uh, I was really, really impressed, uh, with Syracuse, uh, both the offense and the defensive side. And I was really, really disappointed the most by Louisville, because I thought they’d get off to a really quick start, and they absolutely stunk it up on the road. So, I think the answer to the question, uh, fell on, in basically one conference game, and the positive was Syracuse, and the negative was Louis.

With week one in the books, who is your pick to play in the ACC Championship game?

Packer: Well, before the season started I picked, Clemson and Miami. And after one week, I would still say it’s Clemson and Miami. However, it never seems to be a straight line, right? I mean, Miami looked awfully good, but they should have against Bethune-Cookman. That’ll get tested in two weeks when they go to Texas A&M, and we get real handle on it. But I like what Mario Cristobal is doing, at least establishing a new foundation there. I think Pitt’s awfully good, but they’ll be tested this week against Tennessee, which will be a great matchup between the ACC and the SEC. On the other side, um, Clemson’s got the best defense, and defense travels. Uh, they get NC State at home. The Wolfpack hasn’t won in Death Valley in 20 years. They get Wake Forest on the road. They beat the Deacs 13 straight. I know Florida State’s showing signs of life. Clemson got it good at Tallahassee. So, after week one, I will still stay with Clemson and Miami, but nothing is etched in stone after just one week of the season.