It's amazing how opinions change...................... Back in the summer, when the ACC made its unexpected move to add Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004, the popular question was: Has the ACC caught up to the SEC? With the SEC coming off its worst season in recent memory and the Big 12 fast becoming the nation's conference du jour, many wondered in fact whether the venerable old league was falling off its pedestal. Well, so much for that talk. With the regular season winding down, the SEC has five teams among the 16 found in these rankings, two more than any other conference. Both the SEC and Big Ten also have three teams in the top 10. The ACC, even counting Miami and Virginia Tech, has none. So what's with the little renaissance going on in Dixie? How did the land's richest conference reestablish its on-field superiority so quickly, and with only one ongoing NCAA investigation at that? Several reasons, really. For one, perennial powers Tennessee and Florida have rebounded nicely from their first five-loss seasons in over a decade. With Saturday's upset of Miami, the Vols appear headed for another top 10 season and, if Georgia loses to Auburn, could be headed back to Atlanta for the fourth time in seven seasons. And after rebounding from three early losses to knock off three straight top 10 teams, the Gators are one of the scariest teams out there now and will be for several years to come. Second, LSU has made the jump from decent program to national power. The Tigers went a respectable 26-12 during Nick Saban's first three seasons, winning the SEC in 2001, but this year has been a whole different story. Next to Oklahoma, LSU is arguably the most complete team in the country, with a dominant defensive line, outstanding defensive backs, reliable QB Matt Mauck and a stable of talented running backs and receivers. Then there's the Ole Miss factor. For years, the Rebels have been the definition of second tier, winning seven or eight games in each of the past six seasons. This year, however, they're looking at no worse than 9-3 and could be headed to Atlanta if they can knock off LSU in two weeks. Add another strong team at Georgia and an Arkansas squad that went on the road and beat top 10 Texas and you almost forget that none of these teams were actually the preseason favorite in the conference. That would be 6-4 Auburn.
