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Taylor: Wake Forest on the map

November 15, 2006|Keith Taylor/Sun Sports Editor

The landscape of college football has changed over the course of the past three months.

Kentucky is celebrating a successful campaign and what will be a bowl berth for the first time in seven years.

Aside from the success the Wildcats have enjoyed, other teams are making some noise as the season winds down, especially on the national level.

Louisville was in the national title chase until a loss to Rutgers last week sent the Cardinals back down the BCS ladder. The Scarlet Knights, a surprise contender themselves, have a shot at replacing Louisville as the top team in the Big East.

It's no surprise that Florida has a shot at the national title, while Arkansas is ranked two spaces below the Gators at No. 5 in the latest AP poll and considered by many the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference. A Florida-Arkansas matchup in the SEC championship game would be interesting.

Boise State is still trying to work its way into the Top 10, but the Broncos aren't the surprise team of the season. That honor goes to Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons, fresh off a 30-0 pounding of Florida State, are ranked No. 14 in the nation and could very well be the best team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Already proven to be better than the Seminoles, Wake Forest currently ranks ahead of traditional ACC power teams such as Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Clemson and Miami. Yes, the Hurricanes.

The Wake Forest defense, one of the top units in the ACC, is led by a former assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University. The architect of the team's defense is defensive coordinator Dean Hood, a former assistant under longtime Eastern coach Roy Kidd.

Hood, in his sixth season at Wake Forest, led the Colonels' defense during the last of his two seasons at Eastern, before joining Jim Grobe's staff at Ohio.

Hood came along with Grobe when he was hired to coach the Demon Deacons in 2000.

Another Ohio Valley Conference coach - former Southeast Missouri State coach Tim Billings - coaches wide receivers at Wake Forest.

Speaking of the OVC, the University of Tennessee-Martin, yes the Skyhawks, can clinch at least a share of the OVC championship with a win over Murray State this weekend.

Ironically, the Racers are coached by former Martin coach Matt Griffin.

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There was no winner in the "Pick against the Pros" contest this week. Yours truly went 8-2, while the guru compiled an even 5-5 record.

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