Offense
Defense
Special Teams
Note: Depth Chart provided by Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post via his Twitter @mattyports
Brief Observations
There were a few surprises in this depth chart. Offensively, the big surprise was a forced change as Gus Edwards was lost for the season with injury. That resulted in Joe Yearby and Mark Walton earning the co-starter job, while Trayone Gray is the 3rd and final RB on the roster.
The defense, however, is where the shocks manifested. First, the Canes, after 4 years, finally threw off the guise of a team running a 4-3 and went ahead and listed out as a 3-4. But the big story isn’t who is starting, but who isn’t. Chad Thomas, Tyriq McCord, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Rayshawn Jenkins are all listed as backups, and Deon Bush is only a co-starter. This will be worth monitoring as the season proceeds, given that the Canes notoriously release depth charts that aren’t exactly “real,” for lack of a better term.
5 QUESTIONS ON THE 2015 MIAMI HURRICANES
Question 1: Much of the success of this season will rest on Brad Kaaya’s shoulders. How do you think he’ll fair this year?
Clarke: Really, really well. Thinking otherwise would seemingly discredit how well he performed last season, given the fact that he was only on campus for a couple of months before winning the starting job. Yes, he has lost some key weapons in Dorsett, Duke, and Walford. But it’s not like he is on an island. Miami has highly recruited players in droves at every skill position. With another year in the system, and more confidence in his role as a team leader, I believe Kaaya can be one of the best 5-10 QBs in the country this season.
Thomson: He may legitimately be the “savior” of this football program. Yes, that is completely unfair to put on the shoulders of a 19 year old true sophomore playing the most difficult position in football, but that is his ceiling. There are plenty of things outside his control – a young/inexperienced OL, replacing all key skill positions – but you typically see a big leap in play from year 1 to year 2, which should be enough to overcome those losses. Ultimately, I think Kaaya has a coming out party and cements himself as a legit first round pick heading into his junior year.
Parasuraman: It’s going to be tough on Kaaya. There is a ton of talent on this offense, but replacing so much of it at once is always difficult. Probably the most glossed over issue is the offensive line. They were outstanding most of last year, but are now an unknown. More than anything else, Kaaya’s production will be dependent on how the offensive line gels. A good OL will give him time to throw and open up lanes for the running backs. But poor OL play will short circuit the entire offense. I expect a rocky start, but for Kaaya to grow into this new role as offensive leader and put up similar numbers to last year, with much of his damage coming at the business end of the season.
Question 2: For years we’ve complained about the use of talent on the defensive line. The Canes finally have a new DL coach, Randy Melvin. He comes with an impressive resume. Does this give you hope that the talent on the DL will be deployed properly?
Clarke: I do think the defensive line will be deployed differently, perhaps more aggressive, but I don’t necessarily think that’s because of a new DL coach. Golden and D’Onofrio can disregard it all they like, but the noise from fans and former players definitely made them shift into a slightly more aggressive front as the season progressed. I would expect that to continue into this season. Guys like Chad Thomas, Quan Muhammed, and Tyriq McCord have an elite skill – getting to the quarterback. I expect that they will be utilized more in that fashion this season than they have before.
Thomson: No. I think the DL we have on the roster will have improved technique and be coached at a better degree of instruction than what they have received in years. However, I do not think this will translate into the type of production that fans expect of a Miami Hurricanes defensive line, nor the type of aggression great defensive lines of years past exhibited. Now, at some point, having more talent than everyone else (or most other teams) can overcome poor scheme/playcalling, but I do not see it translating to the level it should.
Parasuraman: It can’t hurt. This is one change we’ve all be calling for, as we armchair critique stance and technique. My one concern is that he does have a year under Al Golden in the past, and frankly, I wanted someone that was untainted. With that said, the defensive line’s efficacy will largely be based on what they are allowed to do. The players are raving about Melvin in practice, but we’ve heard that before. Overall, this will have a positive impact, but not a program changing impact.
Question 3: Which player do you think will surprise the most with their production?
Clarke: Joe Yearby. Maybe this is a copout answer, because he’s the most talented returning running back the ‘Canes have. But he’s mostly been penciled in behind Gus Johnson since the Spring. It’s evident that he has bulked up significantly, and while he might not have the explosiveness that Duke had (not many do), I expect by season’s end, he’s getting the bulk of the carries.
Note: This was written before Al Golden announced Gus Edwards season ending injury.
Thomson: Rashawn Scott. It seems the trend of the past 6 years to see a somewhat unexpected veteran wide receiver to have a big year for Miami on their way out the door. Guys like Hankerson and Streeter, Hurns and Dorsett. While Stacy Coley has the talent to have a big year (which I think he will), a guy like Rashawn Scott should benefit as well. While I do not think he will get to 1000 yards, anything approaching 800 yards would be a fantastic year by the complimentary wide receiver.
Parasuraman: Stacy Coley. After a down year, I expect him to explode again. He might be listed as the slot receiver, but with Dorsett gone, the Canes should be targeting Coley as the big play guy. And we saw his freshman year that when he gets the ball in his hands, he is as explosive as any Cane player we’ve seen recently. Miami is down most of their play makers from last year, which is a perfect opportunity for the re-emergence of Stacy Coley.
Question 4: What is the one thing that needs to most improve for the Canes to win 10 games this season (be more specific than head coach)?
Clarke: Third down performance, on both sides of the field. Miami was very feast or famine last season, relying on big plays from Phillip Dorsett and Duke Johnson to rack up points in a hurry. Sustaining drives was a constant struggle, and something James Coley has to improve on this season. Similarly, the ‘Canes defense, while improved as a whole, still struggled too much on 3rd down. Opponents converted on more than 40% of 3rd downs, which put Miami at 72nd in the nation.
Thomson: Coaching style. Adam nailed the specific area that needs to be fixed in order to win 7 games (much less 10) because third down performance absolutely killed this team last year on both sides of the ball. But specifically, coaching style needs to be addressed. Recruiting misses or not, the talent level on this team is pretty damn high, especially compared to the rest of the ACC. Unfortunately, the edict from the top down has to try to play mistake free football and slow down the game. This forces you to be perfect, and when you fail to be perfect, leaves you open for exploitation. The Georgia Tech game a year ago is a perfect example of this. This team needs to be let loose, with the understanding that the more opportunities we have for our superior athletes/talent to play at that level, the better. Unfortunately, the coaching style has been about preservation, both of self and friends on the coaching staff, and that has led to disastrous results. Perhaps being on the hot seat opens this team up in 2015.
Parasuraman: The return game. I agree with JT, the solution is to fix the style. But let’s be real…it ain’t happening. With Miami’s preferred method of playing a slow pace and milking the clock, while deploying a bend but don’t break defense, the importance of the ability to generate big plays is magnified. In a game of less than 10 offensive possessions, something the Canes have played several times over the last 4 years, one big return can win a game. Unfortunately, we saw Miami on the other side of that last year against Louisville. But it’s only a matter of time before the Canes have an explosive return game. The athletes are here. And the return game is one of the few methods to create in game separation on a consistent basis while also sticking to the Canes style of play.
Question 5: Do you think the Canes can actually get something out of the return game this year?
Clarke: I don’t recall seeing anything about Al Golden delegating special teams to anyone else this offseason. So based on past results – no, not really.
Thomson: Yes. It is basically impossible for any team, much less a team with Miami’s talent, to have the kind of return game “results” the 2014 Canes had, so improvement has to be on the way by virtue of sheer luck. Now, on some level, the return game has changed due to the increased ability of opposing kickers/punters – just looking at the results from a year ago, there are some big names that struggled in this aspect, too (Oregon, Alabama, UNC, Auburn, FSU, UF, etc…) but at the same time, I would hope that when there is an opportunity, we will see someone break one to help out the field position game as well.
Parasuraman: Despite my last answer, no. Too much slop on the team in general has repeatedly infected the special teams. They talk about it the importance of special teams, but that appears to be only token noise. If they emphasized it, you would think it would have been corrected in the last 4 years.
Game by Game Analysis
Miami opens the season by hosting Bethune Cookman. There was a dark time in Bethune Cookman football history when they would routinely get blown out by everybody, but Coach Brian Jenkins turned that around, leading the Wildcats to 4 MEAC Championships in 5 years. Unfortunately, Jenkins has left for Alabama State, leaving the program in the hands of former assistant Terry Sims. From a talent perspective, Miami is obviously the better team, but you should expect the Wildcats to play with nothing to lose here – which will likely keep things interesting for a bit if Miami sleep walks through a season opener. One thing to look for here is the success of Bethune Cookman’s offense. The offense is a shotgun spread, but designed to churn up yards on the ground – something that Miami has notoriously struggled with for years. If the Wildcats are successful in moving the football, the warning bells should be ringing for the rest of 2015.
Curiously enough, Miami agreed to play a “road” game against Florida Atlantic. I generally do not have a problem with traveling to play in-state games against anyone, but I am not a fan of playing on Friday nights – leave that for high schools, especially in our state. That aside, FAU is still recovering from the effects of Carl Pelini, but the second year under Charlie Partridge has left some Owls’ supporters optimistic. There has even been some banter about this being a possible “upset” game – but let’s end all talk of that right now. This is the second game designed to get Miami ready for Nebraska, and while that could lead to some overlooking of FAU, the talent gap is still very significant in favor of Miami. FAU will replacing most of its skill position players on offense, except for QB Jaquez Johnson who is another dual threat. Defensively, FAU has some returning talent, but even a young Canes OL will have a significant size advantage. This one should be over early as well.
The first true test of the season sees Nebraska return the home-and-home series and make the trip to South Florida. Bo Pelini was fired at the conclusion of 2014 for winning 9 games once again, which he achieved for all 7 years of his tenure. However, expectations are high at Nebraska, and failing to get over the hump on the field (and perhaps some behind the scenes events as well) ultimately led to his dismissal. Interestingly, Nebraska hired former Oregon State coach Mike Riley, whom many people thought was destined to finish his coaching days in Corvallis. Riley runs a pro-style offense, which will be something of a change of the varieties of the option Nebraska has been associated with over the years. Nebraska returns QB Tommy Armstrong, who with RB Ameer Abdullah and a dominant OL, ran all over Miami a year ago. Beneficial for the Canes, Abdullah and three of those O-Linemen have departed, but Armstrong returns and Nebraska never seems to struggle replacing running backs and offensive linemen. While we should expect more passing this year, Riley is smart enough to pound Miami on the ground if Nebraska is having the same success they did a year ago. On the whole, this game is true test for both programs – Nebraska fans will want this win as a vindication of a new coach and a springboard to his tenure. Miami fans will be looking for any sign whatsoever that Miami has turned the corner in year 5. A loss here would likely spell the end of days for Al Golden.
Tommy Tuberville had a very respectable 2014 at Cincinnati going 9-4 for the second consecutive season. After the showdown against Nebraska, this game is positioned as a potential trap game for Miami, going on the road on Thursday night to a team they beat rather easily a year ago. It’s made more difficult with Florida State on the schedule next, which we all know is the circle game of the year for the Canes. But first, Miami will have to deal with Cincinnati. The Bearcats were led by QB Gunner Kiel, and offensively they rolled to a whopping 460 yards of offense per game. The offense returns nearly intact, with most of the OL and all the skill positions returning. The Canes better be up for this one defensively, or it could be a long, long night. On the other hand, Cincinnati’s defense was one of the worst in the country a year ago, giving up chunks of yards on every play until the other team reached the endzone. There’s no reason to think this really changes this year, as Cincinnati lost their best defender in Jeff Luc. Brad Kaaya had a huge game last year, and one would expect he’s licking his chops this year as well. Ultimately, expect a shootout on primetime for ESPN.
It should be a rebuilding year for FSU, giving Miami a chance. And, as much as FSU has owned Miami lately, when the Canes have had success, it’s been in Tallahassee. Also, the Canes will be road tested, with this being their 3rd road game.
The big question for FSU will be the starting QB. The main options are junior Sean Maguire and redshirt senior, Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson. Both have some experience, with Golson leading ND to the national title game a few years ago, and Maguire filling in for Jameis Winston when he had issues last year. Golson was named the starter, but by the time the Miami games come around, Maguire could have taken the job. The offensive line is also being rebuilt, so hopefully Miami can take advantage.
On defense, FSU has question marks up front, but Miami does as well on the OL. So whoever answers those questions will have an advantage. FSU’s secondary is veteran, and returns Jalen Ramsey, who terrorized the Canes last year.
In general, this is the most vulnerable FSU team that Al Golden will have faced, but it will still be a tall order to win in Tallahassee. Both of these teams might be heading to a finish in the middle of their respective divisions.
Perhaps Miami’s most impressive win last year was against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. At the time, we didn’t know these would be two of the teams that would finish last in the ACC Coastal, but it was a dominant performance.
The most prominent thing to happen to Virginia Tech this summer was when they made noise for threatening to fine players for on field transgressions. In a rare moment of competence, Miami AD Blake James responded that their coaches wouldn’t even think of doing that. But I guess that flies in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech returns sometimes hit but usually miss QB Michael Brewer. And with a full stable of RBs, they will be much tougher to just shut down.
If healthy, VT’s defense should be strong, lead by their secondary and all everything DB Kendall Fuller.
In general, the Hokies mirror the Canes with their inconsistency, so anything is possible.
Clemson is the preseason favorites, not just in the ACC Atlantic, but in the ACC altogether.
Offensively, Clemson is loaded lead by a veteran OL, with 3 graduate students on OL. They will protect Heisman contending QB Deshaun Watson. Clemson has several options at RB and WR as well. This offense should be one of the best in the country.
The Tigers are really experienced on defense. They start 2 sophomores, and everyone else will be a junior or senior. If there are injuries, that’s where you’ll see a massive experience dropoff, but when healthy, this is a tough group to deal with.
Clemson won the last 2 games in Miami, while the Canes won the last 2 in Clemson.
The toughest part of the Duke game might be the timing. This will be following a brutal 3 game stretch.
Duke themselves are no pushover. The Blue Devils are the best coached team in the ACC, but will have a bit of a rebuilt offensively, with new QB Sirk Thomas. To take pressure off Thomas, Duke will lean on RB Shaq Powell. The OL is experienced and one veteran target, Max McCaffrey does return.
Defensively, Duke is very experienced. They start a sophomore CB, Alonso Saxton, and the rest are juniors and seniors. This might be a bit of a role reversal for Duke, as traditionally they’ve leaned on offense to carry the team. But this defense will be surprisingly strong.
Duke was picked to finish 4th in the Coastal, one spot behind Miami.
Many thought a 1-5 finish down the stretch would spell doom for Mike London’s job, but he returns for a sixth season and might be the one ACC coach with a seat as warm as Al Golden’s.
The Cavaliers return most of their offense from last season, though that’s not saying much as it was nothing special. Matt Johns seized the QB position in the Spring, causing Greyson Lambert to transfer. Johns will work behind an experienced offensive line and has a number of highly-recruited skill players to help him out. Canaan Severin returns as a legitimate #1 receiver, and former 5-star recruit Taquan Mizzell will get the start in the backfield.
UVA was a very stout defensive team last season, particularly in the first part of the year. Injuries took their toll, but they return a number of key pieces this season – including all-everything Quin Blanding, who leads a strong secondary. The front seven will suffer, as they will have to replace top pass rusher Eli Harold and all three starting linebackers.
Ultimately, this is a UVA team that will be in the hunt for bowl-eligibility, and perhaps earn Mike London a miraculous seventh season in charge.
Larry Fedora is entering his fourth season in charge of the Tarheels, and unless he reverses his current trajectory (8, 7, and 6 wins respectively), it will likely be his last. Senior QB Marquise Williams leads an offense that returns a ton of starters. All 5 starting linemen return, as well as all of their running backs (though Williams led the time in rushing by some margin last season), and the top four receiving targets. If they can avoid injuries, and everyone takes the assumed step forward with another year of experience, this could be one of the most dangerous offenses in the conference.
UNC has struggled defensively under Fedora, so they overhauled the coaching staff on that side of the ball this offseason. In comes Gene Chizik to coordinate, but he has an experienced group to work with. The main thing he will want to improve is the number of big plays this defense gave up last season. They simply could not stop anybody from passing the ball.
UNC avoids Clemson, FSU, and Louisville in cross-divisional ACC matchups, instead drawing Wake Forest to go with their annual game against NC State. If the defense can improve to even just average levels, they are a contender to make the ACC Championship game.
The defending ACC Coastal champion returns as the media favorite to win it again in 2015. The main cog in Paul Johnson’s flexbone offense is the Quarterback, and Johnson has a good one in Justin Thomas. The rest of the backfield is gone, but those are the most replaceable parts in this offense anyway. There’s little reason to believe that the Yellow Jackets won’t put up big offensive numbers against just about everyone on their schedule. If there’s any real cause for concern offensively, it’s that they do not have the one tall, bail-you-out receiving threat that they have had for the last decade.
Defensively, Georgia Tech returns a large chunk of its talent in both the front seven and the secondary. It’s a small, but aggressive front seven that also brings back talented DT Jabari Hunt-Days from suspension. Overall, they were not great defensively last year, but with their ball-control offense, they didn’t need to be. That figures to be the case again this year.
Paul Chryst has returned to Wisconsin, and in steps Pat Narduzzi, the former Michigan State defensive coordinator. Pitt went 6-7 last season, but were 1-5 in one-possession games, leading one to believe they were much better than their record indicated.
Offensively, Chad Voytik will frequently be handing the ball off to James Conner, Pitt’s battering ram of a running back who rushed for over 1700 yards last year. But when the Panthers need to throw downfield, Voytik can look for star receiver Tyler Boyd. Pitt will be rebuilding the right side of its offensive line, as both their RG and RT (each named to All-ACC teams last season) have graduated.
Narduzzi will look to work his magic with a defense that wasn’t particularly great last season. They did not generate much of a pass rush last season after losing Aaron Donald to the NFL. Narduzzi built an extremely effective defense at Michigan State, but it took a few years for him to bring in the type of players that would fit his system. That may be the case again here with Pitt.
Here are the bowl tie-ins (via ESPN’s David Hale)
CLARKE
Most Anticipated Game
Only the most pessimistic of ‘Canes fans think they will drop the game to FAU, so we can expect that Miami will come into the Nebraska game 2-0. This is the game that likely dictates how the ‘Canes season goes. By all accounts, Miami is a more talented team than Nebraska, who also underwent a coaching change this offseason. A loss here derails the season early, and likely spells the end of Golden’s tenure. A win doesn’t necessarily mean the ‘Canes are about to go 11-1, but it might generate some momentum and belief.
Least Anticipated Game
Can we be done with Mike London already? Probably this fanbase’s most hated coach, aside from their own.
THOMSON
Most Anticipated Game
This is the game that I think decides not only the season, but the tenure of Al Golden. I do think Nebraska and Cincinnati are possible upset games, and if somehow Miami is 2-2 heading into this one, then this could get ugly. But I have a feeling Miami gets here 4-0, and then it becomes the fork in the road. This is a rebuilding year for FSU, which at their current spot, means a reloading year. It’s not that I expect Miami to win this game, but how this game goes will likely decide if Miami struggles to 5-6 wins, or potentially spring boards to 9+ wins.
Least Anticipated Game
Georgia Tech. One, I think Georgia Tech is going to be pretty damn good this year – which always frustrates me that a somewhat simple concept cannot be stopped. Two, if the season has fallen apart for Miami by this point, I expect Georgia Tech to put the exclamation mark on it by setting unprecedented yardage totals en route to a big victory. If the season has somehow gone Miami’s way, I expect Georgia Tech to halt it in its tracks. Basically, I want no part of this game and that is 100% on the coaching staff thinking they had a successful game plan every year against these guys.
PARASURAMAN
Most Anticipated Game
This one came down to opportunity for me. At this point, the Canes could easily be sitting with 3-4 losses. But Clemson, for a legitimately great team, is also schizophrenic. With the game in Miami, there is a chance for a big win. A real one. The 3 top wins of the Golden tenure have come against OSU, UF and VT…and all 3 of them ended up finishing at or below .500. There is zero chance Clemson tanks like that, so if the Canes win this, it will be impressive. Also, 3 out of the last 4 meetings between these teams have gone to OT, so we might get a classic.
Least Anticipated Game
Nothing better than heading up I-95 for some Friday night road action against the Owls. What in the hell is this? The Canes should win easily, but it will be sleepy and at times painful to watch. Get out of here with this nonsense. Never schedule like this again.
ACC PROJECTED FINISH
Miami was picked to finish 3rd in the ACC Coastal, narrowly edging out Duke. Georgia Tech was the runaway favorite, and should be. I have no idea where the confidence in Virginia Tech is coming from, but they were picked a comfortable second.
GAME BY GAME SCHEDULE ODDS
Miami -39.5 over Bethune Cookman
Miami -16.5 over Florida Atlantic
Miami -1 over Nebraska
Cincinnati -1 over Miami
Florida St -12 over Miami
Miami -3.5 over Virginia Tech
Clemson -4 over Miami
Miami -8.5 over Virginia
GT -1.5 over Miami
As of this writing, there is no line for Duke, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
EXPECTED WINS VALUE
Every season, we do an expected wins calculation. The concept is simple. Each of us will rate the percentage chance we believe Miami has of winning each game. Using those numbers, we calculate how many wins we think the Canes will have.
SEASON PREDICTIONS
The last section was math, this is strictly opinion.
Clarke
Look, the expectations are low across the board – Vegas, the media, and especially the fan base. And there’s a good reason for that, as this team and this coach specifically has routinely underperformed the expectations that each of those three entities have set each season. A 2-5 start is probably as likely as 4-1 or 5-0. But I’m bizarrely optimistic about this season. I even think they outmatch my win-shares number of roughly 8 wins. Miami has a QB it can feel very comfortable about for the first time in a decade. And it also has a combination of depth and talent along the defensive line that has been sorely missed. If you have a QB, and conversely if you can get to the QB, odds are you will be a pretty good team. Put me down for 10 wins, and then laugh at me when Al Golden is fired on December 1st.
Thomson
Eight wins, no division title, no conference championship game, and Al Golden speaking plenty on how proud he was of this young team to overcome everything. Vishnu writes 4353985 words on the easily identifiable mistakes of the coaching staff, and the double speak out of the man in charge. The administration is on board with Golden returning in 2016, until he takes the Illinois (or some other opening) job, leading the Board of Trustees scrambling for a possible replacement despite the fact that they should have been looking at potential head coaches for the past 18 months. Ultimately, they hire Mario Cristobal, dividing the fan base from the jump, once again.
Parasuraman
Ah, crap. I haven’t been less excited for a Canes’ season in, well, forever. The Canes look like your typical ACC Coastal team, which means they are capable of winning it or finishing in last place. But no matter where they finish, there will be at least one hopeful win, and one catastrophic loss. Even when GT won the ACC last year, they somehow managed to lose consecutive games to Duke (at home) and UNC, before recovering to win the Coastal. The Canes lack of resiliency the past few years (collapsing when punched down the stretch) would make that a remote possibility. My expected wins came out to roughly 6 wins, but I’ll round it up to a robust 7-5, followed by an inundation of excuses, manipulative statistics, and #SWAG16 hashtags while the administration pretends like nothing is wrong as they explain why Al Golden is in fact the greatest coach in the history of Western Civilization. Oh boy.
VEGAS PREDICTIONS
ACC ODDS – TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIP
Florida State +240
Clemson +295
Georgia Tech +600
Virginia Tech +600
Louisville +1250
Miami +1400
ACC ATLANTIC – TO WIN DIVISION
Florida State +130
Clemson +155
Louisville +700
NC State +950
BC/CUSE/WAKE +2300
ACC COASTAL – TO WIN DIVISION
Georgia Tech +200
Virginia Tech +200
Miami +525
UNC +725
Pittsburgh +1000
Duke +1250
Virginia +4000
ACC OVER/UNDER WINS BY TEAM
Boston College over 5.5 (+100)
Clemson over 9 (-155)
Duke over 7 (-145)
Florida State over 9.5 (+100)
Georgia Tech over 7.5 (-175)
Louisville over 7.5 (-145)
Miami over 6.5 (-145)
UNC over 7.5 (-145)
NC State over 7.5 (+115)
Pittsburgh over 6 (-165)
Syracuse over 4.5 (+100)
Virginia over 4 (-120)
Virginia Tech over 8 (-135)
Wake Forest over 3.5 (-110)
ACC MEDIA DAYS PREDICTIONS
SEBASTIAN’S PUB’S ACC PREDICTIONS
Clarke
So I don’t believe that either of these teams are the best of their respective divisions, but I do think they are good teams who will benefit from favorable schedules. In the Atlantic, while Clemson and FSU both draw Miami and Georgia Tech in cross-divisional matchups, Louisville will face Virginia and Pitt. I think both Clemson and FSU pick up 2 ACC losses, while Louisville gets through it with just one. And in the Coastal, I think it plays out similarly. Again, GT and Miami both get the toughest cross-division games, while UNC ends up with Wake Forest and NC State. If they can get anything from their offense, this could be Virginia Tech instead of UNC, for similar reasons (the Hokies draw NC State and Boston College from the Atlantic).
Thomson
Is this the year Clemson does not pull a Clemson? Probably not, but there may still be enough here to win the division. I am somewhat concerned about the departure of Chad Morris, but I do not think Florida State will reload without a few hiccups in 2015. Louisville has a nice schedule set-up, and should be good this year once again, but I think Clemson has just enough to win a competitive division. On the other side, the winner of the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech game wins this division. Georgia Tech has a more difficult run of the schedule, drawing FSU and Clemson, but Virginia Tech will struggle at times as well. Ultimately, I think defensively they will be good enough to stop Georgia Tech, and 5 conference wins will be enough to win a crazy tie-breaker of some sort.
Parasuraman
UNC’s easier schedule played a huge role in my prediction here. To be honest, Georgia Tech is the best team, but they have the toughest schedule, which brings them down a notch. There is nothing much separating North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Miami, Pittsburgh and Duke. So I went with the Tar Heels based on schedule. Basically anyone can win the Coastal but Virginia. It won’t really matter. The ACC Coastal stinks, and whoever rises to the top can be crowned Kings of Mediocrity before Clemson, clearly the best team in the ACC, craps on them in the Championship Game.
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