Here's a fun "what-if" exercise the ACC Sports Journal tackles every year. With quarterback Chris Leak of Charlotte leading Florida against Ohio State tonight in the national championship game, now seems like a good time to present the ACC Sports Journal's 2006 All-North Carolina Division I-A College Football Team.

This is where the "what-if" aspect comes into play.

What if there was only one Division I-A football team in North Carolina, instead of five? What if its coaches were smart enough to identify, without exception, the best high school prospects in the state every single year? What if the team then was able to sign every one of those top targets, rather than losing many of them to out-of-state programs? What would that hypothetical All-North Carolina team look like, based on what actual North Carolina products did at schools throughout Division I-A football during the 2006 season?

The good news is, there definitely would be enough proven players to field a team. The bad news is, out of the 300-plus North Carolina high school football players who signed with Division I-A teams over the past five years, only eight (see below) earned first- or second-team all-conference honors this fall.

2006 All-North Carolina Division I-A College Football Team

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Chris Leak, Sr., Florida
Daniel Evans, So., N.C. State

Tailback
Toney Baker, So., N.C. State
Andre Brown, So., N.C. State

Fullback
Rich Belton, So., Wake Forest
Nick Starcevic, So., North Carolina

Wide Receiver
Mohamed Massaquoi, So., Georgia
Kenneth Moore, Jr., Wake Forest

Wide Receiver
Aundrae Allison, Sr., East Carolina*
Hakeem Nicks, Fr., North Carolina

Tight End
Andy Boyd, Sr., South Carolina
Davon Drew, So., East Carolina

Tackle
Eric Graham, Sr., East Carolina*
Terence Campbell, Fr., East Carolina

Guard
Matthew Brim, Jr., Wake Forest
Seth Edwards, Sr., South Carolina

Center
Leroy Harris, Sr., N.C. State*
Matt Butler, Jr., East Carolina

Guard
Curtis Crouch, So., N.C. State
Chris DeGeare, So., Wake Forest

Tackle
Daniel Inman, Sr., Georgia*
???

DEFENSE

End
Martrel Brown, Jr., N.C. State
Marcus Hands, Jr., East Carolina

Tackle
Tank Tyler, Sr., N.C. State*
DeMario Pressley, Jr., N.C. State

Tackle
Dre Moore, Jr., Maryland
Jamil Smith, Sr., Wake Forest

End
Jeremy Thompson, Jr., Wake Forest
Hilee Taylor, Jr., North Carolina

Linebacker
Aaron Curry, So., Wake Forest
Durell Mapp, Jr., North Carolina

Linebacker
Patrick Lowery, Sr., N.C. State
Victor Worsley, Sr., North Carolina

Linebacker
Derek Nicholson, So., Florida State (injured)
Drew Fowler, Jr., Air Force*

Safety
Jamar Adams, Sr., Michigan*
Trimane Goddard, Jr., North Carolina (injured)

Safety
Josh Gattis, Sr., Wake Forest*
Pierre Parker, Sr., East Carolina

Cornerback
Keenan Little, Sr., Navy
Jacoby Watkins, Sr., North Carolina

Cornerback
A.J. Davis, Sr., N.C. State
C.J. Gaddis, Jr., Clemson

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
Ryan Succop, So., South Carolina
Connor Barth, Jr., North Carolina

Punter
David Wooldridge, Sr., North Carolina
???

Return Specialist
Brandon Tate, So., North Carolina
???

* — earned first- or second-team all-conference honors in 2006

OTHERS WHO STARTED AND/OR PLAYED A LOT IN 2006:

North Carolina S Cooter Arnold (So.), North Carolina DE Kentwan Balmer (Jr.), East Carolina LB Pierre Bell (So.), North Carolina CB Bryan Bethea (Jr.), Duke RB Re'quan Boyette (So.), Florida State DE Everette Brown (Fr.), Clemson CB Crezdon Butler (Fr.), East Carolina DT Wendell Chavis (Jr.), Duke WR Raphael Chestnut (So.), East Carolina LB Quentin Cotton (So.), East Carolina LB Van Eskridge (Fr.), Army OL Dan Evans (Sr.), Georgia DT Ray Gant (Sr.), North Carolina DT Kyndraus Guy (Jr.), East Carolina DE Marcus Hands (So.), Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty (Fr.), Virginia Tech WR Justin Harper (Jr.), Georgia WR Kenneth Harris (So.), East Carolina WR Phillip Henry (Jr.), N.C. State WR Geron James (Fr.), N.C. State LB Ernest Jones (Jr.), Navy CB Rashawn King (So.), N.C. State CB Levin Neal, North Carolina LB Mark Paschal (So.), North Carolina CB Quinton Person (Jr.), Air Force DB John Rabold (Jr.), North Carolina LB Chase Rice (So.), Wake Forest FB Mike Rinfrette (Fr.), East Carolina DE Scotty Robinson (Fr.), East Carolina DT Brandon Setzer (So.), North Carolina QB Cameron Sexton (Fr.), East Carolina FB Kort Shankweiler (Sr.), North Carolina CB Jermaine Strong (Fr.), North Carolina DT Cam Thomas (Fr.), North Carolina S D.J. Walker (Sr.), East Carolina DE C.J. Wilson (Fr.).