As we enter Week 4, things are really starting to…get more confusing? What happened to the clarity? In any event, the Confidential correspondents are as clueless as anyone else as to how to rank these ACC teams. I kid, of course. Nevertheless, Georgia Tech (3-0), UNC (2-0), NC State (3-0), and Syracuse (2-0) are not ranked in the top 10. Meanwhile, four one-loss teams are ranked. How often does that happen? Anyway, here we go:
The Confidential’s Fantasy Football game is structured to allow late entries. THERE IS STILL TIME TO ENTER AND WIN! We don’t go by total points for the whole season; rather, we just allow teams to win the week or not. Whoever wins the most weeks, wins the overall prize. Also, for points-centric folks, we are running a contest for most points from Week 1 to Week 4 (and will probably run similar contests throughout the season). For Week 3 results, see here. For rules, see here. As a reminder, to enter, simply comment below with an ACC QB, RB, WR, Flex, Defense, and Coach. We’ll do the rest.
Get the entries in by 12:00 pm EST Saturday, September 20, 2014. GO ACC!
With the football playoff looming, it is tempting to analyze which four teams belong in it. But it is simply too early to begin prognosticating. Most teams have not even played a conference game yet. But we are starting to see about conference strength. Let’s rank the conferences after three weeks.
The Confidential is running a fantasy football contest each week and during the regular season. Here are the rules. Remember, you can enter in Week 4 and still be eligible for the overall prize–which is given to the entrant who wins the most weeks. But, for now, let’s recap the Week 3 results:
With a relatively full slate of games for Week 3, feel free to leave comments and otherwise discuss the games below. Here is a link to the schedule.
Enjoy and Go ACC!
Earlier, we posted a non-serious piece about Greg Robinson as a good candidate for the next NFL Commissioner. It was not serious.
In it, we also concluded by noting that Tony Dungy would be a great NFL Commissioner to follow Roger Goodell. THAT WAS SERIOUS!
Tony Dungy would be a great ambassador for the sport. He might not like being an agent of the NFL Owners, but there are few people who could rally the players, coaches, and owners quite like Tony Dungy.
He certainly deserves his own Confidential post entry providing serious support. So… lest there be any doubt… we are 100% serious in wanting to see Tony Dungy run the NFL someday.
What do YOU think? Who would you like to see as the next commissioner of the NFL? And why.
Look, the time has come for the NFL to begin thinking about its next commissioner. The embattled Roger Goodell is losing public support rampantly, and the NFL now has to investigate itself. This cannot end well. It is just a matter of time before the NFL begins looking for its next NFL commissioner. And the Confidential thinks that the NFL should consider Greg “GERG” Robinson. Consider…
Welcome to Week #3. Check out our latest poll, and remember to get your week’s entry in for our fantasy football contest. It is free… with prizes. And you can join anytime. Here are this week’s games:
Saturday
Syracuse (1-0) @ Central Michigan (2-0), 12:00 pm. Syracuse was a sleeper team for some. They seemed asleep against Villanova, a game replete with coaching errors, missed assignments, and a QB ejection that nearly cost the Orange the game. Meanwhile, Central Michigan cannot be taken lightly, especially at home. This is a danger zone for Syracuse. It is hard to see a loss here and a bowl game.
East Carolina (1-1) @ #17 Virginia Tech (2-0), 12:00 pm. The enter ACC stood up and applauded Virginia Tech for taking down Ohio State. And now the reality sets in that Virginia Tech may be a contender. If Virginia Tech thumps East Carolina–that is one more proverbial feather in the cap for the Hokies. The important thing is avoiding the let down that has plagued some of Frank Beamer’s teams in the past.
Georgia Southern (1-1) @ Georgia Tech (2-0), 12:00 pm. It is hard to tell what to make of Georgie Tech. And a win against Georgia Southern will not answer many questions either. What we do know is that Georgia Tech has done what they have needed to do to be 2-0. And 3-0 is better than all the alternatives.
Pittsburgh (2-0) @ Florida International (1-1), 12:00 pm. The Panthers are suddenly an interesting team. They have looked great on defense, but the emergence of James Conner as a Heisman Trophy candidate to compliment Tyler Boyd is really putting Pitt on the map. Could we see the Panthers enter the top 25 for the first time in quite a while? Perhaps. But a win against Florida International must come first.
Arkansas State (1-1) @ Miami (1-1), 3:30 pm. Miami returned to form with a nice win in Week #2. A lot of folks are looking at this game as a potential upset. Arkansas State is battle tested, while Miami remains light years away from its glory days. Keep an eye out on this one. The ACC needs its marquee names to avoid upsets, even if they are going to end up mediocre.
NC State (2-0) @ South Florida (1-1), 3:30 pm. Like Georgia Tech, NC State is undefeated. Like Syracuse, NC State cannot be too proud of its undefeated status. But it is what it is. And a win over the Bulls would get the Wolfpack halfway to a bowl game with 9 games to go. Not too shabby. The Bulls will be hungry, having given away a win against Maryland.
Kansas (1-0) @ Duke (2-0), 3:30 pm. Sure, this one looks better as a hard court matchup than a gridiron one. But we saw Duke get 10 wins last year, and Kansas is just a few years removed from an Orange Bowl. Nevertheless, the conference needs every win it can get over a Power 5 school. Duke cannot let this one get away.
Wake Forest (1-1) @ Utah State (1-1), 7:00 pm. The Demon Deacons have another tough OOC matchup against a non-Power 5 school. A win means little fanfare, while a loss can be demoralizing. Let’s hope the Wake Forest can build off last week’s win and get another one for its new coach.
#9 USC (2-0) @ Boston College (1-1), 8:00 pm. The Trojans looked OK against Stanford, but it really seemed like Stanford lost opportunities. Still, USC never lacks for talent. Boston College disappointed against Pitt. If Pitt is for real, then BC has a puncher’s chance. If Pitt is an average team, then this one could get ugly. But keep in mind that Boston College looked as good against Clemson/Florida State as anyone else last year. Never say never for Steve Addazio.
Purdue (1-1) @ #11 Notre Dame (2-0), 7:30 pm. Purdue lost to Central Michigan, while Notre Dame shutout Michigan. We suspect that Purdue is better than they looked, and Notre Dame is worse than they looked, in Week 2. With Notre Dame’s difficult schedule, beating the teams that they are supposed to beat is mandatory. The Fighting Irish need to take care of business here.
ACC GAME OF THE WEEK: #21 Louisville (2-0) @ Virginia (1-1), 12:30 pm. We think Louisville is good and it sure appears that Virginia is improved. But this is the Cardinals first road game and obviously the first road game in the ACC. The ACC could use a Louisville in the top 10, so many fans might root against the upset here. At the same time, Virginia has had a rough year or two, and it would be nice to see Mike London’s coaching seat cool off. This one should be interesting.
What do you think?
The Confidential is an ACC blog, but occasionally will delve into broader issues . Having spent far too much time in the car listening to talking heads analyze and reanalyze the Ray Rice/Roger Goodell issue, it is hard not to have several opinions. Some you may agree with. Some you may not agree with. First and foremost… why is this a domestic abuse issue in the first place? Let me explain.
With the Tar Heels having a week off, and the necessary improvements obvious (defense, consistency and surprisingly, the running game), I thought I would share a project I’ve been working on for a few years. Growing up in the Triangle region of North Carolina, I’ve been an ACC fan my whole life. Even if you move here from somewhere else, you don’t last long before deciding you like Carolina Blue, Duke Blue, or NC State red. Once you do, it’s for life, and you develop a strong feeling about the other colors too…it’s just not usually as positive.
The Confidential 