(05-07-2019 04:00 PM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  Clemson is the class of the ACC, and it's not even close. Hell, Clemson is probably the class of all of college football. Dabo's got it rolling, and it's good to be a Clemson football fan right now.


Looking at the rest of the conference, things seem to be kinda messy ... there is NO real clear second fiddle to Clemson. Lots of coaching turnover, and traditional powers are in flux.

So my question (or questions, I guess), is who will start to challenge Clemson, and why? And ... when?


- Feels like Florida State and Miami should perenially be in position to do so. In talent rich Florida, with incredible history and tradition behind them. But FSU seems like a mess. And Miami has a new coach leading them.

- Virginia Tech should be better positioned than maybe they are, with some weird player turnover going on there. Not sure if that is fatal.

- Syracuse is coming off their best season is years, but have some key players to replace. Is Dino in a re-load position already, or do they take a step back, before bringing on another season like last year?

- Louisville cratered horrifically last year. The team basically gave Bobby the finger on his way out. They're (or I should say WE'RE) a couple of years away from challenging anybody. But I like Satterfield a lot, and am confident he will build something here in time.

- Mack Brown does have a national title on his resume, but can he do it again at UNC?

- I think next year Bronco Mendenhall will have Virginia playing it's best football in forever. They return a lot off a team that played well last year. Is Bronco building something sustainable? I've always liked him as a coach.

- NC State has been churning out NFL draft picks the last few years. Can they keep it up? Will they challenge Clemson in the Atlantic next year? Or do they take a natural step back?

- Boston College has had a good couple of years, and put some dudes in the NFL this past draft. They return some nice talent. Have they turned the corner? Can they challenge?

- Georgia Tech with a new coach, and new scheme, in talent rich Atlanta and Georgia ... I expect them to become pretty good, pretty quickly. But is probably a couple of years away from truly being there.

- Duke, has to replace Daniel Jones, which are big shoes to fill. But Cutcliffe is a damn good coach.

- Wake Forest has built some tough teams, but still seems like a bit away from being in the same conversation as Clemson ... not a slight to them in the least.

- Pitt beat Clemson in the past year or two ... so they can do it. But where are they going into next season as a program?

Florida State’s recruiting has seemed to really pick up lately. The Dawgs & the ‘Noles have been duking it out for state of Georgia recruits again it seems like. The ‘Noles could be a factor in the future.

Miami is a wait & see. The indoor practice facility is definitely a huge plus, but we have not seen Diaz as a head coach before. I am not saying that he is a bad coach because he has been a very good assistant coach everywhere he’s been and Temple was willing to give him a chance before Miami decided to. But, we still have not seen Diaz as a head coach yet.

Not sure what is going on at Virginia Tech, but I think the Hokies could challenge Clemson soon.

I do see Syracuse giving Clemson fits, and I can see the Orange becoming a real power in the ACC if they are able to hang on to their head coach for a while.