ACC Football Stockwatch: Buy, Sell, and Hold
After one week, all those local newspaper “puff pieces” are reduced to the compost bin. Everyone has games to talk about now. And the ACC football teams have each played one game each. So who are you buying, selling, and holding? Here are a few teams for each category.
BUY
Louisville. The Confidential took some slack for using a 7.5 win over/under. And the Confidential still does not think that Louisville will beat FSU, Clemson, or Houston. So all it takes is one upset to get Louisville down to 8 wins. And maybe that upset will come this week against Syracuse. But, make no mistake, Louisville has a very good team. 70 points against any FBS foe is worth taking not of. And Lamar Jackson looks like the real deal.
Miami. Like Louisville, Miami beat its week 1 opponent handily. The win is not as impressive as the way that the team won. The Hurricanes need to get their swagger back… for the sake of the ACC as a whole. The Coastal has been far too unimpressive. Perhaps Miami can change that.
Syracuse. Unlike Louisville and Miami, Syracuse only managed to score 33 points. And that was against an FCS foe. But Dino Babers is bringing a new offensive system that may help Syracuse improve on “holding serve” against peer opponents, and perhaps even sneak up on someone for an upset. The theme was that this was a long-term investment, but maybe there will be some short-term dividends in the Carrier Dome in 2016.
SELL
Virginia. Sorry Wahoos. Brono might build something at UVa, but losing to Richmond convincingly was a horrible way to start and makes it likely that it is already “on to 2017.” If Virginia was a stock, you would want to put it in the safe deposit box for a few years. You definitely do not want to be checking the quotes on a daily basis.
Notre Dame. Amazingly, the Fighting Irish are not out of the playoff picture. But, unless Texas has a great season, Notre Dame will likely find itself on the outside looking in–even at 11-1. So that makes it a tough way to start the season. And now Notre Dame has no margin for error.
HOLD
Clemson and Florida State. Both teams defeated SEC foes, albeit not in a way to inspire a substantial amount of confidence. Florida State needed to rally, while Clemson was a Hail Mary away from losing. Still, both played solid opponents and deserve credit for pulling out wins. These teams will get better. These two teams are stocks that were battered last week, giving the potential for a short-term quick profit when they round into form. Both are in the hunt for a playoff spot until you hear otherwise.
Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. These two schools are in contention for a Coastal… look, everyone but Virginia can win the Coastal. But Pitt had a great season last year and Virginia Tech has some new juice with its new coach. That makes them sneaky picks to edge the field. Both looked good, but not great, in their openers. Both play tough OOC games this week. If they can pull off wins this week, you have to slide both up into Coastal contenders. If they lose, they will still be contenders, but you will have that much more doubt. So, see how this week goes.
What do you think? Who would you put in for each category?
The Confidential 
No way is VPI a hold. They barely beat Liberty, for pete’s sake. And don’t get suckered by a UM win against FAMU. Geez, man, they’re FAMU, they aren’t some powerhouse.
Also, sure, hold FSU, but you have to rethink Clemson a bit after that Tiger Bowl game. FSU was playing the number 10 team in the country. Unranked Auburn should not have been close–and they hung tight.
Sure, but the “stockwatch” feature is designed to reflect whether people are buying in, selling, or holding back to see more. FSU and Clemson did what they needed to do… so no reason to “buy in” any more or less than before Week 1. Miami and a few others at least gave reason for increased optimism.