Monday Items: Justin Burke Gets A Head Start

-- Justin Burke hasn't even started the fall semester of his freshman year and already he's a quarter of the way to his college degree:

The freshman quarterback came into N.C. State with a reputation as a bit of a brainiac, and he did not disappoint.

He discussed how he had become "immersed" in picking up the "vernacular" of the Wolfpack offense.

Burke also revealed he's essentially a sophomore academically.

How so? He took 12 hours of classes at N.C. State over the summer -- macroeconomics anyone? -- and brought in 18 hours of AP credit.

As for a major, Burke also has got that figured out. He's going to study accounting.

"I enjoy it," Burke said. "I'm boring like that."

[snip]

"I just tell him to speak in laymen's terms when he's talking to me," N.C. State quarterback Marcus Stone joked.

I would have killed for that much AP credit. Dang.

-- As you have probably heard, Jamelle McMillan has decided to play Herb Ball. ASU's 2007 class is looking mighty good.

-- Cullen Jones is working hard in the hopes of making the 2008 US Olympic team.

-- From the Charlotte Observer's Q&A with John Bunting:

You mention the momentum of the Carolina program. I'm thinking back to two seasons ago, all the talk was about what that season meant to coach Bunting. You went to the bowl game (in 2004 in Charlotte), just missed last year, and I'm not hearing that as much. Why do you think that is?

There's a lot of confidence in what we've been doing. You've got to be fairly steady in this. I've never panicked. We've won some big ball games, so I think people know we can win some big games. Say what you want about Mack (Brown), but Mack never beat Florida State. Mack never beat Miami. We need consistency in our program, and the way you do that is to have some stability and some continuity.

Yeah, Mack never could get over the hump against Miami. Probably because his Carolina teams never played Miami. It could be that what Bunting meant by "Mack never beat Miami" was "I've never beaten Miami-Ohio," as that is in fact true.

-- Don't miss this tremendous opportunity to see Barry Melrose speak at the RBC Center. The topic will be proper mullet care.

-- ACCBoards' fantasy football league had its annual draft over the weekend. My roster (it's a 12-team league):

QB: Drew Bledsoe (8), Aaron Brooks (11)
RB: Larry Johnson (1), Jamal Lewis (4), Chester Taylor (6), Frank Gore (9), Kevan Barlow (17), Michael Bennett (16)
WR: Randy Moss (2), Marvin Harrison (3), Derrick Mason (7), Laveranues Coles (10), Eric Moulds (12)
TE: Jeremy Shockey (5), Jermaine Wiggins (13)
K: Josh Reed (14)
D: Miami (15)

Short of a crippling outbreak of Bubonic plague, this team should cruise to the title. Famous last words, I know.

-- The rest of JP Giglio's preseason AP poll ballot is revealed. He's got some surprises in the top five. Ohio State isn't number one--or even number two.