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16 Sep 2014

To Make or Break a Season- The Tar Heel Football Gauntlet

The North Carolina football team may have had last week off, but they certainly didn’t have any time to rest. After two underwhelming victories against motivated, but overmatched opponents, the Tar Heels had a lot of work to do. Despite being 2-0, the season was already heading in the wrong direction without significant changes in a number of different areas. Poor tackling and a stagnant running game were two of the biggest problems, but that’s only scratching the surface. This week it’s back to business, and things are about to heat up pretty quickly. Four games in four weeks, three of them away against ranked or probably should be ranked opponents (ECU), leaves little room for error.

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Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in ACC only and tagged , ,
12 Sep 2014
1 Comment

Week 3 ACC Preview

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?

 

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only and tagged , , ,
10 Sep 2014
4 Comments

ACC Custom Cornhole Mania

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.

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Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in ACC only and tagged , , ,
06 Sep 2014
2 Comments

Week 2 ACC Preview

Welcome to Week #2.  Check out our latest standings, 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:

Friday

Pittsburgh (1-0) @ Boston College (1-0), 7:00 pm.  Both teams looked very good in Week #1, relative to recent history and expectations.  One will leave Friday night with a sour taste in its mouth.  Will it be Pitt and its talent or Boston College and its Addazio’ moxie that gets the win?

Saturday

South Carolina State (1-0) @ #23 Clemson, 12:30 pm.  Obviously, Clemson’s loss was more impressive than South Carolina State’s win.  If Clemson wants to have a chance at a great season, it must start gaining momentum this week.

Richmond (1-0) @ Virginia (0-1), 3:30 pm.  Another game featuring a 1-0 underdog and an 0-1 favorite.  Virginia cannot afford a loss, which is not quite the same as needing a win.  The London era will be doomed if they drop this one.

Georgia Tech (1-0) @ Tulane (0-1), 4:00 pm.  Georgia Tech is a team that seems a lock for 7 wins, but not at all likely to get 9 wins.  It just is what it is.  Tulane is a tougher opponent than Wofford, but still a game that Georgia Tech must win.

Michigan (1-0) @ #16 Notre Dame (1-0), 7:30 pm.  Both teams are 1-0, but neither was tested too much in Week 1.  Welcome to real football, O’ Kings of the sport.

Old Dominion (1-0) @ NC State (1-0), 6:00 pm.  NC State was unimpressive in winning Week #1.  They need to get some better momentum started against ODU and get some confidence heading into the tougher part of the schedule.

Gardner-Webb (0-1) @ Wake Forest (0-1), 6:30 pm.  Wake Forest cannot lose this game or 0-12 is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Murray State (1-0) @ #25 Louisville (1-0), 7:00 pm.  The Cards look great against Miami in the opener.  This is a game that should be a romp if Louisville is ready to take the next step.

Florida A&M (0-1) @ Miami (0-1), 7:00 pm.  The Hurricanes disappointed on Monday and get a regional opponent on short rest.  The Al Golden era is treading water right now.

Duke (1-0) @ Troy (0-1), 7:00 pm.  Duke is cupcake city schedule-wise.  Duke won the winnable games next year and should continue the pattern easily this week.

Citadel (0-1) @ #1 Florida State (1-0), 7:30 pm.  This one should be over after 20 minutes.

San Diego State (1-0) @ #21 North Carolina (1-0), 8:00 pm.  Perhaps the most interesting game of the week after Pitt-BC, North Carolina was OK against Liberty.  This week’s opponent is a squad that expects to go bowling.  UNC would like to make a statement.

ACC GAME OF THE WEEK: Virginia Tech (1-0) @ #8 Ohio State, 8:00 pm.   The big game of the week is huge for both teams.  This is Ohio State’s only test for months.  Meanwhile, if Virginia Tech is going to get back to national relevance, it needs to pull the upset over a Braxton Miller-less Ohio State team.  Will it happen?  Who knows.  But there is no bigger opportunity for the ACC to show its relevance this week.  For more on the Big 10 & ACC, see here.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only and tagged , , ,
28 Aug 2014
2 Comments

Week 1 ACC Preview

The first week of the football season is here.  Check out our latest standings, and remember to get your first week’s entry in for our fantasy football contest.  It is free… with prizes.   Here are this week’s games:

Thursday, August 28, 2014:

Wake Forest @ Louisiana-Monroe, 7pm.  Wake Forest opens their season at Louisiana-Monroe.  That makes it tougher, but Wake Forest needs to win this game if it wants to get to bowl eligibility.

Friday, August 29, 2014:

Villanova @ Syracuse, 7pm.  The Orange have gone to two straight bowl games.  To get to a third, they need to win the winnable games.  And no game is MORE winnable than a game against FCS-foe and basketball rival, Villanova.

Saturday, August 30, 2014:

Delaware @ Pittsburgh, Noon.  Some are picking Pitt to win the Coastal, others are not nearly as confident.  When is the last time you thought Pitt over-achieved???

#7 UCLA @ Virginia, Noon.   This is likely a make-or-break year for Mike London.  An opener hosting UCLA is time-zone friendly, but not talent friendly.  But you never know.

Wofford @ Georgia Tech, 12:30 pm.  Some think that there is a hot seat in Georgia Tech.  The Yellow Jackets need to take care of Wofford handily and get off to a good start.

Georgia Southern @ North Carolina State, 12:30 pm.  North Carolina State does not challenge itself OOC, but it does not have a ton of talent either.  A win over Georgia Southern is key for bowl eligibility. 

Boston College @ UMass, 3:00 pm.  Like Wake Forest, Boston College opens on the road against a foe that rarely hosts major programs.  If BC is to make another bowl this year, they need to beat their in-state opponent in Game 1.

William & Mary @ Virginia Tech, 3:30 pm.  With the Braxton Miller injury, the Hokies might be looking ahead to Ohio State with a bit more eagerness.  But they cannot look past Bill and Mary.  Remember James Madison?

Rice @ #17 Notre Dame, 3:30 pm.  The Fighting Irish have had off-field distractions of late, but they do get their QB back.  Rice and Notre Dame match-up a lot better academically than they do on the gridiron.

#16 Clemson @ #12 Georgia, 5:30 pm.  Clemson, like Florida State, does not shy away from playing the big boys out-of-conference.  It works when you win, it can be a setback with a loss.  The Tigers are an unknown this year.  We will know a lot more Saturday evening.

Elon @ Duke, 6:00 pm.  Duke has high expectations after last year’s double-digit wins, but they did not plan for this success and are not tested much OOC.  Elon should be dispatched easily.

Liberty @ #23 North Carolina, 6:00 pm.  While Duke had the big year last year, most figure UNC to be primed for a breakout under Larry Fedora.  Makes you wonder… why did both schools schedule their games for the same, exact time?

#1 Florida State @ Oklahoma State (Dallas, technically), 8:00 pm.  If Clemson-Georgia is not the biggest game of the weekend for the ACC, then FSU-OSU is.  The Seminoles are defending their championship by taking on a solid Oklahoma State team in Texas–an away game masquerading as a neutral game.  How can you not be looking forward to this one???

Monday, September 1, 2014:

Miami @ Louisville, 8:00 pm.  The only ACC conference game on the slate is a good one–the Schnellenberger Bowl.  Indeed, the Coach is in the Mount Rushmore for both schools (Louisville, Miami).  Meanwhile, both of these schools could easily be top 4 schools in the ACC, along with Clemson and Florida State.  One will start the season 0-1.

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only and tagged , , ,
12 Jan 2014
27 Comments

The ACC–a Football Conference?

So, here we are… a few years after the Big 10 went on a colonization imperialistic expansion spree.  The expectation was that the Big 10 would leverage Ohio State/Michigan and its history to catch up to the SEC in that sport (the money sport).  Here we are in 2013-2014 and it does not appear to be shaping up that way.  Instead, it appears that the Big 10’s basketball has passed its football, the ACC has set up its football to pass its basketball.  For this year anyway.  Consider:

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Conference Realignment, Football, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , ,
15 Sep 2013
2 Comments

Recap of the ACC Week 3

Believe it or not, the college football season is 25% complete for many teams.  One minute it is Labor Day, the next minute we are talking bowl eligibility.  Sigh.  Anyway, Week 3 provided some useful information for analyzing the ACC teams.  Such as…

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Game Review, Results and tagged ,
27 Aug 2013

The Confidential’s 2013 Football Preview

For long-time followers of the Confidential, you are familiar with our weekly polls.  This year, we will not begin our poll until after the Week 1 games.  This is something that we would like to see the major polls also do.  Watch some games before deciding 1 to 25.  But what we WILL do is provide our expectations regarding the tiers for the ACC teams (plus Notre Dame and Louisville).

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Opinion, Poll, Predictions and tagged , , , , , ,
16 Feb 2013
4 Comments

FSU: search for OC, recruiting, and ACC woes

fsu.renegade

News on the latest with FSU

Search for OC continues:  Ever since James Coley left, Jimbo Fisher has been operating with one less position coach.  Recently, it was rumored that former UCLA OC Mike Johnson was on campus for an interview.  Meanwhile, Tee Martin, current WRs coach at USC, was rumored to be also interviewing for the offensive coordinator position.  There haven’t been many leaks about who’s getting hired, so no one truly knows.  The big question will be whether the person named offensive coordinator is actually going to be the person who calls the plays someday.  Remember, Jimbo still calls the plays at FSU.  He admitted late last year that getting a real OC was part of his 5 year plan.  FSU currently has two former OCs as assistants (Randy Sanders, RB coach and Billy Napier, TE coach).  The wildcard here is that Jimbo promotes one of them to OC and hires an assistant with ties to the Miami area.

Early 2013 rankings:  FSU comes in at 16 according to Schlabach.  Here’s what Schabach had to say:

“The Seminoles underwent a complete facelift after finishing 12-2 last season. Coach Jimbo Fisher lost six assistants from his staff, including defensive coordinator Mark Stoops (Kentucky’s new coach) and offensive coordinator James Coley (same position at Miami). Fisher hired former Alabama assistant Jeremy Pruitt as his defensive coordinator and has yet to hire an offensive coordinator, although Fisher will probably continue to call FSU’s plays. Despite the staff overhaul, Fisher was able to bring in the country’s ninth-best recruiting class, which included No. 4 cornerback Jalen Ramsey, No. 5 defensive tackle DeMarcus Walker and No. 10 outside linebacker Matthew Thomas. The Seminoles will spend the spring looking for a new quarterback after losing EJ Manuel, who won four bowl games. They’ll also have to rebuild their defensive line, especially after star end Bjoern Werner left for the NFL draft.”

He’s spot on.  It’s a rebuild.  New coaches, new QB, new players on defense and new scheme.  Meanwhile, Clemson clocks in at 11.  It’s absolutely imperative for the ACC to have two top 20 teams.  At a minimum.

Recruiting:  This week, Rivals published its list of best recruiters.  Topping the list is Mike Groh at Alabama, but 2 FSU coaches made the list: Jeremy Pruitt and Odell Haggins.  The funny thing about Pruitt is that he was only on the staff for a month.  But he was able to pull a top 5 DE, CB and then brought in a few sleepers he evaluated himself.  Not bad work.  Odell, meanwhile, is the most underrated FSU coach has.  Looking around the ACC, Clemson’s Venables got props as a top recruiter, but so did Mike Locksley at Maryland.  Maryland absolutely killed it in this class…

Speaking of recruiting, Noles 247 released an article this week about the recruitment of Matthew Thomas.  I’m not sure what’s worse; that he said he would have gone to USC if his mom signed the LOI or that Denver Kirkland would have gone to FSU if Thomas told him he was going.

ACC Woes:  Warchant.com released an article this week about FSU’s major loss… to the tune of $478,000 for showing up to the ACC Championship Game.  How does this happen?  There’s only one answer in my book: hold conference championships at the “home” team’s field.  Obviously, come up with a revenue sharing strategy, but I know how the ACC could have sold 82,000 tickets and given both FSU and GT real money for having played in the ACC Championship Game.  It’s an easy fix.

A blurb on basketball:  I’ve been meaning to write about FSU’s squad this year.  Truth be told, they were green going into the year and then all hell broke loose with injuries.  It has been a tough year to watch.  They lost a battle against UM this week and took them to the wire.  Today, FSU plays BC today in Boston.  A win could go a long way to saving the season and building momentum.  Of course, while this season may be lost while we rebuild, next year will be great with Andrew Wiggins.

As always, please comment and Go Noles!

Posted by Duke in Football, FSU Correspondent, Rankings, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
11 Feb 2013
6 Comments

Jimbo Fisher will win a National Championship at Florida State

Before we discuss Florida State’s recruiting class, I’d like to give you some context:

  • Mark Stoops, Defensive Coordinator, left to be Head Coach at Kentucky.
  • DJ Eliot, Defensive Line Coach, left to be Defensive Coordinator at Kentucky.
  • Eddie Gran, Running Backs Coach, left to be Offensive Coordinator at Cincinatti.
  • Dameyune Craig, Quarterbacks Coach, left to be Offensive Coordinator at Auburn.
  • Greg Hudson, Linebackers Coach, left to be Defensive Coordinator at Purdue.
  • James Coley, Offensive Coordinator, left to be (real) Offensive Coordinator at Miami.

A typical college football coaching staff has approximately 10 coaches.  Head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators, and position coaches (quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, secondary).  The list above represents the coaches Florida State lost in one off-season; the most recent defection to a rival, two weeks from signing day, hurt the most.  As soon as Jimbo Fisher hires his last assistant, I will follow-up with profiles on each of the new coaches.

But let that last point sink in some—Jimbo didn’t just finalize this class without an assistant coach, but that assistant coach happened to be his best recruiter who recruits the Miami territory.  And as he admitted in his post-signing day press conference, Jimbo found himself doing the grunt work for the home stretch.

After all the dust settled, Florida State signed another top 10 class.  Many insiders are a touch disappointed because it could have been better.  There were a few that got away, like Denver Kirkland (OL) and Stacy Coley (WR).  More reason for concern is the lack of offensive line depth.  Florida State easily expected to sign 5-6 offensive lineman and only came away with 3 true offensive lineman and, potentially, a tight-end turned tackle in a few years time.  The rest of the class, however, is absolutely stacked.

The three best players in this class are on defense: Demarcus Walker (DE), Matthew Thomas (LB), and Jalen Ramsey (CB).  All are blue chips and considered top 5 at their position.  Meanwhile, Florida State’s seemingly singular focus on offense was speed.  And a lot of it.  For the second consecutive year, Florida State may have signed the fastest player in the country (last year it was Marvin Bracy, this year it is Kermit Whitfield).  Bracy and Whitfield have broken all types of track records.  Bracy is most known for his performance in this race.  And for the naysayers, yes, he’s fast in pads, too.  And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also show you Kermit Whitfield’s speed as well.  Jimbo’s strategy seems simple: a big, punishing, suffocating defense and burning speed on offense.  The SEC is awaiting a challenger to their style of smash mouth football but I think Jimbo is building the blueprint to challenge and break the paradigm.

And it all ties to the types of players Jimbo signs.  Athletes.  Smart kids with character.  Some blue chippers, some with chips on their shoulder.  This class will not go down as heralded as others, but these are handpicked players by Jimbo.  They fit the blueprint to a T.  This class also seems awfully reminiscent of FSU’s class of 2009 and 2010 — classes that are sending 13 players to the NFL combine.  It was this group that finally turned the corner for the program.  And each and every year, Jimbo just keeps adding to that foundation.

Lastly, looking around the rest of the ACC, and I’m sure my colleagues will correct me, it seems the top third of the conference is doing just fine in football performance.  However, the bottom two-thirds of the conference turned in weak performances.  I’m a little concerned by this.  The ACC will get better contracts for having a solid top-to-bottom slate.  The ACC is not capable of offering that right now, but then again, if you take away the SEC’s championship caliber teams, they aren’t all that different from the other conferences.

Posted by Duke in Football, FSU Correspondent and tagged , , , , ,

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