I have no idea what to expect from Clemson and am not saying we will lose but their entire DL will likely be high draft picks so I expect us to have difficulty with that unit especially, regardless of who is coaching them.
This, to me, sums up most of our games.
Clemson has a clear talent advantage across the board. So do FSU, UNC, and Miami, according to the 2021 ACC talent composite. (Granted, they had some go away via draft, but we lost some to transfer and NFL as well). Add in uga and Ole Miss and there are 6 teams,
ON PAPER, that we shouldn't beat. However, Clemson slipped some last season and we might find they are still struggling this season. Playing them game one is probably more advantageous for us than them. There's also the pressure for them to come out of the gate strong to begin their playoff drive, whereas there are no expectations for GT in this game.
FSU has coaching questions to resolve, UNC has yet to put it all together, and Miami is a Jekyll/Hyde program lately. While I would bet good money Miami runs away with the Coastal this year, I'm not dumb enough to get burned again by declaring it so just yet.
In all, these 4 ACC games are winnable. Ole Miss has a new QB, but their coach is an offensive genius. Winnable game but most likely an L. So with uga, that's six likely losses but with realistic upset chances in a few of them.
I really like our chances against UVA and VT in the ACC. I think we win both of those.
Duke and WNC are wins. If not, CGC is dead man walking.
That leaves UCF and Pitt. Both of these games are the hardest for me to get a read on. UCF could very well be a win. They are starting a new QB as well, but we are going to them and ALL the pressure will be on us. I'm calling for a close win.
As for Pitt, again, they are replacing a LOT of offensive production. Their DL is good though, and they will give our OL fits, especially of said OL hasn't come into its own by that point. Talent wise the two teams were close last year. Should be about the same this year. This is a winnable game against what I consider to be a team that could also surprise and challenge for the Coastal.
My gut says we win 5 this year, but there's a nagging suspicion we might be the surprise of the year in college football, winning 6-7 games and being very close in all but one or two.
That's about as bold as I can get right not.