Welcome to the Solid Verbal.
I'm 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 Dake Edith State is that whoo whoom? And Dan and.
Tye welcome back to the Solid Verbal Boys and girls. My name is ty Hildebrand, joining me as always over there in New York City, My man, Dan Rubinstein, Sir.
That was very FM radio voice of me.
Come that Tie, Hilda Brown Allan.
Dan Rubenstein, sir, how are you?
I'm good.
I am excited for this show. I have made a big deal this offseason and when we preview the ACC fatlantic of saying the ACC is joke free. Yeah, so I have to back that up in talking about the ACC Coastal today. But I'm feeling good. I had a lot of energy for our big ten show. This one, I'm feeling more like standard Dan, which is either good or bad depending on everybody listening and how they shape their opinion of me.
You're back to absolute Dan, is what I'm mean.
I'm back baby, Absolute Dan. That's right. The pH balance is.
On, so listen.
Solid Verbal tickets dot com mm hmmm, you've got what six days now? We gotta see you six days until our big time live show in Chicago, going to be the biggest, going to be the best ever. We are drafting our twenty eighteen fantasy things. I am very excited. We've got all sorts of tricks up our sleeve. We're going out afterwards to what do you call it, standard bar?
Standard bar? Yeashtag tenders with tie. We're going out afterwards. It's going to be a fun night out on the town with all of over ballers.
We're very, very excited. There are a handful of tickets left. I know we've been saying that for a couple weeks now, but we really mean it. Solid verbal tickets dot com is where you can get in on the action. Don't just need to be a overballer or a college football fan. I'm telling you, Dan and I put as much energy as we can into this and we try to make it a show for everyone. We say it at the top of all of our live shows. If you're not a college football fan, even if you don't listen to
the show, come on out anyway, come hang out. It'll be a fun night out in Chicago. Can I ask you a question about the show. Yes, please, I pitched you on something over so that the show here. Actually, that's true. Yeah, that's your only hint.
I pitched you on something that will add an element to the show unlike any elements we've ever put on stage at any of our live shows.
Can I do it?
Can't do it? Sure?
On an affirmation? Confirmation, Let's do it. Okay, we will be doing something visually. Yeah, this is starting to sound strange, but let's stay with me.
I'll do it.
So there is.
Something happening visually this show that has never occurred any of our live shows.
No, now, that's that's very fair.
I assume we'll get out if somebody is at the show and takes a picture. But I would say it's going to be a special happening.
Exclusive to this that's going to be special, all right.
Yeah, okay, just making sure now that that has me excited.
Absolutely the solid verbal.
By the way, we are supported by Adventure Stage Chicago, where the theater inspires kids to become storytellers of their own lives. Adventure Stage Chicago presents their new season, opening this October with the Adventures of Robin Hood Ooh. Tickets I love robin Hood. Information available at www dot adventure stage dot org, so check them out. Friar Talk, Little John, Yeah buddy, Sure, yeah, buddy. So what are we doing today on the show? What's our what's our plan of attack?
Here our poe.
We're we're talking about the ACC Coastal and the AAC East, the American Athletic Conference Eastern Division, which has a number of teams that I think we could best define as sauce filled.
Wait, what sauce filled.
Sa u se like if you look at certain position groups, as if you look at certain momentum from last year to this year additions to the roster.
I think a lot of these teams have some sauce.
I'm looking at ECU, Cincinnati and Yukon at the bottom of our sheet.
Oh, now you're cherry picking.
And each one, I'm not kidding, each one in the notes field says me, okay, meh, meh accurate, and me ten wins combined among those three teams from a year ago.
So that is true.
That's fair.
And I don't know if ECU, if Pirate or Bearcat or Husky fans would argue vehemently that.
There's that much more to say, is the sexy Randy Etzel still at Yukon?
Hell yeah he is.
We got to play sexier than Etzel at some point, maybe later on in this show.
We can do it with coaches in the AAC East.
Okay, that's fair, Okay.
All right?
ACC Coastal is you know one of those sides of the ACC that you and I have had some fun with. I believe it was last year, maybe the year before, maybe three years running now, or we've played this little game of did these two ACC teams play?
It was an impossible game.
It really is an impossible game because there are a lot of similarities among these teams, and for better or worse, gosh, a lot of them feel the same.
Well, you watch them the game. A lot of these games between the non heavyweights of the conference are that noon Eastern kick on you know whatever local channel the ACC network is in your local community where Wake Forest, NC, State Georgia Tech Syracuse And you're like, I.
Think I flipped past that has right?
Yeah? Okay? What is your general takeaway?
Now?
Keep in mind the framework for all of our previews is why should people care? M Because we're all adults at this point. Most of us are and we've all got busy lives. Why should why should anyone give a damn about like pit football? Why tell me why? So we'll get to tell you right now, but we'll get to pit football. Don't spoil the surprise. Sorry, sorry, sorry, don't talk about Jester wea out of turn? Please, thank you?
But why should people care in general about the ACC Coastal?
Sure? Tell me, oh about in general? About the coastal in general?
Yeah, there is something to every team that you can talk yourself, not just into Bowl eligibility, but if there's one element firing that I mean after the end of last year where we saw Miami lose to Pitt Canny Pickett and like his very first start, like go off against Miami. So there is something that is very democratic about the ACC Coastal and that everybody has a voice. I'm not going to say in any given week anybody can win, because I think Virginia has a ways to
go on offense. But we saw Virginia beat Poise State. We saw Virginia put the fear of life into Miami with Kurt Banker last year two and a half, three quarters worth whatever, and every so often Georgia Tech comes back to the party and it's like, oh, yeah, we're gonna win ten games? Do we not mention that we're
gonna win ten games? And there is something ultimately entertaining and very middle of the third quarter, change the channel, y about the ACC Coastal and there's like a random Duke Thursday night game at Virginia or Virginia text at Duke or something, And there is always that element of, you know what, I think I'm gonna hang out and
stay on this channel because it's getting a little weird. Yeah, And whether it's Pit upsetting Clemson a couple of years ago with your guy Matt Canada, there's always that element of it's halfway through the third quarter, I'm going to ignore everything else because for whatever reason, Virginia is feeling spunky this week.
Yeah, I like that. I like that. An it's good TV.
What kind of motto can we give the ACC Coastal to really jazz it up? You know, because there's a dog eat dog quality to it mm hmmm where every week you're just not sure what's gonna happen. Can you help me workshop this? Over the course of an episode, what happens along the coast what was.
The show on HBO with Reese Wetherspoon. The uh, there's like a murder lies. Yeah, there's something very like. Everything's calm and nice on the coast.
But because I mean we had ACC fat Atlantic, I feel like we need an equal counterpart in the coastal.
Right, Okay, let's think this about it.
Let's think this through. Okay, Okay, we're big on branding.
Where should we start in the ACC DAN in the a SEC coastal Excuse.
Me, Let's let's start with the most acc coastal team.
That's Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech. All right, Georgia Tech.
Every year.
Interesting, they lose ted Roof, which I think is good for business. They're bringing in Nate Woodie, Yes, who I know is a guy from app State that you have sung the praises of for as long as.
I can remember. Now, this is.
Kind of a big deal because the thing with Georgia Tech, we know about the offense and Paul Johnson and the option and gosh, there are plenty of controversial opinions about that, but offensively speaking, that has not really been the wheelhouse for Paul Johnson since he took over.
Really for as far back as I can remember.
Instances here and there quarter wise.
So what does Nate Woody bring over from app State that can aid Georgia Tech in twenty eighteen.
So coaching ability, organization, They shift to a new defensive scheme a lot more attacking three to four. I got attacking aggressive Mondel. No, the big thing is it's the refreshing things on defense. And he has consistently developed players and developed defenses that cause havoc, which if you are Georgia Tech, and if you're Georgia Tech, thanks for listening.
But Georgia Tech, particularly with how they have the ability to control the ball on offense, if they are able to field a team that generates havoc a good amount of the time and gets opposing offense is off the field quickly consistently, even if it's just a top sixty five to seventy defense, if they can generate two or three defensive possessions where it's only five or six plays in a punt, that's almost assuredly a win. With what their ceiling looks like, it could be offensively this year.
So whether or not Nate Woody is that, dude, I think there's still a couple of years away recruiting wise, even though they've been recruiting better of late. I don't think it matters how often Ted Roof, how often Nate Woody reaches back into his quiver.
That's a Robin Hood reference.
It's a Robin Hood reference. Y, Yeah.
Just you know he The arrows aren't necessarily there. The talent is not necessarily in Atlanta yet to feel the kind of defense and to build the type of death depth, excuse me, that is needed with Georgia Tech. The good news is to Kwan Marshall has a pretty high ceiling as a runner. We'll see as a passer loses his best receiver in Ricky June Caravante Benson is suitably dangerous. There's a couple of pieces still on that defense. I
think Victor Alexander has been all over the place. But Georgia Tech, to me, feels and it's a pretty balanced schedule. I think they play Miami before Miami goes to Virginia Tech. They go to USF in the non conference part of the schedule. There are a little bit of ways away, but I think there's something pretty dangerous about this Georgia Tech team. If the defense is even kind of below average.
So we could probably blow like an entire show talking about whether or not Paul Johnson is the right.
Move for Georgia Tech moving forward.
I know we're both fans on some level of the option, sure, but what will very quickly, what will this year do for the Paul Johnson tenure, Paul Johnson era at Georgia Tech.
What will it do the Nate Woody higher.
Yeah, well, just in general, what will this team's performance in twenty eighteen mean for Paul Johnson now moving forward?
I mean it's hard to say they've recruited to this system for so long that it'd be hard to transition away from quickly if they hired somebody else, if they just said, you know, it was a good fun era. We want an Orange Bowl, but we're in Atlanta. I know there's academic issues getting people in, but there's so much talent in Georgia and surrounding areas kids that want to play in the ACC that we're going to go
away from the option. If Georgia Tech goes nine to three this year, which I don't think is crazy, then I think it's cements him for a decent amount of time. Unless there are personal issues with people in the Georgia Tech administration.
The news that is.
Disappointing is they play Clemson this year, so that's not the greatest cross division. They go to Louisville and they finish with it's not great. They go to Virginia Tech, Miami, and Georgia in the final five games the year. So if Georgia Tech goes nine to three, that means a probable loss to Miami, Georgia, and Clemson, which isn't bad.
They again beat Virginia Tech, they and basically everybody else on their schedule, which means a win at USF, which means beating Duke, which wins at North Carolina, wins at you know, Virginia. It's a really really good year. And if they have the capability of going nine and three, I think they jump up and beat one of those teams.
All right.
Well, look, I don't have any deep, dark opinions about Georgia Tech. I'm just really excited to see this offense again. They bring most of their offense back, their quarterbacks back, and usually that's a pretty good recipe for an exciting option offense.
That game at USF will be really fun. That's strength thought, that'll be fun. That'll be fun, and.
The Bulls put out a really good defense, and.
I care to see what the defense looks like underneath.
Woody.
So I think on some level we agree talking about org Tech, Let's talk about Virginia Tech.
Dan, I think they go eight and four, oh, seven and five, seven and five.
I'll go seven and five. That's what I'm thinking.
Let's go to Virginia Tech. Okay, Virginia Tech is coached by a fine gentleman, a friend of a friend of a podcast justin Foo and Tay.
Fo and Tay.
So let's start with Josh Jackson. M hmm. Okay.
Josh Jackson was what rumored to maybe be in some limbo.
Yes.
I don't know if it was because of academics or another reason, but for whatever case, Josh Jackson for a while seemed like maybe his eligibility would be in doubt. It does not seem like that will really play any kind of effect on the twenty eighteen version of Virginia Tech. And I think that's a really big deal. They need Josh Jackson back to have that offense firing on all cylinders. I think he has got a good line in front of him, I think he's got good receivers to throw
to potentially. Yeah, the defense is usually pretty good for Virginia Tech, led by Bud Foster and that lunch pale defense dan blue collar.
Yeah, it does hurt that they lose.
Tremay and Edmonds though at linebacker, Like, I don't really want to undersell what that means for them, and I guess we're gonna find out pretty much in Week one when they square off against Florida State. But beyond that, I look feel pretty good about the schedule. I'm being honest. Here, give me reasons why I shouldn't be bullish on Virginia Tech.
The back half of their defense is real new, and one of the things that they've been able to count on is continuity and developing talent and not having to fill in too many places year over year just because a lot of players so they've gotten experience and have rotated in and there's a lot of green players both at linebacker and in the secondary. And I'm worried. I'm worried because what has allowed this defense to flourish is that familiarity and that experience within the defense, and there's
just not a ton in that back half. So if Bud Foster fields a top twenty to twenty five defense, one, it'll be because of the line up front, Trevon Hill really really solid, but losing big Tim Settle, who is a huge presence inside, Losing not just Tremaine Edmunds, but Tarrell Edmonds, Trell Edmonds, whatever, it's it's a blow. I don't think there's any Fullers or Edmunds on this defense, which is new for Virginia Tech, and so it appears to be in long term. I mean, he's been there
like twenty plus years. It could be more of a rebuilding than a reloading year for Virginia Tech defensive.
But here here's the thing. Yeah, you're right, that can'll
be true. But Virginia Tech could still go four and one through the first five weeks of the year because after that Florida State game, there's William and Mary Ecu who will talk about later it's unbelievable old dominion on the road and then at Duke those games are very winnable before they get to Notre Dame, before they get to a road spot against North Carolina, but even the rest of the way, like you could have a below average defense and still very easily find them at nine and three.
Yeah, which is sort of I mean, not that they had a below average defense last year. Their defense last year was excellent.
It was really really good.
But they went nine and three, not because they perfectly embodied what we imagine to be a nine and three team. Josh Jackson sort of fell off the second half of the season, and offensively, I think they struggled to run the ball a good deal. Cam Phillips sort of covered for a lot of miscues and ugliness on that offense against better teams. We saw that the Clemson game. So the good news for them this year I think they have Notre Dame. They are in the body blow, the
bodyboil stance of the year. They get Notre Dame a week after Stanford, that's right, right, They host Miami a week after Miami travels to Georgia Tech, which is its own body blow situation. And if you look at the schedule in a sort of holistic full way.
It's awesome.
Yeah, it's perfect.
They could very well be a clear six and six, five and seventeen that goes eight and four, which is a good place to be.
No, it's it's a fine place to be.
And even if if Josh Jackson struggles without really that I mean, there's I think there's intriguing talent at receiver. But even if he struggles, if he looks like the Josh Jackson of the sort of back half of last year.
They have recruited.
I think they have two blue chip quarterbacks behind him, Quincy Patterson from this past class in Hendon Hooker the class before that, So they're not in the worst situation offensively, but they're seem to be more questions.
Than usual with this Virginia Tech program.
Here's the thing about Virginia Tech.
Dan In the last I think two years under Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech is something like eleven and five in the ACC. Yeah, which isn't bad by any stretch. This team this year, even though they've got some losses on defense, some big losses, is probably every bit as talented as both of those teams. So I don't expect there to be any kind of significant drop off, especially with a schedule that, as you
pointed out correctly, is very very favorable. So nine and three to me feels very attainable, even if to your point, we're only talking about a six and six caliber team. They might go to a bowl game and get drilled, But looking at this schedule, it is very favorable for the hookies.
There are only three games where definitively they look like UNDERDF Florida State, Notre Dame, and Miami, and they have they have not name in Miami at home at a tough place to play. So I Virginia Tech has a high floor, is what I think we should make peace with.
AM.
I that's a good place to be. AM.
I able to give away a little bit of the game here.
Do do whatever you want. It's it's half your show.
I mean, we'll just say that Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech is something you should pay attention to if you are.
Interesting.
Okay, forget it. I won't go there. I won't go there.
Okay, I appreciate that. We'll let it go.
We'll let it ride.
Oh thank god, hard palpitations.
I'll tell you what we shouldn't let ride though. What we shouldn't let ride is this awesome for discount that our listeners can get right now by going to Theathletic dot com slash some of herbal Dan Yes, oh my goodness, yes, you know a subscription based publisher of smarter sports coverage for diehard fans. There's no ads, there's no pop ups,
there's no auto play videos. It's so many of our friends who have been on the podcast week in week out, year in year out here talking about all things college football. We believe in what they're doing. They've got more than six hundred and fifty news stories published every week across all sports, local, national stuff.
So many of the big names.
While we're talking about Virginia Tech, I saw Andy Biter is going to be writing about all things Virginia Tech for the Athletic. This is really great quality content which you can get now as a verballer for two ninety nine a month, which is not bad at all.
Dan, that is a bargain as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, it's ridiculous.
You think about what you pay for Spotify or if you are in like Kickstarters, whatever your net f for whatever your monthly digital payments are. The athletic is and I know a lot of people are curious. And I reached my tipping point. There was and it wasn't even college football, Like I was already sold on the college football element and I was going to sign up over the summer for all the preview stuff, and then I saw that they hired Ethan Sherwood's Ethan Sherwood Strauss, great
NBA writer. This is you're not just paying two ninety nine for college football coverage. It's everything. It's local coverage of you know, whatever your favorite town is, if they're covered by the Athletic, whatever sport you're interested in, and it just happens that their college football lineup is a ridiculous murderer's row of talent. Bruce Feldman, stum Mendel, Nicole auerback your pal Pete Sampson, who covers Notre Dame as well as anybody in the world. Ye yeah, it's it's ridiculous.
And Notre Dame as semi part of the acc should mention Pete Sampson who's covered Notre Dame forever. And you get the access, you get the inns that you won't get on every other site in one place.
Absolutely so, I love it.
I honestly I read it every day. Everything they do a terrific job. We believe in what they're doing. Dan and I both subscribe support the Athletic. Also help us out by going to Theathletic dot Com slash solid verbal. See what they have to offer. Dan and I have both been so just blown away by what they're putting together.
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Give it a look. It helps us, it helps them, it helps you win, win win.
Speaking of clean experiences, Dan.
Ooh, that's why you're a pro.
Let's go to duke football.
Oh.
I thought you're gonna say the turnover chain is nice and polish.
I almost did, but I wanted to throw you a curve.
Let's go to Okay, good, clean, fun duke football.
So here's what they bring back.
M M my boy, Daniel, Joe redemption year running back, Britton Brown, Yes, back.
Up last year but promising for sure.
Trey Hornbuckle defensive end has to be really good. Joe Giles Harris didn't he have like an old pop song written about him?
That was the Jay Giles Band. Excuse me, yes, I look.
Give me your deep dark duke thoughts.
I'm always a little I'm always a little higher on Daniel Jones than I should be.
That's okay.
Daniel Jones was really good his first year. The last year, Daniel Jones is really good. Yeah, last year left a little bit to be desired. So I'm still kind of punch drunk on that Daniel Jones potential. I like the fact that they're going to blitz on defense.
I hope.
So I hope they keep it up that Jim Knowles defense as he goes to Oklahoma State.
Yes, at least last year they like blitz it on defense. Yes, what else? The schedule is somewhat tricky.
Yeah, it's okay if you don't have a lot of strong duke thoughts.
Yeah, I mean I don't really.
They've got Clemson in the middle of like a tough stretch before South Carolina.
So there's that, I guess.
But their non conference schedule, when we've been looking at and preparing for these previews, I have in the back of my mind filed away that Duke is playing fourteen different teams in the non conference part. As I'm adding together wins, I'm saying, hey, they can be duke. About what felt like usc UNLV Michigan State.
It turns out.
They have Army Northwestern, Baylor, and North Carolina Central to start the season.
So here's the thing.
Okay, they bring back fifteen starters from a year ago. They won what six games in the regular season. They won their bowl game, right, they had Northern Illinois Quick Lane.
Bowl something like that.
Whatever, I think they are in actually a pretty good spot to improve upon. There are six wins from the year ago, being so, they are a more veteran team sure, and being so, I think the schedule is relatively workable here. So I'm a little higher on Duke than I expected to be.
Okay, I think they are right in that bull threat reigned once again, which is still new and crazy to say about Duke given you the recent history of the program. At least, it's been a while since they've been flat out bad. They've been pretty decent recently. A little worried about their offensive line, but the defense looks solid all around, and again playing in the coastal middle of the third
quarter like oh, Duke's up fourteen on Virginia Tech. Okay, I guess I'm watching this and Duke has one of the i don't know, all time underrated or modern underrated coaches and David Cutcliffe, who is if he is on one of those ESPN coaches.
Chan during the playoffs, you watch, you watch to hear what he has to say.
He like, he is one of probably my top five road trip coaches. We're just like, yep, we're driving from LA to New York. We're driving from Seattle to David Cutcliffe, Yes, in a road trip. Yes, I think he is. He's been around forever, He's coached a I mean, he's like the Mannings quarterback guru. If you want a road trip, and okay, maybe it's not cross country, maybe it's Austin to Minneapolis, but you just wanted, like you want to hear nerdy stories about college football. I think he is.
He's a little Folksye. When he was at Tennessee, he was at Old Miss coach the Mannings. He's been at Duke forever. Now, okay, he is. He is a very early draft pick in my coach.
Let's pump the brakes on this year.
God, I can't believe you're disagreeing, David cut Cliff.
Yes, absolutely absolutely.
Do you think he has enough content to last from Austin to Minneapoli?
I would, I would probably try to day drink. I don't know if he's a drinker. I definitely am not. I would try to get that honesty juice flowing because I want those manning stories.
You're really mining there for manning stories. Now, that's all you're getting out of that from data.
I think he or just like offensive explainers. I think he's got a lot. I think he's a smart dude. I'm sure I can't believe you're putting down cut I like David Cutcliffe. I just don't know if I'd want to spend that many hours. I don't know how many hours it is from Austin to Minneapolis, but it's across the country, just not across the wide part. Uh okay, with how receivers have developed there, with how quarterbacks have
developed there. I think Duke and I have their schedule in front of me right now, even with that weird tricky They open with an option and then they go to Northwestern and go to Baylor, which should be improved. Wise, the back half is tough or the BA the back four, they have Miami and Clemson in a two week span. They finished with Wake, they go to Georgia Tech and they go to Pitt, Which listen, Pitt's got to be different at a certain point than what they've been recently.
I think Duke can get Army, Northwestern, Baylor, Virginia Pitt, North Carolina that got them to six and even Wake that gots them to seven.
Seven and five, eight and four for Duke.
WHOA, Okay, I'm six and six, seven and five.
By the way, how many times in ten years have we gotten that question about which coaches would you like to be on a road trip with which?
Yeah, rank coaches by condiments? Yeah, they appear to be.
Yeah, I'm telling you, David cut club is top five.
All right, let's move on. Let's go to Miami. Let's go back to that. Let's do it for Jane. Miami went ten and two a year ago, an exciting year. Malik Rose Year is back, Travis Homer is back, i'mon Richards and Jeff Thomas are back. Joe Jackson shack quaterman, Michael Pinkney, Jakwan Johnson.
They might have the best linebacking corn in the country.
Sheldrick red Wine, great name all back for Miami this season. There are plenty of reasons to be very optimistic about where this team could go next. It's part of the reason why they brought Mark Richt over after he was let go from Georgia. This is the best team that Mark Richt has had now in his three years at Miami.
Probably last year's defense was scary good. But yes, I can see potentially with the offensive experience being the most explosive offense that he's had.
They're very fast, They're very talented on offense. I think that they've got enough AMMO on this schedule outside of the ACC with LSU in week one, mm hmm to really kind of Yeah, it's a tricky spot establish themselves outside of conference.
Talk me off the ledge.
Tell me why Miami isn't a dark horse national title contender?
What tell me why? Dan? Tell me why?
Because I think we all watched the back half of Malik Rogier's twenty seventeen.
But that was last year. Guys can improve.
They can improve.
He showed a lot, but if he has to win games with his arm more often than not. And their schedule is such that even just opening with LSU, Greedy Williams and that backfield.
LSU stinks. They stink this year. I'm out. I'm out on LSU.
So, okay, here's what Miamis schedule is. Here's here are games where you would worry if you're concerned about Miami. They host Florida State and as far as a SEC games, that's kind it. No Clemson during the regular season, No Louisville during the regular season, no team that you can talk yourself into being scary any given week like BC. Nobody like that they go to BC. Excuse me. So that was very very quick turnaround for that point. But
really I like this Miami team a lot. I think offensively they're going to be pretty scary if Jeff Thomas continues to develop. I know Braxton Barrios is gone and Aman Richards has had injury issues, but if he's on the field, that right there is one of the best
eight receiving course in the country. They've recruited very well. Defensively, they should be in a good place, even losing that defensive line, maybe even most importantly losing Craig Kulongowski, who is one of the best three defensive line coaches in the country, had a ton of success at Mazoo. Now goes to You're going to be shocked to hear it. The Alabama Crimson.
Tie, Alabama Crimson Tide. Yeah, that's right.
Miami is in a very good place. I don't know that Malik Rogier is going to have the latitude to make as many mistakes while a defense is performing admirably as he did last year. I would keep an eye on Nikosy Perry, who is young, yes, but has an arm and I think could develop. I think might have a higher ceiling. Now that we've seen Malik Rosier in a very like Brandon Wimbush way, he certainly gives you a lot.
He is six four, He's got a very James Blackman build to him.
You're talking about Nikcosy Perry or Malik Rosier Nikosy Perry. Oh yeah, yeah, he's young, he'll he'll put on more weight. But yes, I could see this Miami team going ten and two and not putting, not having a lot of difficulty doing so.
Yeah, I feel ten and two. I don't think national title.
Okay, you asked about national title. I'm not quite there, but I don't think it's to beat Hey, it's a question we were asking last year, and you know what, it's a very good year to get Florida State at home with a little coach and a lot of quarterback questions throwing into what should be a really dangerous back half of that defense.
All right, so we'll see.
I like Miami a good deal, and I think they're going to rotate in a lot of youth. You're going to see a lot of different names, which is fun.
I'm excited to watch Miami.
This year, as you should be.
They lose a lot upfront on defense, though I am concerned about that. Shall we go to Pitt now the natural dude.
I'm so ready, I am so ready.
Do you want to know the biggest addition for Pitt Football twenty eighteen?
What is it?
Pat Bostick is back in the radio announcer? Hell yeah, my man, Pat Bostick. So here's the deal. I've talked about this before. I listened to a lot of games on the radio.
Mm hmm.
Not always in front of the TV. I've got a life, just like a lot of other people out there. I'm not always able to perch in front of a TV. I listened to a lot of games.
On Serious XM Serial XM U, and one of the great joys is listening to some of the hometown announcers and one of the guys who I have genuinely enjoyed over the years. Pat Bostik, he hasn't called pit football in a couple of years, but just saw that he is going to be back in the booth.
So it was something pretty incredible about associating a lone singular voice with a program's games.
I love that he's great former quarterback at Pitt, He's a great commentator. So I'm excited just from a fans perspective to kind of get that insight listening to Pitt
Football this season. Pit Football last year though, on the field went five and seven, And you know, we're kind of in this vein now where we're looking at Pat and Ardoozy and I guess we're wondering if, when will can he bring any of that magic over that we grew accustomed to seeing with him as defensive coordinator at Michigan State.
Mm hmm.
I think it's a fair question to ask. It's part of the for this defense in these past few years.
It's been a slug.
Now this year for his defense, he does have nine guys back, and so that should bode well, I would think for that defense. My question though, is on offense. It really is an offense where there's only four guys back. You mentioned Kenny Pickett. I think a little earlier in this show, he gives Pitt fans, I think, a reason to be optimistic but scrappy, you know, across the board here, Dan, we're talking about mostly a new offensive line, kind of
a rebuild ish situation on offense. So, like, I think that speaks to a potentially lopsided performance from the pit Panthers in twenty eighteen.
Is that fair?
Yeah, that we're two years removed from Pitt having one of Like in the conversation, like, does Pitt have the best offensive line in the country? When they beat Clemson? Their offensive line was ridiculous and they in recent years, I've had three four receivers who were like, Wow, they did a fantastic job developing these guys, and now it's just receivers not great running back might be fine for them.
I like Caadriallis and Darren Hall. I think came on pretty strong, and it's just they're in such a different place so quickly. And some of that to me is recruiting. Some of that to me is they've had a lot of transfers. You know, Ben Denucci came out last year as like a heralded true freshman, came in when Max Brown struggled. He struggled, transferred, gone, And so there's just like this crazy turnover happening with Pitt. That the emergence of Kenny Pickett, and he looks like he should start
after how he finished last year. Ricky Town transfers in Ricky Town of commit Tobama commit and go to USC, transfer out of USC during fall camp, transfer to Arkansas, leave Arkansas for junior college, transfer to Pitt, so he might be then two quarterback. The guy behind Ricky Town is Nick Patty, who I was pretty sure finished up his eligibility in like twenty fifteen, and here we are. He goes Boise State UCF pit. At least seven schools between them.
A lot of frequent flyer miles on that pit roster.
A lot of just shirts to buy for your parents. Yeah, there's a lot of bookstar trips. Anyway, I am willing to believe in this pit team to like a certain to like a six and six extent, because there isn't enough on.
Defense that intrigues me. I there just isn't.
There's not there's a little bit of sauce, but it's like fast food size, not a full side dish at a restaurant of in terms of sauce quantity. And the schedule is it sets up in an interesting way as for being like the Indiana of which I don't know who. This is an insult to the Indiana of the acc coastal in the way that they are. They happen to be in a lot of trap and look ahead and let down spots. They get Virginia Tech a week before Virginia Tech Miami. They get Miami a week before Miami
goes to Georgia Tech and to Virginia Tech. They get Notre Dame a week after the Virginia Tech and Stanford won two. So Pit's in a good place to be very pity this year, to be secretly decent in that they are in the right place at the right time. But there's just the problem, Tie, and I think you can appreciate this. My lasting memory of the twenty seventeen
Pitt Panthers is Oklahoma State doing layup lines. Is watching that game, watching Oklahoma State drop like fifty on them in the first half and doing so like Pit showed up late to the stadium.
Both of their.
Safeties were wearing jeans, like there was something absolutely disorienting about how Pitt looked in that game that anything beyond six and six a year later feels like a stretch, because again, that is burned into my skull.
I saw that day, the indelible images of.
James Washington abusing Pit.
Yeah, all right, I'm going to say seven and five. Dan, Okay, anything can get the seven and five. But it's really a leap of faith here that they can get it together more on offense, because look, just not a lot back from a year ago.
By the way, Pat, because you're bringing up Pat Bostek, good underrated quarterback name, yeah, very good. Patrick Mahomes, Yeah, Pat White, Pat Devlin obviously a crowd favorite. So there's a lot to it. All right, that's all I have. I was just thinking about, like famous Pats.
Let's go to North Carolina. Okay, North Carolina three and nine from a year ago. Their coach Larry Fedora a bit skeptical about football's effects on the human head, thank god.
And if North Carolina doesn't do well this year, that could be the end of the United States specifically tied to football and by extension North Carolina football.
That might have been my favorite offseason story.
And they're like, god, it was just the problem is I'm going to start my thoughts on this in like seventeen different cries. Oh God, imagine like imagine having imagine thinking about this topic in a nuanced way and trying to say things like football is safer than it's ever been, which is totally true.
That's true.
Yeah, sure, but you can't wrap that in garbage. You can't wrap that in not sense, and it takes away every so as background, Larry Fedora at ACC Media Days decided that was the time to say, you know, America's troops are the best because so many of them played football, and if football goes away as we know it, so will the United States of America, and decided to use that platform to say these things. And it makes you want to root against North Carolina.
It just does well.
It reminds me a lot of just having a lot of opinions on things, yes, mutually exclusive things that end up kind of running together because you feel strongly about all of them. Right, And so when I read about this, I was like, wow, look, okay, that's it. That's an eye opener.
Of all the academic institutions and the academics relationship to football North Carolina Sterling no issues academic academic thought and football that I.
Got I got rejected from UNC. Really Yeah, it's real nice. Chapel Hill, that area is great. Yeah.
Should we talk about North Carolina? And they surely will be better this year.
It will be better.
They've got thirteen starters back as I see it, here a pretty favorable road schedule, dan.
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
They do going to Miami, which will be difficult. But beyond that, like at Syracuse, at Virginia, at Douke, you can you can navigate that in the ACC. I think this is a team that is really right for a lot of improvement in twenty eighteen.
Okay, yes, the road schedule is very good. They go to cal And as we know, body clock tie, yep, body clock the.
Bower hour Man.
They go to East Carolina. That's fine. You c F will not be as good as the Knights were last.
Year, No, not, I think so.
If you're UCF and you get to throw into the North Carolina defense, pretty good.
Yeah, that's perfectly fine.
Mackenzie Milton should if you're into fantasy college football, and you are able to draft group of five players, that will be a good time to start Mackenzie Milton. Yes, they go to Miami and that's going to be difficult, but hosting Virginia tach, hosting Georgia Tech. They think get West Carolina. They finished the season the rivalry game against NC State, So in terms of the road schedule to bounce back, yes, this could be a bowl schedule for
North Carolina. Quarterback is still to me an issue, but quarterbacks should be at least fine with where quarterbacks have been recently with North Carolina. Probably not the same since Seth Latrelle left, but they the possibility of a Chas to a dazz Oh Boy chess Rot to dazz Newsome.
Is pretty tantalizing.
Yeah, buddy, And just because we like putting these two teams in the context of could they find themselves right place, right time? They do get Miami a week before Miami's Florida State game. They miss Florida State and Clemson cross division wise, and Anthony Ratliffe Williams came on real nicely last year. Jordan Brown I think is intriguing. They could find themselves if either Chaz or Nathan Elliott ends up under center. They could win some games thirty five to thirty. They could, for sure.
I think I'm with you. They can't be any worse than three and nine. They're not gonna be three and nine again. No, they'll be healthier, for sure, they're gonna be healthier. The schedule is quite favorable.
Worried about the offensive line? I am that is worrisome.
Yeah, as I look at the schedule, I'm gonna count ECU, I'm gonna count Pitt. I'm gonna count Virginia, Virginia now, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, West Carolina. And I'll throw another in there. I'll say six and six.
I'm gonna say five and seven. Okay, they make a bowl game four and eight, five and seven ish? Too many questions when you have the quarterback and offensive line question on.
The same team. Ha, not my favorite.
That's fair enough.
Should we finish this out, Let's do it all right, prepare yourselves. We have what we've been recording for what looks to be about what forty eight minutes.
Yes, so we've got about an hour to talk about Virginia.
That's right. Kurt Bankert gone gone. He was pretty good.
Yeah, yeah, moments that was he had some dips, some dipping sauces.
Yeah.
They their offense is going to be They better hope Bryce Perkins, who is looks like he's going to be the starter, the transfer who I think played junior college in Arizona, dual threat guy.
They have to hope he's super good.
They've got a couple good receivers, one of whom might have my favorite name in the conference, if not beyond and he is my dude, tie Oulhamide Zikias.
Wow, is super good. You did better with that than I could have.
He is.
He's He's very good and fast, and it's unfortunate that he has to play for that offense. They lose a good amount on defense. Quinn Blanding is like the hipster Derwin James of the ACC, the do all safety that was ridiculous for a long long time. Virginia is gonna have a pretty decent defense. I think they'll have a top forty five to fifty defense and that'll get him pretty far against some possibly suspect offenses. You know, Duke
struggled at times on offense. North Carolina's struggled on offense. Pid struggle on offense. You know, Virginia Tech had some stretches where they weren't scoring points. So continuity even though they lose some key pieces up front of Virginia's defense, especially in the back half of that defense, has me feeling like, even with some much needed talent in Charlottesville, that they can go to a bowl game once again. They'll they'll be right on that quest that five and seven,
six and six quest again? Drive for six? Yeah, I say six and six. I'm with you, okay, reasonable, I have it.
By the way I came up with it. What ACC coastal is gonna get a little crazy? It always does, right.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
There's like a hardy middle class ACC postal.
So unfair to the postal workers of this country. Tie day in and day out, rain or shine. ACC postals.
Not bad ACC postal. Thank you the fatlantic in the postal. There you go, the.
Fatlantic in the postal. You want to talk about the American East real quick?
The ACT East?
Yes, so we've got who you UCF who went eleven or zer last year regular season won the National Championship of course, Yes, USF Temple, ECU, Cincinnati and Yukon We've already tipped our hand a little bit in saying that the notes field of our shared document says meh for all three of them, but.
Couldn't really find much to care about.
So let's talk about UCF. Let's spend a little bit of time talking about UCF. Their coach is obviously gone, He's going home Dan to Lincoln, Nebraska. Scott Frost no longer the head football coach, to bring over Josh hoypol hype Boul from Missouri. He was formerly the offensive coordinator there last year led a really good Missouri offense. So with that coaching change, I think brings a little bit of uncertainty for UCF now as they prepared to try and defend that title in twenty eighteen.
Where do we stand with the Knights?
So they're not going to try to do all that much different. I don't think on offense where they've been these past couple of years. Mackenzie Milton is back and is what top ten quarterback in the country at his best, chose to tre Kwon Smith, but Trederick Snelson is back and productive. I'm a little bit more concerned about what they lose on defense, namely a guy who is playing eleven positions at once and is just a stupid good
player in Chaquem Griffin. Shaquem Griffin who moves on to the NFL and all American caliber linebackers.
So that hurts.
They lose a lot around him on defense as well, and it wasn't a fantastic defense, But losing a lot from a not like a slightly below average defense concerns me because I don't think the offensive fireworks will be
there like they were last year. They do hire Randy Shannon, so he will be installing his defense, and I would imagine because of his connections, if Josh Hipel lasts at UCF where they Orlando, that the defense should be pretty good given Randy Shannon's history and ability to get talent.
But yeah, they're not going undefeated.
Okay, well that's fine.
Yeah.
So beyond UCF, then, who is clearly I think the top dog in the AAC East. We've got USF, a USF team that look. USF's been in the in the news recently. I think they're in decent shape.
Yeah, especially on offense. Charling Gilbert.
Yeah, could be Blake Barnett playing quarterback this year. You remember Blake Barnett, speaking of frequent flyer Miles, I think they should be the pretty good team here.
Yeah, they have the clear best defense, and we'll see what happens with Temple, but they have the clear best defense in the division, if not the conference as a whole. We'll see what Houston with at Oliver it looks like. But yeah, USF should probably win nine or ten games again, and season was cut short last year, but this is going to be a very good USF team. Quinn Flowers is like an all time special player. I mean, granted USF has existed for like fourteen years, but he has
been ridiculous, so they're gonna miss him. But yeah, they're gonna be really good. They're really well coached. And that brings us to Temple.
Yeah, let's talk.
About the real story of the AAC East if we could.
Yes, I'm ready.
Temple has a middle linebacker in Philly by the name of Sean Bradley.
I am so happy.
How does this happen? How did nobody tell us?
Oh, God, owls, this is great.
Yeah, Jeff Collins, in what year one finishes the season strongly when four or five including their bowl game, could have been five of six, they lose an overtime to Army Raichweil. Armstead is still there and should have a nice year for Temple on the ground, and there's no reason to me that, and I can pull up Temple schedule. I won't make any grand proclamations, but I think in year two this Temple defense under Jeff Collins is going
to become pretty scary. They've recruited well enough, let's see Villanova, Buffalo, possibly Buffalo. They go to Maryland, which tricky, but it's still Maryland and it's week three, so all of their quarterbacks might be hurt by then.
To Navy too.
It's a tough schedule. It's a tough schedule. I think Temple can win seven or eight games and improve.
So do you think that Sean Bradley was recruited to Temple?
Oh, poor guy, because he doesn't even know who the real, the real, the older Sean.
Brady because his name was Sean Bradley.
Do you think that's a reason to bring him to Philly because his name is Sean Bradley.
I mean, Philly fans could be tricked, especially when drunk.
Damn, that's unfortunate. And he's pretty good.
He is pretty good. Yeah, yeah, that's it.
That's all I have.
So essentially, the American East has three teams that are decent at least, if not fun and pretty good. There's not much to expect from especially ECU. Yukon loses Rehet lashly to. I believe SMU. He's a new offensive coordinator there with what's his face from cal Dykes. So I'm hitting a wall tie as it comes to my enthusiasm for the AAC. But you have a division with UCF and USF.
It's going to be fun.
It's going to be good, a lot of fun cross divisional matchups in the American worth watching. As it was last year secretly one of the best TV shows in college football.
You should do so once again.
All right, Well, on that note, thank you for listening to our preview. Don't forget you can buy tickets to our exciting live show. Live show is in six days in Chako the historic Vitim Theater. You can go to solid Verbaltickets dot com if you're interested in buying tickets. Again, don't need to be overballer, don't need to be a college football fan. We're going to do a fun show for everybody, bring friends. There are limited tickets still available.
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Look, we wouldn't advertise it if we didn't believe in it.
That's true.
That's sort of our model here, So check it out' a fan of everybody there Theathletic dot Com slash Solid Verbal Daniels. On Wednesday, we're going to be talking about the SEC West kind of ally, yeah, kind of a big deal in the world of college football.
Yeah, we've got fifteen to twenty minutes worth of content anyway, so.
At least yeah, all right, check us out on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram. You can also subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, tune in, Stitcher, anywhere where fine podcasts are sold, you can subscribe to our show. You could always email us at soliverble at gmail dot com, and if you go to solidverbal dot com you can sign up for a newsletter where we're going to be emailing periodically.
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Yeah, drop a review. It helps anywhere you listen. Drop a review. Always great, Dana, that's all I got for tonight. Acc postal you gave me Fatlantic.
I'll give you postal for that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for myself, Tie Hildebrand, thanks again for tuning into the Solid Verbal. We will catch you all on Wednesday. In the meantime, stay solid peace,