Sure the Olympics are over, but there is still time to give out a few more medals. Here is a look at a unit by unit breakdown of the Triangle teams:

Quarterback

Gold – Duke
Thaddeus Lewis has two years of experience under his belt and one of the best offensive minds in the nation in David Cutcliffe as his coach. His 21-10 touchdown to interception ratio last year is miraculous when you consider the Devils’ complete lack of a run game and the O-Line’s disturbing inability to block anybody. He may not have the best stats at the end of the season because of similar personnel problems this year, but he gets the nod over T.J. Yates because of Yates’ shoulder surgery and Cutcliffe’s brain.

If Lewis goes down with an injury, which is very possible given the number of times he figures to get hit this year, junior Zack Asack can step in as an experienced backup and hold down the fort.

Silver – Carolina
If Ted Roof was still in Durham, Yates would have probably earned the gold. Though relatively inexperienced, Yates showed an impressive ability to lead Carolina’s offense when he was healthy. His throwing shoulder is a big question mark - his receiving corps is certainly not. The 6-foot-3 sophomore has the best trio of receivers in the ACC to throw to (see below), but will need to cut down on his picks (18 INTs last year) if he is to take the next step in his development.

The Heels better keep Yates off the turf, because nobody in light blue wants to see Cam Sexton take the field anytime soon again, and Mike Paulus, while gifted, has taken exactly the same number of snaps during a college football game as I have.

Bronze – State
Russell Wilson is easily the biggest unknown among the three Triangle starters. He has impressed Tom O’Brien enough over the course of the spring and fall practices to earn the start in South Carolina to open the year, but there is no doubt he lacks the experience of the other two starters. Wilson’s athleticism and versatility appear to have won out over Daniel Evan’s superior grasp of the offense and game-experience advantage, but without Donald Bowens to throw to and a suspect offensive line, Wilson may be in for a rude beginning to his college career.

Evans provides the best fall-back option of the three schools should Wilson get hurt or O’Brien need to make a change. Evans hasn’t lit the world on fire since he took over the job, but he won’t lose you a game either. Highly-touted freshman Mike Glennon will red-shirt this year, so gunslinger Harrison Beck, who has clearly fallen out of favor with the coaches, fills in at the third QB spot.

Running Back

Gold – State
Jamelle Eugene began last year as the third-string running back, but was pressed into action when both Toney Baker and Andre Brown went down with knee and foot injuries, respectively. Talk about seizing the opportunity – Eugene ran the ball well (3.9 ypc, five touchdowns) and proved to be a more-than-reliable option in the passing game out of the backfield (42 rec.). The 5-10 junior hasn’t been an every-down back since he arrived on campus, but Pack fans shouldn’t worry about him wearing down – if there is one position where State has quality depth, it’s at running back.

Andrew Brown will likely see some carries to spell Eugene when he needs a breather. Brown averaged nearly five yards per carry last year after he took over for the injured Baker, but missed several games after having surgery on his bad wheel. Brown, like Eugene, can help O’Brien’s team in both the running and passing game, and serves as the best backup RB in the Triangle.

Curtis Underwood has impressed in spring and fall practice, and will be fine if called upon due to injury.

Silver – Carolina
Greg Little opened some eyes towards the end of last year once Butch Davis realized where to put him on the field. Part of the problem Carolina had last year in playing so many young players, was the Davis and Co. didn’t know where they best served the team. This year, there is no question where the Hillside High School product will line up. The 6-3 sophomore racked up 243 rushing yards in the last two games of the season, including the game-winning touchdown scamper against Duke in OT to end the season. Little’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield (he started his Carolina career as a wide receiver) will only help John Shoop’s offense.

Back-up Ryan Houston represents a nice change of pace, and should see the field plenty in an effort to keep Little from wearing down. Houston has done a nice job getting in shape after playing way too heavy last year. If he can hang on to the ball, the 6-2, 250-pound bull will offer Tar Heel fans a pleasant compliment to Little.

Bronze – Duke
The running game situation in Durham took a big hit when all-purpose back Re’quan Boyette went down with a knee injury. Early word out of Duke is that the injury is not season-ending, but if he isn’t showing significant progress in a month or so, they may elect to sit him for the year and have him take a red-shirt. David Cutcliffe thought Boyette was going to have a break-out year because of his ability to run and catch, but now he will have to rely on Clifford Harris and a slew of inexperienced athletes to provide the balance on offense he desires.

Harris has been nursing an injury of his own during fall camp, so the young guys, Tony Jackson (a converted defensive back ), and true freshmen Jay Hollingsworth and Patrick Kurunwune, have gotten a majority of the touches. That’s great in terms of getting them some experience, but it would sure help the Devils if they had someone lining up behind Lewis that had actually seen some game action on the college level.

Wide Receiver

Gold – Carolina
Duke and State fans won’t want to hear this, but this one isn’t even close. The Heels return nearly everyone that caught a pass for them last year (Joe Dailey and his two catches were lost to graduation), including the 74 receptions and nearly 1,000 receiving yards Hakeem Nicks brought to the table. Brandon Tate (25 catches, 479 yds.) will likely line up on the other side of the field to start the game, and Brooks Foster (29, 417) will come in when the Heels go three-wide. All of these players have good size, speed and hands, and unless injuries have their way with the roster, at least two of them will end up on the All-ACC teams when the season is over.

Silver – Duke
This was a close call, but I had to go with the Devils because of Lewis, Cutcliffe and Eron Riley. Riley arrived on the scene last year as a big-time down field scoring threat (20.8 yards per catch, nine touchdowns), and that likely won’t change with Cutcliffe at the helm. The new coaching staff and their system will allow the senior to catch more balls underneath, meaning he won’t have to rely on 40-yard jump balls to get his touches.

The Devils lose Jomar Wright and his team-leading 56 catches, but they get back Raphael Chestnut after he missed all but five games last year with a torn ACL. If Chestnut has all of his quickness back, he will be a great slot receiver in Cutcliffe’s system. Sophomores Austin Kelly and Sheldon Bell also figure to see time in Duke’s pass-oriented attack.

Bronze – State
If Donald Bowens was available for the Pack, they would have taken the silver, but with him out and Eron Riley suiting up for Duke, the “proven commodity at wide-out" tally moves to 1-0 in favor of the Devils. Bowen’s injury is a killer for State, especially due to the lack of production they return at the position. John Dunlap and Darrell Blackman graduated and took their 86 catches and early 1,000 yards with them, leaving Darrell Davis as their most productive returnee at the position – he had 12 catches and 135 yards in 2007.

The rest of State’s season-opening two-deep at wide receiver, which includes Owen Spencer, Jarvis Williams, and Geron James, combined for 13 catches and 128 yards. Dana Bible’s offense may include a decent passing attack, but if it does, it will be because of receptions from the tight end and running back positions.

Tight End

Gold – State
Anthony Hill is the best tight end in the ACC – period. His knee injury and subsequent lost season crushed State’s hopes of making it to a bowl game last year. His return this year comes at a good time, as he will make up for what will likely be a somewhat unproductive group of receivers, and provide a safety valve for Russell Wilson who will be making his first collegiate start against South Carolina. Because his ability to catch and run with the football is so exceptional, Hill’s blocking often gets overlooked, but his return to the line of scrimmage will mean almost as much to Eugene and Brown as it will to Wilson.

The fall off from starter to backup is steep, mostly because Hill is so good and not because Matt Kushner is so bad. But, Pack fans should hope Hill finds a way to stay on the field. Marcus Stone, for all the issues he had under center, was a solid contributor as a tight end, and will be missed in terms of depth at the position. Kushner played mostly in two tight-end sets, and only caught 10 balls for 67 yards last year.

Silver – Carolina
Like many teams, Carolina has a pair of tight ends that specialize in one area and are looking to improve in the other. Coach Butch Davis has not decided who will start when the Heels take the field against McNeese State, which means that both Richard Quinn and Zack Pianalto will likely see the field at some point. Pianalto is the better receiver of the two, while Quinn is the better blocker, but the two combine to give Carolina both solid production and depth at the position.

Down and distance will probably play a major part in which player is on the field, though both are improving in the areas that are considered their weaknesses. Pianalto was named an Honorable mention Freshman All-American last year, as well as a first team Freshman All-ACC-er after catching 24 balls, including 16 in his final six games.

Bronze – Duke
If Brandon King can completely recover from a nagging collarbone injury in time for the season, the Devils will feel a lot better about the potential for productivity at the position – but that’s a huge if. In the meantime, they will have to rely on sophomore Brett Huffman and sixth-year senior Tielor Robinson.

Huffman has shown tremendous improvement over spring and fall practice, earning the team’s Most Improved Offensive Player Award after the former, but only recorded one catch for three yards last year. Robinson possesses great strength and solid hands, but only caught one ball for a dozen yards before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Both players are capable blockers, but neither is the combination blocker/receiver that King is.

The tight end position will not be a liability for Duke, but without King they can’t be placed any higher than the bronze.

Offensive Line

Gold - Carolina
Carolina won’t place anyone on the Outland Trophy watch list, but they get the gold simply because their Triangle counterparts are far worse than they are.

The unquestioned leader of the unit is senior tackle Garrett Reynolds, a 6-7, 310-pound monster with 19 starts to his credit. Three other starters return in the form of senior guard Calvin Darity (6-3, 310), junior tackle Kyle Jolly (6-6, 300) and junior center Aaron Stahl (6-2, 290). While the final guard position is still up for grabs, Carolina fans should feel good amount the amount of sheer size and experience this unit has.

Depth could be a bit of an issue for the Heels should some of the first-teamers go down, as two sophomores and two freshmen are listed as the backups at four of the five positions, but for now things looks good up front in Chapel Hill.

Silver - State
To give you an idea of how confident Tom O’Brien was about his offensive line heading into the year, he moved two defensive linemen over to the other side of the ball to help shore up the unit. Not only that, but both of them, Ted Larsen (center) and John Bedics (left guard), will start for the Pack when they begin their season in Columbia, SC.

Two players who have never played the position before making up 40% of the starting five? Needless to say there might be some growing pains at the beginning of the season, especially for Larsen who must learn the hardest position on the O-line. Meares Green is versatile and experienced (eight starts at tackle and three at guard in 2007), and his back-up, Curtis Crouch, has 20 starts to his credit. Jeraill McCuller started the lat four games for State at right tackle and he returns to that spot this year. Julian Williams, another returning starter, started in all nine games he played in 2007 (he missed three contests due to injury).

Depth isn’t as much of a concern as you might think for the Pack, as Crouch and sophomore Jake Vermiglio provide some insurance at right and left guard, respectively. Vermiglio started three games at tackle last year (including the Virginia game when he had to lock horns with NFL first-round pick Chris Long), and earned freshman All-America honors. The two-deep lists two players in Matt White (LT) and Gary Gregory (RT) that have seen little action, but should something happen to Williams or McCuller, Vermiglio would likely slide over from guard and fill in.

Bronze - Duke
This unit automatically gets the bronze until further notice. How Thaddeus Lewis hasn’t been decapitated in his time under center, I’ll never know, but if there is a bright side for Duke fans, I guess it’s that things can’t get much worse.

Cameron Goldberg (23), Fred Roland (23) and Rob Schirmann (24) have a number of starts under their belt, but is it really a positive thing to have guys returning from an offensive line that was so bad? Conversely, is it really that bad that Duke has to replace two of their starters from last year? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but it’s obvious that a drastic improvement needs to be made on the offensive front if Duke is to emerge from the cellar in the ACC.

A lot has been made of the improved fitness and strength of the guys in the trenches since Cutcliffe and Co. have arrived on campus, but I’m taking an “I’ll believe it when I see it” stance on this one. Experience helps, and the 6-6 Goldberg (LT) and 6-8 Roland (RT) have good size at the tackle spots, but the Devils will be happy if this group can just prove to be average over the course of the season.

Bryan Morgan, a true sophomore, though undersized at 250 pounds, showed athleticism and a lot of promise last year when he was pressed into duty at tackle. He makes the transition back to his natural center spot now with the departure of Matt Rumsey.

The Blue Devils’ reserve spots are littered with freshmen and sophomores, meaning any kind of injury bug could cripple the offense in a way that not even Cutcliffe can overcome.