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07 Jan 2013

ACC Football Rankings: January 7, 2013

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Next year, we’ll add in Louisville too.  Anyway, this is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of January 7, 2013:

1.  Florida State (12-2)–The Seminoles took care of business against Northern Illinois.  Only Florida and North Carolina State were able to trip up the Seminoles.

2. Clemson (11-2)–Clemson had itself a nice little season too, losing only to South Carolina and Florida State.  Improved on a very good 2011 season.

3. Syracuse (8-5)–The Orange demolished a good West Virginia team in the Pinstripe Bowl.  The five losses all came to bowl-eligible teams.

4. North Carolina (8-4)–The Tar Heels did get a bowl bid due to sanctions.  Still, this team looks to be on the rise.

5. Miami (7-5)–The Hurricanes once again missed out on a bowl to due self-imposed penalties.  Al Golden has the team pointed in the right direction though.

6. Virginia Tech (7-6)–The Hokies win over Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl gives Virginia Tech the edge over North Carolina State.  The two schools did not play this year.

7. North Carolina State (7-6)–At 7-5, the Wolfpack fired their coach, Tom O’Brien.  And now they are 0-1 in the post-O’Brien era.  Nicely done.

8. Georgia Tech (7-7)–The Yellow Jackets were able to beat USC and its stable of NFL-ready talent.  A nice way to end the 2012 season.

9. Pittsburgh (6-7)—The Panthers were relegated to the BBVA Compass Bowl for the second year in a row.  Ole Miss handled them pretty well, winning 38-17.

10. Duke (6-7)–The Blue Devils beat North Carolina to move to 6-2 and bowl-eligibility.  They would never win again.

11. Wake Forest (5-7).

12. Virginia (4-8).

13. Maryland (4-8).

14. Boston College (2-10).

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

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
18 Dec 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 18, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC basketball teams as of December 18, 2012:

1.  Duke (9-0)–The Blue Devils are sitting pretty at 9-0, with plenty of good victories.  An easy choice for #1.

2. Syracuse (10-0)–The Orange are 10-0, which is great.  Next up, Temple.  Congrats to Jim Boeheim on win #900 too.

3. Louisville (9-1)–So far, only #1 Duke has toppled Louisville.  With wins over Missouri and Memphis, Louisville has an argument to be #2.  But undefeated trumps one loss.

4.Notre Dame (10-1)—The Irish have now beaten Purdue and Kentucky.  That’s good enough for #4 here.

5. Pittsburgh (9-1)--The Panthers are off to a good start, but lacking a real quality win yet.   Only loss is to a very very good Michigan team.

6. Maryland (7-1)–The Terps have been good, losing only to Kentucky.  Still waiting on an impressive win though.  Northwestern is it right now.

7. Miami (6-1)–Not sure why Miami only has 7 games, but they have won 6 of them.  A bad loss, but a nice win over Michigan State.

8.North Carolina State (8-2)–The wins over Stanford and UConn look good.  The two losses are reasonable. 

9. North Carolina (8-2)–At 8-2, the Tar Heels really lack a quality win.  Losses to Butler and Indiana are understandable though.

10. Virginia (8-2)–10 through 12 are a toss-up.  The Wahoos have terrible losses early, but now have wins over Tennessee and Wisconsin.

11. Virginia  Tech (8-2)— Va Tech has ugly losses, but a great win–over Oklahoma State.  Gives them the slide edge over Georgia Tech.

12. Georgia Tech (7-2)–No shame in the two losses, but it’s hard to find even a decent win for the Yellow Jackets.  The worst of the two loss teams so far.

13. Clemson (6-3)–The Tigers have tough losses–Gonzaga, Illinois, and Arizona.  Clear edge over the rest.

14. Florida State (6-4)–At 6-4, the Seminoles are still the ACC’s disappointment so far.  Not sure what the deal is.

15. Wake Forest (5-5)–At least Wake is at .500.

16. Boston College (5-5)–At least BC is at .500.

Right/wrong?  Disagree?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
10 Dec 2012
2 Comments

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 10, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC basketball teams as of December 10, 2012:

1.  Duke (9-0)–The Blue Devils are hated by many.  But you cannot deny how successful this season has gone.  An impressive 9-0.

2. Syracuse (8-0)–The Orange have two good victories, but no truly great ones.  A decent OOC slate, but the real meat comes in the Big East regular season.

3. Louisville (8-1)–The ACC’s newest addition has only lost to Duke.  A win over Missouri is the big victory on the schedule.

4.Pittsburgh (9-1)--The Panthers are looking to rebound after last year’s disappointing season.  Only loss is to a very very good Michigan team.

5. Notre Dame (8-1)–The Irish lost to St. Joseph’s, which is not uber-embarrassing.  Still, that has them behind several teams.  The win over Kentucky was nice, but less impressive now.

6. Maryland (7-1)–The Terps have been good, losing only to Kentucky.  Still waiting on an impressive win though.

7. North Carolina State (6-2)–The Wolfpack have been somewhat disappointing at only 6-2.  But the losses are not awful and they do have a win over surprising UConn.

8.Virginia Tech (7-1)–Despite losing to WVU, the Hokies have decent wins, such as Iowa and Oklahoma State.  Not too bad.

9. North Carolina (7-2)–As good as 7-2 looks, the Tar Heels have not beaten anyone of note.  The best win might be Mississippi State, a lower tier SEC team.

10. Miami (5-1)–Miami’s win over Michigan State was very impressive.  Need to see the Hurricanes against major competition a few more times before having them elevate over the teams ahead of them.

11. Virginia (8-2)—The Wahoos struggled in the first few games, but are rounding into form.  With wins over Tennessee and Wisconsin, look for this team to rise to the top half.

12. Georgia Tech (6-2)–No shame in the two losses, but it’s hard to find even a decent win for the Yellow Jackets.  Time will tell.

13. Clemson (5-3)–The Tigers have tough losses–Gonzaga, Illinois, and Arizona.  This team may peak late in the season.

14. Florida State (5-4)–At 5-4, the Seminoles are easily the ACC’s disappointment so far.  The losses to Mercer and South Alabama stand out.

15. Wake Forest (4-5)–The Demon Deacons did beat Mercer, but few other teams.  The losses are not horrible, but just way too many to get to NIT-level play.

16. Boston College (4-5)-Losses to Charleston and Bryant land Boston College in its familiar, cellar position.  So it goes in Beantown.

Right/wrong?  Disagree?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
04 Dec 2012

The Confidential’s College Basketball Top 25 & Bottom 5: December 4, 2012

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Basketball, as well as the Bottom 5 major conference teams.  Here is the December 4, 2012, update, with analysis of the top 10 and bottom 5:

  1. Duke (8-0): The Blue Devils have beaten Kentucky, Louisville, and Ohio State.  Who has beaten better teams?  Nobody.
  2. Indiana (8-0): Tough call between Syracuse and Indiana, but the edge goes to the Hoosiers.  Indiana has convincing wins over Georgetown and North Carolina already.
  3. Syracuse (6-0): The Orange have beaten San Diego State in San Diego and Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Looking very good as the calendar hits December.
  4. Michigan (7-0): With wins over Pitt and NC State, the Wolverines are off to a perfect start.  The most talented Michigan team in a long, long time.  Well, outside East Lansing anyway.
  5. Florida (6-0): Gator-mania is back.  Florida has already beaten Wisconsin and Marquette.  Struggling Seminoles are up next.
  6. Louisville (6-1):  The Cardinals are not coping well with the injury to Gorgui Dieng.  Still, only loss of the season is to Duke.
  7. Gonzaga (8-0): After a few quiet years, Gonzaga hopes to return to national prominence.  Hmmmm…does the Big East need a team in Washington?
  8. Ohio State (5-1).  Like Louisville, Ohio State has only lost to Duke.  The Buckeyes are part of a strong upper tier of the Big Ten.
  9. Cincinnati (7-0): Lack of elite opponents makes this ranking a bit high.  But the Bearcats are at least beating some major conference opponents (Oregon, Alabama, Iowa State).
  10. Arizona (5-0).  The Wildcats have not really played anyone yet.  So the undefeated start is not all that impressive.  Yet.
  11. Missouri (6-1).
  12. Illinois (8-0).
  13. New Mexico (8-0).
  14. San Diego State (5-1).
  15. Creighton (7-1).
  16. Georgetown (5-1).
  17. Notre Dame (7-1).
  18. Minnesota (8-1).
  19. Wichita State (8-0).
  20. North Carolina State (4-2).
  21. Oklahoma (6-1).
  22. UNLV (5-1).
  23. Kansas State (6-1).
  24. North Carolina (6-2).
  25. Michigan State (6-2).

* * *

300. West Virginia (2-3).  A lot of teams with 3 wins knocking on the door here, but the Mountaineers and their 2 wins earn the spot.  Not likely to last though.

301.  Vanderbilt (2-4).  Vanderbilt has lost to Oregon, Villanova, Marist, Davidson.  Yikes.

302.  Georgia (2-5).  The Bulldogs losses to Youngstown State, UCLA, Southern Mississippi, and South Florida are perplexing.  Indiana is understandable.

303.  Mississippi State (2-5).  No shame to losing to North Carolina, Marquette or Texas.  Providence was a disappointment.  Troy an embarrassment.

304.  Auburn (2-5).  Is Auburn the worst athletic department in the country?  Football team faces more scandal and was terrible this year.  The hoops team has now lost to Murray State, Rhode Island, Boston College, DePaul, and Dayton.

These rankings are early and will certainly shake up as the season progresses.  Still, if you feel like debating, share your comments…

Posted by acaffrey in Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
27 Nov 2012
3 Comments

College Fooball Head Coach Firings: Really?

Stepping aside from the ACC for a moment, the Confidential cannot help but wonder what the heck is going on with college football head coach firings?  Then again, as the Big Ten becomes the Pied Piper to the rest of college football’s money-obsessed rats, there is no reason to be shocked by two of the most surprising coaching firings in recent history.

First, the most offensive of all firings is the dismissal of Jon Embree at Colorado.  Look, the Confidential routinely noted that the Buffaloes were the worst BCS-level program.  Nothing that happened on the field gives the fans any reason for optimism–the team was outclassed week after week.  But you just cannot fire a coach after two seasons.  Indeed, as ESPN’s Ted Miller noted, the school really could not articulate a basis for firing him.  Frankly, firing a football coach after two years should be a terminable offense for whomever hired the coach.  If the athletic director hired a guy that could not last more than two years, the athletic director is even more incompetent than the head coach.  Short of a scandal of some sort, it just does not make long-term sense.  Can anyone name another head coach fired based on record after only two seasons?

Even worse, Colorado did this to an African-American man and a former Colorado player.  In light of the latter, he should have had a little more latitude.  As it relates to race, this is just yet another example of an NCAA head coach being given a shorter time to turn a program around than comparable white coaches.  Sure, Jon Embree was 4-21.  But Greg Schiano was 3-20 after two seasons.  Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz was 4-19 after two seasons.  It is statistically more likely, Embree would have been a Greg Robinson, who was only 5-18 at Syracuse after two seasons and ended up winning only 5 more games.   But Colorado will never know whether Embree was a Ferentz or a Robinson.  Colorado and the NCAA should be ashamed.  The Confidential is loathe to suggest racism, but to not give a head coach at least three years is simply absurd.  Really, the Confidential does not see why any African-American family would allow their son to go to Colorado after its treatment of Embree.  And good luck to the next coach explaining to kids and their families that they can be sure that he will be the Buffaloes’ head coach for the full four or five years that the kid is in Colorado.

Second, Auburn fired head coach Gene Chizik a mere two years after winning a National Championship.  Granted, many Auburn fans never liked the hire.  After all, Chizik was only 5-19 at Iowa State.  Notably, unlike Colorado with Embree, Iowa State was going to give Chizik more time to turn around the program.  Instead, he turned Auburn around.  This culminated with winning it all in 2010.  To be sure, that 2010 team was special.  It had to have significant talent beyond merely Cam Newton–a QB alone can only carry a team so far.  Chizik and his staff were able to go 14-0 against an SEC schedule.  Regardless of how much talent you have, to go 14-0 suggests some significant ability to coach the game of football.  After all, how many programs have gone undefeated?

In fairness to Auburn, however, the recruitment of Newton and other issues were becoming a bit of a scandal for Auburn.  This is perhaps more important than mere record.  Even if Chizik was bowl-bound this year, a program has to avoid sanctions.  So the firing is justifiable from that standpoint–certainly more so than with Embree.  Again, however, the issue might hurt Auburn in recruiting unless it can land a home run with its new coach.

Finally, the Confidential would be remiss in failing to observe that North Carolina State and Purdue fired head coaches after winning games and being bowl-eligible.  For Purdue, Danny Hope got Purdue to two straight bowl games for the first time in several years, according to ESPN, but was not allowed to even coach the team in the bowl game.  He took over a team that had gone 4-8 the prior year, never finished with a worse record, and did better than that in three seasons.  Not good enough?  For North Carolina State, it is frustrating to beat a great team every year, but also lose head-scratchers.  Still, you have to be really careful before firing a head coach that has taken you to three straight bowl games, like Tom O’Brien had done.   Fans and programs need to be careful before dispatching a coach because of “mediocrity.”

Indeed, fans of programs disappointed in the average records often complain that the new guy “cannot do any worse,” as if mediocrity is bottoming-out.  Syracuse fans thought that the .500ish records of Paul Pasqualoni were too much to swallow.  And then they hired the aforementioned Robinson, who showed that things can get worse.  Much worse.  Perhaps the best example is Southern Mississippi, who forced head coach Jeff Bower to resign after 14 straight winning seasons and six straight bowl appearances.  Fans and boosters were unhappy with the mediocrity.  The end result?  Southern Mississippi continued to go to bowl games under head coach Larry Fedora, but then watched him abandon the program for North Carolina before the 2012 season.  Unlike Bower, Fedora was not interested in being a lifer at Southern Mississippi.  In 2012, the team went 0-12.  Enjoy THAT fans and boosters.  Mediocrity can get worse.

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion and tagged , , , ,
26 Nov 2012

ACC Football Rankings: November 26, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of November 26, 2012:

1.  Florida State (10-2)–The Seminoles can complain about the computers, the conference, and everything else… but they just do not get it done on the field.  Again and again.  Still, the win over Clemson makes them the class of the ACC.

2. Clemson (10-2)–The SEC is all about defense.  And South Carolina’s defense did to Clemson what no team did all year–keep them under 25 points.  So Clemson remains firmly in the #2 spot here.

3. North Carolina (8-4)–The Tar Heels won a shoot out against Maryland.  Not sure how impressive it is to give up 38 points to this Maryland team, but a win is a win.

4. Syracuse (7-5)–The Orange defeated Temple, behind yet another solid rushing/passing game.  Interestingly, still alive for a Big East co-championship if Louisville beats Rutgers.

5. Miami (7-5)–The Hurricanes are far from back, but 7-5 is a good start.  Indeed, this would have been their first appearance in a CCG, but for the looming sanctions.  Y

6. North Carolina State (7-5)–The Wolfpack won!  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that 7-5 was not good enough to keep Tom O’Brien on the payroll.  The worse news is that Debbie Yow is in charge of finding the replacement.

7. Georgia Tech (6-6)–At 6-6, the Yellow Jackets “earned” the right to play Florida State in the ACC Conference Championship Game.  This is why you need a North/South split.  Let the northern schools pillow fight themselves to a point where some team can win 8 games.

8. Duke (6-6)–No doubt about it… going to a bowl is great for Duke.  But there is also no dispute that Duke is backing in.  When is the last time they actually won?  Answer: two Saturdays before Halloween.  Wow.

9. Pittsburgh (5-6)–The Panthers rallied to defeat Rutgers in fine fashion, 27-6.  If Pitt can beat South Florida, they’ll be bowl eligible.

10. Virginia Tech (6-6)–The Hokies also make it a bowl, albeit riding wins over Boston College and Virginia to get there.  Better than missing out though.

11. Wake Forest (5-7)—The Demon Deacons, who the Confidential thought had the best chance of the ACC bottom feeders to make a bowl, missed out.  Garden-variety mediocrity here.  At best.

12. Virginia (4-8)–Virginia was a tough team to figure out and the end of the season was more of the same.  Good enough to beat almost anyone, bad enough to lose to almost anyone.  They did a lot of latter too.  Onto 2013.

13. Maryland (4-8)–At 4-8, Maryland deserves a lot of credit for improving and “overcoming” challenges.  Then again, they are going to be an appetizer for the Big 10 football dinner each week.

14. Boston College (2-10)–At least a new coach will give Boston College fans a reason to be a little optimistic.  Beyond that… not sure what else can be said.

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

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
22 Nov 2012
2 Comments

ACC Football Predictions for Thanksgiving Weekend 2012

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.  Not sure whether there should be analysis of Louisville or UConn…. ha ha ha.  Anyway, last week the Confidential went 6-2, improving the overall record to a respectable 78-30.  On to the week 13 predictions:

Friday, November 23, 2012

Syracuse (6-5) @ Temple (4-6), 11:00 a.m.   You’ll have to stop your Black Friday shopping a bit early to catch this one.  Syracuse showed that its football is definitely on the upswing with a win on the road against Missouri, who was itself desperate for a win.  The Orange are banged up and this is Temple’s final game of the season.  An upset would not be shocking, but the Confidential will lean toward the ‘Cuse keeping the momentum going.  Prediction: Syracuse 33, Temple 21.

Saturday November 24, 2012

Georgia Tech (6-5) @ #3 Georgia (10-1), 12:00 p.m.  Maybe rivalry week allows teams to throw out the records.  But it is hard to really feel like Georgia Tech can win this game.  They have been playing a bit better lately.  Still, this one has a chance to get ugly.  Prediction: Georgia 30, Georgia Tech 17.

Virginia (4-7) @ Virginia Tech (5-6), 12:00 p.m.  As much as the Hokies have struggled all year, they are one win away from a bowl.  Virginia is an enigma still–no idea which version of the team will show up from week-to-week.  The Hokies have home field advantage, which has to be worth something.  Prediction: Virginia Tech 21, Virginia 17.

#21 Rutgers (9-1) @ Pittsburgh (4-6), 12:00 p.m.  This has been a great week for Rutgers and a 10th win would just be the icing on the cake.  Pitt must win to have a chance at a bowl.  No matter what happens, Rutgers gets to play Louisville for the BCS bowl berth next week, so perhaps the Scarlet Knights will come out flat.  Upset special here.  Prediction: Pittsburgh 24, Rutgers 20.

Miami (6-5) @ Duke (6-5), 12:30 p.m.  The Blue Devils have been coasting.  Miami has been another hard team to figure out.  With the Hurricanes pulling the plug on the post-season, it will be interesting to see whether they show up.  If Al Golden can get them motivated, Miami should win.  For Duke, this game presents the opportunity to regain some much needed momentum.  Prediction: Miami 31 , Duke 28.

Maryland (4-7) @ North Carolina (7-4), 3:00 p.m.  The only thing more surprising than Maryland leaving the ACC is the lack of anyone really caring.  Somewhat odd, really.  The Terps should have rivalries after all these years, but seemingly do not.  For Randy Edsall, a win here would be a great way to celebrate the offseason.  For the Tar Heels, bowl ineligibility means that this is their last chance to play football for several months.  Prediction: North Carolina 30, Maryland 10.

Boston College (2-9) @ North Carolina State (6-5), 3:00 p.m.  Well, another version of the Tom O’Brien Bowl.  Give credit to Boston College, they have played tough two weeks in a row.  A coaching change is inevitable, but the team has not quit at all.  An upset to send the coaching staff off would be a great way to finish the season.  The Wolfpack could really use another win though.  If they can’t beat BC…. well, do you really deserve a bowl?  Prediction: North Carolina State 24, Boston College 20.

Vanderbilt (7-4) @ Wake Forest (5-6), 3:30 p.m.  The Demon Deacons are desperate for a win to get bowl eligible.  Vanderbilt has its bowl game locked up.  Another reason for Vandy to be comfortable is that they are coming off the high of beating Tennessee.  Badly.  At the same time, Wake Forest has been as unimpressive as possible in getting to 5 wins.  It’s just hard to envision Wake pulling this one out.  Prediction: Vanderbilt 24, Wake Forest 17.

#6 Florida (10-1) @ #10 Florida State (10-1), 3:30 p.m.  The game of the week–two top 10 teams battling to see who gets to 10-1.  Florida has now been impressive in his recent cupcake wins.  Florida State has been only slightly better.  Neither team is peaking right now.  If the Seminoles want to be considered “back,” this is a game that they have to win.  In a pure homerism pick, the Confidential thinks it will happen.  Prediction: Florida State 28, Florida 21.

#13 South Carolina (9-2) @ #12 Clemson (10-1), 7:00 p.m.  The ACC regular season finale ends with a bang, as Clemson looks to avenge its disappointing loss to the Gamecocks last year.  This Clemson team has been scoring at will of late.  Unfortunately, last week the Tigers allowed North Carolina State to pretty much do the same thing.  South Carolina has to be licking its chops.  Homerism prevails again here.  Prediction: Clemson 35, South Carolina 24.

Idle: None

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  A lot of close games here.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 Nov 2012

ACC Football Rankings: November 19, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of November 19, 2012:

1.  Florida State (10-1)–The Seminoles did not destroy Maryland, but beat them convincingly enough, 41-14.  Hard not to be giddy about the upcoming contest against the Gators.

2. Clemson (10-1)–Clemson gave up 48 points.  And won.  You get the feeling that the Tigers could give up 70 points to West Virginia again and actually win.  Huge game against South Carolina this week.

3. North Carolina (7-4)–Duke should be here, but they seem to have gotten fat and happy after beating the Tar Heels to become bowl eligible.  Meanwhile, North Carolina keeps on winning.

4. Georgia Tech (6-5)–The Yellow Jackets have gone from losing to a directional Tennessee college to the ACC Championship Game.  Unless they pull a huge upset against Georgia, they’ll do so with a 6-6 record.

5. Syracuse (6-5)–An argument could me made that Syracuse is #3 here.  They played USC close, and have only lost to bowl eligible schools (Northwestern, Rutgers, Cincy, and Minnesota).  Meanwhile, they beat Mizzou on the road and are the only team to have beaten Louisville.  So much for being basketball-only.

6. Duke (6-5)–The Blue Devils are coasting to their bowl.  Not finishing strong at all.

7. Miami (6-5)–At 6-5, the Hurricanes are bowl eligible, but wisely foregoing the post-season while the NCAA continues how hard to come down on them.  Ohio State wishes they had that level of foresight.

8. North Carolina State (6-5)–North Carolina State moved the ball against Clemson, but allowed 60+ points.  Still, looking at a bowl after the Boston College game.

9. Wake Forest (5-6)–The Demon Deacons have to beat 7-4 Vanderbilt to get to a bowl.  Not looking good.

10. Virginia Tech (5-6)–The Hokies can still get to a bowl if they can beat rival Virginia.  The performance against Boston College was not exactly a confidence builder.

11. Pittsburgh (4-6)—The Panthers still could get to a bowl.  The Big East refs may prefer that Pitt beat Rutgers too.

12. Virginia (4-7)–Virginia had a chance to make this week a game for a bowl… but fell short against rival North Carolina.  Anything can happen in this week’s game against the Hokies.

13. Maryland (4-7)–At 4-7, Maryland has still done better than expected.  Not sure how many 4 win seasons they will have in the Big Ten though.

14. Boston College (2-9)–At 2-9, Boston College fans are more interested in the coaching search than this week’s game.  BTW, they are playing North Carolina State.

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

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 Nov 2012

The Confidential’s College Basketball Top 25 & Bottom 5: Week 1

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Basketball, as well as the Bottom 4 major conference teams.  Here is the Week 1 version, with analysis of the top 10 and bottom 4:

  1. Duke (2-0): The Blue Devils beat Kentucky.  Who has beaten a better team yet this year?
  2. Syracuse (1-0): The Orange have beaten San Diego State in San Diego.  Aircraft carrier or not, that’s worthy of #2.
  3. Indiana (2-0):  The Hoosiers have not been tested yet, but they will be soon enough.
  4. Louisville (2-0).  These are good times in Louisville, with both major teams ranked.  May be outgrowing the Big East.
  5. Michigan (3-0): It’s hard to be fully sold on the Wolverines, but they are beating their cupcakes.  Better than losing to them.
  6. Gonzaga (2-0): Gonzaga obliterated a good West Virginia team.  That gets them higher in the Confidential’s eyes than in the polls.
  7. Connecticut (3-0):  This will not last.  But the Huskies have beaten MSU and Wake Forest.  Can anyone top that?
  8. Michigan State (1-1): Tom Izzo is a favorite of the Confidential.  Who else has the courage to open a season with UConn and Kansas?
  9. Florida (2-0): The Gators have already beaten a tough Wisconsin team.  Nice for the strength of schedule.
  10. Kansas (2-1): Losing to MSU by 3 is more impressive than beating Southwest State A&M or any other cupcake.  Kansas will be there at season’s end.
  11. Kentucky (2-1).
  12. Arizona (2-0).
  13. North Carolina (2-0).  Note: At time of publication, the Tar Heels were leading Long Beach State by one at halftime.
  14. Missouri (2-0).
  15. North Carolina State (3-0).
  16. UNLV (1-0).
  17. Ohio State (1-0).
  18. Baylor (3-1).
  19. UCLA (3-0).
  20. Wichita State (1-0).
  21. Notre Dame (2-0).
  22. Wisconsin (1-1).
  23. Creighton (2-0).
  24. San Diego State (1-1).
  25. Alabama (4-0).

* * *

300. Purdue (1-3).  The Confidential understands that the Boilermakers have played some tough games already.  But three losses in mid-November is three losses.

301.  Georgia (1-2).  The Bulldogs are having a great football year.  Not so much on the hardcourt though.

302.  Mississippi State (1-1).  Losing to Troy is not a great way to start the season.  So it goes.

303.  Washington (1-1).  The Huskies lost to Albany.  The Great Danes traveled 3,000 miles and won.  Not good.

304.  Rutgers (2-1).  The Scarlet Knights have two wins.  But they lost to the St. Pete’s Peacocks.

These rankings are early and will certainly shake up as the season progresses.  Still, if you feel like debating, share your comments…

Posted by acaffrey in Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
15 Nov 2012

ACC Football Predictions for Week 12

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.  The Confidential struggled to a 4-4 record, making the overall record to a less-respectable 72-28.  On to the week 12 predictions:

Thursday November 15, 2012

North Carolina (6-4) @ Virginia (4-6), 7:30 p.m.  Don’t look now, but Virginia is surging toward a possible bowl game.  After beating bowl-eligible North Carolina State and potentially bowl-eligible Miami, it remains a possibility.  North Carolina just gave up 68 points to Georgia Tech.  Football, not basketball.  Unreal.  The defense will be better this week.  Still, the home team has more to play for.  Prediction: Virginia 31, North Carolina 28.

Saturday November 3, 2012

#10 Florida State (9-1) at Maryland (4-6), 12:00 p.m.  Maryland is a feel-good story this year.  But they are playing with a 5th string QB.  Florida State simply cannot lose this game and be taken seriously as “back.”  Sure, the temptation will be to look ahead to the huge rivalry game with equally impressive Florida.  But these are the games that elite teams win in the first half.  Prediction: Florida State 38, Maryland 6.

Virginia Tech (4-6) @ Boston College (2-8), 12:30 p.m.  As much as Virginia Tech has struggled this year, they still have a chance at a bowl game.  It would be cool if Virginia Tech and Virginia are both 5-6 heading into the rivalry game.  It’s hard to see Boston College stopping the Hokies from being in that position. Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, Boston College 10.

South Florida (3-6) @ Miami (5-5), 3:00 p.m.  The Bulls have struggled with BJ Daniels.  It is hard to see them getting better now that he is lost for the season.  Meanwhile, Miami remains a complete enigma.  A win would be expected here, a loss would not be the least bit surprising either.  But the absence of Daniels and the Hurricanes being at home justify the prediction here.  Prediction: Miami 31 , South Florida 24.

North Carolina State (6-4) @ #11 Clemson (9-1), 3:30 p.m.  The Wolfpack have already ruined Florida State’s national title aspirations; why not ruin Clemson’s BCS bowl hopes too?  Clemson cannot be looking ahead to its rivalry game against South Carolina either.  Much like the Seminoles, the Tigers have to prove that they are elite by avoiding upsets–like last year.  Clemson is rolling and at home.  Prediction: Clemson 35, North Carolina State 20.

Duke (6-4) @ Georgia Tech (5-5), 3:30 p.m.  Who would have thought that this game would have Championship Game implications?  If Duke wins, they will go to the ACC Championship Game.  If Georgia Tech wins, they are still in the hunt for the same opportunity.  Duke has not been a very good road team this year.  Georgia Tech seems to be turning things around.  Prediction: Georgia Tech 42, Duke 31.

Wake Forest (5-5) @ #3 Notre Dame (10-0), 3:30 p.m.  The Fighting Irish have been coasting to their game with USC.  Frankly, if they do not start playing better, they will lose that game.  Brian Kelly will have to get his team motivated for this home game against the Demon Deacons.  Nothing about Wake Forest’s season suggest that they can win this game.  However, teams seem to rise to the occasion when they travel to South Bend.  Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Wake Forest 16.

Syracuse (5-5) @ Missouri (5-5), 7:30 p.m.  The Orange scheduling is just absurd.  Three of the four OOC games were against bowl-eligible FBS teams.  The fourth was against an FCS team, Stony Brook, that is 9-2.  And now they play at Missouri, who is desperate for the win to get to bowl-eligibility.  The Tigers are healthy now too.  Syracuse has struggled on the road and has a more-winnable game looming against Temple next week.  The Confidential is pulling for the Orange, but skeptical.  Prediction: Missouri 28, Syracuse 24.

Idle: Pittsburgh.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  A lot of close games here.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

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