ESPN: Bold Predictions for ACC in 2016

[CuseJacket]

Those who clamored for less respect last offseason should be happy.

7. Dave Doeren and Paul Johnson will struggle to quiet the critics

NC State fans are expecting progress, and it could be a rough road for the Wolfpack this season. They will need to break in a new quarterback with a tougher nonconference schedule (Notre Dame, at ECU) and road games against Clemson, Louisville and North Carolina. And Georgia Tech fans will have a hard time remembering that Orange Bowl win two seasons ago if Johnson can’t make major progress after a three-win campaign in 2015.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/...nd-other-bold-predictions-for-the-acc-in-2016

 

[FightWinDrink]

Before people get all upset at the article like people were when I saw it posted on reddit remember that these are BOLD predictions. Not this is 100% how it's going to play out. The point is suggesting things that most people DONT expect to happen but could

 

[IronJacket7]

Throw this on here too.

Bovada's odds list to win 2016-2017 National Championship.

• Alabama* 7/1
• Clemson** 15/2
• Baylor 12/1
• Michigan 12/1
• Ohio State 12/1
• LSU* 14/1
• Notre Dame 14/1
• Oklahoma 14/1
• Stanford 14/1
• Florida State** 16/1
• Mississippi* 22/1
• Oregon 22/1
• Tennessee* 22/1
• Florida* 33/1
• Georgia* 33/1
• Houston 33/1
• Iowa 33/1
• Michigan State 33/1
• TCU 33/1
• USC 33/1
• UCLA 40/1
• Wisconsin 50/1
• Arkansas* 50/1
• Auburn* 50/1
• Louisville** 50/1
• Nebraska 50/1
• North Carolina** 50/1
• Oklahoma State 50/1
• Texas A&M* 50/1
• Miami** 66/1
• South Carolina* 66/1
• Washington 66/1
• Utah 66/1
• Washington State 66/1
• Texas 75/1
• Virginia Tech** 75/1
• West Virginia 75/1
• Arizona 100/1
• Arizona State 100/1
• BYU 100/1
• Boise State 100/1
• California 100/1
• Georgia Tech** 100/1
• Maryland 100/1
• Mississippi State* 100/1
• Missouri* 100/1
• NC State 100/1
• Northwestern 100/1
• Penn State 100/1

 

[65Jacket]

This guy obviously does not know any more than some of our anti-CPJ fans. Last year was a negative perfect storm and you will be surprised at how good we are going to be in 2016. It will be a lot closer to 2014 than 2015.

 

[chrsw003]

The over for our season win total this coming year could be some easy money. Hopefully its like 4.5

 

[sidewalkGTfan]

I'm guessing one of his "bold" predictions from a year ago wasn't something along the lines of...GT is going to struggle mightily and miss a bowl for the first time in 19 years.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

ESPN also predicted Auburn to play for the NC and their QB to win the Heisman!

 

[JorgeJonas]

All I hear when I see bold predictions are TAEKS.

 

[RyanS12]

Like I've said before. I fully expect us to win 8 games.

 

[awbuzz]

At a 100 to 1. I'm still NOT going to place a $1 bet.

 

[Skeptic]

It doesn't seem unreasonable to assume Johnson will "struggle" vs. critics if Tech doesn't show great progress over 2015. I'm a Johnson fan but that is what I am expecting, and marginal progress in Thomas's last year with -- right now -- no top flight replacement in sight for 2017 should draw a lot of criticism, both from the administration and fans. All coaches live with that. The NC State guy, yeah, but he loaded up on cupcakes in 2015 and flopped against competition. (Let's face it: that AD is an awful judge of coaching skills, and ran Maryland into the wall.)

But UNC ain't gonna be there in the NC, and its quarterback being more productive than Watson is laughable. Richt will do well at Miami, but win more in 2016 than Smart? If so, that firing wasn't very smart itself.

The problem with having a column or responsible for commentary, apparently, is that one must have an opinion even if he doesn't have an opinion. The readers expect it.

 

[slugboy]

I'm guessing one of his "bold" predictions from a year ago wasn't something along the lines of...GT is going to struggle mightily and miss a bowl for the first time in 19 years.

It's David Hale--he thought Tech would be front runner in our division last year, and usually thinks CPJ is a genius. He's putting a lot of weight on last year. If we double our wins, we're barely bowl-eligible.

 

[Skeptic]

It's David Hale--he thought Tech would be front runner in our division last year, and usually thinks CPJ is a genius. He's putting a lot of weight on last year. If we double our wins, we're barely bowl-eligible.

Last season was one of those mysteries of life to me. That a team that -- I think most of us thought -- was going to be 8 wins and maybe 9, and score one of its patented upsets -- Clemson, maybe? -- could fall so completely apart and look so helpless at times. Clemson, maybe? I think in this case failure has a thousand fathers, and one of them was the offensive line. But they were, after all, mostly 19 and 20-year-olds and goofy things can happen to otherwise ungoofy guys,

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Throw this on here too.

Bovada's odds list to win 2016-2017 National Championship.

• Alabama* 7/1
• Clemson** 15/2
• Baylor 12/1
• Michigan 12/1
• Ohio State 12/1
• LSU* 14/1
• Notre Dame 14/1
• Oklahoma 14/1
• Stanford 14/1
• Florida State** 16/1
• Mississippi* 22/1
• Oregon 22/1
• Tennessee* 22/1
• Florida* 33/1
• Georgia* 33/1
• Houston 33/1
• Iowa 33/1
• Michigan State 33/1
• TCU 33/1
• USC 33/1
• UCLA 40/1
• Wisconsin 50/1
• Arkansas* 50/1
• Auburn* 50/1
• Louisville** 50/1
• Nebraska 50/1
• North Carolina** 50/1
• Oklahoma State 50/1
• Texas A&M* 50/1
• Miami** 66/1
• South Carolina* 66/1
• Washington 66/1
• Utah 66/1
• Washington State 66/1
• Texas 75/1
• Virginia Tech** 75/1
• West Virginia 75/1
• Arizona 100/1
• Arizona State 100/1
• BYU 100/1
• Boise State 100/1
• California 100/1
• Georgia Tech** 100/1
• Maryland 100/1
• Mississippi State* 100/1
• Missouri* 100/1
• NC State 100/1
• Northwestern 100/1
• Penn State 100/1

Why are Tennessee and Auburn even on this list? For as long as I can remember, as sure as the sun rises, someone is going to suggest every couple of years that Auburn or Tennessee is making a comeback, no matter how many years they have been terrible.

 

[cyptomcat]

Throw this on here too.

Bovada's odds list to win 2016-2017 National Championship.

• Alabama* 7/1
• Clemson** 15/2
• Baylor 12/1
• Michigan 12/1
• Ohio State 12/1
• LSU* 14/1
• Notre Dame 14/1
• Oklahoma 14/1
• Stanford 14/1
• Florida State** 16/1
• Mississippi* 22/1
• Oregon 22/1
• Tennessee* 22/1
• Florida* 33/1
• Georgia* 33/1
• Houston 33/1
• Iowa 33/1
• Michigan State 33/1
• TCU 33/1
• USC 33/1
• UCLA 40/1
• Wisconsin 50/1
• Arkansas* 50/1
• Auburn* 50/1
• Louisville** 50/1
• Nebraska 50/1
• North Carolina** 50/1
• Oklahoma State 50/1
• Texas A&M* 50/1
• Miami** 66/1
• South Carolina* 66/1
• Washington 66/1
• Utah 66/1
• Washington State 66/1
• Texas 75/1
• Virginia Tech** 75/1
• West Virginia 75/1
• Arizona 100/1
• Arizona State 100/1
• BYU 100/1
• Boise State 100/1
• California 100/1
• Georgia Tech** 100/1
• Maryland 100/1
• Mississippi State* 100/1
• Missouri* 100/1
• NC State 100/1
• Northwestern 100/1
• Penn State 100/1

Tied for 43rd highest chances overall and 6th highest in the ACC.

Not too bad actually if you take this as an 'expected value', as in we have about 50% chance to do better than that and be a top 40 team which would be a HUGE improvement.

Glass half full