The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the tag “Football”

14 Sep 2012
1 Comment

The Orange Bowl Issue

A few months ago, the SEC and Big XII announced a Championship Bowl that would add another pile of money to those conferences’ already large piles of money.  Many saw this as a sign that the ACC was relegated to second tier status as a football conference (or 19th tier, if you are a Florida State fan and looking for excuses for why the team cannot win 10 games anymore).  Some time later, the ACC announced that it had extended its relationship with the Orange Bowl AND earned the right to take the TV revenue from that game.  On the heels of that, the Confidential noted that Notre Dame would likely be a partner with the ACC in the Orange Bowl (here) or perhaps more.  Well, with the news of the ND/ACC partnership, left under-discussed was this tweet from Notre Dame’s athletic director Jack Swarbrick: “We are on track to participate in other side of the Orange Bowl along with SEC & Big Ten. Details to follow.”

This is huge news for the ACC.  Granted, the SEC or Big 10 opponent would be a #3 or #4 level opponent, but these are outstanding matchups.  With all the SEC power teams, the Orange Bowl would feature an outstanding matchup from a regional basis.  If it is a Big 10 school, Miami becomes a great vacation destination.  The Orange Bowl could see a Florida State-Nebraska game.  Of course, if both programs return to their 1990s days, they would be playing that game in the playoffs.  But assuming those teams are 9-10 win teams, that would be a great TV matchup, meaning more revenue for the ACC.  Needless to say, Notre Dame being an option is also very lucrative from a TV standpoint.  While the potential for a rematch is always there, with ND playing only 5 games, that is far from a certainty.  This, of course, is why the Orange Bowl would have the flexibility to go the B1G or SEC route.

One has to note the absence of a comment by Swarbrick regarding a Big East relationship with the Orange Bowl.  Maybe that was an oversight.  Or maybe the Orange Bowl wants nothing to do with the Big East programs.  While Louisville would probably be a good fit, as well as South Florida or Central Florida for geographic reasons, it is doubtful that an ACC-Big East matchup involving those schools would move the TV dial.  And Boise State is just too far away from Miami to think that there would be a large crowd.

In any event, ACC fans will have to continue to monitor this Orange Bowl situation.  Like the TV contract, the Orange Bowl is about ACC revenue.  The more, the better.

UPDATE: Frank the Tank is FAR more optimistic that the Orange Bowl opponent will be a high-quality SEC or B1G opponent, with the arrangement being one of timing:

The upshot of this would be that ACC #1 will be playing either Big Ten #1, SEC #1 or a highly-ranked Notre Dame team in the Orange Bowl in any given year, which will likely yield a media rights payout for the ACC that will be in line with what the Big Ten and Pac-12 are receiving for the Rose Bowl and the SEC and Big 12 are receiving for the Champions Bowl.  Thus, any chicken little beliefs that the ACC is going to end up playing subpar opponents in the Orange Bowl are going to go by the wayside.

If so, the Confidential was way off in suggesting that it would be a #3 or #4 conference representative in the Orange Bowl.  All in all, with the exception of the TV revenue flowing from the ESPN deal, ACC leadership has really rallied quite well.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference News, Football, Orange Bowl and tagged , , , ,
13 Sep 2012
1 Comment

ACC Football Predictions for Week 3

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.

Last week was a bit better at 10-3… making it an 18-7 start to the season.  On to week 3:

September 15, 2012

Wake Forest (2-0) @ #5 Florida State (2-0), noon.  Florida State has not played a competent foe yet, and Wake Forest has had the Seminoles’ number.  Still, this might be the year that Florida State returns to the glory days of the 1990s.  Prediction: Florida State 30, Wake Forest 17.

#13 Virginia Tech (2-0) @ Pittsburgh (0-2), noon.  Pitt is a disaster right now.  They looked woefully undercoached against Cincinnati.  Virginia Tech usually does not have that problem.  This is a bit of a “rivarly” game, so maybe Pitt will rally.  Nah.  Prediction: Virginia Tech 28, Pitt 13.

Bethune-Cookman (2-0 FCS) @ Miami (1-1), noon.  Miami was exposed by Kansas State.  But the Hurricanes will protect their home turf against this FCS foe.  Prediction: Miami 40, Bethune-Cookman 10.

Connecticut (1-1) @ Maryland (2-0), 12;30 p.m.  Look, UConn looked offensively incompetent against NC State.  And Maryland looked very good against Temple.  Odds are that NC State is much better than Temple though.  Prediction: UConn 17, Maryland 12.

Furman (0-2) @ #11 Clemson (2-0), 3:00 p.m.  Clemson looked very good against Auburn and Ball State.  And now Sammy is back.  Going to get ugly for Furman.  Prediction: Clemson 45, Furman 9.

Virginia (2-0) @ Georgia Tech (1-1), 3:30 p.m.  Georgia Tech looked pretty good in a losing cause against Va Tech.  Virginia looked pretty bad in a winning cause against Penn State.  These both seem like 8 win teams, so we’ll give the edge to the home team.  Prediction: Georgia Tech 24, Virginia 13.

North Carolina (1-1) @ #19 Louisville (2-0), 3:30 p.m.  Louisville is the premiere team in the Big East, which is a little like being the thinnest person in Wal*Mart.  But North Carolina is not yet ready for prime time.  The heart says upset, but the brain says that the Cardinals are not ready to be upset just yet.  Prediction: Louisville 28, North Carolina 17.

Northwestern (2-0) @ Boston College (1-1), 3:30 p.m.  Northwestern is willing to play any non-ND, non-USC private school.  Syracuse, Vandy, and now B.C.  Really, Northwestern has a chance to be a top Big 10 team.  Boston College is still trying to find itself.  Prediction: Northwestern 27, Boston College 21.

Stony Brook (2-0) @ Syracuse (0-2), 4:00 p.m.  Wow, how can the Confidential pick an 0-2 team over a 2-0 team?  Well, Stony Brook beat Pace last week.  Syracuse was playing the NFL’s Pac-12’s Trojans.  Syracuse struggles with FCS teams and Stony Brook is a good one.  Prediction: Syracuse 38, Stony Brook 21.

South Alabama (1-1) @ North Carolina State (1-1), 6:00 p.m.  After struggling to move the ball against a stout UConn defense, NC State gets an easier foe this week.  Much easier.  Prediction: NC State 37, South Alabama 13.

North Carolina Central (1-1) @ Duke (1-1), 7:00 p.m.  NC v Duke?  Nope.  Just NCC v Duke.  Oh well.  Duke should win and probably will.  Yawn.  Prediction: Duke 30, NC Central 14.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  There is also a lot of chalk here.  However, predictions are made to be accurate, not controversial.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Sep 2012
9 Comments

Reaction to the ND-ACC Move

Naturally, a move as significant as ND moving from the Big East to the ACC can only mean Internet reactions are plentiful.

First things first, the Confidential’s take is that this is the win-win of all win-wins.  Notre Dame was left hanging in the chaotic Big East, which was about to become C-USA.  The Big East will survive, but Notre Dame was an increasingly poor fit on every front.  Notre Dame now gets to park its non-revenue sports in the ACC, which is outstanding for basketball and lacrosse.  And 5 football games against ACC schools is nothing.  Frankly, it is a win for Notre Dame because of the trouble it will have scheduling opponents in the future.  That still leaves 7 games to play against Navy, USC, a few Big 10 schools, etc.  For the ACC, this more convincingly elevates the conference above the remainder of the college football landscape.  With Notre Dame in the fold, the rest of the conference can breathe a lot more easily that Florida State and Clemson will be placated with games against Notre Dame.  Notre Dame will fill the seats and provide a great TV audience.  In fact, the bigger news is the ACC schools raising the exit fee substantially.  Sure, the ND football issue will loom.  But better to have a football issue of that nature than be relegated to outside the power structure.  ND and the ACC just ensured their seat at the table.

If you care about conference realignment, then you surely spend time over at Frank the Tank’s blog.  Between Frank and the commentariat, this is the gold standard for discussing realignment.  Here is the link to the discussion over there.

The Big XII was apparently caught off guard, or at least surprised, by the announcement, according to Chip Brown at Orangebloods.com.

Amazingly, Dick Vitale has survived ND and his beloved ACC coming together without dying of ecstasy.  A very reasoned tweet, indeed:  “ND to ACC gr8 move 4 ACC & ND control football but get away from chaos of BIG East! I don’t like these wacky moves but ND made solid move. .”  We’ll have to see how he fares when ND plays Duke in a conference game some February in the future.  A cardiologist nearby is a good idea.

All in all, Tomahawk Nation appears to be handling things well.  For them, anyway.  It looks like as many as 10% of that fan base can see the wisdom in the deal.  The remaining 90% adhere to their teenager-esque stance of hating anything the ACC does.  There really is no fan base in America that is more delusional.  Ah well, with dreaded Wake Forest on the schedule, one can appreciate the angst.

Over at On The Banks, 3 Rutgers fans have commented.  The UConnBlog is a bit more active, with a nice blend of doom-and-gloom and optimism about being team #16.

Anything else noteworthy?

UPDATE: A new entry from Frank the Tank:

What surprises me is that the ACC offered this deal to Notre Dame in the first place.  ACC commissioner John Swofford has long taken the position that the league should only be made up of all-sports members along with members such as UNC that believe that they are every bit as powerful on the college sports landscape as Texas, Michigan and USC, so it can’t be emphasized enough that this is a dramatic change.  Unlike the perception in much of the media that this move was “Notre Dame choosing the ACC”, the reality is that this was the ACC choosing to move off of a previously intractable position.  The ACC might have been spooked by the constant rumors that the Big 12 would poach schools such as Florida State or Clemson (along with adding Notre Dame as a non-football member itself) as a result of the Big 12′s new TV deal.  On that front, the ACC schools agreed to what will likely be an impenetrable wall of a $50 million exit fee for each school.  That is honestly an even bigger deal in the long-term than the Notre Dame move since it effectively the ACC from its football cash cows bolting to other conferences.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Today in the ACC and tagged , , , ,
11 Sep 2012

The Confidential’s College Football Top 25 & Bottom 4: Week 3

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Football, as well as the Bottom 4 BCS-level teams.  Here is the Week 3 version, with analysis of the top 15 and bottom 4:

  1. USC (2-0): USC survived its East Coast trip to play Syracuse.  The USC offense looks simply unstoppable, unless they stop themselves of course.  Next up: @ Stanford.
  2. Alabama (2-0): Alabama is trending as the #1 team in most polls.  After Michigan struggled to beat Air Force at home, are we sure Syracuse is not better than the Wolverines?  Next up: @ Arkansas.
  3. Florida State (2-0): The Seminoles have beaten their two creampuffs by a combined 124-3.  And they invoked the mercy rule this weekend, costing them nearly half the game.  Next up: Wake Forest.
  4. LSU (2-0):  The Tigers looked great against Washington.  But Pac-12 teams generally have trouble heading East.  What chance does Idaho have?  Next up: Idaho.
  5. Oklahoma (2-0): The Sooners looked fine against Florida A&M.  So the fan base has to be a little less nervous now.  Next up: Idle.
  6. Michigan State (2-0): Sparty is going to have to carry the B1G this year.  They looked the part against Central Michigan.  Next up: Notre Dame.
  7. Clemson (2-0): Clemson took care of Ball State in Week 2.  This week Sammy Watkins returns to face Furman.  Uh-oh for Furman.   Next up: Furman.
  8. Oregon (2-0): The Ducks coasted in the second half against Fresno State.  After all, it was 35-6 at the half.  Next up: Tennessee Tech.
  9. Georgia (2-0): The Bulldogs looked very good in toppling Missouri in its SEC opener.  Nice rally in the second half.  Next up: Florida Atlantic.
  10. West Virginia (1-0): That Oliver Luck is a genius.  An extra week to prepare for James Madison will pay dividends.  Look out Oklahoma.  Next up: James Madison.
  11. South Carolina (2-0): Looked great in defeating East Carolina to go 2-0.  UAB lost to Troy State in its opener.  Ugh.  Next up: U.A.B.
  12. Virginia Tech (2-0): Yes, that’s three ACC teams in the top 12.  The Hokies took care of Austin Peay, which has not always been easy for the program in September. Next up: @Pittsburgh.
  13. Kansas State (2-0): Beating Miami at home was nice, destroying Miami by 39 points was a great sign.  Collin Klein and Heisman showed up in a lot of post-game commentary too.  Next up: North Texas.
  14. Michigan (1-1): Michigan did enough to beat Air Force.  But it was hardly dominating.  We’ll give them the edge over sanctioned B1G foe Ohio State until otherwise is proven.  Next up: UMass.
  15. Louisville (2-0): How about a little love for the Big East’s best team?  Teddy Bridgewater looks like the real deal too.  Next up: North Carolina.
  16. Texas (2-0).  Next up: @ Mississippi.
  17. Ohio State (2-0).  Next up: California.
  18. TCU (2-0).  Next up: @ Kansas.
  19. Stanford (2-0).  Next up: USC.
  20. Notre Dame (2-0).  Next up: @ Michigan State.
  21. UCLA (2-0). Next up: Houston.
  22. Florida (2-0).  Next up: @ Tennessee.
  23. Tennessee (2-0). Next up: Florida.
  24. Northwestern (2-0). Next up: Boston College.
  25. Arizona (2-0).  Next up: South Carolina State.

* * *

121.  Kansas (1-1).  Sure, Syracuse, Auburn, and Vandy are 0-2, but those teams have only played BCS-level opponents.  Of the 1-1 teams, Kansas has the least impressive resume.  Prove us wrong against TCU, Jayhawks.  Feel free.

122. Penn State (0-2).  Hey, the Nittany Lions looked pretty good against UVA.  Their poor kicker had a terrible day, but their primary kicker bailed out on the team.  Could have won.

123. Pittsburgh (0-2).  Pitt looked awful against Cincinnati.  There is talent on this team, but the talent looks lost.  Is Temple the premiere program in Pennsylvania?  We’ll find out as Temple plays both Pitt and PSU this year.

124.  Colorado (0-2).  After losing to Colorado State, Colorado lost to an FCS foe, Sacramento State.  To add insult to injury, Colorado State lost to an FCS foe, North Dakota State, 22-7.  Utter failure throughout the state.

So there it is.  If you do not like it… sorry.  But feel free to share your reasons why…

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,
10 Sep 2012

ACC Football Rankings: September 10, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  With only two weeks of games played, this is how we rank the ACC football schools as of September 10, 2012:

1.  Clemson (2-0)–Clemson had the toughest two opponents of the top teams, defeating Auburn and Ball State.  Nary an FCS opponent.  So they hold their position.

2. Florida State (2-0)–Due to scheduling issues, the Seminoles have not been remotely tested yet.  But they have looked awfully good.  Can they topple nemesis Wake Forest?

3. Virginia Tech (2-0)–A good, standard FCS drubbing against Austin Peay keeps the Hokies at a solid #3.  They get reeling Pitt next.

4. Georgia Tech (1-1)–Georgia Tech took care of Presbyterian, which is nice.  We’ll keep them #4.  Barely.

5. Wake Forest (2-0)–The Demon Deacons have been far from dominant.  But they have not been losers yet.  Seminoles loom though.

6. Virginia (2-0)–Virginia beat Penn State, but barely.  Penn State’s leftovers beat themselves, particularly on special teams.

7. North Carolina State (1-1)–Well, the Wolfpack has a win over a BCS foe and a loss to a BCS foe.  We give them the edge over Syracuse and Maryland.

8. Syracuse (0-2)–If you watched the game, Syracuse more than held their own against USC.  Moral victories are not worth much, but if Syracuse played the schedule of most teams, they’d be 2-0 or 1-1.

9. Maryland (2-0)–Hard to believe, but the Terps are 2-0, with wins over William & Mary and BCS newbie (renewbie?) Temple.  Next up?   A winnable game against UConn.  Going to be some fired up players and coaches for that game.

10. Miami (1-1)–Of the four 1-1 teams, only Miami has beaten a team from a BCS conference (B.C.), and that was a road game.  So we’ll give the Hurricanes the benefit of the doubt for one more week.

11.  North Carolina (1-1)–Played valiantly against Wake Forest, before losing.  They did handle Elon pretty handily.  Yippee.

12.  Boston College (1-1)–Boston College did what it needed to do against Maine.  And then some.

13. Duke (1-1)–One step forward with the win over Florida International.  Three steps backward in getting walloped by Stanford.

14. Pitt (0-2)–Pitt looked lost for parts of the game against Cincinnati.  The talent is there, this is all about coaching right now.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
09 Sep 2012

ACC Football Week 2 Recap

Well, with Week 2 in the books, here is how it all went down in ACC-land:

GOOD NEWS:

The ACC elite beat up on lesser opponents handily.  There were no Arkansas-like upsets.  Florida State defeated Savannah State before the mercy rule kicked in, 55-0.  Georgia Tech destroyed Presbyterian, 59-3.  Virginia Tech took care of Austin Peay, 42-7.  Does the Confidential even need links to these games?  Just go here.

Don’t look past the fact that Boston College won convincingly, defeating Maine 34-3.  Maine usually gives FBS schools fits, as further confirmed by leading after the first quarter 3-0.  But BC did what it needed to do.

Clemson looked the part in defeating a decent Ball State squad, 52-27.  So now Clemson sits at 2-0.  Oh and they get Sammy Watkins back next week too.

ACC>Big East.  Nobody is claiming that UConn/Temple are LSU/Alabama, but two underwhelming ACC schools with a host of their own problems rolled into the home stadiums of two 1-0 Big East schools and pulled out victories.  North Carolina State rebounded nicely from its Tennessee loss by defeating a UConn team that has an outstanding defense, 10-7.  And how about Maryland getting to 2-0 by defeating Temple 36-27.  After last week’s offensive debacle against William & Mary, putting up 36 points on Temple is not too shabby.

Tough call here, but let’s put the Syracuse loss to USC in the “good news” department.  Losing 42-29 to a team with more offensive talent than several NFL rosters is nothing to be ashamed about.  In fact, despite being 0-2, Syracuse seems to be ready to return to college football relevance.  They MUST win the next two games though.

THE OK NEWS:

Virginia beat Penn State 17-16, which is a heck of lot better than losing to the undermanned Nittany Lions.  But this is not your grandfather’s Penn State team.  Frankly, this is not even your 2011 Miss America’s Penn State team.  And it’s hard to get too excited about a win over a team that misses an extra point and four field goals, including a 42-yarder.  With Penn State’s best players scattered throughout the country, Virginia did not look too good.

While the Confidential is proud to have picked Wake Forest to beat North Carolina, this still means that North Carolina lost.  Wake Forest showed little in their 28-27 victory to suggest that they can repeat last year’s upset of Florida State next week.  Still, 2-0 is better than the alternatives.

THE BAD NEWS:

The ACC had two games where it traveled to ranked, out-of-conference opponents.  The results were tough to swallow.  Miami completely imploded against Kansas State in the Little Apple, losing by an embarrassing score of 52-13.  Nothing good to take from this game.  And Stanford walloped Duke, 50-13.  Nobody expected Duke to win, but there was hope that this would be a competitive game.  Instead, the two ACC games featuring road games against ranked opponents resulted in a combined 104-26 trouncing.

Meanwhile, the ACC can pretend to ignore Pitt this year, but the Panthers are 0-2 and looking fairly inept in the process after losing to Cincinnati on Thursday, 34-10.  If you watched the game, you saw a coaching staff that appears overmatched.  At the very least, all of these coaching changes have Pitt a step behind its opponents.

On to Week #3…

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 Sep 2012
2 Comments

ACC Football Predictions for Week 2

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.

Last week was a bit tough… only 8-4.  And with all the ACC-FCS games, that’s not even good.  Although the Confidential did predict the Pitt game to be a two touchdown affair.  On to week 2:

September 6, 2012

Pitt (0-1) @ Cincinnati (0-0), 8:00 p.m.   This is an absolute disaster to predict.  A lot of improvement can happen between Week 1 and Week 2.  Meanwhile, Cincy has to go through its Week 1 jitters.  Can Ohio be responsible for three defeats of Pennsylvania teams (Youngstown St. and Ohio)?  The Confidential says “yes.”  Prediction: Cincinnati: 27, Pitt 17.

September 8, 2012

North Carolina State (0-1) @ UConn (1-0), noon.  Credit NC State for playing a tough couple of opening season games.  But a win would be nice too.  UConn supposedly has an outstanding defense.  Edge to the home team.  Prediction: UConn 17, NC State 13.

Maryland (1-0) @ Temple (1-0), noon.  Sheesh… there is an article about Temple not “looking ahead” to its game against Penn State.  Wow, how far has Maryland fallen?  Not that Penn State has not fallen even farther.  Temple’s schedule is breaking pretty well.  Prediction: Temple 24, Maryland 10.

Penn State (0-1) @ Virginia (1-0), noon.  Penn State has fallen, but Virginia is a program on the rise.  Perhaps the Nittany Lions just need to get out on the road?  Nah.  Prediction: Virginia 28, Penn State 13.

Miami (1-0) @ # 21 Kansas State (1-0), noon.  Is Miami back?  This game will tell the world quite a bit.  The Confidential believes that Miami is the better team and will pull it out.  Prediction: Miami 30, Kansas State 27.

Ball State (1-0) @ #12 Clemson (1-0), 12:30 p.m.  Clemson looked very good against Auburn.  Ball State is a good team, but not as good as Auburn.  Clemson wins its home opener.  Prediction: Clemson 41, Ball State 28.

Maine (0-0) @ Boston College (1-0), 1:00 p.m.  Boston College better be very careful, as Maine always plays well on the FBS stage.  An upset here should shock nobody.  Prediction: Boston College 27, Maine 19.

Austin Peay (0-1) @ #15 Virginia Tech (1-0), 1:30 p.m.  Virginia Tech has been upset early before.  Still, it’s not happening this week.  Prediction: Va Tech 44, Austin Peay 10.

North Carolina (1-0) @ Wake Forest (1-0), 3:00 p.m.  The only ACC game of the week features two in-state rivals.  North Carolina looked great in destroying Elon, Wake Forest looked poor in barely beating Liberty.  Naturally, this means that North Carolina must win, right?  Wrong.  Prediction: Wake Forest 28, North Carolina 20.

Syracuse (0-1) @ #2 U.S.C. (1-0), 3:30 p.m.  Coming off a win over Hawaii, and with Syracuse already saddled with a loss, it’s easy to predict a USC win.  Still… this is one game that has some upset potential.  It really does.  No balls to predict it… but do not discount an upset.  Prediction: USC 37, Syracuse 23.

Savannah State (0-1) @ #6 Florida State (1-0), 6:00 p.m.  You probably read that Savannah State struggled a bit against Oklahoma State, losing 84-0.  It will be better this week, but not by much.  Prediction: Florida State 59, Savannah State: 7.

Presbyterian (1-0) @ Georgia Tech (0-1), 7:00 p.m.  Well, only one of these two teams has a win.  Neither of these teams will have two wins next week.  Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, Presbyterian 10.

Duke (1-0) @ #25 Stanford (1-0), 10:30 p.m.  Duke looked OK in its opener, while Stanford survived Game 1 of the post-Andrew Luck era.  Duke will not handle the road trip well.  Prediction: Stanford 38, Duke 23.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  There is also a lot of chalk here.  However, predictions are made to be accurate, not controversial.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
05 Sep 2012

The Confidential’s College Football Top 25 & Bottom 4: Week 2

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Football, as well as the Bottom 4 BCS-level teams.  Here is the Week 2 version, with analysis of the top 15 and bottom 4:

  1. USC (1-0): Hawaii is not a horrible team, most likely.  But USC handled them pretty well.  Next up: Syracuse.
  2. Alabama (1-0): A lot of the nation thinks that Alabama is #1.  The beat down of Michigan IS a compelling argument.  Next up: Western Kentucky
  3. Florida State (1-0): The Seminoles already lost a player for the season–a good one in Brandon Jenkins.  His replacement will get a tune-up against Savannah State this week.  Next up: Savannah State.
  4. LSU (1-0):  The Tigers had no trouble with North Texas winning 41-14.   The Pacific Northwest visits the next two weeks with Washington and Idaho making the trip in.  Next up: Washington.
  5. Oklahoma (1-0): The Sooners took care of UTEP, 24-7.  Not exactly an offensive masterpiece.  Next up: Florida A&M.
  6. Michigan State (1-0): Hey, Sparty beat giant-killer Boise State.  Not everyone can say that in a given year.  Next up: Central Michigan
  7. Clemson (1-0): Clemson erased the sour memory of the Orange Bowl by defeating Auburn without Sammy Watkins.  Not too shabby.  Next up: Ball State.
  8. Oregon (1-0): Offense clicked against Arkansas State, as well it should.  Allowing 34 points though?  Next up: Fresno State.
  9. West Virginia (1-0): Defeated in-state rival Marshall, 69-34.  It was quiet an offensive show for the new member of the Big XII.  Look out Oklahoma.  Next up: James Madison.
  10. Georgia (1-0): The Nation will learn a lot about Georgia this week, as it opens up SEC play against newcomer Missouri.  The defeat of Buffalo was… meh.  Next up: Missouri.
  11. Arkansas (1-0): The Razorbacks looked OK defeating overmatched Jacksonville State.  More creampuffs ahead thsi week.  Next up: Louisiana-Monroe.
  12. South Carolina (1-0): Win over Vandy was nice.  The game itself was not so impressive, nor was the officiating that helped the Gamecocks considerably.  Next up: East Carolina.
  13. Wisconsin (1-0): Lackluster performance against Northern Iowa, winning 26-21.  Bigger test this week against Oregon State, especially on the road.  Next up: Oregon State.
  14. Virginia Tech (1-0): On the one hand, the Hokies barely beat Georgia Tech.  On the other hand, how many top 15 teams played a team that good week 1?  Next up: Austin Peay
  15. Michigan (0-1): Michigan looked bad enough to drop out of the top 15.  But Alabama might be just that good.  Next up: Air Force.
  16. Texas (1-0).  Next up: New Mexico.
  17. Ohio State (1-0).  Next up: Central Florida.
  18. Nebraska (1-0).  Next up: UCLA
  19. Louisville (1-0).  Next up: Missouri State.
  20. TCU (1-0).  Next up: Grambling State.
  21. Stanford (1-0).  Next up: Duke.
  22. Notre Dame (1-0).  Next up: Purdue.
  23. Kansas State (1-0).  Next up: Miami.
  24. Florida (1-0).  Next up: Texas A&M.
  25. Oklahoma State (1-0).  Look, you hang 84 points on an FCS school, you are classless.  Enjoy #25.  Next up: Arizona.

* * *

121.  Maryland (1-0).  While losing is worse than winning, beating an FCS team 7-6 is really not something to be proud of.  Yikes.

122. Colorado (0-1).  Remember when the Buffaloes were awesome?  Yeah, neither does the Confidential.  Another win for Colorado State.

123.  Penn State (0-1).  As bad as things are, losing to Ohio has to be a disappointment.  Who knew Temple was the dominant team in Pennsylvania?

124.  Pittsburgh (0-1).  Losing to an FCS team is bad.  Losing at home is worse.  Losing by 14?  Ugh.

So there it is.  If you do not like it… sorry.  But feel free to share your reasons why…

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,
04 Sep 2012

ACC Football Rankings: September 4, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  With only only one week of games played, this is how we rank the ACC football schools as of September 4, 2012:

1.  Clemson (1-0)–Clemson had the toughest opponent of Week 1 (Auburn) and still won.  Not sure that Florida State will wait long to  surge past, but Clemson gets the nod for Week 1.

2. Florida State (1-0)–Hey, a 69-3 drubbing of Murray State could be worse.  See the bottom part of the standings.

3. Virginia Tech (1-0)–An important 20-17 win over Georgia Tech in overtime gets the Hokies off to a good start.

4. Georgia Tech (0-1)–Despite stumbling to Virginia Tech on the road, the Yellow Jackets get the nod over Miami and Virginia due to the opponent.

5. Miami (1-0)–Miami went on the road to B.C. and avenged last year’s loss.  32 points was a lot to give up, but the offense looked good.

6. Virginia (1-0)–Richmond is a tough FCS foe, but Virginia handled them appropriately.  Started strong and ended strong, en route to a 41-16 win.

7. North Carolina (1-0)–Well, that was a great way to start the Fedora era–a 62-0 drubbing of Elon.  Not sure we learned much about UNC though.

8. Syracuse (0-1)–If you watched the game, Syracuse dominated a very good Northwestern team.  Silly special teams mistakes made this game close enough for Northwestern to pull it out.

9. Duke (1-0)–Duke looked pretty good in beating a game Florida International team, 46-26.  This was not a squeaker.

10. North Carolina State (0-1)–No shame in losing to an improving Tennessee at a neutral site.  It would have been a great win to take the next step though.

11.  Wake Forest (1-0)–Looked pretty vulnerable in barely beating Liberty, 20-17.  Unlike Maryland, will give Wake the benefit of the doubt that this was just opening week jitters.

12.  Boston College (0-1)–Unfortunately, B.C.’s opening week draw of Miami was too much.  They kept it close but that’s little consolation.

13. Maryland (1-0)–A 7-6 win over William & Mary is not exactly inspiring.  Especially when that TD comes in the 4th quarter.

14. Pitt (0-1)–You lost to an FCS team, you go to the bottom.  You lose at home, but 10+ points to an FCS team?  Wow.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
30 Aug 2012

The Confidential’s College Football Top 25: Week 1

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Football.  Here is the Week 1 version, with analysis of the top 15:

  1. USC:  Who is going to beat them?  They have Oregon and Notre Dame at home.  In past years, they have beaten themselves though.
  2. LSU:  Look at LSU’s schedule–they host Alabama.  That could be the deciding factor between those two schools.
  3. Alabama: Not only do the Crimson Tide travel to LSU, they also have to go to Arkanas and Missouri, while also playing Michigan.
  4. Florida State: The Confidential likes to pick on FSU fans, but this should be a very good Seminoles team.
  5. Oklahoma: The Sooners fall out of the top 5 because they have a trip to Morgantown–a unique place to play and a very possible defeat.
  6. Wisconsin: The big game on the schedule is the week 5 matchup at Nebraska.  Otherwise, Wisconsin misses Michigan, hosts Ohio State, and will close the season at depleted Penn State.  Very favorable.
  7. Oregon: Nothing challenging on the OOC slate.  They travel to USC though, which should be a great game.
  8. South Carolina: Not sure how they will win at LSU, but they get to host Georgia.  That will help.
  9. Georgia: No LSU.  No Alabama.  No Arkansas.  Still, we see the Bulldogs losing to South Carolina on the road.
  10. Michigan State: If the Spartans get by Boise State, they host Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Ohio State.  The tough road game is rival Michigan.
  11. West Virginia: This season could be very tough for the Mountaineers as they adjust to playing far away.  Or the Big XII will have trouble adjusting to it.
  12. Arkansas: The Razorbacks host Alabama and LSU this year, but must travel to South Carolina and Auburn.  Not sure about John L. Smith though.
  13. Michigan: Not quite buying into the Wolverines yet.  Neutral game against Alabama, plus road games against Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Ohio State.
  14. Virginia Tech: It’s hard to discount the Hokies and their continued ability to finish reasonably well ranked.  This year should be more of the same.
  15. Clemson: The Tigers get to host Virginia Tech, but Auburn in Atlanta and Florida State in Tallahassee could mean a 2-2 start.
  16. Texas
  17. Ohio State
  18. Nebraska
  19. Boise State
  20. Oklahoma State
  21. TCU
  22. Stanford
  23. Louisville
  24. Kansas State
  25. Florida

So there it is.  If this isn’t the way the standings wrap up at the end of the year, well… sorry.

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →