Welcome to the solid verbal hull. That for me. I'm a man, I'm forty. I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.
You want to be happy for a day?
Edith Steak is that woo woom? And Dan and Tie welcome back to the solid verbal boys and girls. My name is Ty Hildebrand, joining me as always over there in Chicago Land, the one the only mister Dan Rubinstein, Sir, how are you?
I'm good, Ty. I'm using a resistance band right now. This is one hundred percent true. If you saw the risk, all, yeah, I've got resistance. I'm doing some curls with resistance bands. Why well, I've been on the go for quite some time, and this is the easiest way when you don't have a gym, when you don't have weights available to you. It's I don't know if it's an next best thing, but it's a thing that you can do to work on your tone, on your muscles and tie. I'm just
staying ready. I don't know what the next few months has in store for the college well season, but I am staying ready. I'm staying vigilant. I'm keeping my muscle tone mediocre because if it slips anywhere beneath that. I don't know what to expect. We have a show to do. There's college football coming up. We're previewing teams. I am staying ready. Okay, that's all I can.
This is at least half the plot from over the top.
This is I'm looking pretty good right now, Okay, which I guess the ACC is as well, right, looking pretty good?
Right? Yeah, that's what we call a segue here in the business, and by business we mean the industry. We're going to be talking about all things ACC football tonight, if you can believe it. We did a big twelve preview a couple weeks ago, and then things kind of got wacky and went sideways and we weren't sure which direction all this was going to head. But the last here we are welcome to September. We're going to do our best to make it a September to remember Daniel,
because we're going to talk all things ACC. And then on Thursday we're going to talk all things SEC. And then I believe if memory serves, next weekend, the weekend after Labor Day, is when we're going to actually have some Power five games that we can start discussing here, so I'm getting ready for that. We've got all sorts of news that we're going to get through. It's been
very busy, very active, as you might expect. If you've just popped onto Twitter or turned on ESPN for any length of time, you know that there's a lot breaking in and around the college football world, which we can try to dabble into here without going too much into the nitty gritty because we do have fifteen teams to discuss here on the podcast.
I've been looking at social media less and I gotta tell you, Ty, it's pretty amazing. It's pretty incredible, both as relates to college football and world events and just people in general. I could not recommend it more. But yeah, I looked at it today and it seemed to be going in a number of different directions as it relates to another conference. But I don't know what's going to pop up on social media as we record this show.
It tends to change as we record shows. But I don't think too much about the Wake Forest defense and the Boston College offense and the Miami coaching situation. I don't think, actually I shouldn't say that about Miami. That changes sometimes on a time. I don't think a lot's going to change about those specific things as we record, so I'm grateful for.
That as am I don't forget. If you like the show, if you want to get more of our stuff, you can always subscribe. Go to solidverbal dot com. You can find all of our links there where you can subscribe on Apple and Google and spotify' s Ditch your Tune and all the usual hotspots any podcasting app you can find us on. Also follow us on social that's on Instagram, on Twitter, on Facebook, go to the subreddit at solidverbal
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Shall we get to the breaking news. Let's do it, Dan, we have breaking news. Maybe boo boo boop. Yeah, maybe is right. So this whole Big Ten saga around college football is just weird and nuts and truly presents as the Big Ten being left at its own alter in
a way, they pulled the plug on the season. The Pac twelve was very quick to follow suit, and then you know, no one else did, and that leaves us in this very precarious spot that we're in now, where it seems there's a lot of public pressure, there's some political pressure to maybe revisit that approach and see if the season can get off to an earlier start than that January February timeframe that we've been kicking around. Perhaps Thanksgiving.
Some reports coming out today it could be even sooner than that. So let's go through that, Dan, if you don't mind. We had a presidential tweet earlier today. There was also supposedly a call between the President and the commissioner of the Big Ten, Kevin Warren. The speculation was that perhaps the federal government would ship been some resources. The president said that the league was quote on the one yard line after the conversation that they had earlier
on Tuesday. Those reports have been refuted by many Big Ten sources. Dennis Dodd from CBS Sports still calling it a quote long shot. I've seen that reporting elsewhere as well, at least that time of recording, which is about five o'clock on Tuesday evening. The other bit that came out
regarding the Big Ten is this purported vote. Now, remember before we didn't know if there was a vote, what the deal was with that vote supposedly now and this is, by the way, as a direct result of that lawsuit filed by the eight Nebraska players, which I kind of dismissed, but it's interesting to get this kind of information, even if it's as a result of a lawsuit that may not go anywhere. What they found was that Big Ten presidents and chancellor has voted eleven to three to cancel
the twenty twenty fall season. That, of course, is due to concerns with the ongoing pandemic. The three teams that voted to play were Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio state Big Ten by laws do require that at least sixty percent or nine of the league's presidents and chancellor's vote in favor of postponing or you know, making any kind of decision here. So a lot to unpack. We've got politics interfering now to some extent with with sports. That's just where we're at. We'll see if that moves the needle
in one direction or another. And now we do have some clarity around the actual vote that did take place in order to postpone the fall season. Dan any reaction to any of the stuff that I just talked about regarding the Big Ten.
Well, first of all, other conferences canceled their seasons as well, but I guess it was the Big Ten whose coaches and players and parents have been the most vote cool and perhaps fans as well because of the size of some of the programs in the Big Ten, let's say. But I just sort of think it's wishful thinking and political posturing, because I mean, eleven three is like, I don't know, when Taiwan plays Norway in the Little League World Series, it's kind of a no doubt vote. This
is not a tipping one. Way or the other, and perhaps new information and new testing capabilities has swayed some of the eleven back towards the three direction, But I don't think we've seen any credible reporting to that sort of backs up that sentiment right now, So it seems like it's wishful thinking, it's political posturing, and the Big ten won't be playing anytime soon. I saw a good tweet from John Wilner, who covers the PAC twelve for
the San Jose Mercury News. I believe he said it's foolish to think like a fan, to think like a coach, to think like a player, to think like an ad when trying to figure out how and when schools that have canceled or postponed college football will go back to it.
It only makes a difference to think like a president or chancellor and the things that they are waging, which you and I couldn't possibly do, and I couldn't possibly think like a president or chancellor, just in the things that come across their desk and the things that they're weighing. So I think that's important to keep in mind because athletic directors are not in charge. Coaches are not in charge. Parents are not in charge. Players are not in charge.
It's important to remember who ultimately signs a number of these checks. And so I don't see anything dramatically changing our current reality, whether or not you agree with it or not. I don't see anything happening that will change our reality.
And again, just to circle back to something I said on the last episode, we have now officially entered into the territory where we've got fans making stuff up and sources of sources. This is the sources of friends who are interns. And you know not that that stuff isn't fun to muse over. I've enjoyed myself, but when it comes to actually trying to get the story right, just a lot of smoke here, a lot of steam on the story. My guess is it's not the last we've
heard of it. At last check, the Big Ten was trying to figure out what its plan was going to be moving forward. So we'll do our best to try and keep you up to date with that as news breaks, But at least the time of recording a little bit more information, nothing concrete with regard to where the Big Ten is headed next.
Are you saying you can't track a pandemic on flight aware? Is that what you are I am saying, pushing to all of our listens, I said, okay, I'm just writing this town.
Speaking of concrete plans, the SEC on CBS has released it's twenty twenty TV schedule. Hey, okay, they're going to try and play. It is exciting, right, I walk me through it. We've got an album, a Georgia game on TV and LSU Alabama game in prime time. They only selected six games. Now they follow a workflow to figure out what the other games are going to be. But the ones that we're announced here Saturday, September twenty sixth,
We've got Mississippi State at LSU. Good game. Game to start with the following week, on October the third, we've got A and M at Alabama. Could be a fun game. A couple weeks later in mid October, on the seventeenth, at eight pm, Georgia at Alabama. That's going to be a bigin. I'll watch it, ty, I will as well. Uh.
Two weeks later on Halloween. Oh, this is new math for me. So I see eight pm. That's eight pm Eastern. So this is a seven pm.
Seven pm for you.
Master God's country yep.
Three point thirty on Halloween. LSU at Auburn h Saturday November seventh at three thirty in Jacksonville, Florida versus Georgia, the Big Cocktail Party and cocktail party. They they've always called it that, the Big Cocktail Party, the world's largest outdoor cocktail party. For those of you playing the home game. Yeah. And then Saturday, November fourteenth, at six pm Eastern time, it is Alabama at LSU. That's the last regular season
game that they've announced. Of course, the SEC Championship would be weeks later mid December, mid to late December. That game will be covered by CBS, and it's played in Atlanta.
Did you see, and I know you didn't put this in our little document, did you see that Fox is taking big noon Saturday. And I think it's going from one to two hours.
Okay, less football, more.
Robstone crofton Meer, No, No, I'm just saying more robstone and Urban Meyer and Matt Lioner, Reggie Bush, I think Brady Quinn maybe. And I have to imagine they sold a lot of ads that need a place. Yeah, and suddenly a two hour show is some sort of concession that they needed a lot of Maybe I'm wrong about that, A.
Lot of goods going on in this college football season, correct, all right? Elsewhere, speaking of the SEC, we'll stay with Jamar Chase and Tyler Shelvin, two standouts for ls You both have now opted out of the twenty twenty season. Shelvin eligible for the twenty twenty one draft as a red shirt junior. Jamar Chase, you could argue he's the best receiver in the country. He confirmed earlier this week that he was going to opt out, and then Shelvin
followed suits. This is a pretty big blow for an LSU squad that was already down a bunch of their key contributors from a year ago. It's Joe Burrow, It's Clyde Edwards, Hilaire, you know, I mean, you can go on and on here. They lose their top two wideouts. There's a lot of turnover here. LSU was still well stocked.
They're going to be a very good football team. But you know, it's tough to go from a once in a generation type season and experience all this attrition and then just expect to kind of carry on as usual. I think there's probably going to be something of a step back.
I have only read the sort of very generic stories about Jamar Chase deciding to opt out of the season. I have not looked at message boards or people who might be in more in the know what they're hearing from sources of sources. I wonder why the timing was what it was because we see know Micah Parsons and Rashad Bateman and all these players have been opting out well in advance of when camp would have started, the season would have started, and now Jamar Chase doing it now.
I don't know why his timing was different. If it's just more thought, more consideration, unhappy perhaps with LSU. I have no reason to say that i'mhappy with LSU in the way they've they've dealt with everything in a new world. But it is curious that the timing because it sort of came out of nowhere, at least for me.
Yeah, and also how about UCF. UCF has had ten players opt out, Dariel Mack, some key defensive players. Yeah, so this means that Dylan Gabriel is going to be the unquestioned starter at quarterback going into the season. Dariel Mack was going to provide some depth there because Mackenzie Milton is still recovering from his horrible injury. And on the defensive side, you've got a cornerback Tay Gowan, a junior defensive tackle, and Kelly Davis, two projected starters who
are opting out. So you know, UCF's one of the better group of five schools. There's no denying that they may or may not have won a national championship a couple of years ago, depending on your point of view. But the one thing that I think we find pretty consistent all throughout the group of five is depth is always a concern, always a concern. To lose this many players is a big deal. So we'll see what it means for the UCF season moving forward, but definitely something to watch.
Yeah, and this would have been a UCF team led by a really strong defense, and not that they it won't still be strong, but yeah, this might be the best group of five school in the country. We'll see, but yeah, that's a significant blow.
You're correct. And the final bit of news that I have here, we have two starting quarterback announcements, neither of which is all that big a surprise for Oklahoma. Spencer Rattler, former top recruit for the Oklahoma Sooners, comes in with very high regard. This is interesting because, as we said on our Big twelve previews show, Lincoln Riley's always been in the situation where he's been inheriting a previous quarterback
or dealing with the transfer. So now we've got Spencer Ratler, this is his first home grown quarterback at Oklahoma, we'll see how he does. And at Florida State we got James Blackman, who we're going to talk a little bit about on tonight's show is preview. All things acc no big surprise, and I think there's a chance he could be challenged for that spot at some point in the near future, but at least to start the season, it's going to be Blackman.
He's a red shirt junior, I believe. And also, no matter what happens this fall, the NCAA is going to be forgiving about eligibility with players. So there's a good chance I'll have three to four more children before James Blackman out of college football. It's incredible, I really and we can get to this. I really hope he finishes his college football career better than it seems to have started.
It's been rocky and he's had to work through a lot. So we wish him well and we'll get to some of our deeper in some cases darker Florida State thoughts here momentary? All right, anything further that you have on your radar?
I don't think so. I everything is such a bummer. I want to talk about fun, good football things, all.
Right, So I've got sounds that I could play. Why don't we play this one as we get into all things ACC kind of gives that aura of mystique of mystery. Right, how do you feel generally speaking about the ACC? I know you did a ton of research. Yep. One thing that jumped out at me if I could start this is probably the best quarterback conference in college football. Uh yeah.
Seems like a down here for the SEC and at the top. It's interesting. I think in the Big Twelve, if you look at what we presume Spencer Rattler to be what we know, Sam Ellinger to be what we know, Brock Purty to be a good chunk of the time, I think the Big Twelve is pretty interesting. We don't know health of Texas Tech. I'm not going to go through everybody, but yeah, in terms of proven commodities and experience and having a good sense of what these guys
can and can't do. I think the upside is pretty pretty nice. Any other thoughts, it's fascinating underneath the top team and a half I guess in Clemson and Notre Dame just the I don't know if it's the middle class this year that seems to be everywhere, but the upper middle class to me is the fascinating part of
the conference. There are chunks of teams that are interesting, like North Carolina and Florida State and Louisville and Miami, and then there are sort of pseudo rebuilding situations I guess still like Florida State in Miami, but also Virginius or retooling their identity on offense after Wally's derbyax own
Bryce Perkins do everything guy under center moves on. So no, I think there are there are interesting elements that are a little bit different because we've had We've had some teams bottom out after some recent successes like Syracuse and NC State and then teams like Wake Forest in Boston College seeing if new guys either on the field or on the sidelines will make some sort of appreciable difference or are they just going to be that sort of consistent element to the conference.
Well, Dan, it is America's Conference of Champions, is it? Oh? That's right, Parre you the ACC and let's start at the very top. Let's talk about Clemson. Let me ask you a hypothetical. Actually, i'll play this sound again. Why not? Yeah? If? And that's it? If that's bolded, italicized with little asterisks around it. Whatever you I can't even say it right.
Maybe a slab seraph situation going on? Whatever you're into. Yeah, IF is doing a lot of work here. But if an ACC team is gonna beat the Clemson Tigers, is it more likely in your view to be because of the situation they have up front basically a new offensive line, yeah, or a largely new full time secondary or is there something else?
Maybe that I missed? But where do you stand on that? Where is the weakness that could be exploited by again, a hypothetical ACC opponent?
We should agree that we either are or are not going to talk about the broader universe of things that can happen to football teams, coaches and players.
Right, Well, you're asking, are we or are we not permitted to talk about a potential outbreak at right Clemson, I think they already had that one, didn't they.
Yeah, there were positive tests and outbreaks both with students. I haven't heard a lot about Clemson recently, which I'm very happy about. Anytime there is an outbreak and then I don't hear anything that's good, that means there's no horrible news happening on a campus. So I'm happy for that.
So if we're going to agree that every team is susceptible in a way that they never are in twenty twenty, just because of circumstances that are new to this world, if we're only talking about what where is a team like Clemson most susceptible, and as it relates to on field things, I think it's the secondary. I think it's the secondary. For this reason, Trevor Lawrence, behind an average offensive line, is going to be excellent even with the
loss of Justin Ross. He has Traves Etn next to him, He has a slew of receivers that are going to be developed really well. As it seems every receiver at Clemson is because of Dabo Sweeney's pass and his ability to hire really good receiving minds, so I'm not really all that worried about the offensive line. They've also recruited good, They've recruited well there, so I don't think that's going
to be a big issue. Especially with the defenses. I guess outside of Notre Dame that they're going to be playing not a lot of scary defenses. The thing, I'm going to go back to what you said about the quarterbacks in the conference that to me is interesting. I didn't actually mention Virginia Tech was talking about interesting teams, and that's my fault because I think the Hokies are fascinating, especially with how they looked with Hendon Hooker who took
over as full time quarterback last year. So between what Florida State could look like on offense by November, what we think Virginia Tech can look like on offense, and both of those games are on the road, what we know about Dearic King with hopefully better offense, with Reht Lashley running things with some SMU DNA now populating his brain. I think the secondary, which has always been very very good under Brent Venables, which loses, I mean do on
every position group lost. Isaiah Simmons for Clemson. He was all over the place. But other key elements to this Clemson secondary. I think that's the interesting thing because it doesn't take much to break a couple of big plays when you have good quarterbacks and interesting receivers, which I think is a group that populates the acc.
So if I had to.
Choose between those two things, I'm gonna say the secondary. We don't have killers up front for Clemson. Even though they've recruited those killers, they're not established there yet. So I'm going to say the secondary. With the I would say high floor of some quarterbacks they face in the back half of their schedule.
Interesting do you think.
Andy and Book and I in book Ian Book is one of those pretty good quarterbacks who has hung with and or beaten some decent teams.
Is there anyone on the schedule you look at him and you say, I think they can actually exploit both in one game. They're good enough up front, but they can get some pressure on Trevor Lawrence, maybe change the rhythm there. Don't know if it's gonna matter because again it's Trevor Lawrence, but can exploit that potential weakness and also can blow the lid off the defense and attack the backside of that Clemson secondary.
There's no sure thing because I think part a the former is Notre Dame, but I worry about the latter with Ian Book downfield, because that that's what you need. That's what we've seen Notre Dame try to do unsuccessfully against Clemson and Brent Venables. So Notre Dame is as close as it gets on that schedule, just because of the depth that they've built up and I like Clark Lee as a defensive mind and how they've recruited on defense and the proven elements to that defense. But offensively,
that's the big issue for me with Notre Dame. So if they can ugly that game up, they can win a twenty to seventeen game. I just don't think they can win a thirty four to twenty seven game.
Yeah, I think that's fair Dan completely.
Okay, So I think that's my answer. I mean, I don't know if you have any strong opinions about Clemson this year, but they're one of the least interesting teams to me about the ACC because we just know everything already.
Yeah, we know a lot about Clemson, don't we. We really do.
Yeah, I mean, Amani Rodgers will be really interesting now that he's going to be the full time number one option out wide for Trevor Lawrence. I saw an article that was really fun about how he's doing yoga now, so he's more flexible than I think you had in mind.
Ti Amari Rodgers now getting the Brian Kelly treatment from the press.
Great, Yeah, did I say, Imani Amari?
Yeah? Yeah, Now, I mean I I'll just go back to what I said on the previous episode. They're a minus three fifty favorite to win the ACC championship and yeah, the next closest would be Notre Dame at five to one, and I think that's about right.
Frankly, Yeah, I mean, Clemson's going to be populated with special players and no other team in the conference can say it to the Tigers extent.
Where should we go next?
I think we should just transition easily to Notre Dame.
Okay, hit me.
So the thing that's interesting to me about Notre Dame, I suppose, is the Tom Tommy Reese tomoment. Tommy tom Tommy Yeah, Tom Tommy rees is interesting to me because Notre Dame has had a good, pretty good, sometimes really good offense these past few years, and it generally goes through stretches. You have sophomore Deshaun Kaiser year and it's
twenty five fifteen. You have the first half of twenty seventeen with Josh Adams dragging you know, Brandon Wimbush and some okay receivers forward and a great offensive line doing the same. And then the past couple of years it's been more efficient than it has been big play, which has worked largely for Notre Dame, but I don't think that aligns with their top, top level goals. So to you with what you're reading, with what you're seeing, what is what is the new element?
What is the twist?
What is the line squeeze about tom Tommy Rees? That's going to be different.
First off, we're going to talk about Tommy Rees. We need to bring back the resis. I'm happy that we can bring this back into our lexicon. Yeah, let me let me step back from that for a second. Just acknowledge something up front. This is an extraordinary year for Notre Dame football. They have joined a conference at autam necessity. But if I said it once, I've said it a thousand times Now I am so curious to see if this leads to any change of heart in longer term
around independence. If nothing else, it's one of those interesting quirks that we've been foreshadowing now through the course of this pandemic. But Notre Dame in a conference they step in now, I think you're right to bring them up after Clemson. That's where they fall in the official Vegas odds. They probably are the next best team in the conference. And this question around Tommy Rees is frankly a very very good one. It's something that I've been trying to
figure out the answer to all off season. The truth here is that Reees steps into a pretty good situation. It's the first time and Brian Kelly's eleven year tenure that he'll have a three year starter at quarterback. That's a big deal. Yeah, all five starters are back along the offensive line. They even bring back a sixth guy, a rotation guy, so there's there's some depth there. There's
a lot of experience. That's a great starting point. Job Number one is assembling the passing game in a way that is far less predictable, and it's not going to be easy. Their top four pass catchers are all gone, Chase Claypool's not going to be out there like jumping out of the stadium making circus catches. So you know, what's the passing game look like? That's where I go first with Reese. What can you do?
This is col Comet gone, cole Comet's gone? Okay? Do they have another six to eight dependable tight end waiting? Tommy Tremble, Oh good name.
Not six to eight. But they've got options. They've always got options at tight end. The wide receiving core, though, is a real unknown quantity, a lot of potential, but we just we don't know. We've got guys who are all similarly built in Brayden, Lenzay and Lawrence Key's the third all in the five ten, five eleven, anywhere from one seventy five to one ninety range. Explosiveness is I think something you look for out of a guy like a Brayden, Lindsay who was there Morgan?
I think, yeah, they've.
Also got to transfer in and Bennett, I'm gonna screw this up. Skearonic, scaronic something like that. Yeah, from Northwestern Big Kids six four more of a possession guy. So the wide receiving core to me is is where I think Reecee can do the most work. The most complementary thing I can say about the other skill position at running back is that there are good options or good options.
So Reese will have guys to work with. And I like Jafar Armstrong, but he's been snake bitten, and so is Jamiir Smith, and who knows about Chris Tyree the freshman. They have options, right. It's kind of the same deal as the wide receiver room. Maybe more known quantities there at running back, but it's just like he's got to figure out how to assemble these pieces here and get this offense humming in a way that I think is a little less predictable. You used to be able to
call the players with Chip. It was getting to that point now with Reese. Hopefully he can spread the defense out a little bit more, use some of that speed more to his advantage, and see if maybe we can get more pop out of that passing game.
Here's what I want to know, ty and I don't know how closely you are tracking this every day. Are there stories coming out to the effect of, this isn't your grandpappies, Tom Reese, This isn't your Grandpappy ian Book. You guys are not gonna believe the bombs that he is throwing downfield. We're talking laser left, laser right.
He is gonna turn some let me head, let me say this. If you go through and read just about every preview, a lot of folks are chirping about how efficient ian Book was, and truly, if you look at his back half of the season, the numbers were incredible. Yeah, dodible numbers is a very good college quarterback, so you
can't take that away from him. But it does strike me as perhaps a little bit of a trojan horse in the sense that I've watched him throw the deep ball, and if he doesn't have a big guy who can go up and get it, a little bit of an issue there.
Notre Dame is still waiting to see if ian Buck can be both a gentleman in the streets and a freak in the sheets.
I believe that's right. Okay, otherwise though, I'll you know, just move quick through defense. I'm low key really pumped about it. Not a lot of big household names, but they're very experienced, they're very solid, with good depth. They're flushed with guys who have a lot of upside the name I am watching up front. I'm gonna screw this one. I'm right too, Adao, Gunda g He's really shown great improvement in his time at Notre Dame. I think he's poised for an even bigger year off the edge. So
the line as a hole is very solid. Secondary is going to be the concern. But whenever you've got Kyle Hamilton back there, he kind of covers up a lot of sins.
Great.
I don't see more than two losses on the schedule. I think it's Clemson and maybe a North Carolina or Louisville, but should be fine with Louisville. Yeah, should be a very good year for Notre Dame.
Okay, that's reasonable.
I left a lot out too. Okay.
By the way, as you were talking about it's a huge year for Notre Dame because they've joined a conference. They've long been fiercely independent, all I could think about was a trailer for a rom com in my head, like from a nineties like he said he was going to be a bachelor forever until and here we are in the intel face.
Let's move back to the Atlantic, and let's talk about Louisville. Okay, well their story in twenty nineteen. Oh, this is so dramatic. I love this. Sorry, I'm sorry for all of the good of an explosive passing offense, all of the bad, yeah, of the defense. What is the biggest reason you have now is we move a year forward that the defense can hold up its end of the bargain this fall at least sometimes not all the time. But is the defense gonna make them less of a half team? I think so.
I don't think dramatically so because it's it's still Scott Saderfield and his staff inheriting players. And you need really good players to have a really good defense. And or you need pretty good players in a lot of time with a coach and a system in terminology to put forth a really good defense.
I think you know.
The great news is what you talked about is that the offense is going to score points against basically this entire schedule. We love Mikhael Cunningham, We love to to at Well and Des Fitzpatrick. You know, probably a very top line duo of receivers in the ACC. They can run the ball. They have a couple of pieces big the literal big pieces to replace on the offensive line, namely McKai Beckton, the left tackle, the enormous left tackle. But what I would look for from this Louisville defense
as a sign of improvement. They're not just going to have all conference players at every level of the defense overnight. What I would look for is can they get off the field on third down more often? Can they turn
sixes into threes in the red zone? And the good news if you're looking for evidence proof, whatever, but a small sample size is Brian Brown, the defensive coordinator for Louisville in his year as Scott Saderfield's defensive coordinator app State in twenty eighteen, led a defense to amazing results situationally, both in the red zone and on third down. And so Louisville was truly truly heinous situationally and on giving up big plays, everything that a defense could do poorly
in twenty nineteen. Louisville defense basically did I think Lynn Bowden still running in that just shellacking from Kentucky. I think they'll be more comfortable. And it's not just the players learning the system more. It's Brian Brown, the defensive coordinator self scouting, seeing what he did wrong, what he
can fix, how he can better use his players. And if it goes from taking a forty percent I think they're at forty percent third down conversion rate the defensively to thirty five percent to thirty four percent something like that. That adds up because the longer a bad defense is on the field, the more likely it is they're just going to give up a touchdown. But if they can figure out ways to get crafty and get off the field after only giving up two or three short first
downs whatever, that's a big difference maker. To give the offense the more wiggle room, to give the offense a better field. That's that's where to look for Louisville, going from truly bad to just at times.
Okay, this is one of the more experienced teams entering the two twenty season. Seventy nine percent returning production on offense, seventy seven percent returning production on defense. But the defense is the real concern. One ten in scoring defense last year, one hundred and twentieth in yards per carry aloud, and ninety fifth in quarterback rating allowed. They they just need
to shore that up a little bit. If they can shore up their defense a little bit and if they can get just like marginal improvement along their offensive line, that would make this football team way, way better.
And the good news is Mikhail Cunningham is probably one of the five best quarterbacks in college football, especially with the limited number of Power five teams.
Mike, Hell, yeah, so that can cover up for a lot. I like Louisville. I don't know how much yet, but saw a lot out of Mikail Cunningham down the stretch last year. The stat that I saw from our friend over at Pick six Previews, he pointed out that just given the threshol holds for officially qualifying as the leader in a stat category, and you know, it can be sometimes a little bit weird about who qualifies and who doesn't.
But if he had thrown, if Michael Cunningham had thrown just one more pass, he would have officially qualified as the number two quarterback in the nation in terms of quarterback rating and number one in the nation in terms of yards per attempt. It's one more pass, It's all he would have needed.
Miami and pitt and back to back weeks early on, and then Notre Dame on the road, and then both Florida State and Virginia Tech at home, followed by Virginia and then they close out the schedule in I'm not going to say a nice way, but it could be a rougher landing Syracuse Boston College Wake, and they missed Clemson, So good for Lowville.
Where are we going next?
Uh? I guess we should go to another threat. I see them as a threat. I don't know how big of a threat, but I want to talk about Virginia Tech.
Ooh, the Hokies.
The Hokies, because I really do like Hendon Hooker and what they looked like when he was healthy last year he missed a little bit of time, but when he became the guy in Blacksburg, they became really impressive. The strange thing about Virginia Tech was the defense. Even with Bud Foster and his swan song of a final season, they were sort of all over the place in uncharacteristic fashion.
So are you.
Looking at a new defensive coordinator as a big trouble y question or are you looking at as you know what?
It was time?
It was time for a new brain on that sidelines, to get inside the lunchbox of Virginia Tech defense. Where do you lean that in terms of a change on defense and what it means for Virginia Tech.
Yeah, that's the operative question, right. Yeah, Bud Foster had been there in some capacity since NIKE eighty seven. Justin Fuente called him the greatest, the greatest defensive coordinator in the history of college football, and you know, I mean he's up there. He's very influential.
Yep.
To answer your question here, I guess I'm a little bit of both. I'm a little concerned. I'm also on the side of Fuente needing to get kind of like the last remnant of the Beamer era out just to kind of move the program forward more in his own image. Now, the caveat here is that Justin Hamilton takes over, and you know, he's a young guy, he's thirty seven, but he was a Bud Foster understudy, promoted from he was promoted from within. Yeah, so I think you're going to
see a lot of the same stuff out there. The other thing that I point out is they also brought in Tracy Clays from Wazoo. Before that, he was with Minnesota, a really good defensive coach who I think we both like a lot. He's going to help because the assistants around Bud Foster at the time, they are all gone now too, so they bring in Tracy Clays to help Justin Hamilton. Out Look, most of the team is back here, Dan.
It does hurt that Caleb Farley, probably the best returning defensive back in the ACC before he opted out, is obviously not going to be on the team, So that I think is gonna leave a mark. But the back seven still pretty loaded. The linebacking corps is entirely intact. I've got questions about the defensive line, but I really feel like there is a high floor for this team on defense. Let's go back to Hendon Hooker though, ok a second, I'm okay with the defense. I think they're
gonna be fine. It might take a little bit for Justin Hamilton to find his groove, but enough back there that I think they're gonna be okay. Okay. Hendon Hooker had such an impact when he took over in late September. Remember last year was supposed to be a cutoff of the Ryan Willis album, Right, we're all excited about Ryan Willis. Okay, But the tech offense after Hendon Hooker got in there was fourteen points better the difference good number points. That's
a lot of freaking points. The difference was his mobility. It just it like added another layer to that offense, more zone Reid stuff. They found a way to keep the defense off balance. A lot of design power runs too for the quarterback because he's a big kid, like he's out there trucking guys. So him coming in added a new dimension to this offense. It certainly gave Virginia Tech a different angle to play things on the offensive side.
And I think now as we move forward, after Hooker had that year, you take into account a running back room that is that is also very interesting. Now, they had de Sean mccleae leave early for the NFL, and it seemed like Kishan King was going to be the heir apparent. But Tech, playing the same game as everyone else, goes out and they pick up two transfers, one of which is Khalil Herbert from Kansas, the other of which is Raheem Blackshear from Rutgers, who just today was given
immediate eligibility. And so now suddenly we've got King in there, We've got Herbert, and we've got black Shear. Different kinds of running backs right, like Herbert's more power, black Sheear's smaller and more nimble. We've also got a guy like a Marco Lee who transferred in a big kid. I only bring all this up because Tech has this long tradition of having a good rushing attack, and it feels like an eternity since we had anything dependable back there.
I am so curious to see now, knowing that Hendon Hooker had a good year, that he's mobile, that you can do different stuff with him. You've got different kinds of running backs now. I would be very curious to see if the new look Virginia Tech team with Hendon Hooker finds a way to utilize that. I know that obviously Justin Falente made his mark as like this guy
who likes to air it out. But he suddenly has a quarterback who can do things with his legs in a really powerful way, and with the depth that they have at running back. I don't know. I'm just very curious. I might be more interested in both of the Virginia teams this year in twenty twenty than any other teams in the ACC.
Two running backs have gone over a thousand yards in the last decade for Virginia Tech. Now the game has evolved to the point where what you can do through the air seems to be more important, and how you use a running back in a versatile way is where football is right now. I did not realize it got so awful in the backfield in terms of consistent production. Trevon McMillan and David will Seevid Wilson, yep, mister backflip himself.
So it'd be nice for Hendon Hooker to keep defenses honest in a way that not a lot of recent And we've had some some I think pretty decent Virginia Tech quarterbacks in recent years. I mean Logan Thomas had his moments, and I know I'm forgetting somebody who was Who's the JC guy from just a couple of years ago. I mean, Josh Jackson came in, but now I'm forgetting his name and he left too early. But draw Evans,
draw Evans. So I'm excited that I think Hendon Hooker gives them a higher ceiling than they've had at his absolute best. So I'm excited to see where this leads.
Did you know that Braxton Burmeister is on this roster too?
I did know that, but he did not get immediate eligibility.
I don't believe. No, the the final point here in Virginia Tech, I love the way the schedule sets up for him. It's sort of like a banger's only ACC slate, but it's space.
It's a nice schedule.
It's spaced out of a way that's not too crazy, Like they're at North Carolina and then they got three weeks before they're at Louisville in a couple weeks before they come home against Miami, and then like three more weeks until they're home against Clemson. The close out the year. From a scheduling standpoint, that's about as good as you're going to get with four games, all of which should be pretty tough games.
Yeah, they miss what Notre Dame and Florida State. Yeah, I believe in terms of the huge now ACC programs, at least for now. So Yeah, the spacing is really nice. The fact that they'll have an entire season before Clemson, and they get Clemson in Lane Stadium, it's wonderful.
Let's stick with Florida State since you mentioned the Knowles. Yeah, Okay, this is a storied program, Dan, and it is not lost on any of us that since Jimbo left it has very much been in flux. I have to ask the question, how much deeper do the Florida State issues run than, you know, just the offense. Like Mike Norvel, offensive guy coming in, I think we all expect at some point in his tenure he's going to be able to quote unquote fix it and make it better. But
we're in year one change in the system. How much more meat is there on the bone beyond just whatever he can do and gobble up. In terms of offense, there's a lot happening. There's a lot happening because it I mean the defense. For all the talent they've recruited on all three levels, the linebackers have been pretty bad. I don't think the secondary in terms of guys with high level expectations, have fully worked out to where I think Florida State fans and Florida State coaches of multiple
staffs have expected them to. The defensive lines interesting. Marvin Wilson is a name that I think a lot of people know. He anchors the line. I think he's expected to be on a national level, appreciated, and he's like a preseason All American or something. I think the defensive line will be pretty good. I think the defense will
be more improved. The big issue with Florida State, it seems from the outside from AFAR, is just that day to day organization and paying attention to detail that the Willy Taggart era and the Willy Taggart staff, they were there to recruit and generate excitement, but the unexciting stuff is what helps you win championships or what gets you to eight and then ten wins, and so that was
what was lacking. And by all accounts, Mike Norvella and his staff have been a lot more dependable and organized and detail oriented than the previous staff or whatever the end of the Jimbo era look like. So that's good. Communication at times has not been great, at least that's what it seems publicly between the coaches and players, but hopefully all of that is getting fixed for the season. I think they will be improved. They're going to it's not as even though Memphis looked like a much more
modern offense there were pro style concepts. It's not going to be as what at Gulf Coast quick screens and RPO stuff, and there's going to be a lot of RPO stuff in this offense, but I think it's a lot more pro style than at least I was anticipating. So James Blackman should be put in a position where he's able to have the scheme open up receivers for him, where he's not gonna have to throw receivers open or get it the ball into tight windows, things like that.
But as I've mentioned before, I'm at a certain point. Guy.
We've seen a lot of James Blackman, and what the James Blackman experience is is there are times when he looks really good. It generally tends to be against not so good competition and against the better teams and the bigger situations, he becomes less dependable. Throws that he should be completing by now downfield he doesn't. So will it you? Will it be a Mike Norvell. Kenny Dillingham is the young offense coordinator. He was born in twenty ten, Taie,
did you know that about Florida State twenty ten? He is ten years old. So he was at Auburn last year but was not calling plays for the Tigers. So he has a really good reputation in the coaching world as being a boy Wonder. So hopefully that combination of prior success and just a fresh start with I think their fourth offensive coordinator in four years means something. There's a little bit more consistency and just the terminology sings in quickly. He was named the starter. I think he
will improve. I think he is a quarterback with a pretty low ceiling. That's my concern. No, cam akers now to help them in the run game. They've recruited fine, not amazingly well these past couple of years.
I am.
I am confident by the end of the year will have a concept of what Florida State can be, but not what they are, what they want.
To be, or what they want to be, you know. I mean, you're right to say that recruiting has been fine, but it has trended downward the last three seasons and it needs to start trending back up. I think if they want to start getting on that path. You know, from a really high level, it's offensive line and quarterback. Those are the big Those are the big issues on offense that Mike Norvel needs to try and come and fix. The defense should be fine, should be loaded, but there
there's a lot going on at Florida State. It's not an easy job. It does extend off the field as well, so we wish Mike Norvel well, but it's it's a big rebuild in some sense of the word and not so much in others. Correct.
Yeah, it's gonna take time.
Where you want to go next?
That's a good question. I guess what. I'm interested in Miami. I am for sure interested in Miami because I have fond memories of Derek King. They are rivals with Florida State. At times they looked kind of fun last year, and at times they look like they were nightmare bad and forgot the rules of football. So, as far as you can tell in Miami right now.
Is is is it.
One side of the ball saving the other or both sides? Do you anticipate being equal contributors to hypothetical success?
Well, let me start here. That's that's the question. You got the right questions. Okay, as a whole, I really like Manny Diaz. I want this to work for him. He's Miami guy. What but it says, I know this is Brandon breaking news play. It was his dad the mayor. His dad may have been the mayor even though he went to Florida State. This is a team that went six and seventy year ago. Yeah, a good defense, a shaky offense. I don't think any of that was unexpected.
What got me, though, is that this team quit. They quit down the stretch. They beat Louisville by four touchdowns and pretty much packed it in three straight bad losses to close out the year. I'm talking if I you Duke and Louisiana Tech. Do you remember talking about LA Tech in the bowl game? You remember that conversation. I remember you and I were looking at this and we're thinking, I don't care what the point spread is, Miami quit, we gotta go LA Tech outright? We did. They won
the game fourteen to nothing. Louisiana Tech did. I don't like it when it seems like a team quits, so forgive me if I'm skeptical that anything is going to quote unquote work.
I don't like it when team scored zero, literally no points. Well, that too, I don't like that either.
Yeah, if we zoom in on the offense this season, I think it's the right move that they went out and got rhtt Lashley.
Why is that?
Well, here's why I think it's the right move because of the combination between Lashly and their new transfer Deeric King. Deeric King is a near perfect fit for that offense. So let's think of Cam Newton, Let's think of Nick Marshall at Auburn. That's like kind of a prototype for what you might be able to expect here in terms of steaming, in terms of scheme, in terms of scheme. All right, So I think I think this is a
good combo in order to make that offense better. If nothing else, it's gonna be much faster, tempo, much more exciting than the stuff that Danny's enos was doing last year. Bigger picture, like, if Rhet Lashley can help build Miami into the South Florida Auburn, that'd be amazing, That'd be incredible. Okay, I think the offense is gonna be better than last year. My problem is that the only other player I like on this offense is the tight end. Brevin Joe is the tight end Brevin Jordan.
Okay, I just don't know about Ratt Lashley.
I don't know.
I feel like if I were to hang out with Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt doesn't make me any better looking.
I don't know.
What he is specifically responsible for doing with SMU and Auburn. I know he's a Gus guy. I think he played quarterback for Gus in high school.
He did.
I just feel like it's some of the Gus pixie dusts and maybe a little bit of Sunny Dyke's pixie dust that's propelling his contract and opportunities forward.
I don't know. I think I'm not sure I fully see it. I think it's totally fair to come down on that side of the fence, and I share your skepticism. I do think that for the scheme that we know Lashley likes to run, Dearick King's a good fit for that. My skepticism is less rooted in what we think of him as a coordinator and more with the atmospherics of the offense all right. Outside of Brevin Jordan, the line last year was young and terrible and they gave up fifty sacks.
Mm hmm.
Most of those guys are back, but are they going to get better? I don't know. I'm inclined to say yes, but I don't think we're looking at like a quantum leap forward here, not with a new offense being installed amid a freaking pandemic.
It's I was gonna say, it's very rare with line play where you talk about a line being atrocious and then fast forward a year and say they're pretty good.
Yeah. I mean we talked about that with Penn State.
Yeah, I remember the other thing.
DJ Dallas is gone.
Yeah?
Can Cameron Harris step in and be the bell cow? Can he get two hundred carries a year?
Does he get his own offensive line?
Yeah?
Does he get a new one?
I he as good as a backup, But I you know, and then what's the receiving corps? Like, I don't know. There are a lot of guys who have potential, but there's no one that you look at the roster and you say, Aha, that's the guy. That's the guy who's going to be the playmaker. So you know, there's reason to like the offense. I think. I do think that the Deeric King ANDRHT Lashley Combo is good. But I do worry about the supporting cast. Defensively, they you know,
they lost guys to the NFL. Maybe not a top ten defense this year, but at worst case it's like top twenty five. Maybe we're splitting hairs. I just I have a lot of confidence in that partnership between Manny Diaz and Blake Baker, their defensive coordinator. That said, it is a huge deal that Gregory was so opted out. Here's a guy he led the ACC fifteen and a half sacks as a red shirt freshman, obviously projected as a first rounder in the upcoming draft. He pulled the
plug back at the beginning of August. So you know, I think still the defense is going to be the side of the ball leading the charge here. For as much as we talk about Deeric King transferring in, don't let it distract you from what Miami did on defense in the transfer market here too high profile transfers, we're going to say yeah, yeah, Quincy Roche from Temple and also Jalen Phillips coming in from UCLA Rashe had fourteen
sacks last year and number Yeah. Phillips is a former number one overall recruit from a couple of years ago. Sat out last year after surgery. But I think the pass rush will be really good. They got a couple guys that are gone on in the linebacking corps and in the secondary. But I think they're going to figure it out because the track record sort of speaks for itself, so a lot of words there. I am decidedly mixed on where I feel Miami comes down this year. It
is definitively an ACC bangers only schedule. It is at Louisville. It is Florida State, at Clemson, at Virginia Tech, and North Carolina, No Notre Dame. If I'm counting on an eleven game slate, I say anywhere from even in four up to nine and two.
Really, yeah, wow, I did learn Shack Quarterman. It's finally gone. Holy hell, that dude was so good for so long. Good for the Canes. Yeah, I mean at Clemson is never going to be a treat and they follow it up with Pitton Virginia whatever your opinions are of them. But yeah, it's spaced out pretty well, so I'm good with their schedule. I want to I want to jump over to your side of things here, Dan, Okay, can you tell me what the hell happened to NC State?
No? What? Yeah? I kind of can usually a pretty competitive program and last year they just they weren't. Has the pixie dust of being pretty good evaporated in in Raleigh, Like, what what the hell is going on with the wolf Pack man.
Well, first of all, I made an alarming discovery. NC State was much in the way Louisville was in the final season of Bobby Patrino. I think they were the worst team against the spread over twenty nineteen, where basically Vegas couldn't believe how bad NC State was. They keep they kept giving them reasonable amounts of points, and teams
just kept shredding them. They finished two to ten against the spread in twenty nineteen, so it wasn't quite where I forget if it was like a one and eleven and zero to twelve somewhere along there for Louisville and Petrinos last season, where just you can make money betting against them. Okay, Vegas has always underestimated how bad certain teams are, and last year was NC State. They were beat up in a number of places. Quarterback didn't work out,
defense certainly didn't work out. They replaced a ton of coaches, so obviously there were there were issues within the facility in terms of communication, what they wanted to do. It just everything like degenerated into a mess. I don't know if that was an Eli Drinkwitz thing where he was somebody who kind of held together that offense in impressive fashion, and when he left to take over at APP State
and now of course Maszoo, that things fell apart. My issue with where NC State goes from here is they hired a gentleman to run the offense that is generally and recently been fired when offenses haven't worked out. That's Tim Beck.
Can't lift arm or speak normal. Right. We've talked about the beck Meyer syndrome here correct many times.
I just when you are making wholesale changes to reverse a slide, I think you got to go with somebody who's going to energize your team with recent success and an interesting way of doing things. And I'm pretty positive Tim Beck must be a great guy because he just keeps getting hired for impressive positions. But it does it seem like the guy to take your program to a
new place. And that's what concerns me. I know there's a young quarterback there that they feel pretty good about, and there are a couple pieces on defense, but it's even hard to point to that. I just think this is it's hard to say, beginning of the end for Dave Dorn. But when we see wholesale collapses. It's very unusual to see. Okay, that was a one year blip and we're back to being and this is a normal
math year eight and four, nine and three type team. Now, maybe they get Bowl eligible again, but it feels like we are on the downslope of the Dave Dorn experience in Raleigh.
That's a lot of alliteration there. But was it downside of Dave Dorian? Yeah, oh, okay, I didn't even realize it the downslope, So.
It's it was a snake bit year. So I'm willing to believe in some sort of reversal, But I am not a I'm not a Tim Beck believer in terms of getting a team back to a respectable bowl with their offense and not having the talent of a you know, Ohio State or Texas to to bail you out of situations.
Let me let me stay in the great state of North Carolina here and ask about another team. Okay, Wake Forest, So let's talk wake You know, Dave Clawson has I think rightfully earned the respect of many around the world of college football because he's done a pretty good job at Wake Forest. He's taken them to four straight bowl games. The program is definitely more consistent than it was before
he got there. He's been really good at developing talent, apparently also writing up potential plans for a spring season before ye before you know, the ACC decided it was going to forge ahead here in the fall.
Yeah, he and Jeff Brohm.
Is there a reason to believe that this year is going to be any different, like noticeably better or worse this fall? Because I'm looking at this roster, I'm seeing a complete rebuild on offense. I'm thinking there has to be a step back. They obviously lose Jamie Newman, who's transferring out and presumed to be the starter at Georgia, Like where's Clawson at now? As we get into the weird twenty twenty season before.
Us Yeah, not to mention Sage Surrat, the All American receiver who was so so good before he got hurt last year. He opts out and is deciding not to play this season as he recovers from injury and prepares for the NFL. I like Wake Forest. So they return a bunch on defense that's highlighted by one of my absolute favorite names in college football, and Boogie Basham Carlos Sashim but Boogie Basham for those who know, fantastic ed rusher,
just really really strong. And they lost a couple of key players on defense that where rotation guys are started. Who's the other end opposite him? It was Kid carn But offensively, I like Donovan Green a lot. He came in. He was a four star receiver and he played a few games at the end of last year and definitely just look like a game breaking type receiver. They're fortunate that Sam Hartman, who was hurt, he is back. Even with the loss of Jamie Newman, Sam Hartman steps back
into the starting quarterback role. I think they're gonna be fine. I don't think it's going to be appreciably better or worse because they've reached the point where they identify pretty good players at most positions. They're soundly coached. I mean, essentially, what we're talking about is Dave Clawson gets his tires rotated, he gets his oil changed, he puts air in his tires, he vacuums his car. He's not gonna have the fastest automobile in the world, but it's dependable tie it's not
going to break down. And with where wake has been pre Clawson. The fact that you have a coach who's gonna get his tires rotated and his oil changed, it's pretty great. It's boring, and that's sort of what I talked about with Florida State, where the Willie era infuse the program with excitement and they're back and it's the old Florida State whatever. Wake Forest is just they're getting off the field on third down.
Ty, that's pretty good.
It's they're not great in the red zone, but they're doing little things consistently well. That if your program We've talked about this with Utah, but I think Utah is a better program and a better team than wake Forest. If your program is deficient in one to three ways, there's a pretty good chance wake Forest is going to beat you. And that's amazing. It's amazing to have in Winston Salem. So no, I don't think it's gonna be all that different, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I would point out that wake Forest opens up its season at home. Yeah, that's good. Clempson Tigers dan Ah. That is one pm on September the twelfth, so not Labor Day weekend, but the weekend after Currently Clemson is checking in with a thirty one and a half point line here on the road. It's a lot of points.
You'll have to listen next week as we preview that game, or whenever we preview that game.
That's right. I'm already looking at some picks here that I kind of like, but we'll get to that. We won't have as many games of preview next week. It's okay, you could probably get through all of them.
Where do you want to go next?
So you tell me, ty, I want to go back to the great state of North Carolina, and I want to talk about Duke and I want to talk about North Carolina.
Okay, North Carolina to me, I don't know. Just tell me about their rotation linebackers real quick. Just run through when to expect substitutions.
I know. I mean, if you want to talk about Chaz Surrat, you already know that I went through the universal Charlie to Chaz conversion here. But he's chuckles.
You gotta remember that, you two. Mac Brown, I think he definitely out shown my expectations. And Sam Howell, I mean immediately was really fun and ended the season. Really, I think it was what Temple that North Carolina shredded in the bowl game. So what is Yr two? What's reasonable?
What are stretch goals? Tie?
Yeah, that's a corporate term stretch goal for the Heel. Give me some stretch goals and some realistic ones.
Yeah, I mean seven and six in Mac Brown's second first year in Chapel Hill with a big bull win over Temple. They didn't just exceed expectations, they cleared the bar by about eight feet. So this was a very successful opening or second opening stanza for Mac Brown coming back home to North Carolina. You know. So because of that, the concept of what's realistic and what's not realistic, all
that kind of goes out the window here. The truth is there are four big games on the schedule, Virginia Tech at Florida State, home against Notre Dame, and on the road at Miami. Is it possible that they win all four of those? I don't know. I would say probably not, But this is a good team with a lot coming back. If they win all four, they're going ten and zer and they're playing Clemson for the ACC title game. Yeah. Again, likely, I don't know, but a possibility.
Shore I could envision a world of which that is possible, Sam Howe.
Did you just hear my son by the way, I did. Okay, good, leave that in there.
I will. Yeah.
Now he has a lot of North Carolina thoughts, but he's too young.
Sam Howe was a true freshman and had an unbelievable breakout campaign through for thirty eight touchdowns and thirty six hundred yards. Basically, everybody is back eighty seven percent returning production on this offense, including their one thousand yard back Michael Carter, two one thousand yard receivers in Daz Newsome and Diami Brown. If there is a better named wide receiver duo in college football, I'd love to hear it. Okay, the entire receiver room is back, not just the those
two guys. That is all in addition to five of their seven guys on the O line coming back as well. This is the twenty fifth best offense a year ago. By default, just with the very nature of the talent coming back. It has to get better. And that's not just because there are fewer teams this fall, but it has to improve I think by default because of that experience factor.
So I'm excited, Okay, I mean, they've recruited really well they have me background has done an exceptional job recruiting what they just pulled off the number one corner the country for an upcoming class.
Tony Grimes, Yeah, Tony.
Grimes, that's right. So they're going to keep improving. There's still some spillover, certainly from the Fedora era when things got a little bit ugly on defense, but they were still competitive at the end there by the way you were mentioning the offense and the improvement and the explosive factor of their offense. Can I ask you a question that's going to that might take you off guard a little bit.
But that's pretty much your role on this shit is it.
Does Phil Longo, their offensive coordinator, does he follow you on Twitter?
I don't know? Okay, does he follow you? Would know?
Well, I have no idea he did. I don't know if he still does. But the reason I'm questioning it is because if he follows you, and if you work in some fashion in college football, he will DM you. And and it's not weird or personal or anything like that. It's he just shares excitement about North Carolina football and shares social media graphics. Okay, And so I'll be sitting on Twitter one, you know, a random afternoon follow you July. At least at some point he did. I can check
and see if he still does. I don't think he does, because I haven't gotten dms from him anymore. But I'll get a DM and it's and it's basically, this is what it looks like to my eyes or what it sounds like to my eyes. Oh yeah, North Carolina Football fourteen days away, old brother, feel it a little macho man, Randy Savage there.
Didn't know if the little goes into that, But I love I.
Just he's marketing.
I like it a lot.
But it's really funny to get a DM that's like, oh my gosh, brother, it's North Carolina tarial football.
Can you believe it's He's a good offensive coordinator? Man? He is, he really is. He's got the air raid background. But I think I think in year two what will be an interesting little wrinkle to follow is him working in all sorts of other stuff with the depth that he has across the board. Like, just because he's got the air raid background doesn't mean he necessarily is gonna run all air raid. He's kind of good at varying that approach and using the personnel, and he's got it
this year, frankly, so I'm excited about that. Defensively, this is a team led by our boy, Chas Serrat, converted quarterback led the team in tackles in his first year as a defender in his first year. Can you believe it?
I'm ready. Yeah, I just he's so good.
I love this.
Yeah, I mean it's the Joel Lanning. We need converted quarterbacks to linebacker every season.
If we are.
Not mentioning a quarterback converted to linebacker, please alert us to this, because we honor each and every one of them.
The real question on defense is up front. I like Jay Bateman, but he runs a three man front. They're losing two good ones. He's going to need some youth to step up and plug that gap. So the question for me is upfront. I think you could probably run on UNC this year. But to answer your question, it's it's hard to say what is realistic in year two. Again, I could invent a weird reality in a very weird year where UNC manages to go ten and zero and
play Clemson for the title. I don't think that's likely, but I do think North Carolina playing Clemson for the title. Thank you, Phil Longo, thank you, thank you. I'm excited about you and see, though not excited for Notre Dame to play un see, I do you in chap Lell but yaw.
Sam Howell is one of the very most exciting parts of college football moving forward. For sure's every reason if you have a young, exciting quarterback, life is amazing. Here what the final record ends up as being, there's only fourteen teams that can say that or whatever the number is. So North Carolina, let's watch.
Them, Let's watch so. I think they are headed in the right direction. I do worry about their rival Duke though, Okay, tell me why I do. I do worry A really bad second half of the year last year, five and seven I think was the record. I think we'll know more after the season if.
We lost I think five of their final six.
Yeah, not a good A very very poor way to close out the year. And it's I think you look at the at the team, you look at the program, you wonder which direction are things going? I think we got a wait to hear here. You know. Cutcliffe, David Cutcliffe has gone to a Bowl six of the last eight seasons. He's obviously done a good job raising the profile of Duke football. It does feel a little bit though, like the peak of the mountain for them came back
in twenty thirteen when they won the Coastal Division. So I'm a great here.
Okay, So let's take a quick look. And I don't think you're necessarily wrong. They either lost big or tiny, and they didn't lose medium. In twenty nineteen. They lost by nearly forty to Alabama. They lost by three to pit No, not a huge shame in that, in a very strange game. They lost by a bunch too. Division champ Virginia. Okay, not amazing. This wasn't a killer Virginia team, But that's fine. This was not a bad Virginia team. They lost by a field goal at North Carolina. That's respectable.
They held down the North Carolina offense, got shelled by Notre Dame. They got shelled by QS. That's when I'm like, Eh, that shouldn't that shouldn't happen twenty nineteen anyway, and they lost by twelve, which I guess is medium, to Wake Forest. But there's no real shame in that. And you talk about their disastrous into their season the downslope. David Cutcliffe alliteration that disaster of a twenty nineteen was still ten points better than Miami, still ten points better than back half of.
The season Miami.
To give you any indication of where the Canes were in November, yeah, I you.
Know, that's all. It'll be interesting. Chase Bryce comes over from Clemson. You may remember that name. Deon Jackson is back at running back along with Britton Brown, who comes over from UCLA. May recall his name from Westwood. Three linemen are back, Devery Hamilton comes over from Stanford. Pretty much all the receivers are back. So the offense I think should step forward. It's a question of how much. Last year. I don't think there's much room a step
back time. No, well, right, that's the point. Last year one hundredth in points per play, one twenty five in yards per place. So they have to get better. Their passing and rushing numbers were just dreadful. I know it may take some time to break in a new quarterback, but there's just there's enough back that if there isn't a jump forward, then it's a deeper problem than personnel. Excuse me. Then we'll have the answer to this question
of which direction is a program headed. Interestingly enough for Duke.
Is Daniel Jones good in the NFL? By the way I think track?
I think I think second half of the year last year, Danny dim he's dying like he's a top twenty four NFL quarterback for sure. Okay, that's good for sure. The interesting bit about Duke is that the defense should lead the charge. I saw a quote that they're looking to run an aggressive attacking defense, which, of.
Course, yeah, well it was a pretty good The defense last year was not the issue.
Yeah, it was They're gonna blitz the crap out of you. They're gonna play tight, They're gonna hope you make a mistake. There is a risk reward element to that, and I'd refer you to the latter half of last season if you want to take a look at the risks. But the defense should be pretty solid. There's a lot back secondaries loaded. They are currently listed as a nineteen and a half point dog on the road at Notre Dame September the twelfth.
Just FYI, how do you feel about that?
I feel pretty good about Notre Dame. Okay, pretty good. Yeah, I hope for Duke's sake.
I mean, whenever you watch David Cutcliffe in one of those coaches Room broadcast at the National Championship of the playoff, he always comes across as very impressive. All of his peers seem to love him, all of his former quarterbacks seem to love him. It'd be nice if Duke were able to be more competitive and say, Okay, they're not nearly as talented as Team X, Y or Z, but they're scheming guys open, they're running interesting looks, and they
just keep moving the ball down the field. It'd be nice to have that Duke again like they like they were able to manage a few years ago.
So I believe we each have two teams left. And let me start with Boston College for you. Okay, they bring over Jeff Haffley, who did a good job at Ohio State. What is what is the most how do I want to phrase this? What what is the most like notable improvement or what's what's the biggest point of optimism. Let's say in year one of the Halfley era, as he comes over.
Frank Signetti turned Bill Stull into a stud very briefly in Western PA that may or may not have something to do with having Deon Lewis. Yeah, two thousand and nine, going from Pep down into the Well. It was the young Dan and Tye entered year two of the Solid Verbal podcast. Jonathan Ball was a matchup Nightmare Sea Crap. So the point of optimism is Jeff Hafley is another one of those types who seems to be universally beloved in terms of his intelligence, his personality, his effects on players.
He saw what he did with the Ohio State defense last year and certainly had more to work with with Ohio State's roster than Boston colleges. But I saw a lot of people seem to like his hires, that there's a good mix of steadier, veteran type assistance and younger, up and coming guys. I think his defense will largely
be okay, even though Boston College weirdly enough. I mean, they lose what aj Dillon from the offensive side of the ball, but on defense is where they kind of ended up as a nightmare, and Jeff Hafley I think will get things organized. I know he's the head coach now, he's not the defensive coordinator, but I think his defensive background will help to diagnose issues from last year. Die
knows where they need to recruit better. I don't think, I mean a team like Boston College should not be evaluated on what they do with this very strange condensed schedule with you know, not having proper time to warm up and camp is different to no non conference in the way that teams are used to in Power five conferences. So I am optimistic that the smart minds Jeff Hafley has brought in. You know, a couple of interesting receivers are back, and I think they're gonna be fine. I
think it's going to be an adjustment year. So my optimism, you know, with anything beyond three and seven or something for Boston College isn't really there. But I think there's gonna be nuggets. I think there will be nuggets where
they're going to threaten teams. They were competitive last year, you know, even as they lost games, I think what they had they battled it out with Florida State, they battled it out and beat pitt on the road, and you know, they got shellacked by Clemson, but that's fine. They beat a couple of teams they should have, like
NC State and Rutgers. They'll be fine. I think it was what Anthony Brown had a really nice game against Virginia Tech and he's gone to Oregon, which I don't know what that means moving forward, but it's going to
take some time. It's going to take some time. But I think my optimism lies and the ability for Jeff Hafley to get the infrastructure right in Chestnut Hill and move this team back to eventually a five hundred type team, and then, you know, in a normal universe, maybe like an eight and four type year, if everything clicks and he recruits a really interesting quarterback and the defense gets back to where it was, you know in the past few years before twenty nineteen.
Yeah, you know, a lot of young guys played last year. It seems like he could come in and make a mark. And offensively, I don't think they're going to be led by offense per se. But it's a good line. They've got, I think, a decent running back room, good wide outs, so it's not like the cupboard is bear here. He's going to have, I think, a lot to work with.
And they put so much aj Dillon, which I understand, but it'll be nice to spread it around a little bit more hopefully all.
Right, and let me close out I guess your Atlantic coverage by asking about the Syracuse Orange. Now, if they're going to bounce back to where they were in that enchanted twenty eighteen season short of the egg that they you know, laid in Yankee Stadium, right, what is going to get him there? What will be the driving force behind that?
I mean, it's a new defense. So they switched with three three five. By the way, they hired a defensive coordinator with San Diego State experience in that three three five. He then took the I think his name is Zach Arnette took the Mississippi State job, and they said, oh no, we still want a San Diego State guy, and they hired I think it was ASU's Tony whiteback's coach. Tony White was previously at San Diego State. They need that as tech blood in the Carrier Dome. It's probably going
to be the defense it is. You mean, we talked about quarterbacks and the depth of at least decent quarterbacks in the conference. I don't know how quickly they can come together with you know, switching defensive schemes and losing what they did on defense, especially up front.
Yeah, that's that's my question, you know, the whole.
And not having a real fall camp.
The whole purpose of this defense is to try and utilize more speed, and I like that for Syracuse. I think that's a good move for Dino Babers. It's just not the easiest defense to put in place, and it's going to take a little bit of time to click. How quickly it clicks is is I think very operative here. So I don't. I don't know. I like it longer term, but in a weird year where there's less time to prepare and it's harder to prepare and install new schemes, I just I wonder, I really do.
Yeah, I just I think they've got a problem problem. Like we've mentioned before, I think Tommy DeVito might be okay, but from what we we saw Eric Dungee another do everything type. There's a reason he had to do everything because he was not consistently surrounded by huge threats. There were guys here and there, games here and there, But I don't know. The offensive line was an issue last year,
so you can point to that there are guys. They've retained guys, But when you don't have obvious okay, this guy's back and he is going to be an issue for acc secondary so he's be an issue for fronts trying to tackle him in the running game.
Whatever.
That's a problem. And when you mix that with the attrition, the natural attrition, and the changes on defense, it just feels like a recipe for twenty twenty one.
Yeah, all right, that's all. We've got three teams left, all right on the coastal side. I want to start with your pit Panthers. I know you have questions about the Pitt Panthers. Dan give me one of them or that's pot of care. I did a lot of research on.
Pitt on Pitt. I didn't love the Mark Whipple higher. I had never really seen anything interesting for Mark Whipple offenses that that might just be a me thing. Can can they sprinkle a little bit of contribution dust into the air to help out this defense or are we talking about, well they better win thirteen to ten type year for the Panthers.
I've been I've been workshopping some sort of like cool Whipple thing, but you have not earned that ty No. I mean it's hard when your offense is one O nine in the sp plus. They need Bill Stoll. It's hard, it's This was an epic half team last year. One nine in offense according to the sp plus twelve on the defensive side, led very much by defense. Still a seven to five regular season. This is a team that gave up only seventeen to Penn State sixteen to Miami.
They lost both those games, but look, with just a marginally better offense, they could have been a nine to three team in the regular season, which is crazy. So the question is what happened? What happened to this offense? Well, keep in mind that they were shifting from more of a run heavy system to a pass heavy system. Like Mark Whipple likes to run. Sometimes you have the horses, Dan, Sometimes you don't. Sometimes it takes a while to click, and.
I think that's a greeting card. Sometimes I know horses. Sometimes you don't. Mock condolence.
That was the story of Pitt's offensive transition last year. It has to get better this year, it has to get There's enough of a returning cast here to make me confident that it has to get better. Will it be fixed? You know his fixes in the eye of the beholder, right, Yeah, But they've got some veteran leadership out wide with Taser mac aj and Vincent Davis are in the backfield, and potentially some production from their freshmen Israel Abana Kanda, which is a great name, pretty good,
good job. The line should be okay, and Kenny Pickett is back for year eighteen. Who knew. I think their offense has got to get better. It just has to. My only question on defense is the linebacker position. Otherwise, this is one of the best defenses in the nation. Really strong defense.
It really is.
Really good secondary. They're gonna be led by defense. This is what folks were waiting for with Paton Ardoozy to build this defense up. He's gonna have it this year. The defense is gonna keep him in games. They just need the offense to I think share some of that burn. From a scheduling standpoint, here's what I think we're looking at.
We've got two pots of games. We've got the tougher games against Louisville and on the road at Miami Notre Dame, on the road at Florida State, Virginia Tech at Clemson. Six games there, they're very tough. And then the flip side, we've got games against Syracuse, NC State, Boston College and Georgia Tech. Then there's a non con game that I didn't list here, But let's say this. Pitt's gonna lose
one of those dumb ones, aren't they. Of course, they're gonna lose a dumb one, and they're probably gonna go something like two and four, three and three against the tougher part of their schedule, and that's gonna make them six and five, seven and four.
They have America's team, Austin.
P Austin, pH We saw lose to Central Arkansas. Correct, So you know, I think this is gonna be a pit team. It's very good on defense, they have to improve on offense. They're still gonna lose that game that they lose every year. They're still going to knock off somebody that they shouldn't and they're going to go six and five or seven and four wearing the hottest uniforms city forums for sure. I love them, love them. Yeah, that's where a mountain pit. Okay, let's move forward. Let's
move forward. We've got Virginia and Georgia Tech left where you want to go?
Weirdly, Georgia Tech is more interesting to me. Yes, I agree, even though Virginia had a really nice season, and I was actually surrounded by Virginia fans down in South Florida in late December ahead of the Orange Bowl. But so everybody going into last year felt, Okay, Jeff Collins, this is a year zero situation. They had such a specific offensive scheme. He is switching things up and this year is just a transition year. This is just it's not a time for stretch goals.
Ty No.
Year two, after a pretty impressive recruiting class. By the way, is also strange for Georgia Tech. Given everything surrounding Georgia Tech. Sure, what to you if everything is reasonable and healthy and everything like that for Georgia Tech, what is an interesting reason to watch Georgia Tech in terms of more clarity than what they wanted?
No, that's a good way to put it. Three and nine. Last year they did beat Miami, but who didn't.
But what a stranch year.
Year two is when you start to see the sun peek out from behind the clouds. Okay, I think a lot of Tech fans knew what they were in for a year ago. The theme for Tech this year is returning production seventy four percent on offense, ninety four percent on defense last year. The coach has played a lot of young guys. They moved them around. They were trying to plug gaps just seeing who could play where. This is at the same time that they were obviously moving
away from the flexbone. So the passing offense was predictably terrible. Again, none of this was unexpected. Paul Johnson ran the ball eighty six percent of the time. Last year Tech only ran at thirty eight percent of the time, so a pretty big swing about fifty percent in the other direction. The other theme that I think is going to become a trend here is recruiting. And you alluded to it in the question. Yeah.
I mean, you're recruiting to a big city in the South. It's a good place to be, even though it's a private school in a little bit of a different situation than some other Southeastern powers.
And Jeff Collins is selling it hard. He is selling Atlanta hard, great city, He's from Atlanta. He's selling it as a destination, which I think is really smart. The early returns were there twenty sixth best recruiting class in the nation at the end of last cycle. He is going to build something down there. And I think we're going to see some of those freshmen step up and be part of the movement. And if you're a Tech fan,
great things to come. They're starting there, they're stripping this thing down to the studs starting over, and Jeff Collins is a guy who's got a lot of passion not just for college football, but for the area. He knows how to recruit that area. And I'm excited about that. Now, you know, again you have to temper that excitement with what I think are realistic expectations. They are still going through this transition. James Graham came in. He was the
quarterback who won the job last season. But Jeff Simms, he's a four star. He could get some looks. All the receivers are back, yeah, Jalen Camp and also they got Marquez Ezard, who you might remember from Miami. He was a prize recruit down there. So you know, it's going to continue to be this transition type thing for Georgia Tech. But it's not going to be short on optimism. I think he's going to have the team playing very hard. The schedule's brutal. It is, it's brutally. They went three
and nine a year ago. Don't be surprised that they go two and nine this year. Their non con game is against UCF, which is different now given the news, but I still think you Stf's going to beat them there on the road at FSU. They've got Louisville, Clemson, Notre Dame, pitt in a road game against Miami, So it's their works cut out for them here. It's still still part of this transition, but I think we're going to see more signs to be enthusiastic about moving forward
in year two. And I'm excited about Georgia Tech.
Games were a blast to watch last year and read about last year because it was like, all right, this linebacker is usually a midfielder for the soccer team, this quarterback curler from Norway. They just needed to fill it with somebody. Yeah, And so as they populate players in offenses and defenses with guys who should be playing in certain places, I imagine Georgia Tech is just going to.
Get full on, better, full on better, one more team here. On the Marathon preview of America's Conference of.
Champions Austin, p Now Virginia, I said that I compared Bryce Perkins to Wally Zerbiak, which is a very stupid and silly reference, but it's accurate because he had to do everything in the same way Wally Zerbiak had to do everything as a college basketball player.
Are there is there?
We're I guess we're big on optimism now right. We're always talking about teams and like, how what can they need to get better? We want we're rooting for you.
There's enough going wrong in the world. Let's let's look that's here.
Okay, walk me through the post Bryce Perkins whole situation.
Yeah, just walk me through.
Just let's take a stroll through the streets of Charlottesville. Let's grab an enchilada the Continental Divide and tell me what just a a post Perkins world looks like.
And let's grab a libation and toast friend of the show Bronkleman and haul while we're there. Could we that's true? This is a nine Daniel Beats enthusiast, A nine win team last year played for the conference championship. They were predictably killed by Clemson, and they didn't play a great game in the Orange Bowl either against Florida. But whatever, they have gotten better. Each of Bronco's four seasons in Charlottesville, and now we're at this moment where I think we
find out how good he really is. They lose some headliners from a year ago, including Bryce Perkins, but they actually return most of their team, which is low key something to be pumped about, and I think that will offset any kind of major regression. Still probably a step back year, okay, but there's enough coming back this year that it should it should temper it a little bit. And I think that's kind of the theme here as we look at at Virginia headlining losses but still reason
for optimism. Bryce Perkins owns a school record for offensive yardage, so his graduation, that's going to get the headlines. But the new starter, Brendan Armstrong Broncos, comparing him to Taysom Hill, who is really going to BYU even better in the pros. Yeah, so, you know, bad thing, but a good thing to kind of offset it. Another one offensive line entirely back from a year ago. Okay, not bad, but receivers are gone. But receivers are gone, but all the running backs are back,
so there's a kiis sure. Yeah. So there's just a lot of it offsets, I think, and the same deal on defense really. Bryce Hall's gone from the secondary, but everyone else is back. Jordan Mack has gone at linebacker, but everyone else is back. They were killed by injuries in the back half of last season, but all the younger guys got time, which should help him this season. So you know, what's the what's the next chapter look like?
I don't know. Does the offense take a step back? Probably, But I just think it's worth mentioning that this offense has been extremely adaptable since Bronco got there. He's very good at playing to his strengths. He doesn't lock in on any particular scheme. He just kind of goes with what works. I think they'll be more run heavy this year. I think they're gonna try and use Burnan Armstrong's versatility. Defensively, Bryce Perkins wasn't going both ways last year, so defensively
they'll be fine. I like Virginia more than I think most. I think they'll be okay. A step back is coming. The schedules not doing them any favors at all. First two games on the road at Tech at Clemson. They're also at Miami. They've got a game against You and C and Louisville and all those games are back to back later in the year.
So yeah, that the middle chunk of their year it's brutal, is rough with Clemson and Wake on the road. We got Wake and Miami on the road North Carolina following that right before Louisville's that stretch October and into early November. That's tough.
The depth is not there yet, but it is getting there with each recruiting cycle. It is a slow burn at Virginia. H I do expect the step back. I just don't think it's going to be as much regression as I've seen many predict.
I should correct myself A Lama Dai Zachias was two years ago because my internal clock time.
But always in our hearts now where it used.
To be, always in our hearts for sure. Last year was a Joe red here. I like Virginia. I think they've gotten to it. They're secretly getting to a really nice place. You mentioned the depth thing. Obviously they're just not going to fully get to where the powers in the conference are, but they're cruising at a nice altitude right now, and so it's been cool to see because that's a I wouldn't say it's a difficult place to win,
but it's not an easy place to win. So I like seeing the who succeed I do the.
Dinger just went off in the plane. You could take off your seatbelt, you can walk around the cabin. You don't have to worry about too much unexpected turbulence, a few bumps. But yeah, they're doing an okay job down there.
Dan, that's it, Virginia Tech, that's great.
That's it. Marathon show complete?
What are we gonna do? If the ACC keeps adding more to what are we gonna do?
These shows are wearing me out right in solid verbal at gmail dot com, let us know your thoughts on the ACC. You put a lot into this show. We're gonna do the sec on Friday, so please tune in. Please to subscribe. Tell your friends, your family, your former lovers, whoever, tell them all.
Wow, Do you talk to any of your former lovers? Ty No? Do you have any of them contacted you?
No? I mean no, no.
I feel like you're probably unforgettable.
Well doesn't mean they talk to me.
I don't think I've been in communication with any former dalliance's tie now. I'm just I'm a one woman man. Tye and That's just how it has to be as mine.
Follow along on social media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, go to the website Soliverble dot com for all the deats on how to subscribe. If you like the show, if you like what we're doing, we will be here all throughout the season, whatever format that takes on, subscribe to the show. Apple.
Can I make a request as we close out the acc preview, please, can we get you posting on the gram a little more me?
You know what, I took a bunch of pictures of my ALMASI people want to see.
People want to see that, the bts of the tie Hildenbrandt lifestyle.
All right, I'll post, I'll post my omelets.
Where should people be following you me? Hilden brand Is that just one word? Tye Hildenbrandt, just your name.
That's why the H, the E, N, B, R, A and D T. Yeah. I think you've got a lot to show to the world. I don't post a lot lately. You've got a dog, you cook, you've got a house. I know I have other things going, but when I tweet, when I post, it's worth it. I promise.
I think you got to op it up. You gotta step up the game as the season's going. Show you your watch set up, all right.
I got to go be a parent, Go be a parent for that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for myself, Tie Hilton Brand, thank you for bearing with us on this marathon show America's Conference of Champions. We will talk to you all on Friday. In the meantimes day summer Peace,