Virginia Tech is the preseason favorite in ACC football, being picked to win the league on 50 of 98 ballots by media at the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro.

Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder was the ACC preseason player of the year, with 45 votes. N.C. State’s Russell Wilson and UNC’s Robert Quinn tied for fourth with six votes.

Florida State was picked to win the Atlantic Division and received the second-highest total of votes (26) to win the league overall.

The Triangle schools didn’t fare well. N.C. State was picked fourth in the Atlantic, with UNC picked for fourth in the Coastal and Duke fifth in the Coastal.

Here are the totals:

Atlantic Division
Fla. State  565
Clemson 479
Boston College 389
N.C. State  283
Wake 203
Maryland 139

Coastal Division
Va. Tech 532
Miami 444
Ga. Tech 408
UNC 379
Duke 169
Virginia 126

Cary Post 67 defeated Cherryville Post 100, 2-1, on Saturday but fell into the loser’s bracket of the American Legion State Tournament in Asheboro after losing to Randolph County by the same score Sunday night.

Cary pitcher Daniel Sondag hit a Randolph batter with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning for the loss. Post 67 had the lead into the eighth when Randolph tied it.

Cary, 22-9, now plays Kernersville, a 13-3 victor over Rocky Mount, in an elimination game Monday at 4:30 p.m.

Both tournament favorites – Rocky Mount and Wilmington, who entered the tourney with the best records – have been ousted from the tournament. Randolph County and Whiteville are the only teams left from the eight-field tournament that have not lost in the state tourney.

In Cary’s win over Cherryville, Gerrit Van Genderen tripled and scored while pitcher Blair Betts gave up only one run and five hits over six innings for the victory.

To find out more about the tournament, please click here.

The issue of athletes receiving improper benefits from sports agents has spread like a rash over the country, touching schools such at Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and, of course, UNC.

While Tar Heel players were instructed not to discuss the situation involving Marvin Austin and Greg Little specifically today at the ACC Kickoff in Greensboro, UNC’s Robert Quinn did offer some insight into how agents and their runners, go about their business.

“They try to contact me on Facebook,” Quinn said. “But I don’t pay no attention to it. I don’t know how many, really. But that’s it. I ignore it.”

Due to his talents, Quinn is a big target for agents. If the 6-5 junior defensive end, who had 11 sacks last season, declares for the NFL after this season, he would be among the top five prospects overall, according to several scouting services. While it’s not illegal for athletes to have contact with agents, it is against NCAA rules and North Carolina law for them to receive anything of value or enter into an agreement before their eligibility is up.

N.C. State senior wide receiver Owen Spencer said agents do “a lot of things” to try to make contact with players. He said patience is the key to avoiding the trouble that’s always lurking.

“You try to stay away from all that,” Spencer said. “You just have to wait for it. You don’t want to jeopardize you eligibility. We just stay away from that.”

Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey said he deals with online contact, via Facebook or Twitter, on a weekly basis.

“It can get to you if you allow it to,” Bailey said. “It’s annoying sometimes.”

Bailey said, like all major programs, compliance officials are adamant about educating athletes on the rules.

“Coach (Randy) Shannon, he harps on that real big,” Bailey said. “We have compliance meetings on that four times a year — on that topic specifically. We all know right from wrong. We know what we can and can’t do. I don’t think anybody would jeopardize their season or the whole team’s season because of that.”

John Swofford, with his history as a player and later athletics director at North Carolina and now the commissioner of the ACC, has a long perspective on issues with college athletics. Given that, I asked him Sunday, at the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, if the problems with rogue agents were more pronounced now than in the past.

”I suggest it has some because of the dollars at the next level in the NFL and NBA. That’s a part of it,” Swofford said. “I think it’s also being paid more attention as a whole, and that’s good.”

But the issue is clearly one of concern to Swofford, who gave a lengthy answer in front of hundreds of reporters. In particular, Swofford addressed what could be done to improve the issue.

First, he said, the players associations for the NFL and NBA need to be involved. Those are the institutions that govern the players – and agents.

Second, he said, the NCAA needs to review the rules it has in place and consider beefing up its small enforcement staff.

Third, the 38 states that have statutes limiting agents like, North Carolina, should aggressively enforce those laws.

“I applaud the investigation that the secretary of state in North Carolina, Elaine Marshall, has undertaken,” Swofford said. “I think that’s a big plus. I’d like to see more of that.” But he said the punishments should be much more than mere fines like $25,000, he said.

As for the conference’s role, the league helps educate players and coaches on what’s allowed, but Swofford said knowing the rules is really not the problem.
“I think an athlete knows what’s acceptable and what’s not,” Swofford said.

Make a list of the best N.C. State football players ever, and you can guarantee this – Dennis Byrd is on it.

Byrd died Thursday at the age of 63. You knew it was serious when Johnny Evans opened the Triangle Pigskin Preview with a prayer for Byrd.

Byrd, as detailed here in GoPack.com, was State’s first two-time All-America and the anchor of the White Shoes defense on the famous 1967 team. It’s probably fair to say that after Roman Gabriel, he was the second great Wolfpack player on a national level.

Best player in Wolfpack history? That’s open for debate, but the names to consider on my list would be Philip Rivers, Roman Gabriel, Ted Brown, Jim Ritcher, Torry Holt, Dave Buckey, Mario Williams, Erik Kramer, Dick Christy, Mike Quick, Russell Wilson … and Dennis Byrd.

Inside Carolina, which really does some great working covering UNC, has its football preview issue out … and all you can say is, Ouch.