All-ACC voting skewed

If there's a media bias against North Carolina football player Marvin Austin and his teammates, it wasn't apparent in the voting for the preseason All-ACC football team that was released Wednesday.

Austin, a senior defensive tackle and a target of NCAA questions about possible improper dealings with NFL agents, easily made the team that was selected by more than 300 media representatives at the league's summer interview sessions Sunday and Monday in Greensboro.

Among the four defensive- front players picked, Austin trailed only teammate Robert Quinn in votes received.

Quinn got 47 votes, while Austin received 32, five more than fellow pick Jarvis Jenkins of Clemson.

Three more UNC defenders were selected - linebacker Quan Sturdivant and defensive backs Kendric Burney and Deunta Williams.

The only defenders who attracted more than 40 votes were Quinn, Williams (41) and Clemson defensive back DeAndre McDaniel (48).

The media's speculation about Austin and the perception of UNC's immediate future began Monday, when the same voters picked the Tar Heels to finish fourth in the six-team Coastal Division.

A theory was put forward by some that UNC (8-5 overall, 4-4 ACC last season) was low-balled because voters believed Austin and the team were in line for sanctions.

In reality, the all-star voting underscores the apprehension about the team's suspect offense against a schedule that includes non-league foes LSU and Rutgers and ACC games against Florida State, N.C. State and Clemson from the league's Atlantic Division.

During three seasons at UNC and six years at Miami (1995 through 2000, before it joined the ACC), Butch Davis is 1-3 against N.C. State and 1-6 against Florida State.

The All-ACC voting reflects the influence of preseason NFL prospects lists. The five UNC defenders, plus linebacker Bruce Carter, are expected to be first-, second- or third-round picks in the April 2011 draft.

Obviously, less attention was paid to the fact that North Carolina's defense, with those same players plus standouts Cam Thomas and E.J. Wilson, surrendered 1,260 yards over its final four 2009 games - against Miami, Boston College, N.C. State and Pittsburgh.

Finally, there's a huge disconnect between all-star projections and the predicted order of finish in each division.

Virginia Tech, an overwhelming choice to win the ACC title, had only one player on the preseason team - running back Ryan Williams.

Among the overlooked Hokies were two of the very best defenders in the conference - cornerback Rashad Carmichael and tackle John Graves.

Even more surprising was the voting at quarterback. Last season's first-team all-conference pick, Georgia Tech's Joshua Nesbitt, trailed Florida State's Christian Ponder, who didn't even make the second unit for the 2009 team.

While preseason polls don't carry much weight and are soon forgotten, it's certain there will not be five first-team picks from UNC on the postseason first unit if the team can't finish higher than fourth in the Coastal.