After one weekend it looks like The ACC may not have the talent this season it had last year. We lost 3 match ups and struggled in a 4th against Power 5 conferences.

UNC lost to Cal Berkley that was picked to finish last in The PAC North

NC State lost a middle of the SEC pack South Carolina.

FSU lost to Alabama, what looks like the best team in the country, and lost their starting QB in the process. (Prayers for Francois)

Louisville struggled with Purdue, picked to finish last in The Big Ten West.

We still have today's VaTech / WVU matchup, GT / UT on Monday and next week's Clemson / Auburn tilt next week.

Looks like it could be an average season in The ACC.
CJ

FSU loss is nothing to be ashamed of.
I felt like Purdue would give Louisville all they could handle, and they did.
Pitt OT win doesn't look good, but YSU has a very good coach.
Based on what I know right now I'd say NC State and UNC both laid eggs, but that could change if Cal and SC have great seasons.

FSU loss hurts...Hope they rebound.. UNC and NC State were always overhyped

(09-03-2017 11:18 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  FSU loss is nothing to be ashamed of.
I felt like Purdue would give Louisville all they could handle, and they did.
Pitt OT win doesn't look good, but YSU has a very good coach.
Based on what I know right now I'd say NC State and UNC both laid eggs, but that could change if Cal and SC have great seasons.

State laid the egg. UNC is not very good.

If you can't kick a fg, can't kick the ball off into the endzone, and fumble 3-4 times, you can't win.

(09-03-2017 09:44 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  After one weekend it looks like The ACC may not have the talent this season it had last year. We lost 3 match ups and struggled in a 4th against Power 5 conferences.

UNC lost to Cal Berkley that was picked to finish last in The PAC North

NC State lost a middle of the SEC pack South Carolina.

FSU lost to Alabama, what looks like the best team in the country, and lost their starting QB in the process. (Prayers for Francois)

Louisville struggled with Purdue, picked to finish last in The Big Ten West.

We still have today's VaTech / WVU matchup, GT / UT on Monday and next week's Clemson / Auburn tilt next week.

Looks like it could be an average season in The ACC.
CJ

Maybe, maybe not. It's time to lay some blame on ESPN. They are the architects of Alabama vs F.S.U. and Auburn vs Clemson in the first two weeks of the season. When Auburn and Alabama face off and Clemson and F.S.U. face off these series do nothing but hurt both conferences. But, they eliminate complications for ESPN who wants 4 regions represented in the CFP. At the top the SEC and ACC are the most likely candidates of the P conferences to product the ultra dominant programs in any given year.

The nightmare scenario for ESPN would be for Auburn and Alabama meet undefeated and one lose by less than a touchdown late, and in the same weekend have Clemson and Florida State meet undefeated and one lose by less than a touchdown late. If Alabama and Clemson finish undefeated and Auburn and F.S.U. miss the conference CCG and both finish with one very close loss to a top 4 school and the champs of the Big 12, Big 10 and PAC each have a loss, but one that is not to a top 4 school then what does ESPN face???

L.S.U. vs Alabama in a rematch proved that not as many folks will tune in for (1) a rematch, and (2) a game that essentially only appeals to the Southeast and reminds the other regions that their schools aren't as good.

So if ESPN wants oodles of ad revenue from both rounds of the CFP they have to have a Big 10 school and a PAC school to get the rates they love and the profits they depend upon. So since they have influence with the SEC and ACC they set these early season matches up to handicap their odds of getting what they want at the end.

Remember the first of these games scheduled? Alabama vs Penn State, Alabama vs Ohio State, Alabama vs Michigan? Well ESPN despised the outcomes of those games. it made it harder to justify the Big 10 school come BCS and then CFP time. They need the eyeballs of the Big 10 at the end. So now we get a rebuilding Michigan vs a sub standard Florida. No harm no foul regardless of the outcome.

I don't think the ACC is significantly worse this season than last. Florida State met the worst possible first game fate. You in the know types tell me which side of the ball is usually better prepared for the first game, the defense, or the offense which depends on timing? Of course its the defense. Alabama's game was predicated on that D. F.S.U. needed 3 or 4 games to get rolling offensively. That's why historically we scheduled a rent-a-kill opponent for the first game. We knew our D would keep us in it, and if the offense had a pulse it was a W. Who knows, by the end of the year Florida may have beaten Michigan, or F.S.U. might have beaten Alabama. If you don't believe me who do you thing wins the season opener last year if it had been between Clemson who struggled out of the gate against Auburn, or Alabama whose defense steamrolled opponents scoring defensively in their first 6 or 7 games?

If you want to look at the truth of the situation first games are at best a 50/50 toss up. End of the season games usually reveal the best offensively and definitely reveal depth.

The issue here is the commissioners of the ACC and SEC need to focus on the end of the season games with rivals and tell ESPN to take a hike. We aren't going to do their handicapping for them at the expense of our conference leaders.

In my pre-season OOC predictions, I picked ACC teams as likely to win 9 games, lose 1, and have 4 tossups.

The 9 teams I picked as likely winners, all won. I had Georgia Tech as a likely loser, and Florida State, UNC, NC State and Virginia Tech as tossups. Assuming the ACC would win half the tossups, the overall prediction was 11-3 (3-3 vs P5, 2-0 vs FBS and 6-0 vs FCS).

If both VT and GT win, that's exactly where they will wind up.

I don't see Cal or Purdue finishing last in their conferences. I gained a lot of respect for Brohm as a head coach. I can see Purdue pulling some upsets in the B1G.


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(09-04-2017 06:42 AM)Lenvillecards Wrote:  I don't see Cal or Purdue finishing last in their conferences. I gained a lot of respect for Brohm as a head coach. I can see Purdue pulling some upsets in the B1G.

This. Illinois will almost undoubtedly finish at the bottom (lay mortgage type money on that bet). Brohm had them ready to go. They hung tough in the game with y'all and certainly could upset somebody if they play like that for their other games. The bottom of the B1G is looking a lot better than last year.

Yikes...ACC special teams.

GT and NCSU both outgained their opponent by 250+ yards and lost. You've got to TRY to pull that off.

FSU played Alabama essentially even, and got rolled by 17.

(09-04-2017 06:52 AM)TerpsNPhoenix Wrote:  The bottom of the B1G is looking a lot better than last year.

....also we don't know who the bottom will be of 2017. It becoming obvious that the preseason picks my not be all that accurate.

FlossY Out...

Frustrating weekend versus the SEC but otherwise not bad. It's early.
Meanwhile, ACC games drew plenty of viewers and made good money.
We need Clemson to bring the fire this week.

(09-07-2017 08:10 AM)Gitanole Wrote:  Frustrating weekend versus the SEC but otherwise not bad. It's early.
Meanwhile, ACC games drew plenty of viewers and made good money.
We need Clemson to bring the fire this week.

The VT game was amazing! Don't expect such excitement next week...