2020 ACC Football Season Update

[plangineer]

Proximity has zero to do with this schedule. If proximity is the concern, then they would have done something like the pod system that had been discussed. In this schedule: Duke is going to Syracuse, UNC is going to Miami and Boston, GT is going to Syracuse and Boston.

I agree. It sounds like the schedule was primarily to accommodate Notre Dame entering the mix and to maximize the number of views. So the match-ups that aren't common and would draw a bigger crowd

 

[YJMD]

Pre-season SP+ from Connely, returning production rank:

SP+
Returning Production

Team	SP+ (Rank)	Returning Production (Rank)	Point Spread (2.5 pt home field advantage)
GT	1.3 (58)	84% (2)	-
Duke	-1.7 (69)	65% (65)	GT -5.5
Clemson	27 (3)	55% (96)	Clemson -23.2
Louisville	6.7 (41)	78% (13)	Louisville -3.9
Notre Dame	18.5 (12)	59% (83)	ND -14.7
Pitt	6 (42)	69% (48)	Pitt -3.2
@ BC	-2.2 (71)	67% (53)	GT -1
@ FSU	12 (26)	73% (27)	FSU -13.2
@ Miami	12.6 (23)	55% (97)	Miami -13.8
@ NCSU	0.2 (62)	74% (23)	NCSU -1
@ Syracuse	-6.4 (95)	52% (106)	GT -5.2

Lots of close games predicted. I think the ratings are going to significantly undervalue our improvement given more time with scheme, impact transfers / healthy returnees / positive culture. But it's still a tough schedule. 3 games where we are close to a 2TD dog and then there's Clemson and maybe UGA.

 

[BuzzStone]

We won't lose to FSU by 13

 

[lv20gt]

Not sure, but if that was the case it is interesting they didn't include Clemson in that proximity based plan..

Clemson is playing GT, Wake, and VT. I think UNC might be slightly closer than VT but

Proximity has zero to do with this schedule. If proximity is the concern, then they would have done something like the pod system that had been discussed. In this schedule: Duke is going to Syracuse, UNC is going to Miami and Boston, GT is going to Syracuse and Boston.

Pods don't change anything unless they would change the number of games played or make pod play round robin. Even then there were certainly other factors that made pod play unlikely that were mentioned. Also, you bring up the long distance match ups but with 10 games, 5 teams were going to be traveling to Miami, Boston, Syracuse no matter what so there is no schedule that could be made that you wouldn't have that X is going to Miami/Syracuse/Boston. BC is already playing like the 5 closest teams to it anyways. Same with Miami.

 

[RonJohn]

Pods don't change anything unless they would change the number of games played or make pod play round robin. Even then there were certainly other factors that made pod play unlikely that were mentioned. Also, you bring up the long distance match ups but with 10 games, 5 teams were going to be traveling to Miami, Boston, Syracuse no matter what so there is no schedule that could be made that you wouldn't have that X is going to Miami/Syracuse/Boston. BC is already playing like the 5 closest teams to it anyways. Same with Miami.

With the pod home-away game with each team in the pod, Pitt, BC, and Syracuse could have had four games just among that group. Add ND and Lousiville or a Virginia team, and they could have 5 home games and 5 away games without travelling as far as South Carolina. The home and home with the pod system is what would have reduced the requirement for long travel. Lousiville, Miami and their opponents are going to have to travel long distances no matter what.

 

[bobongo]

So? Hypothetical question.. What happens if GT is healthy, but another team has to cancel, due to the virus? Do we get a W? Does the game just not happen?

I'm sure the game just does not happen, but...
I'm equally sure that if we beat Ugag this year and they have a few out with the virus, they won't count it.

 

[dmel25]

I'm sure the game just does not happen, but...
I'm equally sure that if we beat Ugag this year and they have a few out with the virus, they won't count it.

That will be any SEC team let's be real. They will just count 2020 as the "Well it was a weird year with covid so..." year and that will be their excuse for any loss.

 

[lv20gt]

With the pod home-away game with each team in the pod, Pitt, BC, and Syracuse could have had four games just among that group. Add ND and Lousiville or a Virginia team, and they could have 5 home games and 5 away games without travelling as far as South Carolina. The home and home with the pod system is what would have reduced the requirement for long travel. Lousiville, Miami and their opponents are going to have to travel long distances no matter what.

So you said the exact thing I did. It's the home and home that reduces the requirement, not the pod system. And home and home leads to problems of unbalanced schedule, for instance 4 teams playing Clemson twice and 8 teams playing them not at all. No, proximity wasn't the only factor, there is no sole factor, but to say it had zero to do with proximity is absurd.

 

[Coloradojacket]

Does anyone here really believe that players testing positive for Covid will actually be reported? Do you believe drug testing actually happens? Say Trevor Lawrence was positive....really...he will play. Also there is a rumor that Dabo is infecting his team to herd immunize them...just the rumor.

 

[dmel25]

Does anyone here really believe that players testing positive for Covid will actually be reported? Do you believe drug testing actually happens? Say Trevor Lawrence was positive....really...he will play. Also there is a rumor that Dabo is infecting his team to herd immunize them...just the rumor.

Drug testing definitely happens. Remember when "random" Clemson players were selected for drug testing before the Championship game against Alabama and some of their best players tested positive and were suspended from the game... yet suspiciously NONE of Alabama's starters tested positive. Riggghhhtttt. They drug test when it is convenient.

 

[JacketOff]

Does anyone here really believe that players testing positive for Covid will actually be reported? Do you believe drug testing actually happens? Say Trevor Lawrence was positive....really...he will play. Also there is a rumor that Dabo is infecting his team to herd immunize them...just the rumor.

????
They’re already being reported. And yes, drug testing does happen also. Clemson literally won the CFP 2 years ago without one of their best defenders due to a failed drug test.

 

[TaxJacket]

We won't lose to FSU by 13

right.... I need to go put some money on that line

 

[Ga tech]

Anyone who doesn’t think we can go 7-3 (7-4) here is crazy...

Call me crazy, but aside from Clemson, ND, and Miami, we can win every game with the exception of whatever outta conference game we play.

No way. We were one of the worst teams in Division 1 football last year. We might be a little better, but so might our opponents. Many teams crushed us so bad that they put their 2nd & 3rd string players in the 3rd & 4th quarters. This then gave a false sense of hope that we were improving during the 2nd half of the games.

 

[Ga tech]

I think our ceiling of 7 wins this year is accurate, but we’d have to have improved a whole bunch to get there.

With this schedule, Id love for us to win 5 games. That will show good improvement in our players and sell the new staff to recruits in the 2022 class. Go Jackets!

Not a chance. Look at how we played last season.

 

[Ga tech]

Clemson will go crazy when they lose to us before the ND game.

Now at what positions are we better than Clemson?

 

[Gt2019]

Now at what positions are we better than Clemson?

Punter and maybe running backs in terms of depth

 

[augustabuzz]

Now at what positions are we better than Clemson?

Punter

 

[JacketOff]

Now at what positions are we better than Clemson?

All of them, except maybe kicker, but I wouldn’t put it past one of our freshmen to outplay them there too

 

[CuseJacket]

Punter and maybe running backs in terms of depth

247 + hype says Clemson has a better starter (Etienne) and higher rated RB in each of the last two classes, despite our optimism for Mason, Griffin and Gibbs.

5* last year: https://247sports.com/player/demarkcus-bowman-46048830/
Higher rated 4* year prior: https://247sports.com/player/chez-mellusi-87773/

 

[CuseJacket]

Pre-season SP+ from Connely, returning production rank:

SP+
Returning Production

Team	SP+ (Rank)	Returning Production (Rank)	Point Spread (2.5 pt home field advantage)
GT	1.3 (58)	84% (2)	-
Duke	-1.7 (69)	65% (65)	GT -5.5
Clemson	27 (3)	55% (96)	Clemson -23.2
Louisville	6.7 (41)	78% (13)	Louisville -3.9
Notre Dame	18.5 (12)	59% (83)	ND -14.7
Pitt	6 (42)	69% (48)	Pitt -3.2
@ BC	-2.2 (71)	67% (53)	GT -1
@ FSU	12 (26)	73% (27)	FSU -13.2
@ Miami	12.6 (23)	55% (97)	Miami -13.8
@ NCSU	0.2 (62)	74% (23)	NCSU -1
@ Syracuse	-6.4 (95)	52% (106)	GT -5.2

Lots of close games predicted. I think the ratings are going to significantly undervalue our improvement given more time with scheme, impact transfers / healthy returnees / positive culture. But it's still a tough schedule. 3 games where we are close to a 2TD dog and then there's Clemson and maybe UGA.

Be interested to learn whether the same home field handicap applies in situations where there are no or far fewer fans