From Berkeley to Syracuse... (2024 ACC Preview thread)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

From the bloated Big 12 to the even-more bloated ACC, where I'll be previewing 18 teams (including Notre Dame) on this thread. Oh man... Now I REALLY can't wait for "EA Sports College Football 25" to come out, so that I can keep Clemson and Florida State in their seats.

More ramblings from me to come...

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Florida State

The first preview segment for the Atlantic Coast Conference: The Florida State Seminoles

Last season: Look. The way that Michigan was playing in 2023, I'm sure that they were going to win that Rose Bowl regardless of who was their opponent. If it was gonna be Florida State or Alabama, the Wolverines had the talent to beat either one of them.
But there's always gonna be the "What If?. The question of "What if FSU did go to the playoff and had a fully-loaded team to face Michigan?". And THAT'S why Florida State is so frustrated after they won the ACC last year and got almost nothing in return.

Good news: The skill positions on offense looks awesome; Lawrence Toafili and Kam Davis lead a strong RB room. The defensive front looks nasty with 4 All-ACC selections. And FSU might just have the best kicking game in the whole FBS.

Bad news: New offensive coordinator Alex Adkins will sit out the first 3 games of the season due to recruiting violations. That's not good, considering that the passing game still needs a lot of work; folk-hero QB Jordan Travis is gone, and I'm not sold yet on D.J. Uiagalelei coming in to fill the void.

Key games:
8/24 vs. Georgia Tech [from Dublin, Ireland] (Another CFB opener in Dublin. It sounds cute to us, but this will be serious for both GT and FSU. Here, I wanna see what Uiagalelei can bring to the table for FSU.)
9/28 @ SMU (Florida State doesn't have to go to Stanford or Cal this year. That's the good news. The bad news is, they'll have to go to SMU... who might be 4-0 entering this big ACC game.)
10/5 vs. Clemson (When Florida State takes on Clemson, it always draws a crowd. This installment should be no different.)
10/26 @ Miami (Miami might be a train-wreck again this season, but FSU doesn't care. They almost lost to Miami last year, so their guard should be up.)
11/9 @ Notre Dame (If both teams are running well, this could be a "playoff elimination game" here.)
11/30 vs. Florida (FSU could send Billy Napier packing from Gainesville here.)

Bottom line: Oh, god! One playoff snub, and now Florida State is cracking up, making crazy talk about how they wanna go to the Big 12 with Clemson. Seminoles! Get a hold of yourself! The new, expanded 12-team playoff is here! You should be able to win the ACC again with the amount of good transfers you brought in. And when you do that, you can win a national title for us good people in the ACC. Don't lose it and jump ship!
...Man, this "FSU jumping ship" news is really damping the mood of the ACC in 2024. It's even ruined my preview of this team, come to think of it.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Syracuse

Preview segment: The Syracuse Orange

Last season: A 4-0 start straight up evaporated for the Orange, as their passing game went into the shit and they finished 6-7. And that season had a midseason firing (as Dino Babers was given the boot) and a humiliating bowl loss to USF. So even though there WERE some good moments for us, 2023 ended on a sour note for the Orange.
Now Fran Brown (from the Georgia coaching staff) has come in to try to help Syracuse stay upright in the new-look ACC.

Good news: Fran is already doing a good job lifting up the Orange; he has a good-looking staff working underneath him. And look at the QB we have now! Former Ohio State star QB Kyle McCord has come to us, and he'll have some help in some strong new WR's and RB LeQuint Allen. The secondary looks deep, and we FINALLY don't have to play Florida State OR Clemson this year!

Bad news: The pass-rush could be a lot better up front, but the biggest worry is on the O-line. It's been a problem for the 'Cuse over the last few years, and trusting transfers to lift it up always carries a risk.

Key games:
9/7 vs. Georgia Tech (The Yellow Jackets have their shit together now, so this will be a perfect 1st test for the new-look Orange. How will the O-line fare against GT's solid defense?)
10/5 @ UNLV (Maybe the toughest part of Syracuse's 2024 schedule will come when they travel to Vegas to take on a dangerous Rebels team...)
10/12 @ NC State (...before going to Raleigh one week later to challenge the rugged Wolfpack.)
11/2 vs. Virginia Tech (This is the same scenario as the Georgia Tech game; the game's at the JMA Dome, but Virginia Tech now has their shit together.)
11/30 vs. Miami (The last time we defeated Miami was inside the Dome in 1998. With McCord on our side, could this be the year we take them out?)

Bottom line: Look. I know Syracuse won't challenge for anything major in Fran Brown's 1st year. Heck, he needs to show off what kind of chops he has as a coach. But the schedule is the nicest we've had in years, and Kyle McCord headlines an awesome talent haul we got in the transfer portal. With that going for us, I'm expecting the Orange to at least make their 3rd straight bowl game.

 

[shopson67]

Syracuse

Preview segment: The Syracuse Orange

Last season: A 4-0 start straight up evaporated for the Orange, as their passing game went into the shit and they finished 6-7. And that season had a midseason firing (as Dino Babers was given the boot) and a humiliating bowl loss to USF. So even though there WERE some good moments for us, 2023 ended on a sour note for the Orange.
Now Fran Brown (from the Georgia coaching staff) has come in to try to help Syracuse stay upright in the new-look ACC.

Good news: Fran is already doing a good job lifting up the Orange; he has a good-looking staff working underneath him. And look at the QB we have now! Former Ohio State star QB Kyle McCord has come to us, and he'll have some help in some strong new WR's and RB LeQuint Allen. The secondary looks deep, and we FINALLY don't have to play Florida State OR Clemson this year!

Bad news: The pass-rush could be a lot better up front, but the biggest worry is on the O-line. It's been a problem for the 'Cuse over the last few years, and trusting transfers to lift it up always carries a risk.

Key games:
9/7 vs. Georgia Tech (The Yellow Jackets have their shit together now, so this will be a perfect 1st test for the new-look Orange. How will the O-line fare against GT's solid defense?)
10/5 @ UNLV (Maybe the toughest part of Syracuse's 2024 schedule will come when they travel to Vegas to take on a dangerous Rebels team...)
10/12 @ NC State (...before going to Raleigh one week later to challenge the rugged Wolfpack.)
11/2 vs. Virginia Tech (This is the same scenario as the Georgia Tech game; the game's at the JMA Dome, but Virginia Tech now has their shit together.)
11/30 vs. Miami (The last time we defeated Miami was inside the Dome in 1998. With McCord on our side, could this be the year we take them out?)

Bottom line: Look. I know Syracuse won't challenge for anything major in Fran Brown's 1st year. Heck, he needs to show off what kind of chops he has as a coach. But the schedule is the nicest we've had in years, and Kyle McCord headlines an awesome talent haul we got in the transfer portal. With that going for us, I'm expecting the Orange to at least make their 3rd straight bowl game.

Having a healthy QB with passing talent should be a huge boon for the Orange. Shrader could never stay healthy and was always run first.