Raleigh N&O writer's ACC Football Forecast (c/p)

Apr 25, 2015, 11:15 PM

Joe Giglio’s ACC football forecast

By Joe Giglio

jgiglio@newsobserver.com

04/25/2015 5:04 PM

04/25/2015 6:02 PM

Atlantic Division

(in predicted order of finish)
1. Florida State

2014: 13-1, 8-0 ACC.
Related
Giglio: So you’re saying they have a chance in ACC football ...

Head coach: Jimbo Fisher (6th season, 58-11 at FSU).

They’re back: RB Dalvin Cook, S Jalen Ramsey.

They’re gone: QB Jameis Winston, DE Mario Edwards.

Outlook: For all of the talent the Seminoles are losing in the NFL draft, you could make the argument they’re still returning their two best players in running back Cook and safety Ramsey from a 13-1 team.

Winston, for all of his collateral baggage, will be missed, but Fisher can go more conservative and ride Cook on offense and ask his defense, which returns seven starters, to win games.
2. Clemson

2014: 10-3, 6-2 ACC.

Head coach: Dabo Swinney (8th season, 61-26 at Clemson).

They’re back: QB Deshaun Watson, DE Shaq Lawson.

They’re gone: DE Vic Beasley, OC Chad Morris.

Outlook: How healthy will Watson be? The talented quarterback played significant minutes in only four games last season, but the Tigers averaged almost two more touchdowns per game with him (35.8) than without (23.1).

The losses on defense, the entire line, are significant but Swinney is confident the Tigers can reload. Fair enough, but the loss of offensive coordinator Chad Morris (who took the SMU head coaching job) might be a different hurdle. Swinney’s record with Morris was 41-11, compared with 19-15 before he was hired in 2011.
3. N.C. State

2014: 8-5, 3-5 ACC.

Head coach: Dave Doeren (3rd season, 11-14 at N.C. State).

They’re back: QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Matt Dayes.

They’re gone: LT Rob Crisp, DT Thomas Teal.

Outlook: The new season doesn’t start where the old one finished. N.C. State, after winning four of its last five games, will need to remember that, but the Wolfpack is in good shape for 2015.

Brissett will have plenty of options in an offense that should take another step forward. The defense returns most of its starters and should be better in a full season with pressure schemes. The Wolfpack will have to figure out how to win on the road – trips to biennial pitfalls Wake Forest and Boston College await – to build on last year’s progress.
4. Louisville

2014: 9-4, 5-3 ACC.

Head coach: Bobby Petrino (6th season, 50-13 at Louisville).

They’re back: RB Brandon Radcliffe, LB James Burgess.

They’re gone: WR DeVante Parker, S Gerod Holliman.

Outlook: Louisville’s draft class could hit double digits. That’s a lot of lumber for Petrino to replace, especially on defense. The Cards could have used a full year with Parker. They probably would have won another two games with him.

As it is, they have some issues at quarterback to sort out and some fence-building to do on defense.
5. Boston College

2014: 7-6, 4-4 ACC.

Head coach: Steve Addazio (3rd season, 14-12 at BC).

They’re back: RB Jon Hilliman, DT Connor Wujciak.

They’re gone: QB Tyler Murphy, C Andy Gallik.

Outlook: No one has done a better coaching job the past two years than Addazio. The Eagles won seven games with Andre Williams running for a zillion yards in 2013. Lost him to the NFL, and Addazio used a Florida transfer (Tyler Murphy) to remake the offense into an option team and won seven games again.

The offensive line has to be rebuilt, and sophomore Darius Wade will be asked to replace Murphy, but at this point, Addazio deserves the benefit of the doubt that he will make it work.

6. Syracuse

2014: 3-9, 1-7 ACC.

Head coach: Scott Shafer (3rd season, 10-15 at Syracuse).

They’re back: QB Terrel Hunt, WR Steve Ishmael.

They’re gone: LB Dyshawn Davis, S Durell Eskridge.

Outlook: Last year was a lost season for the Orange. It’s up to Shafer to make sure it was an aberration and not a trend. There’s not a lot to work with on defense, which was actually better than the team’s record indicated, and the offense was in shambles even before Hunt was hurt.

One thing is for sure, with an out-of-conference date with LSU, and regular division games against FSU, Clemson and Louisville, the Orange will get an education in talent evaluation.
7. Wake Forest

2014: 3-9, 1-7 ACC

Head coach: Dave Clawson (2nd season, 3-9 at Wake Forest)

They’re back: QB David Wolford, LB Brandon Chubb.

They’re gone: CB Kevin Johnson, CB Bud Noel.

Outlook: The road back to respectability is a long one but there were some positive signs last season for Clawson. The Deacs beat Virginia Tech, which is more than the national champs can say.

There’s no quick fix here, though. There’s probably another year, or two and maybe three, of the same before Clawson can find his footing.

Coastal Division

(in predicted order of finish)
1. Virginia Tech

2014: 7-6, 3-5 ACC.

Head coach: Frank Beamer (29th season, 231-115-2 at Virginia Tech).

They’re back: WR Isaiah Ford, DE Dadi Nicolas.

They’re gone: S Kyshoen Jarrett, S Detrick Bonner.

Outlook: This looks like a default cop-out, given the media’s track record with picking this division, but the Hokies should be healthy on defense. A front line includingtackle Luther Maddy and Nicolas, both seniors, should give the Hokies a leg up in a division scarce on defensive talent.

Then there’s the schedule. Georgia Tech, in a seven-year storm, has to cross over and play Clemson and FSU. Virginia Tech plays neither, plus gets a nice break before going to Atlanta on Nov. 12.
2. Georgia Tech

2014: 11-3, 6-2 ACC.

Head coach: Paul Johnson (8th season, 58-35 at Georgia Tech).

They’re back: QB Justin Thomas, LB P.J. Davis.

They’re gone: RB Synjyn Days, RB Zach Laskey.

Outlook: Johnson has every reason to tell his detractors to go pound salt. The Jackets were dynamite last season, beating Clemson, Georgia and Mississippi State and closing out the season at No. 8 in the country.

Thomas, who was possibly genetically engineered to play in Johnson’s option offense, returns and even without an experienced stable of runners, will have defenses guessing every Saturday.

The main issue is the schedule. After Alcorn State and Tulane to open the season, there are no breaks.
3. UNC

2014: 6-7, 4-4 ACC.

Head coach: Larry Fedora (4th season, 21-17 at UNC).

They’re back: QB Marquise Williams, RB T.J. Logan.

They’re gone: CB Tim Scott, LB Travis Hughes.

Outlook: The easy way out would be to list UNC, Duke, Pitt and Miami all tied for third – and that might happen given this division’s propensity for closeness – but quarterbacks make a difference, and UNC has the best one in the group in senior Williams.

The Tar Heels’ defense has to get better, at least to the point of functional, but with a significantly easier schedule (Wake Forest-Illinois-South Carolina replaces Clemson-ECU-Notre Dame), Fedora’s fourth team will improve by at least two wins.
4. Duke

2014: 9-4, 5-3 ACC.

Head coach: David Cutcliffe (8th season, 40-48 at Duke).

They’re back: S Jeremy Cash, LB Kelby Brown.

They’re gone: WR Jamison Crowder, QB Anthony Boone.

Outlook: There’s a new normal at Duke, and Cutcliffe can’t get enough credit for that. The Blue Devils slipped at the end of the season, with home losses to Virginia Tech and UNC, and that cost them back-to-back division titles. The return of Brown, for a sixth season, should help what was already a good defense. Cutcliffe will have to get creative on offense to achieve another eight- or nine-win season, but that’s his specialty.
5. Pittsburgh

2014: 6-7, 4-4 ACC.

Head coach: Pat Narduzzi (first season at Pitt).

They’re back: RB James Conner, WR Tyler Boyd.

They’re gone: T T.J. Clemmings, LB Anthony Gonzalez.

Outlook: Pitt slept through its “sleeper” potential last season. With another coaching change (the fifth in six years), it’s probably too much to ask the Panthers to ride Conner, last year’s surprise ACC player of the year, to a nine- or 10-win breakthrough. The Panthers should be feisty, though, under Narduzzi, a former Michigan State assistant.
6. Miami

2014: 6-7, 3-5 ACC.

Head coach: Al Golden (5th season, 28-22 at Miami).

They’re back: QB Brad Kaaya, S Deon Bush.

They’re gone: RB Duke Johnson, T Ereck Flowers.

Outlook: Miami’s talent exceeded its win total last season, and that’s never good for a coach’s well-being. This is a crossroads season for Golden. He weathered the Nevin Shapiro scandal, when he could have bailed, but the payoff has to be more than a 6-7 record. Improving without Johnson, who might wind up as the next NFL rookie of the year, is an uphill proposition.
7. Virginia

2014: 5-7, 3-5 ACC.

Head coach: Mike London (6th season, 23-38 at Virginia).

They’re back: S Quin Blanding, WR Canaan Severin.

They’re gone: RB Kevin Parks, DE Eli Harold.

Outlook: AD Craig Littlepage likes London. He hired him and gave him a contract extension last year. But you would never be able to tell by Virginia’s schedule. It’s merciless – again. The Cavaliers face UCLA, Boise State and Notre Dame out of the league. At least they avoid Clemson and FSU this season.

The offense needs to catch up with the defense, and with major issues at quarterback, that’s easier said than done.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/wake-forest/article19545318.html#storylink=cpy

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

People need to be careful about crowning GT in the Coastal. They lost a lot of seniors at key positions on offense. There's a reason it took those seniors to develop 4 years and how that coincided with the way they played last year. I look for GT to return to form and by that I mean win 7 to 8 games with PJ's seat to re-warm. GT was a lucky lucky team last year. They got lucky Watson went down in the 1st quarter and Cole came in and threw GT 2 TD's. They got lucky Pitt fumbled the ball on the first 5 times possessions during their game. They got lucky Georgia fumbled the ball twice on the 1 yard line and that Richt isn't a very good coach when the game is on the line (kick the ball deep, Richt). GT was so good last year that they let Duke and UNC beat them as well as almost losing the first 2 games against lower competition. I think GT can win the Coastal but only because that side of the ACC is mediocre at best.

Raleigh N&O writer's ACC Football Forecast (c/p)

Gigolo needs to stick to his mature madams, not football.***

NC State, hahahahaha...

Re: NC State, hahahahaha...

Re: NC State, hahahahaha...

I wonder if he considers talent or just turnover

if someone in the Triangle ever said one nice thing about

there are going to be very few who believe in Clemson

Re: Raleigh N&O writer's ACC Football Forecast (c/p)

TigerBoard POTD