ACC/Duke/College Football predictions

[Tennessee&DukeFan414]

Duke will win at least 3 games.
Virginia Tech's only loss will be North Carolina
the ACC title game will be between Clemson-Virginia Tech
Clemson will win and go to a BCS Bowl
Virginia Tech will be in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Tennessee or Auburn
Miami (FL) is not back . . . yet
Georgia Tech will be attrocoious in Johnso'n first year.
Georgia will beat Georgia Tech by at least 4 Touchdowns
Florida will beat Georgia
The SEC title will be between Florida and Auburn
LSU will lose 2 games all year
Alabama will be mediocre again
Tulsa or Utah will go undefeated
Central Michigan may make a serious BCS bowl run
Georgia-Arizona State will be close, close, close
Joe McKnight will have 1,000 all purpose yards for SC
LeSean McCoy will be a Heisman contender as Pittsburgh will win 7-8 games or more.
South Florida will continue its progression into top 25 status
Rutgers will do the same^
West Virginia will lose to Auburn, ending their national title hopes
Michigan will lose at least 4 games
Notre Dame will lose at least 4 games, but they have improved
Ty Willingham will be fired from Washington after losing 5 games to a brutal schedule
Texas Tech will beat Oklahoma
Kansas will be awful
Joe Paterno will retire at the end of the year
Knowshown Moreno will not have as good a season as last year.
Ohio State will beat Southern Cal
Florida will debut a new weapon (Cam Newton)
Florida will do something hilarious after they beat Georgia
Ohio State will be in the national championship against Florida
Florida 34 Ohio State 28
Tim Tebow wins his Second Heisman

Players to watch: S Eric Berry Tennessee, DE Everson Griffen Southern Cal, DT Marvin Austin North Carolina, QB battle at Miami (FL), DE DaQuan Bowers Clemson, TB Chris Rainey Florida, TB Darrell Scott Colorado, QB John Chiles Texas, TB Jahvid Best California, QB Cam Newton Florida

[chrishoke]

"Georgia Tech will be attrocoious in Johnso'n first year."

This one will be very interesting to watch. But I don't think a PJ team will ever be atrocious.

[Stray Gator]

Duke will win at least 3 games.
...
Miami (FL) is not back . . . yet
...
Florida will beat Georgia
The SEC title will be between Florida and Auburn
...
Alabama will be mediocre again
...
Michigan will lose at least 4 games
Notre Dame will lose at least 4 games,...
...
Ohio State will beat Southern Cal
Florida will debut a new weapon (Cam Newton)
Florida will do something hilarious after they beat Georgia
Ohio State will be in the national championship against Florida
Florida 34 Ohio State 28
Tim Tebow wins his Second Heisman

...

From your keyboard to God's ears! (Though I'd really love to see Percy H. win the Heisman this year.) :D

[Tennessee&DukeFan414]

The problem with Harvin winning the Heisman is he is not going to get enough touches. There are simply too many good athletes with the likes of Tebow, Newton, Rainey, Moody, Moore, THompson, Ingram, Hernandez. Florida is absolutely loaded and their D will be improved with SPikes, Dunlap,Davis, Wright, Haden, Hill, Munroe, Doe. I am still hoping we can beat you on Rocky Top this year. :D

[rockymtn devil]

The problem with Harvin winning the Heisman is he is not going to get enough touches. There are simply too many good athletes with the likes of Tebow, Newton, Rainey, Moody, Moore, THompson, Ingram, Hernandez. Florida is absolutely loaded and their D will be improved with SPikes, Dunlap,Davis, Wright, Haden, Hill, Munroe, Doe. I am still hoping we can beat you on Rocky Top this year. :D

If it's a close race, I don't see Tebow winning. Voters in the Midwest will vote him low on their ballot to keep Archie as the only two-time winner. This will especially occur if it comes down to Tim Tebow and Chris Wells.

[Stray Gator]

The problem with Harvin winning the Heisman is he is not going to get enough touches. There are simply too many good athletes with the likes of Tebow, Newton, Rainey, Moody, Moore, THompson, Ingram, Hernandez. Florida is absolutely loaded and their D will be improved with SPikes, Dunlap,Davis, Wright, Haden, Hill, Munroe, Doe. I am still hoping we can beat you on Rocky Top this year. :D

My son and I are coming up for the game. That should give you cause for optimism, because the last time we went to see the Gators battle the Vawls in Neyland was 1998. :(

[Stray Gator]

If it's a close race, I don't see Tebow winning. Voters in the Midwest will vote him low on their ballot to keep Archie as the only two-time winner. This will especially occur if it comes down to Tim Tebow and Chris Wells.

Well, I suspect there are some folks in the Midwest outside of Ohio who would not be disappointed to see the Buckeyes lose that distinction. ;)

[Tennessee&DukeFan414]

It will by no means be a blowout like last year. I think CPF and the Vols have too much pride to let that happen again. It will be a field-goal margin. What are your impressions of the young phenom Eric Berry? Hearing he could be a secret weapon on offense this year.

[Classof06]

- Duke wins 3 - 5 games
- Wake beats out Clemson for the Atlantic Division and wins the ACC again
- UNC gives VT a serious run for their money in the Coastal Division
- Missouri and Kansas end up not being as good as advertised (the Big 12 North reverts back)
- Michigan and Colorado end up being quite better than advertised
- Tennessee (best secondary in the nation) wins the SEC, ending a 10-year drought
- LeSean McCoy (RB - Pitt) has a season for the ages
- WVU embarrasses Auburn in Morgantown come October (too cold baby)
- WVU wins but doesn't run away with the Big East
- Georgia gets upset on a GW FG at ASU and then gets handled by Florida
- Despite being a darkhorse for the 1st time ever, Texas wins the Big 12
- Even though he'll still be a great pro, Michael Crabtree's stats go way down
- OSU ekes out a win vs. USC but loses a Big 10 game along the way
- Michigan State goes to Berkeley and stuns Cal in Week 1
- Michigan State finally beats Michigan and ends up 2nd in the Big 10
- Joe Paterno is unceremoniously pushed out at Penn State after the season
- USC wins the Pac-10 for the 7th straight year (fearless prediction, I know)


- OSU somehow ends up in Miami despite the one loss and ends my 2 years of personal torture by finally winning the NC ;) ....oh, and Beanie wins the Heisman...O-H!!!!

[Stray Gator]

- ... OSU somehow ends up in Miami despite the one loss and ends my 2 years of personal torture by finally winning the NC ;) ....oh, and Beanie wins the Heisman...O-H!!!!

N-O!!!! :rolleyes:

[Stray Gator]

It will by no means be a blowout like last year. I think CPF and the Vols have too much pride to let that happen again. It will be a field-goal margin. What are your impressions of the young phenom Eric Berry? Hearing he could be a secret weapon on offense this year.

Berry is the best DB in the SEC and might very well win the Thorpe Award as a soph. While he was an explosive offensive force as a QB in HS and could certainly pose a dangerous threat on that side of the ball for the Vols, I just can't see conservative Phil buying into the notion, except in rare, isolated circumstances. It's a big risk to put your best defensive player out there where he can become a target for some opponent's head-hunting safeties. I just don't want to see him returning any more interceptions against the Gators like that 96-yarder last year at the Swamp.

[Tennessee&DukeFan414]

I think this is a new era. Coach Claw is getting the ball into the playmakers hands and when you have a 215 pound safety that runs a 4.28 that will be a top 5 NFL Draft pick, why not put him in some option/reverse type plays. That did that quite a bit last year with Gerald Jones. Tennessee may be looking at the second-coming of Charles Woodson, but Florida has the PERECT PLAYER FOR THE PERFECT SYSTEM AT THE PERFECT TIME.

[Stray Gator]

I think this is a new era. Coach Claw is getting the ball into the playmakers hands and when you have a 215 pound safety that runs a 4.28 that will be a top 5 NFL Draft pick, why not put him in some option/reverse type plays. That did that quite a bit last year with Gerald Jones. Tennessee may be looking at the second-coming of Charles Woodson, but Florida has the PERECT PLAYER FOR THE PERFECT SYSTEM AT THE PERFECT TIME.

If I was the OC up there, I'd install at least a few short-yardage specialty plays where Berry lines up at QB to take the direct snap--after all, the kid was a terrific QB in high school, so he should be comfortable in that spot. Given his speed and elusiveness, and with the added threat of the ability to make a quick toss--even something as safe as a short slant (Peyton says hi!) or bubble screen--it would certainly make the Vols tougher to defend inside the 5. But I still think he's too valuable in the secondary to risk the possibility of late-game fatigue by having him leg out those reverses and absorb the ensuing hits--especially since that's exactly what every defense will anticipate and key on whenever he lines up at a wideout or slot position.

As for the Gators, there's no doubt that this year's offense should be the most fun to watch since Danny W. was running Spur's "Fun 'n Gun," ringing up TDs to Ike and Reidel and Doering in '95 and '96 (and Quezzie Green in '96). The big question mark, of course, is whether the Gator D--and particularly the secondary--can keep opponents from matching whatever numbers Tebow and Harvin and Company can hang on the scoreboard every Saturday. The defensive front looks solid and relatively deep this year, but injuries have left UF perilously thin and inexperienced at the safety position.

As is usually the case when these games are played at Neyland, I fully expect the outcome to be decided by special teams play.

[whereinthehellami]

I'll take a stab at an ACC prediction.

Team, Predicted Record, Returning Starters (Offense, Defense), Comments

ATLANTIC
Clemson – 6-2. 14 (7-O, 7-D). Questions along the OL and at LB.
WFU – 5-3. 17 (8-O,9-D). Lost 4 OL starters and Moore at WR.
FSU – 5-3. 14 (6-O, 8-D). OL youth and depth issues.
MD – 4-4. 14 (9-O, 5-D). Skill questions on offense (QB and RB) and questionable front on defense.
NCS – 3-5. 10 (6-O, 4-D). Depth concerns, suspect secondary.
BC – 3-5, 10 (6-O, 4-D). New QB and RB. Questionable secondary.

COASTAL
UNC - 6-2. 17 (9-O, 8-D). Very favorable schedule. Secondary and OL have talent concerns.
VT – 5-3. 10 (6-O, 4-D) WR questions. Young defense.
Miami - 4-4. 9 (4-O, 5-D). Favorable schedule. Questions at QB, Offensive/defensive lines.
GT - 4-4. 8 (4-O,4-D). Young team. New schemes. Depth concerns. Questionable secondary.
UVA – 3-5. 13 (8-O, 5-D). Turbulent off-season. Questions at QB and iffy pass rush. Lost both punter and kicker.
Duke - 2-6. 17 (7-O, 10-D). Got a couple games they could win. OL a weakness. Poor defensive secondary.

[footballfan]

Several comments:

1) Florida. I'm thinking they're a bit overrated here. People love Tebow, but until he shows me he can actually read a defense... I'm going to be skeptical. Teams are going to be focusing on stopping Tebow from running, which will require him to actually make decisions.

Add in that their secondary and D-line is serious shape due to injuries. They had to let Ronny "AK" Wilson back on the team (the guy who shot a AK in public and also caught with weed) to play on the D-line. Matt Patchan also got switched to D-Line although he's too small and was recruited for the O-line. Omar Hunter is grossly out of shape and has lingering back problems. I've also read that Percy Harvin is still not 100% and limping around. They just lost their star TE (Ingram) so a large part of their offense (two TE package) is out.

Someone mentioned Cam Newton. Not too sure why he's going to a be a star. He's likely going to get moved from the QB position to TE. Reports stating he's just not a very good QB.

2) Duke. If things click this team could start out the season 4-0. That would be great and a huge morale booster. Plus will help in recruiting... although i don't think Duke has many open spots left.

3) Miami. Everything hinges on Miami's QBs. If Marve or Harris are even a fraction as good as advertised.. Miami should win 8-9 games this year. Miami should have a strong O-line and RB. Their DBs will be stable. Their new DC should make a huge difference in terms of zone blitzing. Their LB core last year was awful. But with Glen Cook back from injury, an additional year of experience and the addition of Arthur Brown and Sean Spence, the LB core could be more than ready. Besides the QB situation, the D-line will be a big question. they have talent, but they are young.

[footballfan]

The problem with Harvin winning the Heisman is he is not going to get enough touches. There are simply too many good athletes with the likes of Tebow, Newton, Rainey, Moody, Moore, THompson, Ingram, Hernandez. Florida is absolutely loaded and their D will be improved with SPikes, Dunlap,Davis, Wright, Haden, Hill, Munroe, Doe. I am still hoping we can beat you on Rocky Top this year. :D


Newton: He's a QB? I doubt he sees any significant PT time. I hear he will be 3rd string and likely move to TE next year.

Rainey: I hear he has a lingering groin injury from track season. So it's something that's not just going to disappear over night but likely take weeks/months to recover from.

Ingram: out for the season with an ACL injury

Munroe: out of the season

Hill: true freshman. going to take him awhile to learn the system

Harvin: probably the most dangerous player... and you didn't mention him. Hearing reports that although listed at "100%" still is not participating in practice and continues to limp around. Without Percy Harvin (and Ingram) UF's offense will be hurting.

[Wander]

The ACC Coastal has to be one of the most garbage excuses for a BCS conference division of all time. The fact that UNC, Miami, Duke, Virginia or Georgia Tech is going to finish 2nd is pathetic.

My prediction is that this ACC season is going to confirm what I already suspect, that Thad Lewis is a top 3 quarterback in the conference.

Ohio State against West Virginia in the championship.

UNC is going to come into Durham on their last game of the season with 5 wins needing one more to make a bowl. They'll lose by 20-30 points.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

The ACC Coastal has to be one of the most garbage excuses for a BCS conference division of all time. The fact that UNC, Miami, Duke, Virginia or Georgia Tech is going to finish 2nd is pathetic.

My prediction is that this ACC season is going to confirm what I already suspect, that Thad Lewis is a top 3 quarterback in the conference.

Ohio State against West Virginia in the championship.

UNC is going to come into Durham on their last game of the season with 5 wins needing one more to make a bowl. They'll lose by 20-30 points.
This has happened before as General Patton would say.

[Stray Gator]

Several comments:

1) Florida. I'm thinking they're a bit overrated here. People love Tebow, but until he shows me he can actually read a defense... I'm going to be skeptical. Teams are going to be focusing on stopping Tebow from running, which will require him to actually make decisions....

I'm baffled by the fact that people are still skeptical of Tebow's talent. Just about all of the teams Florida faced last season--which included some pretty strong defenses--focused on stopping Tebow from running, since the conventional wisdom on him after his freshman year was that he was a one-trick pony. Many opponents and commentators said they doubted his ability to read a defense; and that even if he could read the defense, they doubted he had the ability (and patience) to find open receivers; and that even if he could find open receivers, they doubted he had the ability to throw with sufficient accuracy to complete a decent percentage of passes.

So the kid went out and had one of the most prolific seasons of any QB in college football history--despite nursing a serious shoulder injury for a significant portion of the schedule, and despite having to spend far too much time watching from the sidelines as UF's young and inexperienced defense allowed opposing offenses to control possession of the ball. And that was only his first year as the starting QB at the college level. Yet the skepticism remains.

I know that Tebow isn't Superman in cleats. He is still learning, and still making mistakes. But last season, as a sophomore, he routinely made plays--running and passing--that would have been career highlights for many college QBs. As far as I'm concerned, the kid has already shown that he is the real deal, not just hype. And there's no reason to assume he won't improve based on experience.

As a Gator fan, I hope that all of UF's opponents continue to bring such skepticism to the ballpark on Saturdays.

[rockymtn devil]

Tebow is all he's cracked up to be. The Gators' problem is on defense. Michigan torched them in the Citrus Bowl (refuse to call it Capital One Bowl) after managing under 100 yards of total offense against Ohio State. Gators lost four games last year. Is there enough of an improvement to make it through the season with zero or one loss?

[Stray Gator]

Tebow is all he's cracked up to be. The Gators' problem is on defense. Michigan torched them in the Citrus Bowl (refuse to call it Capital One Bowl) after managing under 100 yards of total offense against Ohio State. Gators lost four games last year. Is there enough of an improvement to make it through the season with zero or one loss?

The defense remains the big question mark--especially after all the injuries to an already-thin secondary. But I expect significant improvement along the front, due to greater experience and depth. Hopefully, a more effective pass rush will help compensate for the deficiencies of the DBs by forcing opposing offenses to run shorter routes and rely on quicker throws.

I don't think even the most optimistic Gator fan expects an undefeated season--that rarely happens in the SEC, and unfortunately UF is already suffering the loss of some key players on both sides of the ball to injury even before the first kickoff. If the Gators can get through this schedule with only two losses, I think that would be a fabulous season, and would set them up for a strong run at the title in '09 when Tebow is a senior and the defense should be fully matured.

[formerdukeathlete]

Several comments:

1) Florida. I'm thinking they're a bit overrated here. People love Tebow, but until he shows me he can actually read a defense... I'm going to be skeptical. Teams are going to be focusing on stopping Tebow from running, which will require him to actually make decisions.

Add in that their secondary and D-line is serious shape due to injuries. They had to let Ronny "AK" Wilson back on the team (the guy who shot a AK in public and also caught with weed) to play on the D-line. Matt Patchan also got switched to D-Line although he's too small and was recruited for the O-line. Omar Hunter is grossly out of shape and has lingering back problems. I've also read that Percy Harvin is still not 100% and limping around. They just lost their star TE (Ingram) so a large part of their offense (two TE package) is out.

Someone mentioned Cam Newton. Not too sure why he's going to a be a star. He's likely going to get moved from the QB position to TE. Reports stating he's just not a very good QB.

2) Duke. If things click this team could start out the season 4-0. That would be great and a huge morale booster. Plus will help in recruiting... although i don't think Duke has many open spots left.

...............

fbf,

Yes, Florida's spread option is a fairly complex offense, and Tebow has a number of choices in terms of where he throws the ball.

http://www.gatorzone.com/football/stats/team.pdf

Regarding your suggestion that Tebow might be overrated or overly-hyped, check stats, and then compare Tim Tebow's stats with Thad Lewis. Consider and compare press expectations for the qbs for the upcoming season. For example, in this piece Thad Lewis is a sure lock to remain the starter for the next 2 years, no doubt (even though he was outplayed in the spring game, and we have on campus a parade all american qb - Renfree).

http://duke.scout.com/2/777087.html


Tebow is clearly not overly-hyped. He had a 66% completion rate last season (versus Thad's 50%), almost no fumbles almost no sacks. Tebow had 23 passing tds. All of this play, including the high completion rate, indicates that Tebow has both mastered Florida's complex offense, and is making good decisions early and often (where to throw the ball - 66% completion rate).

Tebow is the real deal. He is clearly not overhyped. As for the running - the guy can bench over 400, squat over 700, and still runs a 4.6 40. The guy could play fullback in addition to qb in the NFL.

[Wander]

Did I miss Thad Lewis transfering to Florida or something?

[devildeac]

The ACC Coastal has to be one of the most garbage excuses for a BCS conference division of all time. The fact that UNC, Miami, Duke, Virginia or Georgia Tech is going to finish 2nd is pathetic.

My prediction is that this ACC season is going to confirm what I already suspect, that Thad Lewis is a top 3 quarterback in the conference.

Ohio State against West Virginia in the championship.

UNC is going to come into Durham on their last game of the season with 5 wins needing one more to make a bowl. They'll lose by 20-30 points.

Have you seen some of the ACC officiating crews for FB? If it comes down to that, there will be more phantom penalties against Duke than there are Bud Lights in OZZIE's 'fridge:o:rolleyes:;).

[footballfan]

Well I guess Florida and Tebow were part of the greatest 4 loss team in history. That's right. They lost FOUR games. People want to think how great Tebow and UF were last year. How come they LOST so many games.

Sorry but Tebow benefits from two things last year. 1) Harvin and Cadwell and 2) Tebow's size. Well Cadwell is gone and Harvin is NOT 100%. Tebow had great numbers but that's because he had the tools around him to make him look great. Now I'm not saying anyone could have done what Tebow did last year... but it's obvious his biggest problem is that Tebow just can't read defenses. Maybe it was youth. Maybe because he's dumb (890 on SAT out of 2400). But watch the film. He doesn't go through his progression and once his 1st option is gone he starts to bolt off running.

Now people want to say Tebow scored so many TDs. That's good, right? WRONG. It's bad. As far as I know besides Harvin, UF has no running game to speak of besides Tebow. Well that's my whole point. Teams will be looking to stop Tebow from running. Harvin is not 100%. Ingram and Cadwell are gone. Sure they have tons of talent, but teams are going to "forcing" Tebow to actually break down the defense. This is not his strong point (as of yet).

Can he do it? Maybe.

[formerdukeathlete]

Did I miss Thad Lewis transfering to Florida or something?

What I suggested, perhaps subtlely, was it seems ironic that on a Duke fan site someone would question Tim Tebow's (66% completion rate) decionmaking. In Tebow's sophomore year he was the Albert Einstein of decisionmaking among sophomore qbs when compared to other sophomore qbs including Duke's own. So, if as a general matter you feel Thad Lewis deserves the pr and media attention, that anoiting him the starter for certain at Duke the next two years is appropriate (notwithstanding being outplayed in the spring game, that we have a parade all american in Renfree just putting on pads, and the as yet unresolved issues of last season), then you must agree that Tim Tebow's reputation is understated and that he is underrated by comparison.