FB: 2020 Schedule is out

[nocilla]

Schedule is out.

http://theacc.com/news/2020/1/21/acc-announces-2020-football-schedule.aspx

[CameronBornAndBred]

Schedule is out.

http://theacc.com/news/2020/1/21/acc-announces-2020-football-schedule.aspx

Sept. 5 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
Sept. 12 ELON
Sept. 17 CHARLOTTE (Thurs.)
Sept. 26 at Pitt
Oct. 3 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 10 at NC State
Oct. 17 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 31 at Notre Dame
Nov. 7 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 13 VIRGINIA (Fri.)
Nov. 21 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 28 at Miami

One Thursday game, one Friday game. Boo to both!

[devildeac]

Sept. 5 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
Sept. 12 ELON
Sept. 17 CHARLOTTE (Thurs.)
Sept. 26 at Pitt
Oct. 3 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 10 at NC State
Oct. 17 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 31 at Notre Dame
Nov. 7 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 13 VIRGINIA (Fri.)
Nov. 21 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 28 at Miami

One Thursday game, one Friday game. Boo to both!

That master schedule is rather hard to read/decipher. Do we really have seven home games?

[CameronBornAndBred]

That master schedule is rather hard to read/decipher. Do we really have seven home games?
You mean seven tailgates? Yep. :cool::D

[duke2x]

Sept. 5 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
Sept. 12 ELON
Sept. 17 CHARLOTTE CENTER FOR UNC (Thurs.) :p
Sept. 26 at Pitt
Oct. 3 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 10 at NC State
Oct. 17 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 31 at Notre Dame
Nov. 7 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 13 VIRGINIA (Fri.)
Nov. 21 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 28 at Miami

One Thursday game, one Friday game. Boo to both!

I'm surprised that we got two non-Saturday home games and that we play the 2 probable preseason favorites during sweeps. It has Wake during Fall Break. The only thing I like about that schedule is that we play @Pitt when it won't snow.

[devildeac]

You mean seven tailgates? Yep. :cool::D

Silly me, of course I meant seven tailgates. Thanks for the correction. ;)

[Acymetric]

Sept. 5 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
Sept. 12 ELON
Sept. 17 CHARLOTTE (Thurs.)
Sept. 26 at Pitt
Oct. 3 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 10 at NC State
Oct. 17 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 31 at Notre Dame
Nov. 7 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 13 VIRGINIA (Fri.)
Nov. 21 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 28 at Miami

One Thursday game, one Friday game. Boo to both!

Floor of 4 wins, ceiling of 10. Looking forward to whispers about the QB situation trickling out during Spring Practice.

[budwom]

Nice beginning of the season, three relatively (emphasis) easy games to break in a new QB, OC, etc...

[bundabergdevil]

Nice beginning of the season, three relatively (emphasis) easy games to break in a new QB, OC, etc...

My reaction as well. No Alabama on the schedule...

[scottdude8]

Sept. 5 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
Sept. 12 ELON
Sept. 17 CHARLOTTE (Thurs.)
Sept. 26 at Pitt
Oct. 3 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 10 at NC State
Oct. 17 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 31 at Notre Dame
Nov. 7 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 13 VIRGINIA (Fri.)
Nov. 21 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 28 at Miami

One Thursday game, one Friday game. Boo to both!

Three likely non-conference wins (as opposed to two this year) make a bowl bid much more attainable. I also second the opinion of many who have mentioned that the easy start will be useful for getting our QB situation settled.

Our home/road split also seems reasonably favorable. Virginia and Virginia Tech may be two of the harder games on the schedule, but getting them at home (and towards the end of the season, when Cut has had time to work his magic with our new QB) will make a victory a non-trivial possibility.

[TKG]

At first blush, I see three wins (MTSU, Elon and GTech). The rest, as of today, seem like losses or toss-ups (Charlotte, Miami, Cheats) at best.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Charlotte isn't a game to look at as a guaranteed win, they are good. Starting with them, there are six straight games against teams that went bowling last year.
In fact there are only three teams on the schedule that stayed home like we did. Elon, MTSU, and GT.

[JasonEvans]

When we are 7-0 and ranked in the top 15 heading into that match with Notre Dame, the game be broadcast nationwide on NBC, right?

-Jason "actually, I think that happens whether we are 7-0 or 0-7" Evans

[Acymetric]

At first blush, I see three wins (MTSU, Elon and GTech). The rest, as of today, seem like losses or toss-ups (Charlotte, Miami, Cheats) at best.


Charlotte isn't a game to look at as a guaranteed win, they are good. Starting with them, there are six straight games against teams that went bowling last year.
In fact there are only three teams on the schedule that stayed home like we did. Elon, MTSU, and GT.

Ok, we're going overboard here. Charlotte has built a nice mid-level program. Charlotte is not a guaranteed win the way Elon is, but they aren't that far ahead of MTSU. They are a likely win and a should win. We should beat them and beat them handily. Yeesh.

[budwom]

Ok, we're going overboard here. Charlotte has built a nice mid-level program. Charlotte is not a guaranteed win the way Elon is, but they aren't that far ahead of MTSU. They are a likely win and a should win. We should beat them and beat them handily. Yeesh.

yeah, looking at season ending Sagarin standings and his point system, Duke is at roughly 66, Elon 50, MTSU 56, Charlotte 58...plus I'd like to think that the new offense (personnel and coaches if not scheme) will improve us greatly...so we should be double figure favorites at home vs each of them...gotta win all three.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Ok, we're going overboard here. Charlotte has built a nice mid-level program. Charlotte is not a guaranteed win the way Elon is, but they aren't that far ahead of MTSU. They are a likely win and a should win. We should beat them and beat them handily. Yeesh.

We thought the same about Syracuse.

[jimsumner]

No home game during Thanksgiving is always a good thing.

Open date after week 7. Could be worse.

[Acymetric]

We thought the same about Syracuse.

That doesn't change that we should have expected to beat them going in. Upsets do happen, obviously, but Charlotte beating Duke would be a substantial upset.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I hate to be defeatist but our odds of beating Notre Dame are virtually zero. So I would have rather had the bye week heading into a game where we have a decent chance of winning.

Fall break is very early, so the Wake game is over break. That is unfortunate.

Otherwise no major complaints.

[DevilHorse]

I'm surprised that we got two non-Saturday home games and that we play the 2 probable preseason favorites during sweeps. It has Wake during Fall Break. The only thing I like about that schedule is that we play @Pitt when it won't snow.

Pitt will have a really good Defense coming back. No picnic (as if they ever were).

Larry
DevilHorse

[arnie]

At first blush, I see three wins (MTSU, Elon and GTech). The rest, as of today, seem like losses or toss-ups (Charlotte, Miami, Cheats) at best.

I don’t see State as a strong team next year. Would put them in the tossup group.

[CDu]

This is about all we could expect really. With @Notre Dame on the schedule and with our division schedule and Wake, that's not a lot of "easy" games to be had. Aside from getting Syracuse (again), it wasn't going to be much easier. Three winnable games outside of the conference, one game we're likely to lose. And a bunch of tough but mostly winnable conference games.

Basically, gotta hope we win our 3 winnable conference games and then go at least 3-5 in conference.

[Bob Green]

We went 3-1 in 2019 against the teams we play in November - past returns, future success caveat for sure - but I like it on paper.

Start strong with the non-conference games, finish strong, figure out how to win some games in the middle.

As for my negative reactions, two non-Saturday games are very inconvenient to fans who travel from outside the local area to attend. Thursday is worse than Friday but I dislike both.

More comments to follow...

[CDu]

We went 3-1 in 2019 against the teams we play in November - past returns, future success caveat for sure - but I like it on paper.

Start strong with the non-conference games, finish strong, figure out how to win some games in the middle.

As for my negative reactions, two non-Saturday games are very inconvenient to fans who travel from outside the local area to attend. Thursday is worse than Friday but I dislike both.

More comments to follow...

As a local but one with a young child, I hear you on the non-Saturday games (which are by definition night games). That's about the biggest/only real complaint for me.

[arnie]

Charlotte isn't a game to look at as a guaranteed win, they are good. Starting with them, there are six straight games against teams that went bowling last year.
In fact there are only three teams on the schedule that stayed home like we did. Elon, MTSU, and GT.

State did not go to a bowl and finished last in the Atlantic division.

[CameronBornAndBred]

State did not go to a bowl and finished last in the Atlantic division.

Yep, I missed them. Hopefully they aren't that great this coming season either. They can be such an up and down team; let's catch them on a down day. :)

[budwom]

This is about all we could expect really. With @Notre Dame on the schedule and with our division schedule and Wake, that's not a lot of "easy" games to be had. Aside from getting Syracuse (again), it wasn't going to be much easier. Three winnable games outside of the conference, one game we're likely to lose. And a bunch of tough but mostly winnable conference games.

Basically, gotta hope we win our 3 winnable conference games and then go at least 3-5 in conference.

yessir, the Cut formula has been win at least 3 out of our four out of conference games (I think that's what you meant) and win three in the ACC...putting Bama on the schedule in lieu of a cupcake cost us a bowl, not that we deserved one...
At some point it would be nice to go at least .500 in the league, something we haven't done in some years...

[Bob Green]

At some point it would be nice to go at least .500 in the league, something we haven't done in some years...

2015: 4-4
2014: 5-3
2013: 6-2

We’ve finished .500 or better in conference three times in the Coach Cutcliffe era. Folks talk about the program taking the next step, I’d define the next step as finishing .500 or better in the ACC every year.

[CDu]

yessir, the Cut formula has been win at least 3 out of our four out of conference games (I think that's what you meant) and win three in the ACC...putting Bama on the schedule in lieu of a cupcake cost us a bowl, not that we deserved one...
At some point it would be nice to go at least .500 in the league, something we haven't done in some years...

Yep, and thanks for correctly interpreting my typo. Indeed: win three NON-conference games and hope to go 3-5 or better in conference.

And/But...


2015: 4-4
2014: 5-3
2013: 6-2

We’ve finished .500 or better in conference three times in the Coach Cutcliffe era. Folks talk about the program taking the next step, I’d define the next step as finishing .500 or better in the ACC every year.

Totally agree. The program seemed to have made progress in the early/mid 10s. Not so much since. Word around the program is that the talent is there, but the coaching (read: assistants, not Cut) is not. Hopefully a bit of coaching shakeup - if if happens - will get the ship headed in the right direction. But regardless, getting the program winning 4+ conference games would be a wonderful thing.

[budwom]

Defense does seem to be improving, it kept us in several games last year (e.g. Pitt) where the offense did zip. Two good co-coordinators there, Guerrieri and Albert.
Hope we see a similar improvement on the offensive side...

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Nice beginning of the season, three relatively (emphasis) easy games to break in a new QB, OC, etc...

I've been busy for a while...do we have a new OC????

[Acymetric]

I've been busy for a while...do we have a new OC????

No, but either a new OC hire or some "restructuring" that leaves someone other than Roper as OC is the trendy rumor.