Barnwell: Offseason moves to improve every AFC team

Conference championships can be a misleading metric. Let fate, biorhythms and just plain madness run amok for several days, and there's no telling which team might win a league tournament/meet.

Moreover, all titles are not created equal. If the conference is nationally irrelevant in the sport and/or less than half the membership competes, the championship doesn't carry as much heft.

Virginia (field hockey, rowing and men's tennis), Duke, Florida State, North Carolina State and Notre Dame earned three ACC championships, Clemson, Wake Forest, Miami and Syracuse one.

This marks the 26th consecutive year that the Cavaliers and Seminoles have claimed at least one title, the conference's longest current streaks, and as the following numbers show, those two programs have been especially dominant during the 13 years since expansion. State 14, Notre Dame 12, Miami and Syracuse nine, Wake Forest eight, Boston College and Louisville one. FSU is the only school to win at least one ACC title in football and men's basketball during that span.

The Cavaliers' success has translated nationally, with 11 of their 25 all time NCAA team titles occurring in the last 13 years, most recently men's tennis this month. North Carolina leads ACC schools with 13 national championships since expansion. Duke has 10, Florida State cheap authentic nfl jerseys four, Boston College three, Wake Forest and Syracuse two, Clemson, Georgia Tech wholesale mlb jerseys and Notre Dame one. Maryland won 10 during the post expansion era before joining the Big Ten.

Virginia faithful delight in hazing Virginia Tech about its national championship void, just as Hokies fans revel in 13 consecutive football victories over the Cavaliers. But ACC competition and revenue combined with administrative support and quality coaching have elevated Tech to heights few projected.

The Hokies joined the ACC along with Miami and one year before Boston College, but their 24 conference team championships are more than double the Hurricanes' (nine) and Eagles' (one) combined. State and Wake Forest, plus Georgia Tech.

Now would Clemson swap its lone ACC championship this year in football, and subsequent national title, for league trophies in three or four other sports? Howard's Rock would crumble before that happened.

And no offense to director of track and field Dave Cianelli, but jerseys china legions of Virginia Tech fans would sacrifice several (all?) of his 13 ACC team championships for a football national title, or even a men's basketball Final Four.

Here's another telling stat: Prior to joining the ACC, Virginia Tech's average finish in the Directors' Cup national all sports standings was 91st. As cheap nfl jerseys ACC members, the Hokies' average is 42nd, and at 33rd in the most recent standings (through May 25), they're headed for a similar finish this year.

Virginia is 27th, and the men's tennis NCAA championship likely will secure the school's 11th consecutive top 20 finish.

Regardless of the Directors' Cup, 2016 17 already ranks among Virginia Tech's signature years since joining the ACC. Indeed, this marks the first time the Hokies have won the Coastal Division in football and made the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The only other year in which they reached the ACC football championship game and won four conference titles was 2007 08.

Virginia's benchmark year was 2014 15, with six cheap football jerseys league championships, national titles in baseball, men's soccer and men's tennis, and an outright regular season championship in men's basketball.

And while ACC competition is complete, postseason awaits for Virginia Tech in track, for Virginia in track and baseball, opportunities for both to enhance an already choice year.