The Confidential

ACC Roundtable of the Confidential Correspondents: Week 9/10

Welcome to the ACC Roundtable of the ACC Correspondents!  As is and will be the plan for the remainder of the football season, the Confidential correspondents will discuss the Week that was (Week 9) and the Week that will be (Week 10) for the ACC and their respective schools.  Tell us what you think below.

1. What was most notable about your school’s performance in Week 9?

• HHuntley (NC State): All in all, I think NC State played well against Clemson. Without Matt Dayes in the second half, I think losing was inevitable. I’m proud of the effort and not really upset with the result.
  
• Lenville (Louisville):The Cards won the turnover battle with 4 interceptions. The secondary displayed poor tackling technique but the front 7 played strong throughout the game. Young has emerged as a threat from this group. The offense found some success through the air while the ground game sputtered along.
• Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): Florida State sat Cook and Golson, yet turned in one of their better performances offensively against an ACC foe.  What is notable is that Syracuse continues to be outmatched by ranked opponents under Scott Shafer.  Moreover, when the wheels fall off, they rarely get put back on.  That being said, there were a few Syracuse players that, despite their youth, belonged on that field with FSU.  The problem is that FSU’ young defense will mature along with Syracuse’s young offense.  Until Syracuse can field a FBS-level defense, Syracuse will not be able to win consistently.
  

• HHuntley (NC State): NC State has never won when playing at Boston College. That’s a really bad streak that needs to be broken. Also, being bowl eligible wouldn’t hurt.
  
• Lenville (Louisville): Still waiting for the offense to come alive. Can the defense contain Dungey? It will be nice to see Syracuse back in Papa Johns Cardinals Stadium.
• Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): Louisville has struggled offensively, but will they find a way to dominate a Syracuse defense that has not stopped anyone other than Rhode Island?   Probably.  Will the Syracuse offense do more against a Louisville defense than other foes have?  Probably not.  But that is why they play the games.

• HHuntley (NC State): In all the Miami/Duke chaos, I think Virginia’s win over GT was a big story. UVA really needed that win, but Georgia Tech couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.
  
• Lenville (Louisville): There was plenty of controversy surrounding the finish of the Duke v Miami game but I was more surprised by Virginia getting the win over Georgia Tech. Beamer announcing his retirement at the end of the season also caught me by surprise. He is a living legend & among the all time greats, while it will be sad to see him go I believe it is time. Hopefully VT can find someone who will continue his legacy of excellence.
  
• Commander (Syracuse): Jimbo Fisher.  Is there a coach at any elite-level program that carries himself with more class?  He sat Winston before the Clemson game last year.  Urban Meyer would have buried his head in the sand for a week.  Against Syracuse, Fisher played without Golson or Cook, but just went with it in stride.  The offense sputtered for two series, but then went to Plan B–attacking a weak Syracuse secondary.  Many coaching staffs would spend an entire half trying to establish the run or whatever their Plan A was.  Fisher and his staff adjusted quickly and dominated.  Then, after passing for 300 yards in the first half, Fisher took the air out of the ball to coach to a victory.  Despite losing to Georgia Tech, he did not run up the score.  When he went to his 3rd string QB for some first-game action, he allowed a few screen passes to let the kid get some passing experience… without running up the score.  Just a good, smart coach.
  

• HHuntley (NC State): Ohio State, Baylor, Clemson, and LSU. I actually feel somewhat confident saying this could be my first accurate prediction.
  
• Lenville (Louisville): Clemson, LSU, Michigan St & Baylor. Ohio St & TCU are right at the doorstep. Not much changed this week but next weekend will showcase some CFP showdowns like Clemson v FSU & LSU v Alabama. The committee will finally let their voices be heard starting this Tuesday.
  
• Commander (Syracuse): Season ends today & season’s end: 1. LSU, 2. Clemson, 3. Ohio State, 4. TCU.  LSU and Clemson get tough matchups–lose and drop out–perhaps permanently.  Unfortunately for the ACC, a 12-1 FSU might be on the outside as well–a loss to Georgia Tech will do that.
  

What do you think?  How would you answer these questions?