The Dave Shinskie Division
(Dregs of the conference)
14. Wake Forest (2-3, LW: L 56-7 @ Clemson): So Lane Kiffin gets fired, Paul Pasqualoni gets fired and Jim Grobe remains one of the safest coaches in the sport. The best part? He still has two years left on that ten year deal, meaning that Wake fans get to watch a team in decline for two whole presidential terms! Seriously though, talking about sadness, there was apparently a poll on a Wake Forest message board asking if Wake fans would take moving to FCS in football if it meant reaching the NCAA Tournament each year. I cannot tell you the result of the poll, however, because you are required to log onto the board and I don't want my computer to start showing me self-help advertisements.
The Cameron Sexton Division
(Not the worst...but close)
13. Syracuse (2-2, LW: BYE): So I think it's safe to say that I'm still not sold on the Orange just yet, and I don't think that they should be pushed up the rankings only because they didn't play anyone. Now that being said, there's a decent chance that I could be underrating 'Cuse, and we will see when they play Clemson this week. If they pull a Wake and lose by 50, they deserve to be right where they belong. If they look feisty, I'll admit that I was wrong. Syracuse has beaten a ranked opponent at home the last two seasons, and this week's matchup against the Tigers is in the Carrier Dome, so maybe the Orange...hahahaha just kidding.
12. Virginia (2-2, LW: L 14-3 @ Pittsburgh): Virginia lost a game in which their opponent's offense gained less than 200 total yards. They did this by being held to less than 200 yards themselves, with a quarterback that went 15-37 for 123 yards and not one receiver that had more than 2 catches. ** This week, they're going up against the nation's second leading passer, Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning. If the Wahoos come out slow in the first half again, will there be a quarterback change? If the backup quarterback struggles what does the head ball cop do, turn to those Oregon fans that sparked controversy in September? And in all seriousness...I joked about Jim Grobe having the best job security in the country, but can anything happen in 2013 that will make UVA fire London? He not only has time on his contract, but the school signed three assistants to 22 years and 5 million dollars worth of contracts. That's a lot of cash invested in the current staff. Don't worry though, I'm sure Andrew Brown, Quin Blanding and a cast of two-stars will be able to turn this offense around...
** This used to be a joke that said Mike London will now try to pay Brandon Facyson $200K to play receiver for him because he has more experience catching the ball than any Cavalier receiver. Now it's just a little too real**
The Reggie Ball Division
(Not good, but somehow wins games)
11. Boston College (2-2, LW: L 48-34 vs Florida State): After the Eagles' loss to Southern Cal, I formed the "feisty but can't compete athletically" opinion about BC, (also known as the rest of the country's opinion). You know what? Steve Addazio's boys are simply feisty. I've tried to figure out what the difference is between this year and last year's team, and I think I finally figured it out. This year's team has a little bit of mustache moxy. Now I know you're probably thinking "but Frank Spaziani had a mustache!" but let's look at the tape:
Spaziani has a mustache that simply makes him look more tired. Look at these eyes. Those are sad eyes. Those are eyes that witnessed unmentionable things during the Jagodzinski administration.
Now look at the Addazio: confidence, enthusiasm, the weird lacking of a neck. That's a guy who can get his players to play for him anywhere, probably while wearing a 100 percent cotton cotton t-shirt.
Here's to the mojo of the mustache.
10. Duke (3-2, LW: W 38-31 vs Troy): Same story different chapter for the Fighting Cutcliffes. Gain over 500 yards of offense, allow over 500 yards on defense (they're basically the bizarro Virginia Tech). In all honesty, watching Duke makes me thankful for all of the Foster-induced three-and-outs that I have taken for granted over the past few years. Considering that they still play Navy, Wake Forest and Virginia (who they could still probably hold under 20 points), it looks like Duke will make it to six wins while also doubling as a fun team to flip to while watching the national games. It sounds weird to say (outside of a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament), but Duke is fun to watch, and Brandon Connette pushes the entertainment value to another level.
The Danny O'Brien (at Wisconsin) Division
(What the hell happened to this guy?)
9. North Carolina (1-3, LW: L 55-31 vs ECU): There's absolutely nothing good I can say about the Tar Heels' loss to ECU, other than the fact that they went all Team America with their helmets. The thing is, I don't really know how they're going to fix it. They gave up 600 yards and 55 points an above-average East Carolina team. I knew they missed Gio Bernard, but wow. Watching Renner try to throw fifty times a game with no threat of a rushing attack is like watching your awkward buddy try to pick up a girl at the bar. Sure, sometimes it works, but there's often too much working against him. And now let's turn to the fact that there is a chance that Carolina could start the year 1-5 (they play Virginia Tech and Miami in their next two games), and remember that they were my pick to win the Coastal. The only other time I've been proven more wrong involved the words "there's no way you can drink that" and "please don't vomit in that Xbox".
Yes, I said in.
The Charlie Whitehurst Division
(Middle of the pack)
8. NC State (3-1, LW: W 48-13 vs Central Michigan): The Wolfpack have been a team that I have made fun of a lot for being...you know...hard to make fun of. They don't do anything particularly exciting, haven't beaten anyone particularly good and still have a ton of unknowns. Actually, now that I say that, I could probably copy and paste it into about nine of these team's summaries. What does this mean? Probably nothing, but considering that under the Notorious TOB their relatively disappointing 7-5 season would be all but guaranteed, the unknown is probably refreshing.
7. Pittsburgh (3-1, LW: W 14-3 vs Virginia): Remember when Georgia Tech had the chance to win two Coastal games early in the year, which would all but lock up the division? Well don't look now, but the Panthers actually did beat two division opponents in a row. Sure, those two opponents may have been Virginia and Duke, but it still counts right? If Pitt ends up going to the ACC Championship Game, I really hope they invite Todd Graham to stop by. Sure it may be awkward, but he'll be in town for his interview with UNC anyway, why not catch up like old flames do?
6. Georgia Tech (3-1, LW: L 17-10 vs Virginia Tech): Is it possible that all of these stories about Vad Lee being the best passing quarterback under Paul Johnson stems from Johnson saying something along the lines of "the forward pass? Sure, yeah, whatever...that's still a thing." in an interview? And also an interesting point brought up by Jim Young, is it possible that Johnson goes to the bench to replace Lee with his backup (IF Johnson deems that backup to be more proficient at running the option)? Who the heck knows with Johnson, his sweater-vest is full of secrets. That being said, I think we should all group-hug here to realize that we're not a part of a completely insane message board. Well, maybe only partially insane.
The Russell Wilson (at NC State) Division
(Good, but not fantastic...yet)
5. Virginia Tech (4-1, LW: W 17-10 @ Georgia Tech): Let's all just take a minute to remember that the biggest story coming out of this week was that there is a chance that the team could move a freshman future pro at corner...who leads the nation in interceptions...to offense because another future pro is coming back from a knee injury. Oh, and the only reason that the move is even possible is because there are two other future pros at the position. Sometimes it's just good to appreciate what you have (an absurd secondary), rather than what you want (insert offensive complaint here).
4. Maryland (4-0, LW: BYE): Maryland is ranked for the first time since the end of the 2010 season, just in time to play Florida State in Tallahassee. If you're wondering whether or not you should have confidence in a Terrapin upset, let's turn to my friend Charlie (and resident Maryland fan):
Me: "Big game up next in Tallahassee."
Him: "We're going to get crushed."
Nothing quite like a Maryland fan's confidence, right?
I know this is getting old, but The STILL Too-Soon-To-Tell Division
(They're actually good, right? Maybe? Who knows for sure?)
3. Miami (4-0, LW: W 49-21 vs South Florida): How long will it be until I can trust the Hurricane hype? They're undefeated, but can anyone tell me what they do well? Duke Johnson only has thirty more rushing yards than Trey Edmunds, Stephen Morris has only needed to play more than a half in one game and their defense has faced four teams with the offensive potency of a team quarterbacked by David Watford (it's not too soon). These next two games (against Georgia Tech and UNC) will tell us a lot about Miami, because those are usually games that they split while leaving a bad taste in the public's mouth (I would have said bad taste in their fans' mouths...but come on).
The Tyrod Taylor Division
(The People's Champs)
2. Florida State (4-0, LW: W 48-34 @ Boston College): Guys, I'm going to go ahead and blame myself for this one. Last week, I was just a little too eager to make myself look smart for picking the Seminoles to go to the national championship in August and had them jump Clemson in my rankings. Two things that I overlooked:
- This is still a team coached by Jimbo Fisher. In college football, players play their absolute hardest for one of two types of coaches: either a stern, hard working coach who makes it clear that if you work for him, he works for you (think Saban, Meyer, Peterson, Dantonio, Kelly, Harbaugh), or a rah-rah coach that may not be quite as strict, but creates a personal connection with his players (Carroll, Miles, Sumlin, Franklin, London...just kidding). If your coach falls somewhere outside of those two groups, it could work, but that particular coaches' team will disappoint. That success-to-disappointment ratio could fall anywhere between Mike Gundy (a BCS bowl or two, but can never turn the corner) and Lane Kiffin (an absolute dumpster fire). Does Jimbo fall in one of these two categories? It may be too soon to tell, he's only been coaching for four seasons, but the fact that we have to ask the question is probably troubling for 'Noles fans.
- It was a game at Boston College. While it wasn't one of the dreaded BC nooners (trademark pending), it was still a game that would definitely cause a team like this to potentially slip up—if only for a half. The lesson, as always: never forget when a team is playing in Chestnut Hill against a man with so much mustache swag, because the opposing team is bound to make it interesting.
1. Clemson (4-0, LW: W 56-7 vs Wake Forest): Right now, they're in the driver's seat and it doesn't really seem like they have to look back all that much. They get to play Syracuse and Boston College in consecutive games before the big time matchup against Florida State. Where will it go wrong for the Tigers? Well, considering that they haven't had a serious "Clemsoning" moment since November of 2011, their biggest (and only) challenge is that game against the Seminoles. I've wondered a lot recently about how sustainable Clemson's success is in the post-Tajh and (more importantly) post-Chad Morris era. Considering his age (he's 44) and his string of successful offenses with the Tigers, it's only a matter of time before a BCS-level program comes calling. The question will be, does he take a Gus Malzahn-like approach and take a job a relatively smaller school to show he can get it done as a head coach, or just wait for a big one? The more I think about it, the more that I feel like it will be something in between, like a Vanderbilt when James Franklin leaves (notice I say when and not if). And what about if a big time program comes after Dabo? Something tells me that it's only a matter of time until he's offered by a school in the SEC, so what would it take to pry him away from the school that gave him his start? Well, he makes about two million dollars a year, so in that category he's definitely attainable. I'm not sure where Clemson is on the big jobs scale, but it's definitely outside the top-10, so Dabo could, in theory, get a promotion to a "better school". Will Clemson be able to keep this ball rolling without the guys who sparked it? It's a big question, making the stakes even higher for the Tigers this season.
Comments
By early December, we'll be back at the top. Hopefully, Maryland and Miami are still ranked when we beat them.
We'll see how much of a tailspin Free Shoes puts Murland into this weekend...
They could be ranked in mid November, but we'll see. Would make beating them that much sweeter!!!!
BC exposed some weaknesses with the Criminoles
Chad Morris leaving for a head coaching gig somewhere seems inevitable, but I wouldn't be surprised if Dabo stays at Clemson for a while. There seems to be a lot of talk about coaches on the rise (Sumlin, Dabo, etc.) who might be ready to move to bigger and better jobs but I just don't see that many bigger and better jobs out there. Clemson might not be a top 10 coaching destination, but I would say it's somewhere in the top 20, and what schools in the top 10 are going to have openings? USC and (presumably) Texas are going to fill their vacancies before Dabo is ready to leave (if he ever is). I dunno, I'm kind of just rambling, but I feel like the "big-time coaching job" market is over-saturated with guys ready to throw their hat in the ring and Clemson has a pretty good program.
Also, online self-help resources are great. I would recommend going out of your way to make sure you see their advertisements as often as possible and clicking on them every chance you get.
I think Sumlin and Petersen are the lead candidates for USCw. Petersen understands that Boise has topped out, and if he wants to make money he needs to move. Sumlin will leave after Manziel leaves, a la Urban/Tebow. Might as well trade up while your stock is up.
I have always felt it would be far more substantial and rewarding to take a program from nothing to national championship than it would to jump ship the minute a good offer comes along. Think Frank Beamer vs. Lane Kiffin.
Just not sold on the Canes yet. The U has beat a bad Florida team, South Florida who's lost bad too everyone, FAU I didn't know played football lol, and a FCS school.
Maryland's fan base is typically why I enjoy their losses. I know a few personally, and I hold any comment. As for the team, as long as they lose to us.
Florida State did get exposed like someone said a little while ago in the thread. That's interesting.
FTFY
Not only was it a bad Florida team, but it was a bad Florida team that pretty much gave the game to the Canes with something like 4 turnovers, and a couple in the redzone if I remember correctly.
Some possible scenarios for Dabo & Morris....1.USC hires Sumlin from aTm.....aTm comes calling for Dabo (or Morris) 2. USC hires Dabo. 3. USC gives Morris the job. 4. If Dabo leaves Clemson, Morris gets the Clemson HC job.
I seriously doubt that USCw gives the job to Morris as I think they are going to be looking for a trophy-wife style coach that will look good to the recruits and be able to handle the LA media.
So does Frank Beamer fall into either one of the winning coach categories? I'd say the personal connection one, but Frank can be snarly if agitated and be Saban-esque if pushed.
I would seem to think Frank is closer to Saban-esque than the nice guy actually. Everything I have ever heard about him is how vicious a competitor he is, and how much he wants to win. He's does seem to be a little more soft in his public persona though. I have never heard an ex-player bash Frank either. So maybe there is something to that as well. I do seem to remember a story from Shane talking about how he ribbed his dad after beating him in a round of golf, and how Frank never said a word and then has commenced beating the crap out of him every time they have hit the links sense.
Maybe he is a rare hybrid.
I love that you and I started in opposite categories for Frank and then concluded with the same idea, that Frank is pretty much best of both worlds. Turkey leg for you!
I think he is a hybrid, and it works for him. He is absolutely stern, but he knows how to show sportsmanship. The best part, he puts his money where his mouth is. Words are only words but come saturday (or thursday) no one wants to win more than him.
I think he falls more into the personal connection category based on comments from past, current, and prospective players but he also has a no-nonsense "we're going to outwork everybody" style. I think another factor for Frank is that he has had Foster instilling a foaming-at-the-mouth intensity in his defense since he was a co-coordinator.
That may have been part of the production gap between the O and D for years. The offense's coaches could relate with the players as well as anyone but SL, JG, and AM are now DEMANDING excellence and accepting nothing less with the offense. Based on the videos of practices, they still have a good time with the players but if someone's not at 100% all the time, it's called out and corrected.
I think this is a critical difference between Frank and TimeCop - both relate to players but IDK if LOLUVA has the support staff that commands respect and diligence from players the way VT's does.
Speaking of Timecop, they're in full blown panic mode here in hooville....Major changes to the offense...moving linemen around, putting backups in as starters. Contrast this with our line philosophy....Grimey has all the guys playing almost every position on the line early on so they know what has to be done in every position; LOLUVA solidifies their line early, plays with a starting 5 upfront. We have an injury or two, no biggie, we slide folks around, still get the job done. LOLUVA has no production, they decide that players that have been at tackle should now play guard...with no experience of having done so. They decide that the center position should be a "shared" starting situation. Expect major dumpster fires breaking out if Ball State torches the hoos.
I'm not sure Dabo goes anywhere for a while. My bet is he does well for the next one to two years and then the program drops off again to where they are competitive but then start losing. Dabo will stay through the entire thing and be at Clemson for at least another 5 years before he gets fired or they just stick with him. Chad Morris will be gone if they play in the National Championship game this year. To where? I don't know, but someone will call him. With out Boyd and Morris I don't see Clemson repeating what they have going now.
On a personal note I really don't have a problem with Clemson per se but I do with Dabo. Ever since they beat us in 2011 in Blacksburg and Dabo acted like he won the super bowl on a last second hail mary in the post-game interview on the field I have disliked him. It's one thing to be happy that you won a big game, but to act like you've never been there before and a jackass on the other teams home field is down right disrespectful. It reminded me of that Jadgo...however you spell his name dance after Ryan threw that last minute TD to beat us in Blacksburg. That guy was a class-act and got what he deserved. Couldn't be happier to see what happened to him the way he acted. So if we play Clemson in the ACCCG I hope we win just to see the face of Dabo, that plus after winning their first ACCCG against us in however long it was since they first won one (a long time I'm pretty sure of that) their players had a sign that said Another Clemson Championship. And I was like "ANOTHER?!?!" You have to win one first for it to be "another". Anyhow, I digress.
Not trying to be a groupie or anything, but you are hilarious. Anyone who does not appreciate the depth of your wit legitimately has no sense of humor (or is a complete moron).
I'm really loving a couple of the new weeklys here, like "Foe"rensics, the BUZZCAP, and of course the power rankings
I think that the most likely situation for Dabo in the near future is that Texas hires Will Muschamp, and the Gators look seriously at Dabo. Southern guy with Spurrier-esq charisma and an offense that will make everyone think of Urban. I think he'd also be considered at Alabama should Saban leave for the NFL/Texas.
I've also thrown around the idea that Texas pays big bucks to bring in the Dabo/Morris combo. They're one of the only schools that could afford it, and it would be a huge change of pace (for the positive) for them. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years.
Am I the only one confused about all the saban to texas talk? I dont get why the texas job would be an upgrade over an alabama team that is considered a dynasty and has some of the nicest facilities along with a die hard fan base.
Because Texas can (and probably would) pay him $10 million a year.
And at some point, Bama will be on probation...
Re: Dabo for SEC job.
I'm not so sure there is an SEC job that is greater than Clemson. Why leave for the SEC? It's not recruiting. Clemson, regularly ranks near the top in recruiting along side the SEC schools in the neighborhood. It's not schedule, because Clemson plays a pretty rigorous schedule already. It's not elite ranking, cause if the season were to end today and there were a four team playoff, Clemson would be in it. I guess maybe pay. Although most SEC coaches make more than Dabo currently, I believe Clemson could easily increase his pay to be competitive.
So, why would Dabo leave? Besides Alabama (alum and former coach), I don't know how compelling of an argument you could make for any SEC school. Outside the SEC, you can probably make an argument for Texas, because they can offer ridiculous pay.
I think that Clemson is a top-20 job. They have had success on the field with an offense that lights it up, which also has paid dividends on the recruiting trail.
That being said, do we know how they'll do when Morris leaves? If they take a dip in success, all of a sudden we're talking about an above-average team trying to recruit against the SEC...something that usually doesn't work out that well. If you were Dabo, wouldn't you want to upgrade to a top-10 job if you had the chance? Get back to your roots in the Deep South, cash big boy paychecks while also coaching a perineal contender?
I think openings at Texas, Bama, LSU and Florida would all peak his interests, and all of those jobs have somewhere between a 25 and 100 percent chance to be vacant over the next four years (Mack's done, Saban could go NFL, Muschamp could go to Texas, and Les Miles could go...well...anywhere in the world).
Right now Clemson's a great job...but why not strike while the iron is hot?
You may be right. I just think the SEC is hot right now, and maybe not in the future. However, if the good coaches of other conferences continue to leave for the SEC, especially with their deep pockets, then maybe SEC will not just be hot right now, but will continue to have the most of the top-10 jobs. But you're definitely right, Dabo (and more importantly Morris) are two to watch.
Also, I didn't mean to down vote you, I have worse dexterity than Spurrier during his coaches show.
I've got you covered.
Upvote to balance out. I don't think Saban goes anywhere, though.
It'll be fascinating. In that GQ story he said something along the lines of that he'd stay "as long as he felt needed" which leaves the door open at all times. Personally I only think he leaves if Jason Garrett gets fired and Jerry Jones shelled out some major cash to bring him back to the pros.
I don't see Saban going back to the pros after that whole Dolphin debacle. But I suppose you never say never if your Nick. Also, +1 on the strength of your avatar!