With four weeks wrapped up, the Confidential correspondents generated a lot more similarity in their polls this week. So how do the ACC teams stack up? Well, here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 4. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
With two weeks wrapped up, the Confidential correspondents generated a lot more similarity in their polls this week. So how do the ACC teams stack up? Well, here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 3. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
With two weeks wrapped up, the Confidential correspondents generated a lot more similarity in their polls this week. So how do the ACC teams stack up? Well, here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 2. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
Pack fans! It’s football season again! Time to shake off the rust and run over the naysayers!!
But what are your impressions of this team so far? Really hard to tell after only two games, so here are two viewpoints…
The Glass is Half Empty:
The team did win their opener vs Louisiana Tech 40-14 but in the process lost starting QB Brandon Mitchell to a foot injury which will keep him out 4-6 weeks. They followed this up with a nail-biter vs Richmond of the FCS 23-21, scraping by on a field goal by Niklas Sade within the final minute after trailing by 11 points at the half.
In relief of Mitchell, Pete Thomas achieved a QB rating of 128.7 on zero TDs and two picks. Against an FCS defense. Woe is the Pack!!
The Glass is Half Full:
Hey, Louisiana Tech is not just any old team. They posted a 9-3 record in the WAC last year and defeated both Illinois and Virginia in the process. Sure, the Richmond game was closer than expected, but they are probably looking ahead a little as they will begin conference play following a bye next week. This will be a Thursday night game against a conference – make that a national – powerhouse. More on that at the end of the post.
So What Should We Take Away?:
Let’s face it. The Wolfpack isn’t set up for a BCS bowl run. But a decent bowl invite should be in the cards. That’s not bad for a first-year coach teaching a whole new system with recruits that aren’t, for the most part, his own.
Next year, with Jacoby Brissett eligible to play QB and more of Dave Doeren’s guys coming in, should be even better.
But that brings us to the other point of view, the one I didn’t want to mention but can’t leave out…
Who Broke That Glass???:
Remember that marquee game? The one on Thursday night, Sept. 19?
Run!! Clemson is coming!!
Seriously, have you seen those guys? As much as we would all like to think another Pack upset is brewing, there is very little chance the Pack will be Textile Bowl champs this season.
An interesting thought crossed the Confidential’s mind yesterday. Suppose your team is not a football factory. There are several in the ACC–Syracuse, Wake Forest, Boston College, Pitt, NC State, Virginia, and Duke come to mind. Some of those schools have done a great job upsetting Clemson and Florida State in recent years. In the small picture, that is a great win for your team. In the big picture, is it bad for your school? Think about it.
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).
The Louisville Cardinals come into the 2013 football season with a top 10 ranking and lofty expectations after their stunning upset of #3 Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Being the favorite in all of their games has the fans dreaming of an undefeated season and a possible shot at the national championship. Perhaps their biggest challenge will be overcoming complacency. To help keep the team focus they will wear wristbands that say “earn it”. Earn it has been often mentioned during August camp and the players seem to be buying in, some even turning away from the social media. To give them more drive and focus is the lingering memory of their two upset loses last season to Syracuse and UConn. With only a few starters missing from last year team the 2013 Cardinals should be even better. Read more…
If you have not done something in several years, there is really no reason to tell people that you are not doing it anymore. But not Allen Iverson. He is set to announce his retirement from the NBA “soon.” Of course, Iverson is not on an NBA team. Nor was he last year. Or the year before. Or even the year before THAT. And, really, he only played 85 games over the two seasons preceding that. In any event, this writer has played in as many NBA games as Allen Iverson since this day in 2010. So I guess I should announce my retirement. Anyway, look for Iverson to finally get around to retiring four years after his last NBA game. Exciting.
ACC Nation has a few overdue announcements to make…
Its time! The college football season will be here soon and we wont have to rely on MLB or ESPNs replays of games from last season to get our sports fix. It is, thank God, the FINAL year of the BCS and the year when we get to see the on the field effect of conference realignment. The ACC welcomes Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame into the conference, well most of Notre Dame. Lets take a look at the Pitt Panthers.
Just like last season, the last few years has been a roller coaster ride for the Panthers football team. Through all the coaching changes Paul Chryst is ready for his second year as head coach. Pitt finished last season 6-7 (3-4 in the Big East) and with a loss to Ole Miss in the BBVA Compass Bowl 38-17. The lows began with a loss to Youngstown St of the FCS 31-27 but they rebounded to beat Virginia Tech and then #19 Rutgers. There was also a couple of heartbreaking losses as well, a 1 point loss to Syracuse and a 3 overtime loss to the eventual national runner-up Notre Dame. Can Pitt steady the ride in 2013?
This will be the first time in four years that they will not be playing in a new system but they will be playing in a new conference. One of the glaring stats from last season that most be improved on is sacks allowed, they gave up 38 and were last in the Big East. Some bright spots from last season was their BE leading 10 turnovers and their 52.5% opponent TD rate in the red zone.
Pitt will have 13 returning starters (5 offense & 8 defense) but will be without QB Tino Sunseri, RB Ray Graham and RB Rushell Shell. Key returners are S Jason Hendricks (90 tackles 6 Int.), DT Aaron Donald (64 tackles 18.5 TFL 5.5 sacks), LB Todd Thomas (59 tackles) and WR Devin Street (73 Rec.). They are also bringing in a solid recruiting class that features OT Dorian Johnson, WR Tyler Boyd, QB TraVon Chapman and DT Tyrique Jarrett.
Finding reliable starters at QB and at RB will be crucial for the Panthers but they have alternatives. At QB will be ether redshirt freshman Chad Voytik or senior Tom Savage. With TraVon they should have 3 quality QB to chose from. Isaac Bennett appears to be poised as the starting RB after a solid preseason game. Malcolm Crocket and Desmond Brown would be his backups. This trio combined for only 41 carries in 2012. With the questions at QB and RB and with the loss of their #2 receiver, the offense looks to be the weakness of the team.
Tom Savage is 6-5 and has a strong arm but he hasn’t played since 2010 with Rutgers. At Rutgers he was a freshman All-American but struggled during his sophomore year. He is 192-368 for 2732 yds with 16 TD for his career. He led Rutgers to a 45-24 victory against UCF in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl in his freshman year. After a falling out with the Rutgers coaching staff he transferred to Arizona but came to Pitt instead after a coaching change at Arizona. This will be his last year of eligibility. He was a 5 star recruit coming out of high school.
The defense is the clear strength of this team as they return 7 of their top 8 tacklers and return their top leaders in INT and sacks. Donald and Hendricks are hyped as preseason All-Conference selections.
Following a tough season opener against Florida St. the schedule could be set up to allow them to get their feet set under them during the first part of the year before ending with 5 tough games. The key to a successful 2013 for Pitt will be finding a QB and RB to step up and take control of the starting position. If this happens then an 8 win season is certainly possible but I will predict them to finish 7-5 (4-4) and in the mid pack of the ACC, which is certainly a good accomplishment in the tougher conference.
Here is a look at the Pitt 2013 football schedule;
Sept 2 Florida St its hard to pick against FSU here.
Sept 14 New Mexico should be the start of a winning streak.
Sept 21 @ Duke the Pitt defense should be enough to get the W.
Sept 28 Virginia playing at home gives the Panthers the edge.
Oct 12 @ Virginia Tech VT gets revenge from last season at home.
Oct 19 Old Dominion Pitt will need to avoid a Youngstown St repeat.
Oct 26 @ Navy A must win game for Pitt.
Nov 2 @ Georgia Tech GT playing at home gives them the edge.
Nov 9 Notre Dame ND will be favored.
Nov 16 N Carolina Pitt has the home field advantage here.
Nov 23 @ Syracuse A possible W and will be needed to reach 8 on the year
Nov 29 Miami another crucial game for Pitt to get 8.
There is little doubt that the ACC is the elite conference in lacrosse, placing a current member in the championship game 12 times since 2000, so an automatic birth into the tournament isn’t a necessity but would be a nice luxury to have. With Maryland departure in 2014 they will need to find a 6th team to go along with Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse and Notre Dame but who that will be is anyone’s guess. There are several candidates within the ACC of who can fill this role with each bringing different arguments as to why they are the better choice. With lacrosse exploding at the high school level in Florida makes Florida St and Miami logical candidates. Massachusetts is a lacrosse hot bed and Boston College played in the ACC before going to the MCLA. A case could be made for NC State and Clemson as well but perhaps the front runner for the 6th spot is the ACC-to-be Louisville Cardinals with their thriving athletic program. Typically sports fans associate Louisville with basketball and football and not lacrosse, so why Louisville?
The Confidential 