NCAA Football: ACC Atlantic Division preview

I love college football. LOVE it. It was my first love. One that started all the way back in 1984. I was a kid living in Oklahoma, and the Sooners were the hottest ticket in town. I was hooked. The Jamelle Holieway-Spencer Tillman-Lydell Carr option took me in and never let go.

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Fast-forward 30 years later, and I am still a college football junkie. I spend my Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and most of Tuesday watching every game I could record over the weekend. For love of the game, I guess.

For the last four years, I have picked every single 1-A vs. 1-A college football game against the spread. I will do the same this year. But leading up to that, I am going to do a conference by conference preview. That’s right, for love of the game. And for those of you that are rabid fans like I am.

This piece will focus on the ACC Atlantic. Teams are in the projected order of finish. The AAC is here. The Coastal division is here.

Apr 12, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) looks to throw the ball during the spring game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

1. Florida State:

Schedule: vs. Oklahoma State at Jerry World, vs. Citadel, vs. Clemson, at North Carolina State, vs. Wake Forest, at Syracuse, vs. Notre Dame, at Louisville, vs. Virginia, at Miami(FL), vs. Boston College, vs. Florida

Prediction: Yes, I know that the last time the Seminoles were preseason number one in 1999, they led wire-to-wire. There are several reasons to believe that that will not happen this year. First, Jameis Winston will need to have another great season, but can he do it without Kelvin Benjamin and Devonta Freeman? Rashad Greene is a very good receiver, but he isn’t quite the playmaker that Benjamin is. The defense has reloaded from the losses of Timmy Jernigan, Terrence Brooks, and Lamarcus Joyner. Still, they can’t quite be as dominant as last year, can they?

The ‘Noles catch Okie State in a bit of transition. Same with Clemson. Notre Dame could be a test, but it is in Tallahassee. Talent-wise, there isn’t a team on the schedule that can beat them on paper. That said, when they played in almost all blowouts, can they survive a gut check when they find themselves down in the fourth quarter? Will they have to? It’s not likely, but again, anything can happen. I’m going to buck the trend and say they lose a game. Will 11-1 get them to an invite the playoffs? We will just have to wait and see…..

Jul 20, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Devante Parker addresses the media during the ACC football media day at the Grandover Resort. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

2. Louisville:

Schedule: vs. Miami(FL), vs. Murray State, at Virginia, at Florida International, vs. Wake Forest, at Syracuse, at Clemson, vs. North Carolina State, vs. Florida State, at Boston College, at Notre Dame, vs. Kentucky

Prediction: Louisville moves to the ACC when Teddy Bridgewater moves to the NFL. That is not a good thing for the Cardinals. If Bridgewater would have had good talent around him, the Cardinals would have ran the table last year in the AAC. Will Gardner looked good in his little playing time last year, going 8-12 for 112 yards and two touchdowns. He will have DeVante Parker out there to throw to, and RB Dominique Brown returns as well. The defense is another story. Louisville is going to have a hard time replacing Calvin Pryor, Marcus Smith, and Preston Brown. They still have playmakers in Lorenzo Mauldin and Sheldon Rankins.

The schedule is tougher in the ACC, that’s for sure. They have a nice little rivalry going with Miami that should gain a little more steam now that they are in the same conference. The defense will dictate just how good Louisville will be. Luckily, aside from Miami, they don’t have a tough game until mid October. If they find their stride by then, the transition may not be so tough. I say Louisville goes 9-3

Jan 3, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive end Vic Beasley (3) reacts in the second half of the 2014 Orange Bowl college football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Sun Life Stadium. The Tigers won 40-35. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

3. Clemson:

Schedule: at Georgia, vs. South Carolina State, at Florida State, vs. North Carolina, vs. North Carolina State, vs. Louisville, at Boston College, vs. Syracuse, at Wake Forest, at Georgia Tech, vs. Georgia State, vs. South Carolina

Prediction: Their explosive offense from last year is gone. All of them. The skill players will have the benefit of playing behind a very good line at least. On the defensive side, Vic Beasley is a beast. The whole front seven is very tough, which is the hallmark of a Brent Venables defense. The problem as it always is with a Venables D is the secondary. They will go as far as the secondary lets them.

Clemson has a brutal early schedule. They play three ranked teams in September, two of them on the road. That will likely stunt the offensive chemstry. After October 11th, it gets much easier with the exception of the Gamecocks at the end of the year. The potential is here for Clemson to have a good year, but not great. I put them at 8-4

Nov 2, 2013; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange running back Prince-Tyson Gulley (23) and safety Jeremi Wilkes (28) enter the field prior to the first half of a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

4. Syracuse:

Schedule: vs. Villanova, at Central Michigan, vs. Maryland, vs. Notre Dame, vs. Louisville, vs. Florida State, at Wake Forest, at Clemson, vs. North Carolina State, vs. Duke, at Pittsburgh, at Boston College

Prediction: The Orange were a run first team last year, and with Tyson Gulley returning, they should be again. QB Terrel Hunt is back, and so are his top two receivers in Ashton Broyld and Jarrod West. They will operate behind an experienced and solid line. The loss of Marquis Spruill and Jay Bromley will hurt the defense. They still have a solid secondary, and have enough experience in each unit that the defense shouldn’t suffer much.

All of their tough games are at home except for Clemson. That could enable the Orange to improve on their 7-6 record from last year. Still, that would mean beating either Duke, Florida State, or Louisville. None of that is likely. I will take the Orange at 7-5 in the Pinstripe Bowl again.

Oct 26, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Shadrach Thornton (10) runs ball during the second half of the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

5. North Carolina State:

Schedule: vs. Georgia Southern, vs. Old Dominion, at South Florida, vs. Presbyterian, vs. Florida State, at Clemson, vs. Boston College, at Louisville, at Syracuse, vs. Georgia Tech, vs. Wake Forest, at North Carolina

Prediction: Last year’s leading rusher Shadrach Thornton is about the extent of the experience returning to the offensive skill positions. The loss of cornerback Dontae Johnson takes away their biggest playmaker on the defense as well. The front seven is a veteran unit, and should help the secondary through some growing pains. The early schedule is easy, so they should have a nice groove going before welcoming Florida State on September 27th.

They shouldn’t be as bad as the team that finished 3-9 that year. The soft OOC schedule will have something to do with that. I think they take some positive steps this year, and finish at 6-6.

Jul 20, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons cornerback Kevin Johnson addresses the media during the ACC football media day at the Grandover Resort. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

6. Wake Forest:

Schedule: at Louisiana-Monroe, vs. Gardner-Webb, at Utah State, vs. Army, at Louisville, at Florida State, vs. Syracuse, vs. Boston College, vs. Clemson, at North Carolina State, vs. Virginia Tech, at Duke

Prediction: Tyler Price returns to lead the offense, but Michael Campanaro is gone. They were pretty bad last year, as they could never really get their running game going. The line is still a work in progress on both sides of the ball. Their defense was solid last year, and could be again. They just need the offense to help them out some.

Games at FSU, at Duke, at Louisville and at Utah State look like sure losses. They will have a hard time winning four games like they did last year. I have them at 3-9.

Dec 31, 2013; Shreveport, LA, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Chase Rettig (11) warms up on the field prior to the game against the Arizona Wildcats at the Independence Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

7. Boston College:

Schedule: at Massachusetts, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. USC, vs. Maine, vs. Colorado State, at North Carolina State, vs. Clemson, at Wake Forest, at Virginia Tech, vs. Louisville, at Florida State, vs. Syracuse

Prediction: The loss of 2000 yard rusher Andre Williams takes away most of their offensive production. They also lost quarterback Chase Rettig and leading receiver Alex Amidon. They will be very inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball. They also lost five starters on the defensive side too. This will likely be a learning season for the Eagles.

They won seven games last year, but they could be fortunate to win half that many this year. I only see two sure wins. Everything else is a crapshoot. I say they get one somewhere else to finish 3-9.

Come back over the next few days as we countdown to the start of the college season!

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