(01-07-2020 08:56 AM)bronconick Wrote:  Probably 6-6 (4-4) again. I like what Norvell's done but he can't fix the offensive line in nine months.

I’m going to be a little more optimistic. 7 or 8 wins. The defense has studs especially if Nas comes back. I don’t expect to have a slow start on D like we did this past year and I expect the OL to make incremental improvements, so it’s not going to be totally bad. Our RB situation will be fine with the aTm transfer plus the guys we have now.

I’m not going to expect Blackman or one of the freshmen to be all ACC caliber next season and might be the only thing holding us back for a really good season.

(01-07-2020 10:02 AM)Garrettabc Wrote:  

(01-07-2020 08:56 AM)bronconick Wrote:  Probably 6-6 (4-4) again. I like what Norvell's done but he can't fix the offensive line in nine months.

I’m going to be a little more optimistic. 7 or 8 wins. The defense has studs especially if Nas comes back. I don’t expect to have a slow start on D like we did this past year and I expect the OL to make incremental improvements, so it’s not going to be totally bad. Our RB situation will be fine with the aTm transfer plus the guys we have now.

I’m not going to expect Blackman or one of the freshmen to be all ACC caliber next season and might be the only thing holding us back for a really good season.

Just throw fewer than 4 passes to the other team each game and it would be an improvement...

(01-02-2020 06:09 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(01-02-2020 05:31 PM)Statefan Wrote:  Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington State, Arizona State, and Mizzou do not have an OOC P-5 scheduled.

Those are EXACTLY the kind of OOC opponents most ACC teams should be scheduling!

Exactly!! Or at the very least one middle of the road P5 team. NOT Bama, or Auburn or OKla. to start, unless your Clem's son.

Pitt is going to be a really difficult team to judge again next year. Their defense, which was really good this year, is likely going to be better next year because it’s losing just a few players and it’s regaining two guys who are expected to be their best players on defense this year, but we’re lost for the season before it even started in Rashad Weaver and Keyshawn Camp. The defense will miss Damar Hamlin and it will definitely miss Dane Jackson – their excellent field corner. However, they have guys ready to go and they should be fine.

Also, we have a returning quarterback whose stats are OK but whose underlying stats are actually really good. Kenny Pickett is definitely the best player on Pitt‘s offense and I think he’s one of the top four or five returning quarterbacks in the ACC.

The problem is his receiving corps stunk out loud this year. They just weren’t very explosive with the ball in their hands, they struggled to create separation and they led the nation in dropped passes. The good news is by the end of the year their younger players on that unit had really assumed prominent roles within the offense. I had hoped that would happen sooner, but it did eventually happen. However, I am still very much in a wait and see mode with those guys.

That said, the real question is the offensive line. Now, the good news is they return four of the five starters And the guy they don’t return was the worst player on the unit. Most of the rest of those guys were all first-time college starters this year and it showed. They were pushed around by pretty much every DL Pitt faced. They should improve with a year of strength and conditioning and coaching and having seen every stunt and twist imaginable. The question, and really the central question that will determine the fate of the entire program, is are they good enough to do anything with all that newfound knowledge and strength?

If the Pitt OL can go from terrible to good, Pitt is probably going to be pretty good by ACC standards. I think they’d have a great chance to win the Coastal division again. If they just go from terrible to mediocre, things get a little dicier. If they don’t improve it all, or only marginally, next year is going to be very disappointing and I would imagine some heads will roll.

Gun to my head: i’m not normally that optimistic but I think Pitt has a good chance to be a pretty good team next year. I would guess that Pitt will likely finish somewhere in the 9-3 or 10-2 range with a loss in the ACC championship game to a much, much better Clemson team.

Cuse will win 4 ACC games...maybe 5 or 6 if everything gels. I'm hopeful Cuse can get to 8-9 wins for the regular season.

Wins: @BC, GTech, NCSt, @WF
Could Win: The rest but Clemson

I heard Cuse will open up at Death Valley in September.

I assume we will get the 2020 schedule in 1-2 weeks.

(01-02-2020 12:17 PM)IHAVETRIED Wrote:  

(01-02-2020 12:14 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  VT will beat Duke, lose at UL, UNC and Pitt, beat BC, maybe beat GT and UM (depends on how fast Collins improves GT and whether Diaz lays another egg, and they won't lose to UVA at home, so... I have VT going 5-3 in the ACC (hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised!)

Thanks for playing. I have VT going 6-2.

Here's how I see the schedule playing out right now:

2020 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
Date Opponent Proj
Sep. 5 Liberty W
Sep. 12 Penn State L
Sep. 19 at Middle Tenn W
Sep. 26 North Alabama W
TBA at Duke Blue Devils W
TBA at Louisville Cardinals L
TBA at N Carolina Tar Heels L
TBA at Pitt Panthers L
TBA Boston College Eagles W
TBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W
TBA Miami (FL) Hurricanes W
Nov. 28 Virginia Cavaliers W
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2020/team/virginia-tech

That's 8-4 overall, 5-3 in the ACC.

Now,the Hokies could win all 12 - even Penn State, IMO. I picked VT to lose to Louisville, UNC and Pitt mainly because those are road games and all 3 will be fired up to play VT. I'm hoping that same dynamic goes in favor of the Hokies when the Nittany Lions come to town.

(01-08-2020 12:19 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(01-02-2020 12:17 PM)IHAVETRIED Wrote:  

(01-02-2020 12:14 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  VT will beat Duke, lose at UL, UNC and Pitt, beat BC, maybe beat GT and UM (depends on how fast Collins improves GT and whether Diaz lays another egg, and they won't lose to UVA at home, so... I have VT going 5-3 in the ACC (hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised!)

Thanks for playing. I have VT going 6-2.

Here's how I see the schedule playing out right now:

2020 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
Date Opponent Proj
Sep. 5 Liberty W
Sep. 12 Penn State L
Sep. 19 at Middle Tenn W
Sep. 26 North Alabama W
TBA at Duke Blue Devils W
TBA at Louisville Cardinals L
TBA at N Carolina Tar Heels L
TBA at Pitt Panthers L
TBA Boston College Eagles W
TBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W
TBA Miami (FL) Hurricanes W
Nov. 28 Virginia Cavaliers W
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2020/team/virginia-tech

That's 8-4 overall, 5-3 in the ACC.

Now,the Hokies could win all 12 - even Penn State, IMO. I picked VT to lose to Louisville, UNC and Pitt mainly because those are road games and all 3 will be fired up to play VT. I'm hoping that same dynamic goes in favor of the Hokies when the Nittany Lions come to town.

2020 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
Date Opponent Projections
Sep. 5 Liberty W
Sep. 12 Penn State W
Sep. 19 at Middle Tenn W
Sep. 26 North Alabama W
TBA at Duke Blue Devils W
TBA at Louisville Cardinals W
TBA at N Carolina Tar Heels W
TBA at Pitt Panthers W
TBA Boston College Eagles W
TBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W
TBA Miami (FL) Hurricanes W
Nov. 28 Virginia Cavaliers W


I don't see a loss on the schedule as long as we get everyone back. Break Clemson's 42 game winning streak in the ACCCG.

(01-08-2020 04:37 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  2020 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
Date Opponent Projections
Sep. 5 Liberty W
Sep. 12 Penn State W
Sep. 19 at Middle Tenn W
Sep. 26 North Alabama W
TBA at Duke Blue Devils W
TBA at Louisville Cardinals W
TBA at N Carolina Tar Heels W
TBA at Pitt Panthers W
TBA Boston College Eagles W
TBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W
TBA Miami (FL) Hurricanes W
Nov. 28 Virginia Cavaliers W


I don't see a loss on the schedule as long as we get everyone back. Break Clemson's 42 game winning streak in the ACCCG.

Willing to have a signature bet on that?

(01-08-2020 04:37 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  2020 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
Date Opponent Projections
Sep. 5 Liberty W
Sep. 12 Penn State W
Sep. 19 at Middle Tenn W
Sep. 26 North Alabama W
TBA at Duke Blue Devils W
TBA at Louisville Cardinals W
TBA at N Carolina Tar Heels W
TBA at Pitt Panthers W
TBA Boston College Eagles W
TBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W
TBA Miami (FL) Hurricanes W
Nov. 28 Virginia Cavaliers W

I don't see a loss on the schedule as long as we get everyone back. Break Clemson's 42 game winning streak in the ACCCG.

Chris, I have to say - I love your optimism!

Reminds me of something I heard one Sunday: while the other Israelite soldiers thought Goliath was too big to defeat, David thought he was too big to miss...

(01-08-2020 05:30 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(01-08-2020 04:37 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  2020 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
Date Opponent Projections
Sep. 5 Liberty W
Sep. 12 Penn State W
Sep. 19 at Middle Tenn W
Sep. 26 North Alabama W
TBA at Duke Blue Devils W
TBA at Louisville Cardinals W
TBA at N Carolina Tar Heels W
TBA at Pitt Panthers W
TBA Boston College Eagles W
TBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W
TBA Miami (FL) Hurricanes W
Nov. 28 Virginia Cavaliers W


I don't see a loss on the schedule as long as we get everyone back. Break Clemson's 42 game winning streak in the ACCCG.

Willing to have a signature bet on that?

Hell no! I'm mostly kidding. Besides we're not getting everyone back so the pick is invalid. Deshawn McClease has declared for the draft.