Ok Make your Statement

Coloradojacket

Coloradojacket

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Well if you all can't tell I can hardly wait for September. That being said, we are in the season of prognostication so for a bit of fun, go out on a limb and pick the ACCCG. Atlantic and Coastal and give your explanation. Here goes.

Atlantic....get ready.... NC State
I got it the Wolfpack. Fact is last year they should have beaten Clemson and played fairly tough. They have a really good D coming back and can move the football. The schedule is good for them. They should win over Wake, Cuse, BC, and UNC. Pitt might be hampered as they lost a fair amount. So it comes down to three games. I am not buying Louisville. I think people figured out stop Jackson and that is all they have. So Florida St. and Clemson. Clemson has to replace an entire offense and they play NC St right after dealing with us and the TO oh and the game is at State. For Fl State that first game with Bama will tell us a lot. My vote is still out on Fl St. If Bama beats them up it will take a while for them to recover and they play NC ST right after Miami. Sets up well for the Pack.

Coastal.....ok I am being a homer but I do believe GT wins the Coastal.
1. Va Tech, UNC, Clemson,Pitt and Duke have to replace a good bit if not all of their offense. Miami has to replace their quarterback.
2. UVA and Wake should be wins, along with Duke, UNC Va Tech and Pitt.
3. So it comes down to Clemson and Miami. Clemson's Defense will be stout and last year we struggled. And the Game is at Clemson. Miami, I don't buy as much. If not for those two fumble TDs we win that game last year. I think we split on Miami and Clemson.
Yes I know we have to replace our QB as well but if our QB is Jordan, he has proven he can win.
Schedule. The Pitt game comes after two out of conference should be wins. Miami is a Thursday after an open date. Clemson on the road is the hard one.

Not going to pick the winner.

What say you.
 
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Boomergump

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I don't care who wins the Atlantic. Whoever is left to play us in the ACCCG is fine with me.

At the moment, I am trying to come to grips with how positive I feel about the 2017 version of my beloved Jackets. I can't quite pinpoint why I feel like this will be the best FB team yet in the CPJ era. At QB, MJ has proven himself on a spot start in a hostile environment as a winner. We can, and will, win with him. If he gets beaten out, we can certainly win with whoever does that.

For me, it is much more than the QB position though. I love the fact that our young OL proved themselves under fire last year and appears to be heading upward. Most players make the biggest improvement from year one to year two and that is just where our OL finds themselves right now. Despite lacking one single big play, dominant WR, we are in the best shape ever at the skill positions on offense. We will block the perimeter better and we will be able to have a two headed monster on the inside again rather than just a single headed monster. That is huge IMHO. Mills will break out and we will be off to the races running the football.

On defense, if nothing else, I believe we will be getting push on the interior of the line for the first time in quite a while. That will make everybody better. We may not chase as well from that position as in years past, but I will take push vs chase from the DT position every single time.

I may turn out to be completely wrong, but that is how I feel right now. The spring game, while not crazy good, looked far more coherent that years past. We are a stable team at the end of spring practice and look like we know what we are doing, even with our first string QB hurt. That hasn't always been the case. SO, put me down for GT wins coastal. As far as the Atlantic? I'll go with Wake, just because I can and I don't care. If you are going with NCST, then I feel compelled to "one up" you.
 

Sideways

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I am going out on a limb and stake out a contrarian position. In the Atlantic, I like FSU. I understand the OP viewpoint concerning the Wolf Pack but until they prove themselves I will go with the proven winner and that the Seminoles. In the Coastal, I understand Boomer's reasoning but I am not convinced that our defense is championship quality. I am also more skeptical of the quarterback situation. For the umpteenth time, it is a disadvantage for us and Miami to have to play the two heavyweights from the Atlantic every year. That said, I am going with Miami who lost some good players but not near as many as Carolina and Virginia Tech or Pitt for that matter. I see us as being in second or third. There I have "staked out my position" which will be unpopular in many quarters so have at it. Side note, it is remarkable how many of our opponents are breaking in new quarterbacks along with us. Let's see: Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson, Pitt, UNC, seems like there is one more.
 

Oldgoldandwhite

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In the Atlantic the road goes through Tallahassee or Clemson. In the Coastal it will depend on QB play. It could be us, VT, UM, UNC, or Pitt. Depends on who has the best signal caller.
 
4shotB

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Unfortunately, I have been watching FB (especially GT FB) for so long that I have lost confidence in my ability to forecast these things. I feel I have a better chance at picking the winning PowerBall numbers. Fortunately, I still anticipate "toe meets leather" time and soon after spring turkey season and the good bass fishing slows down,I simply endure the summer days until this crazy addiction starts all over again. I feel really good about our prospects next year. And that worries me greatly. I also worry a lot when I don't feel too good about our prospect's next year.I think i am getting suspiciously close to the point where I realize that what I think either doesn't matter or has no correlation on what the team actually accomplishes.With all that being said, I am thinking undefeated and a natty this year.
 
Longestday

Longestday

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Very hard...

I wish I knew more about the next in line QBs for the teams we play with new QBs. JT was a new QB and did well his first year. Who is to say the next great QB does not start next year for any team with a new QB.

Clemson stopped GT pretty good. They are suppose to have a better defense next year. Miami is going to be tough down in Miami.

The O has the right people. Is there depth enough? Can we stay healthy. I think 2016 started low in offense and picked up as the year went on. The spring game was a great predictor in 2016 and the slow start. I could see GT struggling under the lights with the young team in the 1st game.

Defense.... LB has me concerned. The scheme also has me concerned. I cannot take third downs and never covering the 1st down line. Mix it up. I would love to see GT good at hiding/tricking blitzing intentions in 2017.

Loss of 2-3 for Clemson, Miami, Georgia, Tenn, and VT

Lose of 1 for UNC, Pitt, Duke, UVA, Wake, UCF, and Jacksonville

GT wins Coastal....

FSU or Clemson wins the Atlantic... GT beats FSU or struggles with Clemson. Beating FSU puts us in the Orange Bowl at 10 and 3? or Russell finally takes us as SEC champions with wins over Tenn and Georgia.
 

1979jacket

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Clemson
FSU is very good - in my opinion they have the best coach in college football for passing offense and a good QB. However, Clemson is almost, if not as talented as Bama. The Clemson defensive line whipped Tech's offensive line last year like I don't think anyone else has before. Yes, ND did some good things against Tech offense at ND but it wasn't just a total whipping upfront. I'll go based on talent.

GT and will enjoy the ride but not confident
The Coastal is a toss up. Miami starts a new QB and not enough talent to win game after game. VT should be down. Lost a ton of players - QB, FB WR's. I think they have some struggles. UNC will be good but new QB and some other skill position losses - talent at those spots is how they win. Duke will be dangerous but not great. Pitt lost their best skill players -QB, RB. UVA - not much of a factor. So I will go with GT but the defense has to be better and yet have questions on dline and holes at LB. The offense though would appear to have the best players it has had in awhile. Oline and A&B Backs are all good. Playing Clemson in a cross-division game hurts. I expect the Coastal winner will finish 6-2 and possibly 5-3.
 
Whiskey_Clear

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I agree Clemson and Miami will be our toughest opponents unless we meet FSU in the ACCCG.

I think this will be our most prolific group of playmakers at the skill positions on O but Im not certain yet how good they will block. (Hugely important)..... I think our Oline will be our best group fielded yet...but...they will be challenged vs UM and Clem. Looks like the O tackle spot needs to get shored up a tad.

On D I'm a bit concerned at LB. I think several guys have the potential to play well in the right circumstances but I'm not sure those circumstances exist for all of them or how well the guys at LB will mesh together; or how well their games compliment each other for that matter.

Next biggest concern on D is DL of course. Again I'm not certain how well each guy meshes. DT probably has better depth than we have had in a very long time. I think we have four who can rotate in and contribute. I really like Branch's game despite him being a little lean. (Once more at this spot I wonder if he might have more potential at DE than our other guys at DE. Are we yet again pressing our potentially best DE into service at DT because he's our best overall DT also? - I dunno honestly just pure conjecture) I like the space Adams eats up and the push he gets at times. But the scheme used when he's in will have to account for his limits in mobility. DEs have a lot to prove. Freeman has to show he can consistently pressure the QB. Simmons has to prove he can play his assignments and set the edge when needed.

Secondary is sound. If the other units step up their game big plays will be made in the secondary.

Biggest factors to succeed...injuries and turnover margin.

Tech wins Coastal (I'm a homer) and FSU wins Atlantic. I'll predict the championship game after we kick the mutts in the nuts.
 

Sideways

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FightWinDrink said:
Atlantic: FSU
Coastal: 7 way tie at 4-4 in conference play
Click to expand...
This is not as far fetched as some might think. This division is crazy in a good sort of way. GT, Miami, UNC, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Pitt (sorry Duke you got to more to prove) have all had their moments. Anything can happen in any given year.
 
redmule

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How many players did we lose off the two deep defense in the summer of '14? They either left, flunked out, or were dismissed by CPJ. Seems like it was 6 or 7 and around 3 of them on the DL. I think I'm remembering that correctly. We had enough magic that year that we still almost caught lightning in a bottle. In '15 we were depleted on defense, young on offense, and injured everywhere. Last year, I would like to think, you could see the ship being righted, and were a more than decent team by the end of the year. I see no reason (barring another summer like the summer of '14) to think we take much of a step back. I know, I know, quarterback. Were we the only ones with that problem, I would be more concerned. If CPJ had no demonstrated record of developing a qb (like Gailey for instance), I would be more concerned. Are we going to be better or worse off at qb relative to our competition than last year? I like our chances there.

There's no one in the Coastal that is demonstrably better than us. Even in the disaster of '15, we were in every Coastal game in the fourth qtr to the best of my recollection. The last three years, the Coastal hasn't been decided until mid November, and there hasn't been a repeat winner in the last four years. A neutral, outside observer would probably say there is no reason to chose any one team over the other. I like the way we finished last year, what we have returning at the skill positions, the confidence the non bs-ing CPJ has expressed in our qb situation, and the depth on defense built since the disaster in the summer of '14. I can see no reason we shouldn't win the Coastal other than weather anomaly, referee corruption, or massive attrition from dismissal and injury.

As for the bogeyman of Clemson. I lived in SC for over a decade and count numerous Clemson fans among the best friends I have. They wanted to beat us more than they wanted to beat SC last year, I think. They showed me the Clemson propaganda circulating before the game on how many times in a row we had beaten them in Atlanta, how many times we had spoiled their unbeaten season, their series record against us, CPJ's (whom they hate) winning record against Dabo. They had the audacity to ask me for points in our annual bet for the above reasons. They played SC State the week before us. We played Vandy, and then Clemson on 5 days rest. And but for the most unusual safety I have ever seen in a game, we would have puckered some orange orifices that night even if we didn't win.

We're going to beat Clemson twice next year. Once in Happy Valley and once in Charlotte.
 
305jacket

305jacket

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Boomergump said:
I don't care who wins the Atlantic. Whoever is left to play us in the ACCCG is fine with me.

At the moment, I am trying to come to grips with how positive I feel about the 2017 version of my beloved Jackets. I can't quite pinpoint why I feel like this will be the best FB team yet in the CPJ era. At QB, MJ has proven himself on a spot start in a hostile environment as a winner. We can, and will, win with him. If he gets beaten out, we can certainly win with whoever does that.

For me, it is much more than the QB position though. I love the fact that our young OL proved themselves under fire last year and appears to be heading upward. Most players make the biggest improvement from year one to year two and that is just where our OL finds themselves right now. Despite lacking one single big play, dominant WR, we are in the best shape ever at the skill positions on offense. We will block the perimeter better and we will be able to have a two headed monster on the inside again rather than just a single headed monster. That is huge IMHO. Mills will break out and we will be off to the races running the football.

On defense, if nothing else, I believe we will be getting push on the interior of the line for the first time in quite a while. That will make everybody better. We may not chase as well from that position as in years past, but I will take push vs chase from the DT position every single time.

I may turn out to be completely wrong, but that is how I feel right now. The spring game, while not crazy good, looked far more coherent that years past. We are a stable team at the end of spring practice and look like we know what we are doing, even with our first string QB hurt. That hasn't always been the case. SO, put me down for GT wins coastal. As far as the Atlantic? I'll go with Wake, just because I can and I don't care. If you are going with NCST, then I feel compelled to "one up" you.
Click to expand...

I think this defense will be one of the best in recent times. Experienced secondary, good depth at LB, (hopefully) more talent at DL will be very helpful this year. The offense I am excited about when you look at it position by position like you did. However, when it all comes together is when it really works the best (last 4 games of the 2014 season) and I am not going to say that this offense is at that level- or even close for that matter- until I see them all playing on the same page.

I have high hopes, but am reluctant to say we can win the Coastal. Miami will be very tough, they are a Kaaya away from being a top 10 team this year, if we had them at home I would feel better. Pitt has a good QB transfer coming in, and with a defense sure to improve with Narduzzi at the helm they won't be easy. I am not as worried about VT and UNCheat this year, they lost A LOT, but those games are always close, so we still need to bring it.

As far as the Atlantic goes, its FSU, and then everyone else. FSU will be a level above Clemson and Lville, luckily we won't have to play them until December when our offense is full speed ahead.
 
ilovetheoption

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UVA goes undefeated, destroys Clemson in the ACC title, and then beats Ohio State in the national title game. After the game, weirdo OSU coach urban meyer confronts weirdo UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall about calling an all out blitz on 3rd and 22 on OSU's 4, up 35 with 3 minutes left in the game. Mendenhall screams "EARNED, NOT GIVEN!!" and then drops and does 50 pushups. In the offseason, 45 UVa players transfer and mendenhall retires from coaching to open a consulting service for walking on the field.
 

Deleted member 2897

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Atlantic: Florida State, Louisville, Clemson
Coastal: Miami, then a crap storm of 4-4s/5-3s.
 
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