Fanblogs.com: 10 games to decide the fate of the ACC
gatorhippy
· 1 year ago
Winning those contests against the SEC would go a LONG way to raising the perception of the ACC...
Ben Prather
· 1 year ago
What, no one beat UCLA 44-6 or Virginia 23-3? (MWC 2007)
I think the ACC is stuck with bowl alignments negotiated when they were much stronger. They have legitimately fallen and it will be reflected again this year. If they perform badly in these games and the MWC steps up in OOC they could be the #7 conference. the Big East is easily in the mix here.
jake
· 1 year ago
Ben, I certainly agree. For years the Big East has been perceived as the bottom feeders of major CFB conferences. However, recent bowl success has proved otherwise. In fact, all but Louisville and Syracuse have legitimate shots at winning the BE and/or going to quality bowls. The ACC, conversely, heavily relies on Miami and FSU to legitimize the conference. Wake is a team people can gather around and VaTech has good following. But let's be honest, the ACC as a whole has underachieved.
One thing I have always wondered: why hasn't Virginia become in the CFB Michigan of the East? Great school, great location, great academics, great football (scratch that).
Back to topic, the MWC could easily move up the conference quality ladder. Unfortunately, I think the minute they do that, the Pac 10 will snatch up BYU and/or Utah.
Martin
· 1 year ago
Jake and Ben, I respectfully disagree. While there are a few very accomplished and respectable teams in the MWC in recent years (BYU, TCU, and Utah: these have been the most consistent) the rest of the conference does not stand up to the BCS.
While the ACC has underachieved, much to my own chagrin, to compare their standard to that of MWC is just not realistic. The best of the MWC rarely match up with the better of the BCS conferences. Last year, the MWC boasted a 9-11 record against BCS conference teams. This looks comparable when you compare it to the ACC's 11-15 cross BCS comference record, but not really.
I think the problem with your argument is that you aren't acknowledging that the MWC is simply not playing at the same level of competition as the ACC and the rest of the BCS conferences. Of the ten games that involved ranked teams last year, the MWC had just one win, and that came against a team in their own conference. The ACC was 16-28 when facing ranked opponents. Keeping in mind that many of the "wins" were against ACC teams, this still is a significant stat.
The MWC is just not ready to considered a viable conference amongst the BCS. And given the trends, it is likely, as you put jake, that they won't get there.
Jason
· 1 year ago
I wonder if the refs will have to take care of USC this year like they did at VA Tech.
blackdawg
· 1 year ago
What about Miami vs Texas A & M?
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
And they were ranked where?
blackdawg
· 1 year ago
This will be the 4th year in the ACC for Miami and the impact they have made on the perception of the conference is not the one that was expected. When Miami joined the conference everyone expected them to relieve FSU of the responsibility of dominating the field. Miami along with Va. Tech would challenge FSU. Clemson and Boston College would be the spoilers nipping at their heels eventually taking one down. This mixture had all the ingredients to create excitement similar to Steinbrenner adding A-Rod to the Yankees infield. Miami has become like A-Rod without the Stats. It would be a huge shot in the arm, for the ACC, if Miami could again show some swagger, if they could turn it on as quick as they shut it down. They could start by smacking around some schools on the road in particular.
Miami beat Texas A &M last year at home but in the last two years Miami has a 2 - 8 record on the road. This year they will have a bye week before they go to College Station with a 1-1 record. If they can win this road game their home schedule sets up nice and they have an opportunity to make some noise. A road win against the Aggies would mean a 2 -1 record with North Carolina, FSU, and UCF at home. Miami lost to North Carolina on the road last year, and their one road victory, a year ago, was in Tallahassee.
A victory in College Station could possibly lead to a 6 - 1 record with Wake Forest coming to Miami for the first time, and also keep in mind that 3 of Wake's 4 loses came on the road last year. Miami could be 7 - 1 going into the UVA game. Virginia has owned Miami the last two years. If Miami can't beat the Aggies in College Station they are not going to win in Charlottesville either.
The November 13th game between Va. Tech and Miami, at Miami, would only be a huge game for the Coastal Division crown and the prestige of the ACC with National T.V., College Game Day, etc (what the ACC had envisioned), if all this happens. If Miami can't win in College Station it definitely will not happen and it will be just one more missed opportunity for the conference.
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
There's a pretty big garnet and gold "if" on that 1 won loss. :-)
blackdawg
· 1 year ago
There are definitely many "ifs" in those circumstances!
Jeff
· 1 year ago
Didn't Fla St beat Bama last year, you put a smack down on TN who beat GA? Anyone following me here?
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
Not a game that really mattered, IMO, the way that Clemson - Bama does this year, because Clemson is "the" ACC this year (or so we're told).
Kershawdw
· 1 year ago
Jeff that doesn't matter to them, they will be homers and look at the stats they want to look at to try and validate their points. Big picture, Miami has held its own the past 6 times they played the SEC's beloved UF, though they may not win this year its going to take a few more wins before they can even tie up the record for the series. Or typical Gator move they'll win this year, wait until 2012 (a year before our next meeting and when we are competitive again), they will back out of that game like they are known for doing. I cite UF because they are really the only SEC team Miami plays, and have owned for a good while.
PittsburghTiger
· 1 year ago
1. UF 2. USC 3. Cal 4. Tech or Neb....tricky. I'll go with an upset...Neb. 5. Bama in an upset 6. Rutgers 7. Clemson 8. USC 9. UNC 10. NO CLUE!
Zac
· 1 year ago
Some interesting picks there Pitt-Tigger. Here's how I see it.
Looking at RMT's additional match-ups, I see the following:
GA, FL, Miami, S FL, Ole Miss, FSU, Vandy.
PittsburghTiger
· 1 year ago
Two things, well, three. Clemson has to prove it to everyone so I am not really gonna go with them until they stop teasing us. And even if Saban is a jerk he is still a pretty good coach.
And Rutgers will be an interesting story this year since they lost so much from last year. Who knows....if Schiano is able to do great things with this team then maybe that goes a long way towards pressure on Paterno to step aside.
RazzMaTazz
· 1 year ago
Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel recently did a statistical analysis of the conferences. You might be surprised at how well the ACC ranked over the last 5 years, though you may disagree with his formula. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/s...
GT beating Georgia between the hedges would do wonders for the ACC's rep. I can dream, can't I?
Miami at Florida is no less important to the ACC's rep (and no more likely) than FSU beating Florida.
Miami must beat Texas A&M in this middle vs. middle matchup.
A lower-ACC NCSU beating an upper-Big-East USF would bring bonus points to the ACC. (Unlikely.)
Wake at Ole Miss, and Colorado at FSU are must-wins for the ACC.
Duke at Vandy is a good one. Last year Duke beat Northwestern, showing that the ACC's bottom is better than The Big Ten's bottom. (And arguably, slightly helping to indicate that the ACC is deeper than the top heavy, overrated Big Ten.) Is the ACC's bottom better than the SEC's bottom? I don't think so, but we'll see. I think it's much more telling to see how schools of similar conference rank do against each other than say, watching lordly USC drill lowly UVA.
Some people hate their conference rivals so much that they'll root against them no matter what. But as Clemson grad, I'll be pulling for every ACC team in every OOC game.
Zac
· 1 year ago
Razz Monsta, good post. Took the woids right outta my mouth.
PittsburghTiger
· 1 year ago
Not sure if I am being redundant here.....I think I posted what I thought. But here goes again.
1. UF 2. USC 3. Cal 4. Tech at Neb. could be tricky and I say upset...Neb. 5. 'Bama in an upset 6. Rutgers...but could go the other way easily. 7. Clemson 8. USC 9. UNC 10. NO CLUE!
War_Eagle_Atlanta
· 1 year ago
Who's James Madison and why are they more important than Miami versus Florida? Man, I hate it when I leave something like that out... :-)
Kinda like the time I forgot to mention the Red River shoot-out in a list of neutral site games...
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
Yeah, I had a couple of SEC games in there and just got to thinking that... honestly... Miami losing to FL isn't all that big of deal. If they can hang with FL, then... well, that wouldn't really surprise me either.
And there are plenty of other ACC OOC games that you could pick from that will (more or less) impact the perception. FSU-Colorado, BC-Notre Dame, Wake-Ole Miss, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Mississippi State-Georgia Tech, etc, etc.
I needed my list to co-ordinate, yo.
1Tomcat
· 1 year ago
Kev Wake @ Baylor Miami @ Texas A&M Colo @ FSU I'm definetly going to watch Miami @ Texas A&M those Aggies want some payback This will be a great game to see live in person-Awesome IMHO
Wake @ Baylor Those Demon Decons better not pencil in a win here, Bears are #12 in the B-12 New head coach first home game national TV it just doesnt get any better, coach Briles has had his team focused on this game all spring & Summer
Colo vs FSU The Buffs are one of those teams that sometimes show up and beat favored opponents like Texas Tech & OU then they blow some like IA st- here again another chance for payback
RazzMaTazz
· 1 year ago
I posted this earlier today, but it seems to have fallen into a black hole...
Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel recently did a statistical analysis of the conferences. You might be surprised at how well the ACC ranked over the last 5 years, though you may disagree with his formula. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/s...
GT beating Georgia between the hedges would do wonders for the ACC's rep. I can dream, can't I?
Miami at Florida is no less important to the ACC's rep (and no more likely) than FSU beating Florida.
Miami must beat Texas A&M in this middle vs. middle matchup.
A lower-ACC NCSU beating an upper-Big-East USF would bring bonus points to the ACC. (Unlikely.)
Wake at Ole Miss, and Colorado at FSU are must-wins for the ACC.
Duke at Vandy is a good one. Last year Duke beat Northwestern, showing that the ACC's bottom is better than The Big Ten's bottom. (And arguably, slightly helping to indicate that the ACC is deeper than the top heavy, overrated Big Ten.) Is the ACC's bottom better than the SEC's bottom? I don't think so, but we'll see. I think it's much more telling to see how schools of similar conference rank do against each other than say, watching lordly USC drill lowly UVA.
Some people hate their conference rivals so much that they'll root against them no matter what. But as Clemson grad, I'll be pulling for every ACC team in every OOC game.
Regan
· 1 year ago
Yeah, I read that and it was fascinating. Statistically the ACC isn't too bad. That BCS bowl record has got to go, however...
The ACC really isn't nearly as horrendous as it is being portrayed, and no offense to Ben Prather, I think the MWC has a long road to go on before equalling the ACC year-in-year out.
For example, last year, the ACC went:
11-11 vs. BCS-conference opponents (and Notre Dame) 15-4 vs. Non BCS-conference FBS conference teams 7-0 vs. FCS conference teams
2-2 vs. Big 12, 3-4 vs. Big East, 3-4 vs. SEC, 1-0 vs. Big Ten
All this is fine, but doesn't include the Bowls - in which the ACC had a dismal 2-6 record. In their defense, the losses were close (Clemson even got Auburn to OT), and the worst loss was GT's to Fresno State (12 points).
It's certainly not the pits, but needs to improve; and I believe the ACC will be improving this year.
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
100% agree. Now... let's see if it happens one the field.
1st_and_NOLE
· 1 year ago
Weather other ACC fans like to admit it or not, there are two teams that are above the others in terms of "elite programs" and that's FSU and Miami. Those two programs are considered by most of the country as being the ACC's premier programs. The ACC's problem? Their two most "premier" programs have sucked since the expansion.
Right below the "premier" programs is Clemson and VT. The national perception is these teams can't win "the big one." Clemson has garnered the reputation of choking in games they should win. VT has garnered the reputation of choking in the big game (ie, BCS Bowls).
The ACC is the worst BCS conference right now, weather people want to admit it or not. The ACC's 1-9 BCS bowl record is pathetic. The ACC's record against OOC top 10 teams over the past few years is even worse.
The perception of the ACC won't change until FSU and Miami turn things around. Even then, Clemson and VT will need to take things to another level to become truly elite in the eyes of the nation.
If those four programs can consistently hit 10 win seasons and pick up the ACC it's first at-large BCS bowl bid (only BCS conference without one I think) then that will help perception a lot.
Beyond those four programs, the ACC has a lot of potential in becoming a very deep conference.
Wake Forrest has an excellent HC in Grobe. He's dedicated to building WF into a very, very good program. Some people still doubt WF as being a legit team. But, those kids are very disciplined and they execute well - they are great overachievers.
GT hired an excellent coach in Paul Johnson. Much like Grobe, Johnson is very good at getting his athletes to remain disciplined, execute, and overachieve. In fact, Johnson did it in some of the most challenging programs - the Naval Academy.
NCST and Tom O'Brien seem to be a good fit. O'Brien did a very good job against the odds at BC. It'll be easier for him to recruit to NCST and I wouldn't be shocked to see him raise NCST to the level Chuck Amato had them at for a couple years.
Probably the scariest program outside of FSU, Clemson, Miami, and VT is UNC with Butch Davis. He's really bringing in great talent. UNC has the financial resources to compete with anyone, and they've dedicated those resources to football. UNC could become a powerhouse program.
UVA had a nice year. I don't expect a repeat from last year's success. But, they could be a consistent 8 game winner I think.
Duke is a tough call. They're dedicating more attention to football. David Cut. could be a great hire for them. They might find a diamond in the rough like they did with Spurrier. The only question is, could Duke get DC to stick around like Wake was able to get Grobe too?
I honestly don't think too much of BC's future. It's a small private school in the NE. I think it'll be tough for them to recruit. Plus, I don't know too much about their HC. Last year was a good one for them but, they did have Matt Ryan. BC isn't the type of program to "reload", more like "rebuild"
I think Maryland could be a consistent 8 game winner with the occasional 9-10 win season.
There's potential in the ACC. But, it starts with FSU, Miami, Clemson, and VT.
Until then, the ACC will be considered down.
Ramblin' Gator
· 1 year ago
Weather other ACC fans like to admit it or not, there are two teams that are above the others in terms of "elite programs" and that's FSU and Miami.
We can admit it, we just can't remember it. :-)
I'm optimistic about BC. They have played above their talent level in recent times and I suspect they will raise the ACC's image a bit.
1st_and_NOLE
· 1 year ago
I agree about BC. But, most of them playing above their talent level was under Tom O'Brien. Yeah, they had a great year last under their new HC. But, they also had Matt Ryan and a SR loaded team.
It'll be interesting to see if the new HC can continue BC's pattern of playing above their talent.
Kershawdw
· 1 year ago
Damn you cant remember 2001,2002?put down the pipe my friend =)
Ramblin' Gator
· 1 year ago
Someone's passing a pipe? Damn, nobody told me!
In truth, I could probably remember 2001/2002 if I tried, but my head is full of other fond memories now...
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I'm not expecting a similar result in 2008.
Clemson_Joe
· 1 year ago
Man, I was over there minding my own business reading another thread and all of the fun happens over here.
Regan
· 1 year ago
1st_and_Nole, that's probably the best "Bottom Line" summation I've seen on the ACC.
I really don't know about BC, though. BC in the last 10 years has averaged 8 wins a season, but you are right about the coaching - this was O'Brien's era. I just don't know that much about BC (I don't think they belong in the ACC to begin with.)
All I know is that I want Clemson to beat that team like a drum this year after the last 3 years of heartbreaking losses that kept us out of ACC prominence.
I went down the ACC schedules and made early season predictions:
Clemson and Miami are two of my teams, and I'm not getting paid for my opinion - hence the 12-0 predictions.
Excusing the bias, this is how I see the ACC this season. IMHO, this could be a big problem - the abundance of middle-of-the-road teams (assuming I'm wrong about Clemson and Miami).
What's the most interesting, though, is that it doesn't matter how the ACC looks record-wise this season, so long as they win big non-conference matchups. That's all that matters for the purposes of improvement. That's a good thing, because unlike in other conferences, there's only ONE problem (ie: no probation, etc.)
Mr. McAteer
· 1 year ago
alright we all know the ACC is weak but they will always have the nations respect because of what FSU has done for them in the past
since all the big east teams do is win, win, and win some more and get no respect for it, this is another season for the BE to prove themselves on the gridiron against some good OOC opponents
here are the 10 must win games for the big east and their predictions
1. Auburn at WVU 2 standout teams from their respective conferences. Pat White will have a slight vendetta against this team from his home state that spurned him. Auburn's new DC is none other than paul rhoads from Pitt but WVU has home field. Interesting. WVU on a last second field goal from McAfee
2. Kansas at USF The bulls of South Florida are looking to recapture the magic the y had last season when they rose all the way to #2 in the nation. the bulls are not going to be favored in this game because they lost a bunch of stars from their defense a year ago even tho they're at home but will pull off the upset like they did to Auburn last year
3. Cincinnati at Oklahoma This game is tough to call mainly because we don't know if UCs qb Mauck will get another season of eligibility. It looks doubtful so im taking the sooners and their high powered offense but with mauck Ucs in any game against any team
4. Kentucky at Louisville UofLs swiss cheese defense and Kentuckys great qb last season made this game a classic. However i think with all the distractions on the Wildcat team and the new DC Ron English the cards hired they will have their minds focused and the cards qb is pretty damn good too Uof L by at least 10
5.WVU at Colorado This could be my mountaineers toughest game. CU seems to have turned the corner with a bowl trip last year and fabulous recruiting class. The eers have never played at an elevation this high so it might be a factor. I'm picking the eers in this closer-than-you-expect game
6. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame Tis is always a good game for me whenever a BE team plays ND (mainly because ND pretty much flat out refuses to join the BE) Last time these 2 teams met it was the head coaches first seasons at their alma mater. Fast forward a couple years later and we have ND on the decline and Pitt ready for a breakout season with there high powered offense. The panthers are still smarting from their loss to the irish a couple seasons ago so im selecting pitt in this one big
7.Virginia at Uconn Ahh some good ol big east vs acc match ups to throw some spice in the pot i actually watched this game last year and it was pretty good. It seemed like Virginia won every game in that fashion. not this year Uconn returns a bunch of starters and their qb and they will be more mentally prepared to finish strong i got the huskies
8.North Carolina at Rutgers I think the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area finally has a college team to look up to. Butch davis is a faboulos coach who gets the most from his players but Greg Schiano has built something at the state university of New Jersey. It wont be enough Schiano will be out coached by Davis. UNC in this one
9. WVU at East Carolina sKip Holtz has turned the pirates into a year round contender and if you check their schedule they are not afraid to go play the big boys. This game scares me mainly because its in the North Carolina heat early in the season and ECU is coming of a great year. If the pirates play the perfect game they will get the W but it won't happen WVU by a touchdown
10. Syracuse at Northwestern. I gotta show some love for the little ones. The lat 3 years of syracuse football has been a calamity. Its either going to be bowl game or bust for robinson and this game could be a good place to start off on the right track. With the addition of Carter and plus that playmaker Suter who reeturns kicks the Cuse are gonna strat to rebuild
Clemson_Joe
· 1 year ago
My guess is that the ACC goes 2-0 out of these matchups.
UofMSnowboarder
· 1 year ago
Remember when Miami was really good... and then they entered the ACC and self-destructed? I do.
The ACC is going to suck even more this year. The only real bright spot last year were the Hokies and they lost everyone... Clemson is consistently a high teen to twenty team. WF has Jim Grobe, who's a great coach, but the talent level he can pull in is well, Wake Forest quality.
Miami of Florida and Clemson had monster classes this year, and maybe both of them will rise from their mediocrity, but I'm not holding out hope for this year.
Rich
· 1 year ago
The ACC has been terrible since it expanded. Va Tech has come in from the Big East and OWNED the conference, and every year they are the best team at season's end. Since VT can't win a big bowl game to save it's life, the rest of the ACC is far, far away from competing on the national level.
Regan
· 1 year ago
Please keep saying stuff like that :-)
There's a reason WVU got so mad they beat Georgia and Oklahoma like drums in two BCS games.
Rich
· 1 year ago
I grew up watching ACC football and I was heartbroken when Tech was eventually invited to the ACC. They didn't deserve the invite and now that they are in they are just ruining the league - they are killing everyone in the regular season and Beamer does his usual choke jobs in the big games, so the ACC doesn't even have a national power (even if it is a team I hate).
I am glad the Big East is doing better b/c the ACC royally screwed up the expansion and tried to kill the Big East in the process. Then Tech back-stabbed the BE too because they thought the ACC was "superior". Now Tech is playing in the weaker conference and making fools of themselves in bowl games every year - KARMA, HOKIES.
All Comments
I think the ACC is stuck with bowl alignments negotiated when they were much stronger. They have legitimately fallen and it will be reflected again this year. If they perform badly in these games and the MWC steps up in OOC they could be the #7 conference. the Big East is easily in the mix here.
One thing I have always wondered: why hasn't Virginia become in the CFB Michigan of the East? Great school, great location, great academics, great football (scratch that).
Back to topic, the MWC could easily move up the conference quality ladder. Unfortunately, I think the minute they do that, the Pac 10 will snatch up BYU and/or Utah.
While the ACC has underachieved, much to my own chagrin, to compare their standard to that of MWC is just not realistic. The best of the MWC rarely match up with the better of the BCS conferences. Last year, the MWC boasted a 9-11 record against BCS conference teams. This looks comparable when you compare it to the ACC's 11-15 cross BCS comference record, but not really.
I think the problem with your argument is that you aren't acknowledging that the MWC is simply not playing at the same level of competition as the ACC and the rest of the BCS conferences. Of the ten games that involved ranked teams last year, the MWC had just one win, and that came against a team in their own conference. The ACC was 16-28 when facing ranked opponents. Keeping in mind that many of the "wins" were against ACC teams, this still is a significant stat.
The MWC is just not ready to considered a viable conference amongst the BCS. And given the trends, it is likely, as you put jake, that they won't get there.
Miami beat Texas A &M last year at home but in the last two years Miami has a 2 - 8 record on the road. This year they will have a bye week before they go to College Station with a 1-1 record. If they can win this road game their home schedule sets up nice and they have an opportunity to make some noise. A road win against the Aggies would mean a 2 -1 record with North Carolina, FSU, and UCF at home. Miami lost to North Carolina on the road last year, and their one road victory, a year ago, was in Tallahassee.
A victory in College Station could possibly lead to a 6 - 1 record with Wake Forest coming to Miami for the first time, and also keep in mind that 3 of Wake's 4 loses came on the road last year. Miami could be 7 - 1 going into the UVA game. Virginia has owned Miami the last two years. If Miami can't beat the Aggies in College Station they are not going to win in Charlottesville either.
The November 13th game between Va. Tech and Miami, at Miami, would only be a huge game for the Coastal Division crown and the prestige of the ACC with National T.V., College Game Day, etc (what the ACC had envisioned), if all this happens. If Miami can't win in College Station it definitely will not happen and it will be just one more missed opportunity for the conference.
2. USC
3. Cal
4. Tech or Neb....tricky. I'll go with an upset...Neb.
5. Bama in an upset
6. Rutgers
7. Clemson
8. USC
9. UNC
10. NO CLUE!
FL, USC, MD, Tech, Clemson, Rutgers, Clemson, NC St, UConn, JMU.
Looking at RMT's additional match-ups, I see the following:
GA, FL, Miami, S FL, Ole Miss, FSU, Vandy.
And Rutgers will be an interesting story this year since they lost so much from last year. Who knows....if Schiano is able to do great things with this team then maybe that goes a long way towards pressure on Paterno to step aside.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/s...
GT beating Georgia between the hedges would do wonders for the ACC's rep. I can dream, can't I?
Miami at Florida is no less important to the ACC's rep (and no more likely) than FSU beating Florida.
Miami must beat Texas A&M in this middle vs. middle matchup.
A lower-ACC NCSU beating an upper-Big-East USF would bring bonus points to the ACC. (Unlikely.)
Wake at Ole Miss, and Colorado at FSU are must-wins for the ACC.
Duke at Vandy is a good one. Last year Duke beat Northwestern, showing that the ACC's bottom is better than The Big Ten's bottom. (And arguably, slightly helping to indicate that the ACC is deeper than the top heavy, overrated Big Ten.) Is the ACC's bottom better than the SEC's bottom? I don't think so, but we'll see. I think it's much more telling to see how schools of similar conference rank do against each other than say, watching lordly USC drill lowly UVA.
Some people hate their conference rivals so much that they'll root against them no matter what. But as Clemson grad, I'll be pulling for every ACC team in every OOC game.
1. UF
2. USC
3. Cal
4. Tech at Neb. could be tricky and I say upset...Neb.
5. 'Bama in an upset
6. Rutgers...but could go the other way easily.
7. Clemson
8. USC
9. UNC
10. NO CLUE!
Kinda like the time I forgot to mention the Red River shoot-out in a list of neutral site games...
And there are plenty of other ACC OOC games that you could pick from that will (more or less) impact the perception. FSU-Colorado, BC-Notre Dame, Wake-Ole Miss, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Mississippi State-Georgia Tech, etc, etc.
I needed my list to co-ordinate, yo.
Wake @ Baylor
Miami @ Texas A&M
Colo @ FSU
I'm definetly going to watch Miami @ Texas A&M those Aggies want some payback
This will be a great game to see live in person-Awesome IMHO
Wake @ Baylor Those Demon Decons better not pencil in a win here, Bears are #12 in the B-12 New head coach first home game national TV it just doesnt get any better, coach Briles has had his team focused on this game all spring & Summer
Colo vs FSU The Buffs are one of those teams that sometimes show up and beat favored opponents like Texas Tech & OU then they blow some like IA st- here again another chance for payback
Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel recently did a statistical analysis of the conferences. You might be surprised at how well the ACC ranked over the last 5 years, though you may disagree with his formula.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/s...
GT beating Georgia between the hedges would do wonders for the ACC's rep. I can dream, can't I?
Miami at Florida is no less important to the ACC's rep (and no more likely) than FSU beating Florida.
Miami must beat Texas A&M in this middle vs. middle matchup.
A lower-ACC NCSU beating an upper-Big-East USF would bring bonus points to the ACC. (Unlikely.)
Wake at Ole Miss, and Colorado at FSU are must-wins for the ACC.
Duke at Vandy is a good one. Last year Duke beat Northwestern, showing that the ACC's bottom is better than The Big Ten's bottom. (And arguably, slightly helping to indicate that the ACC is deeper than the top heavy, overrated Big Ten.) Is the ACC's bottom better than the SEC's bottom? I don't think so, but we'll see. I think it's much more telling to see how schools of similar conference rank do against each other than say, watching lordly USC drill lowly UVA.
Some people hate their conference rivals so much that they'll root against them no matter what. But as Clemson grad, I'll be pulling for every ACC team in every OOC game.
The ACC really isn't nearly as horrendous as it is being portrayed, and no offense to Ben Prather, I think the MWC has a long road to go on before equalling the ACC year-in-year out.
For example, last year, the ACC went:
11-11 vs. BCS-conference opponents (and Notre Dame)
15-4 vs. Non BCS-conference FBS conference teams
7-0 vs. FCS conference teams
2-2 vs. Big 12, 3-4 vs. Big East, 3-4 vs. SEC, 1-0 vs. Big Ten
All this is fine, but doesn't include the Bowls - in which the ACC had a dismal 2-6 record. In their defense, the losses were close (Clemson even got Auburn to OT), and the worst loss was GT's to Fresno State (12 points).
It's certainly not the pits, but needs to improve; and I believe the ACC will be improving this year.
Right below the "premier" programs is Clemson and VT. The national perception is these teams can't win "the big one." Clemson has garnered the reputation of choking in games they should win. VT has garnered the reputation of choking in the big game (ie, BCS Bowls).
The ACC is the worst BCS conference right now, weather people want to admit it or not. The ACC's 1-9 BCS bowl record is pathetic. The ACC's record against OOC top 10 teams over the past few years is even worse.
The perception of the ACC won't change until FSU and Miami turn things around. Even then, Clemson and VT will need to take things to another level to become truly elite in the eyes of the nation.
If those four programs can consistently hit 10 win seasons and pick up the ACC it's first at-large BCS bowl bid (only BCS conference without one I think) then that will help perception a lot.
Beyond those four programs, the ACC has a lot of potential in becoming a very deep conference.
Wake Forrest has an excellent HC in Grobe. He's dedicated to building WF into a very, very good program. Some people still doubt WF as being a legit team. But, those kids are very disciplined and they execute well - they are great overachievers.
GT hired an excellent coach in Paul Johnson. Much like Grobe, Johnson is very good at getting his athletes to remain disciplined, execute, and overachieve. In fact, Johnson did it in some of the most challenging programs - the Naval Academy.
NCST and Tom O'Brien seem to be a good fit. O'Brien did a very good job against the odds at BC. It'll be easier for him to recruit to NCST and I wouldn't be shocked to see him raise NCST to the level Chuck Amato had them at for a couple years.
Probably the scariest program outside of FSU, Clemson, Miami, and VT is UNC with Butch Davis. He's really bringing in great talent. UNC has the financial resources to compete with anyone, and they've dedicated those resources to football. UNC could become a powerhouse program.
UVA had a nice year. I don't expect a repeat from last year's success. But, they could be a consistent 8 game winner I think.
Duke is a tough call. They're dedicating more attention to football. David Cut. could be a great hire for them. They might find a diamond in the rough like they did with Spurrier. The only question is, could Duke get DC to stick around like Wake was able to get Grobe too?
I honestly don't think too much of BC's future. It's a small private school in the NE. I think it'll be tough for them to recruit. Plus, I don't know too much about their HC. Last year was a good one for them but, they did have Matt Ryan. BC isn't the type of program to "reload", more like "rebuild"
I think Maryland could be a consistent 8 game winner with the occasional 9-10 win season.
There's potential in the ACC. But, it starts with FSU, Miami, Clemson, and VT.
Until then, the ACC will be considered down.
We can admit it, we just can't remember it. :-)
I'm optimistic about BC. They have played above their talent level in recent times and I suspect they will raise the ACC's image a bit.
It'll be interesting to see if the new HC can continue BC's pattern of playing above their talent.
In truth, I could probably remember 2001/2002 if I tried, but my head is full of other fond memories now...
2005: GT 14 - Miami 10
2006: GT 30 - Miami 23
2007: GT 17 - Miami 14
:-)
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I'm not expecting a similar result in 2008.
I really don't know about BC, though. BC in the last 10 years has averaged 8 wins a season, but you are right about the coaching - this was O'Brien's era. I just don't know that much about BC (I don't think they belong in the ACC to begin with.)
All I know is that I want Clemson to beat that team like a drum this year after the last 3 years of heartbreaking losses that kept us out of ACC prominence.
I went down the ACC schedules and made early season predictions:
ACC Atlantic:
#1 CLEM (12-0, 8-0)
#2 WF (9-3, 5-3)
#3 FSU (8-4, 5-3)
#4 MARY (7-5, 4-4)
#5 BC (5-7, 2-6)
#6 NCSU (3-9, 1-7)
ACC Coastal:
#1 MIA (12-0, 8-0)
#2 VT (10-2, 6-2)
#3 UVA (8-4, 4-4)
#4 UNC (5-7, 3-5)
#5 GT (5-7, 2-6)
#6 DUKE (2-10, 0-8)
Clemson and Miami are two of my teams, and I'm not getting paid for my opinion - hence the 12-0 predictions.
Excusing the bias, this is how I see the ACC this season. IMHO, this could be a big problem - the abundance of middle-of-the-road teams (assuming I'm wrong about Clemson and Miami).
What's the most interesting, though, is that it doesn't matter how the ACC looks record-wise this season, so long as they win big non-conference matchups. That's all that matters for the purposes of improvement. That's a good thing, because unlike in other conferences, there's only ONE problem (ie: no probation, etc.)
since all the big east teams do is win, win, and win some more and get no respect for it, this is another season for the BE to prove themselves on the gridiron against some good OOC opponents
here are the 10 must win games for the big east and their predictions
1. Auburn at WVU 2 standout teams from their respective conferences. Pat White will have a slight vendetta against this team from his home state that spurned him. Auburn's new DC is none other than paul rhoads from Pitt but WVU has home field. Interesting. WVU on a last second field goal from McAfee
2. Kansas at USF The bulls of South Florida are looking to recapture the magic the y had last season when they rose all the way to #2 in the nation. the bulls are not going to be favored in this game because they lost a bunch of stars from their defense a year ago even tho they're at home but will pull off the upset like they did to Auburn last year
3. Cincinnati at Oklahoma This game is tough to call mainly because we don't know if UCs qb Mauck will get another season of eligibility. It looks doubtful so im taking the sooners and their high powered offense but with mauck Ucs in any game against any team
4. Kentucky at Louisville UofLs swiss cheese defense and Kentuckys great qb last season made this game a classic. However i think with all the distractions on the Wildcat team and the new DC Ron English the cards hired they will have their minds focused and the cards qb is pretty damn good too Uof L by at least 10
5.WVU at Colorado This could be my mountaineers toughest game. CU seems to have turned the corner with a bowl trip last year and fabulous recruiting class. The eers have never played at an elevation this high so it might be a factor. I'm picking the eers in this closer-than-you-expect game
6. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame Tis is always a good game for me whenever a BE team plays ND (mainly because ND pretty much flat out refuses to join the BE) Last time these 2 teams met it was the head coaches first seasons at their alma mater. Fast forward a couple years later and we have ND on the decline and Pitt ready for a breakout season with there high powered offense. The panthers are still smarting from their loss to the irish a couple seasons ago so im selecting pitt in this one big
7.Virginia at Uconn Ahh some good ol big east vs acc match ups to throw some spice in the pot
i actually watched this game last year and it was pretty good. It seemed like Virginia won every game in that fashion. not this year Uconn returns a bunch of starters and their qb and they will be more mentally prepared to finish strong i got the huskies
8.North Carolina at Rutgers I think the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area finally has a college team to look up to. Butch davis is a faboulos coach who gets the most from his players but Greg Schiano has built something at the state university of New Jersey. It wont be enough Schiano will be out coached by Davis. UNC in this one
9. WVU at East Carolina sKip Holtz has turned the pirates into a year round contender and if you check their schedule they are not afraid to go play the big boys. This game scares me mainly because its in the North Carolina heat early in the season and ECU is coming of a great year. If the pirates play the perfect game they will get the W but it won't happen WVU by a touchdown
10. Syracuse at Northwestern. I gotta show some love for the little ones. The lat 3 years of syracuse football has been a calamity. Its either going to be bowl game or bust for robinson and this game could be a good place to start off on the right track. With the addition of Carter and plus that playmaker Suter who reeturns kicks the Cuse are gonna strat to rebuild
I do.
The ACC is going to suck even more this year. The only real bright spot last year were the Hokies and they lost everyone... Clemson is consistently a high teen to twenty team. WF has Jim Grobe, who's a great coach, but the talent level he can pull in is well, Wake Forest quality.
Miami of Florida and Clemson had monster classes this year, and maybe both of them will rise from their mediocrity, but I'm not holding out hope for this year.
There's a reason WVU got so mad they beat Georgia and Oklahoma like drums in two BCS games.
I am glad the Big East is doing better b/c the ACC royally screwed up the expansion and tried to kill the Big East in the process. Then Tech back-stabbed the BE too because they thought the ACC was "superior". Now Tech is playing in the weaker conference and making fools of themselves in bowl games every year - KARMA, HOKIES.