By: David Ware (@Ware)
What fun would starting a season without the way too early predictions be? Now is the time to launch these fun predictions and to help cause chaos in league chat. Most importantly, it will help provide some fuel to the fire for a hungry team that is on the edge of greatness. The first conference we will dive into will be the ACC. Last season North Carolina went undefeated in conference play, to win the conference and the number one seed. Let’s have some fun and without any more delay let’s dive into the predicted standings
6th Notre Dame
Prediction: 2-6 (1-4)
Notre Dame had to rebuild their entire roster pretty much this season and it is currently lacking some depth and several starting positions. The Fighting Irish will have some close games against Clemson and Virginia Tech and will win against Virginia Tech. They will fall to Tennessee and USC in their out-of-conference games but walk away with a win against Ohio State. This is a rebuilding year, so there will be lots of progress made during the season and the games will be much more competitive as the season continues. Lack of depth will be their kryptonite this season.
5th Clemson
Prediction: 2-6 (1-4)
First-year athletic director Logan Wetzel had a very solid first recruiting class and filled their roster to 26 players. Depth will not be an issue for them, but they will need to see some player development throughout the season to move up in the standings. Clemson will remain competitive in their conference games and will have a few nail-biters against Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Miami. They should pull out a win against Notre Dame to take the tiebreaker over them. In their out-of-conference games, they have to face Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Michigan State. A win against the Aggies will give them their second win of the season, but expect them to take the Spartans to the brink. First-year jitters will pass and Clemson is on the way up and could return to being a force in the ACC within the next 2-3 seasons.
4th Virginia Tech
Prediction: 3-5 (3-2)
Athletic Director Cory Mucci spent part of last season as an interim AD for Cincinnati and helped create a great culture. That was clear as he brought in a ton of great talent during the recruiting period. There is still a need for some depth, but the talent they acquired is top-notch. The out-of-conference will be tough for Virginia Tech, but they will win two out of five conference games and make a strong case for a vote-in spot, as they will have two huge wins against Clemson and Miami. Don’t count Virginia Tech out of any game.
3rd North Carolina
Prediction: 4-4 (3-2)
The Tar Heels are coming off their first ACC conference title after a perfect (5-0) conference record, but they did not have the recruiting cycle that they may have expected. There will be a little drop-off in conference play this year as North Carolina will win three conference games and a very tough out-of-conference game against Texas that will be their signature win and a spot in the playoffs. Don’t forget the Tar Heels have one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the CFSL and can keep them in any game.
2nd Miami
Prediction: 5-3 (3-2)
The Hurricanes should be one of the most improved teams this year as they struggled last year with only three wins. Athletic Director George Yost pulled double duties last year while helping Baylor, but this year he is focused solely on Miami and he is one of the best game planners in the CFSL. Some signature wins to expect out of Miami would be Florida State and Michigan as they will be locked into the playoffs and able to draft their first-round matchup. North Carolina and Virginia Tech give the Hurricanes a run for their money and pull off a close win. No worries for Hurricane fans though as they should be a force to reckon with in the playoffs.
1st Florida State
Prediction: 7-1 (4-1)
Hall of Fame athletic director Tom Pence is on the verge of one of his best seasons. A loaded roster added more great weapons and will be one of the top teams in all of the CFSL. The only loss for the Seminoles will be against Miami in a very close game. There will be some close out-of-conference games as Florida State has a difficult schedule; Florida, LSU, and Penn State. All three should be playoff teams. Expectations for the Seminoles would be no lower than the second seed in the playoffs.
The ACC should provide plenty of high-quality football this season and have one of the favorites to win the championship. It will be interesting to see how the first-year athletic directors in the conference hold their own against some very experienced athletic directors. One thing to watch out for with the ACC is the out-of-conference games as the ACC will go 8-10 in those games but will be very good games and very close. Stay tuned as more conferences way too early predictions will be dropping. Have fun, and allow the chaos to begin in league chat.
