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Ranking the Best ACC Football Matchups of 2013: #100-91

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Pitt's One of Several ACC Schools That Scheduled A Few Less-Than-Stellar Opponents

Pitt’s One of Several ACC Schools That Scheduled A Few Less-Than-Stellar Opponents

The 2013 ACC football schedule has officially been released, meaning we finally have some clarity as to whom the conference’s 14 teams will face-off with from week-to-week next season. So with that in mind, we thought it would be an entertaining undertaking to rank all 112 ACC football games for 2013 because, well… it’s the offseason.

Today, we take a quick glance at numbers 100 through 91; wrapping up FCS opponents, along with a smattering of terrible FBS teams. As part of the conference’s continuing PR battle, the volume of cupcake opponents actually goes a long way. In the past, teams have fallen victim to difficult slates devoid of “easy” matchups — something every school looked to avoid this year.

#100: Old Dominion Monarchs at Pittsburgh Panthers (Saturday, October 19)

#99: Idaho Vandals at Florida State Seminoles (Saturday, November 23)

#98: Boston College Eagles at New Mexico State Aggies (Saturday, November 9)

#97: Richmond Spiders at NC State Wolfpack (Saturday, September 7)

#96: Florida Atlantic Owls at Miami Hurricanes (Friday, August 30)

#95: New Mexico Lobos at Pittsburgh Panthers (Saturday, September 14)

#94: Duke Blue Devils at Memphis Tigers (Saturday, September 7)

#93: Old Dominion Monarchs at Maryland Terrapins (Saturday, September 7)

#92: Villanova Wildcats at Boston College Eagles (Saturday, August 31)

#91: Tulane Green Wave at Syracuse Orange (Saturday, September 21)

Some additional notes on today’s list:

  • Old Dominion, which is in the process of upgrading to the FBS, appears on this list twice (and once yesterday as well); a result of playing as a FCS independent
  • Of the 10 opponents (nine different teams), four are from the FCS and six are from the FBS
  • The 10 games appear on eight different dates, including three on Saturday, September 7
  • Breakdown of opponent conferences: Conference USA (3), CAA (2), FBS Independent (2), FCS Independent (2), Mountain West (1)
  • Breakdown of opponent home states: Virginia (3), New Mexico (2), Florida (1), Idaho (1), Louisiana (1), Pennsylvania (1), Tennessee (1)
  • Public vs. private universities: Seven public, three private

Previously: #112-101

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Conference Realignment: Navy Joins UConn and Louisville at the Top of ACC’s Expansion List

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The ACC Could Look to Add Navy, as a Bargaining Chip for Notre Dame’s Full Football Membership

With ACC expansion movement seemingly at a standstill between the “football schools” and the “basketball/academic schools,” it doesn’t look like the league is set to add UConn or Louisville any time soon. So of course, a new name — this time from the Big East‘s future ranks — has entered the fray: Navy (source: @ACCSports).

Currently slated to start playing football in the Big East for 2015, the U.S. Naval Academy delivers at least a portion of the Baltimore/Maryland market the ACC loses with Maryland‘s defection to the Big Ten in 2014. But most importantly, it adds yet another reason for Notre Dame to come on-board for all sports. The Irish and Midshipmen already play one another every year in football, and it’s a major priority for both schools to keep it going. If Navy joined the ACC, that would then give Notre Dame six games against league competition every year (if they weren’t simply worked into the rotation). The ACC only plays eight conference games. At that point, what’s really stopping the Fighting Irish from adding two more contests and just joining full-time? It’s understood that they value their independence, but do six in-conference games really fit that designation? While the league is happy with their Notre Dame partnership as-is (and the school is too, especially given their success this year), it can’t hurt to nudge them a little closer to a full membership, can it?

Additionally, what would happen to Navy? If ND finally comes on as a full member of the ACC, then no big deal to have Navy just play football, while the league adds another all-sports member (UConn or Louisville to fill the 16th spot). But if Notre Dame remains independent, things start to get unwieldy (and rather Big East-like). You’d have Notre Dame playing Olympic sports and a partial football schedule, while Navy would only play football, without Olympic sports (beyond lacrosse, they wouldn’t stand much of a chance in the ACC). Those other sports could likely remain in the Patriot League, but what if they push for full membership?

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2011 ACC Season Recap: Syracuse Orange

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After a Disappointing 2011 Season, Syracuse Has A Lot of Work Ahead in 2012

Team: Syracuse Orange

W-L: 5-7 (1-1)

Postseason: N/A

Top Offensive Performer: Ryan Nassib, QB

Top Defensive Performer: Phillip Thomas, FS

Agonizing, tantalizing, exciting and disappointing — all of these adjectives likely would’ve been apt to describe Syracuse’s 2011 football season. After “returning to prominence” in 2010, it appeared that head coach Doug Marrone had permanently righted the ship. Alas, we (and I say “we” as a ‘Cuse fan myself) were duped. For all of the toughness, discipline and fundamentals Marrone was supposedly instilling, it appeared they were regularly left at the door of the Carrier Dome. From poor tackling, to an unseemly number of personal fouls come season’s end and outright poor decision-making in all three facets of the game, the 2011 made it appear as if not much had changed from the Greg Robinson era. If 2012 goes just as poorly, maybe nothing has.

As an offense, Syracuse topped 30 points in a game five separate times (unthinkable as recently as 2010) — including their 49-23 demolition of West Virginia in October. Yes, the same Mountaineers team that hung 70 points on Clemson. I was, and am, as shocked as you are. Following that glorious Friday night stunner (which I enjoyed from the appropriate confines of Las Vegas), SU would never score more than 21 points in their remaining five games. The pinpoint accuracy of quarterback Ryan Nassib vanished. The running game (spotty to begin with) might as well have been racking up negative yardage. And, unthinkably, the Orange failed to win six games after beginning their season 5-2. You can blame the Rutgers choke, but then there’s the Toledo gift to counter it. As lucky as they were in their first seven contests (four wins by a single score), they were devastatingly unlucky in the final five. It was a settling of accounts, if you will. Continue reading →

ACC’s Week 6 Lessons

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Lucky for Clemson, no long-term injury for Tajh Boyd this week

Each Sunday night/Monday morning, we’ll list our top five takeaways from the weekend’s action. Here’s what we got out of week six of ACC football action:

1. With Tajh Boyd, Clemson is the real deal: While this was obvious prior to Clemson’s convincing win over Boston College, the collective gasp let out when Boyd was injured showed how highly regarded he is by fans around the country. Remove him from that lineup, and you’re left with a pedestrian squad no better than 7-5 this season. His play-making abilities have delivered whenever called upon this year — truly impressive for a sophomore quarterback.

2. Florida State may not be all that good: For the past three games, quality opponents have walked onto the field with the Seminoles, and in each of those games, Florida State has not shown up as expected. At 2-3, their defense is now suspect and offense seems unable to rally until it’s too late. There could be trouble in Tallahassee.

3. Wake Forest may be much better than expected: The mostly-unheralded Tanner Price has the Demon Deacons’ passing game running on jet fuel, and the offense has become a force to be reckoned with. At over 34 points per game, the team can hang with anyone — though with FSU faltering, their real tests may be yet to come.

4. Syracuse refuses to rise to the occasion for a full 60 minutes: Three overtime games. Four victories by seven points or less. While the Wake Forest comeback looks much better in hindsight, they still failed to show up for the first three quarters. Against Tulane this Saturday, the second quarter was a dizzying scoring display (38 total in the period by both teams), but SU only managed six points in the second half.

5. Pittsburgh‘s still Pittsburgh: Every season, Pitt has a game that says they’ve turned the corner. And every season, they lose a game soon after in utterly inexplicable fashion. This year’s team was no different. After throttling USF two Thursdays ago, the Panthers looked ill-prepared against the offensively-challenged Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and were walloped.

ACC Power Rankings, Week 6

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Will Clemson be running away with the ACC this season?

In these, the first conference rankings, I list the ACC teams, one through 14, as if Pitt and Syracusewere already in the league. Yes, adding the additional teams may seem pointless now, but wait until they officially join. Then it’ll seem like old news and we can get past that initial awkwardness. No, I won’t reconsider. On to this week’s rankings!

1. Clemson Tigers (5-0) (2-0): The Tigers have already beaten the two teams everyone thought would be the class of the league this year (Florida State and Virginia Tech), so I think it should be obvious they occupy this spot. Also among Clemson’s victims this season include those “other” Tigers from Auburn, who won won a National Title last season (at least until the NCAA says otherwise) and the Sun Belt‘s likely champs, Troy. Also, just two ranked teams left on the schedule, so I like their chances to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl.

2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-0) (2-0): This team’s put up 45 or more points in four of their five contests thus far, and currently lead the nation in rushing yards per game (with a staggering 378.2!). While the defense has been mildly suspect, the ‘Wreck are 5-0 for the first time since the 1990, when they won it all as the last team to take home a national championship with a tie in their record. Like Clemson, just two ranked teams remain on the docket — though one of those are the Tigers on October 29.

3. Florida State Seminoles (2-2) (0-1): No, FSU is not rated this highly for its dominant victories over “powerhouses” Charleston Southern and UL-Monroe. Rather, it’s their two close losses to top-10 programs Clemson and Oklahoma that have the Seminoles looking a bit better than most 2-2 teams would at this juncture. Saturday’s game against Wake Forest should be a better barometer of what we’ll see from the team going forward.

4. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1) (0-1): I won’t even deny it — I considered dropping the Hokies even further after Saturday’s listless effort against the Tigers. Admittedly, part of me has never dropped the grudge against VPI from their Big East days, but still — just a field goal at home?! For shame, Hokies. Good thing ECU‘s not joining the ACC anytime soon.

5. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-1) (1-1): Scandal aside, this is an immensely talented UNC squad that is tough to beat when they’re firing on all cylinders. On the minus side, turnovers have killed them at times as well, specifically during the Rutgers game, which should have never been close to begin with.

6. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-2) (0-0): The Panthers fail to play any ACC competition this season, so their conference record remains blank for 2011. If they were in the league this year, though? I’d bet they’d battle it out for fourth with UNC — especially if they perform anywhere near how they did against USF last Thursday. Ray Graham is an absolute terror. And I still say South Florida wins 8 or 9 games this season, just to further support how impressive a win Pitt had against them.

7. Syracuse Orange (3-2) (1-0): Cardiac ‘Cuse is trying to kill me this season. Five games. Three go into overtime. Another, against a FCS school, goes down to the wire. And I won’t even talk about Saturday’s horrendous effort against Rutgers. Say what you want about any and all of our tainted wins (injuring Wake’s QB to rally, the Toledo XP), but wins are wins and we face another potential one in Tulane this weekend.

8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-1) (2-1): Their first real test will be against FSU this weekend, but if not for some real luck on the part of my alma mater in week one, the Demon Deacons could very well have been 4-0 right now with a 3*-0 conference record (obviously for our purposes here, SU is being counted as a conference game). While I don’t like their chances against the ‘Noles, I will say that when you can pass the ball like that (314 ypg), you’ll at least entertain.

9. Virginia Cavaliers (3-2) (0-1): This is where it gets a bit ugly/muddled for the ACC. Virginia’s resume includes an OT win over Idaho and a three-point victory over Indiana. So needless to say, some real work to be done here in terms of quality wins. Chances are the party won’t be starting against Georgia Tech this weekend, as the Cavs may get run right off the field to the tune of 50+ points scored by Tech.

10. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (2-2) (0-1): Should we give them a break for having so many suspended players for the first game against Maryland? But then what of the poor play when they were at full strength? Also, when discounting the value of the Ohio State win (really not a lot going on in Columbus this season), it’s tough to see this team as any more than a 7-5 squad (at absolute best).

11. Maryland Terrapins (2-2) (1-0): Maryland sits at #11 for several reasons. Besides the aforementioned win over a ravaged-by-suspensions Miami team, Maryland also got SMOKED by Temple two weeks ago. Plus, those uniforms are horrendous. For everyone’s sake, let’s leave those on the drawing board from now on.

12. Duke Blue Devils (3-2) (1-0): Normally, losing to a FCS squad would be an automatic trip to the basement of completely subjective, arbitrary rankings like these. Lucky for Duke, they’re the only school of the bottom three with wins over FBS schools, so they get the nod. It seems the Blue Devils are doing just enough right to get by thus far, but can they get three more wins out of that strategy? I simply don’t think so.

13. North Carolina State Wolfpack (2-3) (0-2): The Wolfpack got absolutely shelled by Cincinnati, a team that frankly, won’t win more than six games this season. On the other hand, they hung tight with both Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, so there’s potential. Still, with both victories over FCS schools, it’s tough to put them ahead of many teams.

14. Boston College Eagles (1-4) (0-2): Apologies in advance to Mike, who’ll surely have something to say about this later in the week, but BC has been terrible this year. Unfortunately for them, three more ranked opponents and a potentially hungry Notre Dame squad await them. Might as well put this one in the books already.