AP ALL-AMERICA FOOTBALL TEAM

Here’s how you can tell that bringing Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College into the ACC has made the football better conference wide. First of all, other football schools want to hire some ACC coaches.

Secondly, folks start turning up on the All-America team, and they aren’t all from the new schools or pigskin stalwarts Miami and Florida State. How about Maryland, Virginia, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, as well:

FIRST TEAM
Offense: Center - Steve Justice, senior, 6-4, 284, WAKE FOREST
Defense: End - Chris Long, senior, 6-4, 280, VIRGINIA
Safety - Jamie Silva, senior, 5-11, 210, BOSTON COLLEGE



SECOND TEAM
Defense: Cornerback - Brandon Flowers, junior, VIRGINIA TECH
Offense: Punter - Durant Brooks, senior, GEORGIA TECH

THIRD TEAM
Offense: Guards - Andrew Crummey, senior, MARYLAND
Branden Albert, junior, VIRGINIA

Defense: Tackle - Vance Walker, junior, GEORGIA TECH
Linebacker - Xavier Adibi, senior, VIRGINIA TECH
Cornerback - Alphonso Smith, junior, WAKE FOREST
Safety - Kenny Phillips, junior, MIAMI

(AP Photo/Stephen Morton, Gene Galin)