ACC teams do know how to put on a good show for television, don't they?
I watched this game with less of a rooting interest in mind and more with an eye for team weaknesses, as UNC meets the Yellow Jackets in two and a half weeks and Clemson has as good a chance as anyone of winning the Atlantic. They'll have to find a decent offensive line, though. Derrick Morgan found his way to the quarterback three times in the first half, C.J. Spiller was held to an anemic (for him) 93 yards, and Kyle Parker spent large portions of the game harassed, on the run, and making poor passing decisions all because the Tigers couldn't keep Georgia Tech out of the backfield. When Parker had time to throw, he could slice apart the Tech secondary, and it's no surprise that two of the Tigers' touchdowns came off long passes of 60+ yards. Inexperience behind center and a weak offensive line is going to hurt them this season, though.
Georgia Tech's main weaknesses was the secondary Parker had such fun with, and their own inability to pass the ball. They managed only four completions, and one of those was made by the kicker on a gimmick play. Josh Nesbitt also had two interceptions, and was much more comfortable handing it off or taking it on the ground himself than finding his wide receivers. And from what I could tell, there was less of the classic option type running plays and more standard handoffs off the snap, although that could just be remembering the late game play when both teams seemed tired.
The end result is that both teams are quite good by ACC standards. The Georgia Tech-UNC matchup should be especially interesting, pitting two strong running games against one another and a UNC passing game still finding its feet against a very weak secondary. That gives the Heels an edge, but we've yet to see Carolina play any real competition.