Best and worst of the ACC's first half

Miami and coach Randy Shannon are up.

Florida State and Bobby Bowden are down.

The two North Carolina schools with the largest fan bases have regressed under their celebrated, third-year coaches, and the Coastal Division has walloped the Atlantic (5-0 head to head).

Here is the best and worst the ACC has offered during the first half of the season:

Best game

Miami's 38-34 thriller at Florida State wasn't decided until Jarmon Fortson dropped a Christian Ponder pass in the end zone on the final play. The Labor Day game drew one of ESPN's highest college football TV audiences ever, got the Hurricanes off to a fast start and began Bobby Bowden's descent into chaos.

Best call

The flag against Connecticut's Dan Ryan for holding North Carolina's Robert Quinn in the end zone gave the Tar Heels a safety and a 12-10 win. It took guts to make the right call on an unusual foul with 1:32 remaining in a tied game.

Best performance (individual)

Duke's Thaddeus Lewis completed 40 of 50 passes for 459 yards in a 49-28 defeat of N.C. State. Incredibly, five of his incompletions were drops by his receivers. Even in practice without a defense, quarterbacks miss on more than 10 percent of their passes.

Best performance (team)

Just when Miami seemed poised to reclaim its glorious past, the Hurricanes found themselves in stormy conditions in Blacksburg, Va. With a 31-7 thumping, Virginia Tech demonstrated that it's still the pre-eminent power in the Coastal Division and the ACC.

Best nonconference win

Florida State's 54-28 beatdown of then seventh-ranked Brigham Young in Utah quickly quashed the Cougars' BCS hopes. But what does it say about the ACC when the conference's best win is against a Mountain West opponent?

Worst game

N.C. State's 7-3, season-opening snoozer of a Thursday night loss to South Carolina was bad. But Virginia's 16-3 win at North Carolina, which set football back about 50 years, was even worse.

Worst turnover

The only thing separating Wake Forest from a 3-0 ACC record and a commanding lead in the Atlantic Division is quarterback Riley Skinner's overtime fumble near the goal line at Boston College.

Worst loss

There are plenty to choose from; powerhouses such as Middle Tennessee and Richmond own wins over ACC schools. William & Mary's 26-14 thrashing of Virginia in the season-opener was the worst of the bunch.

Worst performance (individual)

Dave Shinskie, Boston College's 25-year-old freshman quarterback, went 1-for-12 with two interceptions and 4 passing yards last week in a 48-14 loss at Virginia Tech.

Worst performance (team)

One week after defeating Brigham Young, Florida State lost four fumbles and let Tallahassee native B.J. Daniels rush for 126 yards and complete passes of 77 and 73 yards as South Florida won 17-7.

Player of the year

Jacory Harris, QB, Miami

His leadership after the Hurricanes' only loss was almost as impressive as his passing in their four wins.

Coach of the year

Randy Shannon, Miami

Sometimes hiring the rights coordinators is the most important thing a head coach can do.

Rookie of the year

Ryan Williams, RB, Va. Tech

ACC's leading rusher (126 carries, 734 yards) has taken the sting out of Darren Evans' season-ending injury.