A Baker's Dozen And Counting
The 2020 ACC football season marks the 68th season
for the conference. Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Duke's David Cutcliffe are the
loop's longest-tenured coaches with 13 seasons each at their respective
schools. Swinney's 130-31 career record at Clemson stands out as the best mark.
Newbies
Speaking of head coaches, 2 new mentors will be on the sidelines
in the ACC this season: Boston College's Jeff Hadley and Florida State's Mike
Norvell. Hadley has never been an FBS head coach.
With Florida State having purged Willie Taggart with the only
losing record in the loop, the hope is the ACC can re-assert itself as a
legitimate force among Power Five conferences.
Bowl Me Over
According to my well-oiled machine, the ACC is at its best as an
underdog in bowl games when coming off a loss 28-14-1 ATS since 2000. Better
yet, when they arrive off a double-digit loss they zoom to 18-6-1 ATS,
including 11-0 ATS against foes arriving off a SUATS win. FYI: Both
Louisville and Virginia cashed in this perfect role last season. Mark that
down.
Note: Team write-ups are excerpts from the 2020 PLAYBOOK Football
Preview Guide magazine - on sale at newsstands nationwide. The numbers
following each team name represent the amount of returning starters on offense
and defense, along with the number of returning linemen, with an asterisk (*)
designating a returning quarterback. The RPR represents each team's overall,
offensive, and defensive rankings in overall returning production experience.
2020 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE PREVIEW
ACC ATLANTIC -
BOSTON COLLEGE
TEAM THEME: EIGHT WOULD BE GREAT
2020 Recruit Rank: 63 • Ret Starters:
Off - 5 / Def - 9 • RPR: Total: 53 (88 O / 16 D)
Coming off a 6-7 season in which BC extended its bowl skein to
four consecutive years, 1st-year head coach Jeff Hafley arrives looking to lead
the Eagles to their first eight-win season since 2009. After seven seasons as a
DB coach in the NFL, his first season in Columbus last year saw Ohio State jump
from No. 72 in 2018 to first nationally in 2019 in yards per play. He inherits
a team that has seen its offense improve, and its defense decline, each of the
last three seasons. If elite, strong-armed 6-5 transfer QB Phil Jurkovec, who
arrived at Notre Dame as a 4-star recruit in 2018, contributes and Hafley
brings the defense around, 2009 will seem like yesterday.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Eagles are 14-2-1 ATS as conference road dogs since 2016.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY ON: at Wake Forest (11/28))
CLEMSON
TEAM THEME: RIDING A TIGER
2020 Recruit Rank: 3 • Ret Starters:
Off - *6 / Def - 5 • RPR: Total: 96 (79 O / 104 D)
After being leveled by LSU in the College Football Playoff
Championship game last season, snapping its 29-game winning streak, it's
imperative Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence gets off to a strong start in 2020, his
junior year. It didn't happen last year when Lawrence tossed 8 INTs in his
first seven games. Meanwhile, RB Travis Etitenne need not worry about an OL
that returns just one starter - not when Dabo Swinney reeled in the 3rd-ranked
recruiting class this offseason. The Tigers have been installed as double-digit
favorites in each of their last 28 regular-season contests, and as per Chris
Fallica of ESPN, they've also reeled of 22 straight conference wins by an
average of nearly 33 PPG since 2017. Gulp.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Tigers have the nation's longest current streak (115 games)
without losing consecutive games.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: at Notre Dame (11/7) - *Key if favored
FLORIDA STATE
TEAM THEME: TAG OUT
2020 Recruit Rank: 22 • Ret Starters:
Off - *7 / Def - 10 • RPR: Total: 27 (69 O / 9 D)
To show how badly Florida State wanted to get out from under its
ill-advised hire of former head coach Willie Taggart, the cash-strapped
Seminoles owe a massive $18 million payout to Taggart just for departing.
However, it didn't stop them from showing Taggart the door and hiring Mike
Norvell, whom we feel will prove to be a brilliant hire. The first sign of a
poorly coached team is its recruiting classes, where FSU has regressed each of
the past four seasons. That will change once Norvell begins to plant his roots.
So now after 42 consecutive winning seasons, the Seminoles are suddenly coming
off consecutive losing campaigns. With a boatload of Returning Production on
hand, the long-suffering turnaround starts now.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
Seniors started in 15.0% of FSU games last season, the 4th fewest
in the nation.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: at NC State (10/3)
LOUISVILLE
TEAM THEME: STAGGER LEE
2020 Recruit Rank: 42 • Ret Starters:
Off - *8 / Def - 8 • RPR: Total: 13 (21 O / 31 D)
It's nice being Scott Satterfield these days. After guiding
Appalachian State to a staggering 48-16 mark in the first five years of the
program's ingress into the FBS, he earned ACC Coach of the Year honors with
Louisville last year. In the process, the Cardinals became only the 2nd team in
ACC history to go from 0-8 to 5-3 the following season. Thus, after finishing
2-10 in 2018, Louisville posted the top turnaround for a Power 5 team -
improving by a whopping 5.5 games. QB Mical Cunningham is back after he broke
the school record for passing efficiency while topping the nation with six
completions of 70 or more yards, and two of 80 or more yards.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
Satterfield has produced 1,000-yard rushers each of the last nine
seasons.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Wake Forest (11/14)
NC STATE
TEAM THEME: BACK THE PACK
2020 Recruit Rank: 41 • Ret Starters:
Off - *10 / Def - 5 • RPR: Total: 23 (15 O / 56 D)
Last season the Wolfpack had a hard time getting kick-started,
averaging just 2.6 points per game in the first quarter of their games. As a
result, head coach Dave Doeren added five new coaches to his staff, including
OC and QB coach Tim Beck, who was Texas' offensive coordinator last year. He'll
work with 10 returning starters on offense, including all three leading
rushers, on a team that ranks No. 23 in the nation in overall Returning
Production Rankings. So the question begs: Is Doeren on the hot seat? To that
we say, after five consecutive trips to a bowl game and a 4-8 season last year,
the Wolfpack suddenly become a "Mission Team" in 2020. Enough said.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Wolfpack stands 42-9 SU and 29-16-1 ATS in games in which it
outgains an opponent under Dave Doeren.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY ON: at Louisville (9/3)
SYRACUSE
TEAM THEME: NOT SO LOUD HOUSE
2020 Recruit Rank: 59 • Ret Starters:
Off - *7 / Def - 4 • RPR: Total: 106 (76 O / 121 D)
When a sleeper team turns comatose, pleasant dreams turn to
nightmares. For head coach Dino Babers, the 2019 season was a fright show. On
the heels of a 10-win season in 2018, the lights went out on the Orange when a
5-7 season kept them home for the holidays. The sizzle with how Babers' teams
usually play is suddenly the temperature of the seat he sits on these days.
That will happen when you've delivered just one winning season in four years at
the helm. It also led to a corrective staff overhaul, including new incoming
coordinators brought in on each side of the ball. Meanwhile, starting QB Tommy
DeVito will also be under the microscope. Welcome to Amityville.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Orange are allowing 32 points and 459 yards per game under
Dino Babers.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: at Western Michigan (9/26)
WAKE FOREST
TEAM THEME: FOUR SQUARED
2020 Recruit Rank: 60 • Ret Starters:
Off - 3 / Def - 8 • RPR: Total: 111 (125 O / 53 D)
The Demon Deacons may have dropped four of their final five games
last season but it didn't matter. They swept in-state rivals Duke, NC State,
and North Carolina for just the fourth time ever. They also played in a bowl
game for the fourth consecutive year for the first time ever. And they wrapped
up a fourth consecutive winning season for the first time since World War II.
The challenge this year, though, will be adapting to life without star QB Jamie
Newman, who left for Georgia as a graduate transfer. Enter Sam Hartman, who
started nine games as a true freshman in 2018, to take over. He'll need to
spark the nation's 125th-ranked team in offensive Returning Production.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Deacon Demons were ranked in the AP Top 25 last season for the
first time since 2008.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Syracuse (11/7) - *KEY as a favorite
2020 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE PREVIEW
ACC COASTAL -
DUKE
TEAM THEME: BRICE IS NICE
2020 Recruit Rank: 61 • Ret Starters:
Off - 7 / Def - 7 • RPR: Total: 65 (84 O / 41 D)
A 42-3 season-opening loss to Alabama last season signaled an
ominous note for the Blue Devils. In the end, Duke suffered just its third
losing season in eight years. With starting dual-threat QB Quentin Harris gone,
QB Chase Brice lands via the transfer portal from Clemson. Brice rallied the
Tigers to a come-from-behind win over Syracuse last season. Remember, David
Cutcliffe is widely recognized as a quarterback whisperer who tutored both of
the Manning's (Peyton and Eli) in their college careers. Furthermore, in 12
seasons with Duke, Cutcliffe's 72 victories are 53 more than the program's
total over the previous 12 years. With four OL starters back, last year's
77-yard dip in the total offense should be old news.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
Duke ranked No. 127 in the nation in Fumbles-Lost last season.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: at Georgia Tech (11/7)
GEORGIA TECH
TEAM THEME: JIBE TALKIN'
2020 Recruit Rank: 26 • Ret Starters:
Off - *9 / Def - 10 • RPR: Total: 2 (39 O / 2 D)
As we cautioned last year, the Rambin' Wreck lived up to its
moniker under first-year head coach Geoff Collins. Bereft of talent to start,
Collins inherited Paul Johnson's run-the-ball-down-the-opponents-throat
offense. It simply didn't jibe with new OC David Patenaude's spread system. As
a result, the offensive numbers took a major dive, resulting in a three-win
effort. Tech finished No. 130 (dead last) in the nation in Red Zone Offense,
No. 128 in First Down Offense, and No. 127 in Overall Offense last season. Through
it all, the Yellow Jackets started the 3rd most underclassmen in 2019 (58.2%).
Behind the nation's 2nd leading team in Returning Production this season, look
for those numbers to improve dramatically in 2020.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
Georgia Tech will face teams who played in a bowl game in six of
its first seven games of the season.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Miami Florida (11/21)
MIAMI FLORIDA
TEAM THEME: WELCOME TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE
2020 Recruit Rank: 13 • Ret Starters:
Off - 7 / Def - 4 • RPR: Total: 97 (82 O / 106 D)
It's not often you'll find a college football team lose five games
over the course of a season in which it outgained its opponents and also lose
three games in the same season in which it won the stats. Such was life for the
inside-out Hurricanes in 2019. And to cap it off, in Rod Serling style,
Louisiana Tech's 14-0 win over Miami in the Independence Bowl was the first
bowl shutout win by a Group of Five squad against a Power Five team in bowl
history. Meanwhile, former UM and NFL great Ed Reed has joined the staff as an
advisor, bringing the right look to the Hurricanes, while ex-Houston star QB
D'Eriq King arrives via the transfer portal.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Canes have lost 11 games SU as favorites the past two seasons,
including 6 times under Manny Diaz. The next closest is Purdue with 8.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY ON: at Virginia Tech (11/14) - *KEY
NORTH CAROLINA
TEAM THEME: MACK IS BACK
2020 Recruit Rank: 19 • Ret Starters:
Off - *10 / Def - 7 • RPR: Total: 18 (9 O / 63 D)
Mack Brown's return to Chapel Hill resulted in a 7-6 record in
2019, more wins than the previous two years combined. After tossing 38 TD
passes last season, first-year QB Sam Howell is on the Heisman Trophy watch
list for 2020. In addition, junior Chazz Stuart made an unprecedented
transition from quarterback and became a first-team All-ACC linebacker. With
it, Kenan Stadium is selling out and Brown's post-game dance routines are
improving. With 10 starters back on offense and 7 on defense, they take the
field this year knowing that their numbers were up across the board on both
sides of the ball. Behind an incoming Top 20 recruiting class, they're a
dangerous squad no one will want to play.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
All six of the Tar Heels' losses last season were one-possession
games.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
Play Against: at Miami Fla (10/24)
PITTSBURGH
TEAM THEME: TOUGH AS NAILS
2020 Recruit Rank: 44 • Ret Starters:
Off - *8 / Def - 7 • RPR: Total: 48 (24 O / 79 D)
Since taking over as Pitt's head coach in 2015, Pat Narduzzi has
guided the Panthers to 24 victories in ACC play, trailing only Clemson (38) and
Miami-FL (25). The good news for "Nails" is that a total of 19 players made
their first career starts last season. Meanwhile, the Panthers ranked in the
nation's top 35 in no fewer than eight defensive categories. Paving the way
offensively in 2020 is QB Kenny Pickett, whose 3,098 passing yards in 2019
marked the most at Pitt since 2012. While the Panthers recruiting class ranked
No. 44 overall this year, Narduzzi didn't panic when they failed to sign a QB.
That's because they inked 4-star Arizona State QB Joey Yellen in the transfer
portal.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
Pitt has defeated a Top 25 team in four consecutive seasons.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY ON: at Miami Florida (10/3) - *KEY as a dog
VIRGINIA
TEAM THEME: WASH, SPIN, REPEAT
2020 Recruit Rank: 48 • Ret Starters:
Off - 7 / Def - 8 • RPR: Total: 56 (95 O / 15 D)
It was reported the defending ACC Coastal Division champion
Cavaliers missed more tackles in 2019 than any year in the Bronco Mendenhall
era. That was the bad news. The good news is the defense returning in 2020
ranks No. 15 in Returning Starter Production. The bad news on offense is that dual-threat
QB Bryce Perkins has graduated after setting a school-record 3,528 passing
yards last year. The good news is the entire OL returns this season, paving the
way for UVa's leading running back Wayne Taulapapa. So what does a team missing
Perkins - its all-time total offense leader in a mere two seasons - do for an
encore? Prepare for a fourth straight bowl game under Mendenhall, we'd say.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
Virginia is 4-20 SU in its final two games of the regular season
since 2008.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY AGAINST: vs. North Carolina (10/3)
VIRGINIA TECH
TEAM THEME: EN FUENTE
2020 Recruit Rank: 72 • Ret Starters:
Off - *8 / Def - 10 • RPR: Total: 6 (36 O / 5 D)
It was reported that head coach Justin Fuente met with Baylor in
the offseason. After starting 19-8 the first two years with the Hokies, he
dipped to 14-12 the past two seasons. We would have bet even money that
he'd be living on the banks of the Brazos River in Waco, yet he's still on
board in Blacksburg. Our best guess is Fuente realized full well that he had a
stacked hand coming back and didn't want to miss out on the benefits of the
terrific recruiting job he's done before the classes reached its apex. Tech
started the 2nd most underclassmen in 2019 (59.5%) with seniors starting only
5.6% of their games, the lowest percentage in the nation. Beware.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE:
The Hokies are 30-2 when leading at the half under Fuente.
POINTSPREAD POWER PLAY:
PLAY ON: at North Carolina (10/10)
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