The Ruffino and Joe Show took a look at the ACC and found that one team stood tall above the rest. A transcript of their discussion is below:
Blake Ruffino: We’ve been going to our way-too-early lists. We do this in January, February. Tonight we do the ACC: who is the team or teams that you think is going to stand out here and win the conference?
Joe DeLeone: My team that I’m going to pick here hasn’t won the ACC in the last two years, but they’re still the most talented team in the ACC. Nevertheless—way too early—when we talk about the ACC for me, it’s not really can they win it. It starts coming down to: are we going to have to start having conversations about Miami and them having another playoff run, really?
It does seem like the ACC yet again runs through Miami and Coral Gables.
Blake Ruffino: Yeah—there’s no debate here. The conversation we’re going to have after we sit here and break down expectations for Miami—which is the blatant answer—everybody understands that’s where we’re going.
Because the rest of the competition sitting behind them? Nobody is separating themselves to the point where, last year, the team that won was Duke—and it required a little extra help for them to even get into the ACC Championship Game.
I think the more intriguing conversation is: who could be the UVA this year? Who could be the team that comes out of nowhere, builds a case, and finishes top two or three?
But it’s Miami. Miami is at +1300 odds on FanDuel to win a national championship this year, and they should be way higher than that. They should be considered a favorite to win the national championship this year.
Darian Mensah coming in is the missing piece that takes this team over the top. O-line, D-line—Mario Cristobal has done an amazing job of recruiting that even when they lose Rueben Bain and Mesidor and Mauigoa, they’re not going to have issues filling right in with guys coming in.
Jackson Cantwell is a perfect example—being able to have the same impact as what Mauigoa did when he was a freshman. They’re going to win through the trenches.
Mark Fletcher is going to be a big asset. Malachi Tony is going to be one of the best receivers in college football next year. But it all comes down to the fact that you’ve got a dynamic, top-level prospect quarterback in Mensah who can do exactly what Cam Ward did: prove he’s worthy of a top-10 pick, get drafted early, make big plays, attack downfield, take shots.
This offense is going to be able to be a lot more aggressive. The biggest key here is that Carson Beck was good for what you needed this past year—but now we’re getting back to the levels of explosiveness that this team had two years ago.
Joe DeLeone: So there’s a couple things here. I’m kind of tired of picking Miami to win the ACC because I don’t think it matters at the end of this. I really don’t think it matters—who wins the ACC versus who the best team in the ACC is.
I look at Miami—you talk about Mensah—here’s a hot take for you. I like Cam Ward. I like him a lot from being inside the pocket and making NFL-level throws. I’m not saying Cam Ward can’t do it—he was a former number one overall pick—but Mensah is better. Mensah is flat-out better.
Now, Cam Ward’s escapability—his overall playmaking—is on a different level than Darien Mensah. So you have to factor that in. I’m talking about one specific topic.
This kid threw for over 50 touchdowns the last two seasons. And if we’re going to speak about Darien Mensah—which everything’s going to roll through with him—Shannon Dawson is a pass-first, happy coach. Cristobal wants to run the football, and I don’t think they’re going to get away from it.
I do question—and we can talk about it this offseason—the offensive line. You’re replacing both tackles, you’re replacing a center. You’ve got a lot you’ve got to replace up front.
However, I do think they’re more dynamic. With Tony and Barkate, quite frankly, they’re more explosive.
Now, what do you do when you can’t take away Malachi Tony—which most teams tried and still couldn’t—now that you add a connection with a leading receiver at Duke that’s now going to Miami?
It’s going to be interesting to see how their run game goes. But here’s the thing with Mensah: even with all the replacements Miami is going to have along the offensive line, I don’t worry about Mario Cristobal on the offensive line. Ever.
He’s going to have a better run game than he had at Tulane and Duke. He’s going to have a better passing game because of having Toney, having Barkate with him. And overall, he’s got better dudes and athletes around him.
Oh, by the way—he’s going to have a defense. At least a defensive line. Whether it’s coming out of high school or the portal, you’ve got four-, five-star dudes starting. That front seven’s going to be disgusting yet again.
Hetherman’s got another massive amount of tools he gets to go to his tool belt with. This team’s going to be dangerous.
Now again—do they find ways to mess up? Quite frankly, that has been the Miami issue. They’re going to lose two games in the regular season. That’s what they’ve been doing. Can they find a way not to do that and win the ACC?
Because the truth is: I don’t need a champion to be crowned in the ACC to know Miami is the most talented team. I don’t need a champion to be crowned to know they’re the best team.
The only thing I care about is: are they there at the end? Because if they are, they’re one of the most dangerous teams in college football—bar none.
This isn’t even a conversation of “who wins the conference, who challenges.” Forget that. They are one of the best rosters in college football, and I find it quite shocking they have not been more legitimately recognized.
I just talked about it: they’re at +300 odds on FanDuel even after the Darian Mensah news. There hasn’t been any movement. If I’m someone who likes doing future bets, I’m putting money down on Miami at +1300. I absolutely am going to do that, because there’s a chance the public ends up betting that number in a different direction.
Blake Ruffino: It comes down to the fact that they’re one of the best recruited rosters at key important positions. Their defensive line is loaded with former five stars.
I really think the Damon Wilson pickup is going to be one of the most underrated. Damon Wilson’s a really freaking good player. I was shocked he entered the portal and decided to leave Missouri because it felt like he was making a name for himself. I almost thought he was going to declare for the draft.
Blake Ruffino: Joe, I have a hot take. I think Darian Mensah is better than the last two quarterbacks they’ve had.
Joe DeLeone: I can’t go further than Cam Ward because I thought Cam Ward was special.
Blake Ruffino: Cam Ward is special. Darian Mensah is insane.
Look—I watched him because he played at Tulane, because he played at Duke. You’re right: the stuff Cam can do outside the pocket is utterly ridiculous. However, what Mensah does inside the pocket might outweigh it. People don’t understand what this dude is doing.
Joe DeLeone: I get that. And I’ve been one of the biggest early advocates for Mensah. I spotted him at Tulane three games into his career when he played Kansas State. I started texting people about him like, “This Mensah kid’s really talented.” And I was shocked he picked Duke of all places to transfer to. He should have ended up at a Miami in the first place. He really should have—he should have been on a team he could contend for.
When I say that: I think he is on the same level as Cam Ward. And what I keep comparing is Cam Ward coming out of Washington State—he was going to declare, then negotiated with Miami, and decided to go back.
Cam Ward did not get the hopeful first-round feedback he might have been looking for. He decided to return and not risk being a late first-rounder—like a Jordan Love type pick.
Mensah—same thing could have happened this year. Bad quarterback class, tools, traits—doesn’t have the fully developed skills and decision-making like a Dante Moore-type yet. And it’s not worth risking going at the end of the first as a project when you’re unsure.
I’m taking him over Mendoza.
Joe DeLeone: Oh—he’s more physically talented than Mendoza. I’m not taking him first overall over Mendoza in this year’s draft. I don’t think that’s right.
My point is: he has the potential to go first overall—over Arch. He has the potential to go first overall—
Blake Ruffino: Well then you do have to have the conversation with Fernando. If you’re that high on him, you’d have to have the conversation. You can’t say you take him number one next year and then not have the conversation about Mendoza right now.
Joe DeLeone: No, no, no—okay. Here’s how I wanted to answer it: Darian Mensah has stuff he’s got to work on. Which is not a bad thing. Dante Moore had stuff he needed to work on.
Blake Ruffino: You know what he needed to work on? Not being on a crappy team.
Joe DeLeone: He did a lot with very little. Blake—at the end of the day, I think Mensah has the most potential aside from Arch. He has the most potential of anybody in the upcoming quarterback class. He 100% does.
But there’s growth that needs to happen. Mendoza is a little more ready to go right now.
Can I pitch you a couple crazy teams?
Blake Ruffino: Yeah—that’s where I was going to go. What are some other teams you think could win the ACC? The ACC is so messy, I think a good coach stepping in can absolutely challenge and get to the ACC Championship.
Joe DeLeone: Who? Who?
Blake Ruffino: James Franklin getting to the ACC Championship.
Joe DeLeone: I knew you were going there. I knew you were going there.
Blake Ruffino: He brought the whole Penn State roster with him. I think Luke Reynolds is a really good tight end. I think Grunkmeier—it was stupid that Campbell brought in Becht instead of keeping Grunkmeier—I think Grunkmeier could come in and do some really great things.
I’m not saying Virginia Tech is banging on the door of the College Football Playoff. I think what happens is the ACC is messy like it was this season. They get in at 9-3.
Virginia Tech doesn’t have a super challenging schedule. It’s very possible they can get in because—what’s their hardest game? I just pulled up their schedule: Maryland, they play Miami at the end of the season, and they travel to SMU in November. Those are their two hardest games.
Joe DeLeone: It’s funny—I have them written down here. I don’t necessarily disagree. But here’s the thing: I don’t know anything about them as a team.
They were just so bad that—I know they brought Penn State, but guess who else was bad last year? Penn State. And James Franklin.
I want to hold off because I look at them and say, “Yeah, I need to see it.” Could you convince me they could have an okay season? Yeah. They brought in talent. But outside of Miami, for me, it’s got to be SMU. It’s got to be.
Blake Ruffino: Who else are you going to bring up? Can Tony Elliott and Virginia do it again? What in the **** is Florida State?
Joe DeLeone: Don’t even touch that.
Blake Ruffino: No, I’m saying if we had to pitch teams—get me away from Florida State. I’m tired of being optimistic and Norvell making me look stupid. I’m not touching them anymore.
Blake Ruffino: We’ve been going to our way-too-early lists. We do this in January, February. Tonight we do the ACC: who is the team or teams that you think is going to stand out here and win the conference?
Joe DeLeone: My team that I’m going to pick here hasn’t won the ACC in the last two years, but they’re still the most talented team in the ACC. Nevertheless—way too early—when we talk about the ACC for me, it’s not really can they win it. It starts coming down to: are we going to have to start having conversations about Miami and them having another playoff run, really?
It does seem like the ACC yet again runs through Miami and Coral Gables.
Blake Ruffino: Yeah—there’s no debate here. The conversation we’re going to have after we sit here and break down expectations for Miami—which is the blatant answer—everybody understands that’s where we’re going.
Because the rest of the competition sitting behind them? Nobody is separating themselves to the point where, last year, the team that won was Duke—and it required a little extra help for them to even get into the ACC Championship Game.
I think the more intriguing conversation is: who could be the UVA this year? Who could be the team that comes out of nowhere, builds a case, and finishes top two or three?
But it’s Miami. Miami is at +1300 odds on FanDuel to win a national championship this year, and they should be way higher than that. They should be considered a favorite to win the national championship this year.
Darian Mensah coming in is the missing piece that takes this team over the top. O-line, D-line—Mario Cristobal has done an amazing job of recruiting that even when they lose Rueben Bain and Mesidor and Mauigoa, they’re not going to have issues filling right in with guys coming in.
Jackson Cantwell is a perfect example—being able to have the same impact as what Mauigoa did when he was a freshman. They’re going to win through the trenches.
Mark Fletcher is going to be a big asset. Malachi Tony is going to be one of the best receivers in college football next year. But it all comes down to the fact that you’ve got a dynamic, top-level prospect quarterback in Mensah who can do exactly what Cam Ward did: prove he’s worthy of a top-10 pick, get drafted early, make big plays, attack downfield, take shots.
This offense is going to be able to be a lot more aggressive. The biggest key here is that Carson Beck was good for what you needed this past year—but now we’re getting back to the levels of explosiveness that this team had two years ago.
Joe DeLeone: So there’s a couple things here. I’m kind of tired of picking Miami to win the ACC because I don’t think it matters at the end of this. I really don’t think it matters—who wins the ACC versus who the best team in the ACC is.
I look at Miami—you talk about Mensah—here’s a hot take for you. I like Cam Ward. I like him a lot from being inside the pocket and making NFL-level throws. I’m not saying Cam Ward can’t do it—he was a former number one overall pick—but Mensah is better. Mensah is flat-out better.
Now, Cam Ward’s escapability—his overall playmaking—is on a different level than Darien Mensah. So you have to factor that in. I’m talking about one specific topic.
This kid threw for over 50 touchdowns the last two seasons. And if we’re going to speak about Darien Mensah—which everything’s going to roll through with him—Shannon Dawson is a pass-first, happy coach. Cristobal wants to run the football, and I don’t think they’re going to get away from it.
I do question—and we can talk about it this offseason—the offensive line. You’re replacing both tackles, you’re replacing a center. You’ve got a lot you’ve got to replace up front.
However, I do think they’re more dynamic. With Tony and Barkate, quite frankly, they’re more explosive.
Now, what do you do when you can’t take away Malachi Tony—which most teams tried and still couldn’t—now that you add a connection with a leading receiver at Duke that’s now going to Miami?
It’s going to be interesting to see how their run game goes. But here’s the thing with Mensah: even with all the replacements Miami is going to have along the offensive line, I don’t worry about Mario Cristobal on the offensive line. Ever.
He’s going to have a better run game than he had at Tulane and Duke. He’s going to have a better passing game because of having Toney, having Barkate with him. And overall, he’s got better dudes and athletes around him.
Oh, by the way—he’s going to have a defense. At least a defensive line. Whether it’s coming out of high school or the portal, you’ve got four-, five-star dudes starting. That front seven’s going to be disgusting yet again.
Hetherman’s got another massive amount of tools he gets to go to his tool belt with. This team’s going to be dangerous.
Now again—do they find ways to mess up? Quite frankly, that has been the Miami issue. They’re going to lose two games in the regular season. That’s what they’ve been doing. Can they find a way not to do that and win the ACC?
Because the truth is: I don’t need a champion to be crowned in the ACC to know Miami is the most talented team. I don’t need a champion to be crowned to know they’re the best team.
The only thing I care about is: are they there at the end? Because if they are, they’re one of the most dangerous teams in college football—bar none.
This isn’t even a conversation of “who wins the conference, who challenges.” Forget that. They are one of the best rosters in college football, and I find it quite shocking they have not been more legitimately recognized.
I just talked about it: they’re at +300 odds on FanDuel even after the Darian Mensah news. There hasn’t been any movement. If I’m someone who likes doing future bets, I’m putting money down on Miami at +1300. I absolutely am going to do that, because there’s a chance the public ends up betting that number in a different direction.
Blake Ruffino: It comes down to the fact that they’re one of the best recruited rosters at key important positions. Their defensive line is loaded with former five stars.
I really think the Damon Wilson pickup is going to be one of the most underrated. Damon Wilson’s a really freaking good player. I was shocked he entered the portal and decided to leave Missouri because it felt like he was making a name for himself. I almost thought he was going to declare for the draft.
Blake Ruffino: Joe, I have a hot take. I think Darian Mensah is better than the last two quarterbacks they’ve had.
Joe DeLeone: I can’t go further than Cam Ward because I thought Cam Ward was special.
Blake Ruffino: Cam Ward is special. Darian Mensah is insane.
Look—I watched him because he played at Tulane, because he played at Duke. You’re right: the stuff Cam can do outside the pocket is utterly ridiculous. However, what Mensah does inside the pocket might outweigh it. People don’t understand what this dude is doing.
Joe DeLeone: I get that. And I’ve been one of the biggest early advocates for Mensah. I spotted him at Tulane three games into his career when he played Kansas State. I started texting people about him like, “This Mensah kid’s really talented.” And I was shocked he picked Duke of all places to transfer to. He should have ended up at a Miami in the first place. He really should have—he should have been on a team he could contend for.
When I say that: I think he is on the same level as Cam Ward. And what I keep comparing is Cam Ward coming out of Washington State—he was going to declare, then negotiated with Miami, and decided to go back.
Cam Ward did not get the hopeful first-round feedback he might have been looking for. He decided to return and not risk being a late first-rounder—like a Jordan Love type pick.
Mensah—same thing could have happened this year. Bad quarterback class, tools, traits—doesn’t have the fully developed skills and decision-making like a Dante Moore-type yet. And it’s not worth risking going at the end of the first as a project when you’re unsure.
I’m taking him over Mendoza.
Joe DeLeone: Oh—he’s more physically talented than Mendoza. I’m not taking him first overall over Mendoza in this year’s draft. I don’t think that’s right.
My point is: he has the potential to go first overall—over Arch. He has the potential to go first overall—
Blake Ruffino: Well then you do have to have the conversation with Fernando. If you’re that high on him, you’d have to have the conversation. You can’t say you take him number one next year and then not have the conversation about Mendoza right now.
Joe DeLeone: No, no, no—okay. Here’s how I wanted to answer it: Darian Mensah has stuff he’s got to work on. Which is not a bad thing. Dante Moore had stuff he needed to work on.
Blake Ruffino: You know what he needed to work on? Not being on a crappy team.
Joe DeLeone: He did a lot with very little. Blake—at the end of the day, I think Mensah has the most potential aside from Arch. He has the most potential of anybody in the upcoming quarterback class. He 100% does.
But there’s growth that needs to happen. Mendoza is a little more ready to go right now.
Can I pitch you a couple crazy teams?
Blake Ruffino: Yeah—that’s where I was going to go. What are some other teams you think could win the ACC? The ACC is so messy, I think a good coach stepping in can absolutely challenge and get to the ACC Championship.
Joe DeLeone: Who? Who?
Blake Ruffino: James Franklin getting to the ACC Championship.
Joe DeLeone: I knew you were going there. I knew you were going there.
Blake Ruffino: He brought the whole Penn State roster with him. I think Luke Reynolds is a really good tight end. I think Grunkmeier—it was stupid that Campbell brought in Becht instead of keeping Grunkmeier—I think Grunkmeier could come in and do some really great things.
I’m not saying Virginia Tech is banging on the door of the College Football Playoff. I think what happens is the ACC is messy like it was this season. They get in at 9-3.
Virginia Tech doesn’t have a super challenging schedule. It’s very possible they can get in because—what’s their hardest game? I just pulled up their schedule: Maryland, they play Miami at the end of the season, and they travel to SMU in November. Those are their two hardest games.
Joe DeLeone: It’s funny—I have them written down here. I don’t necessarily disagree. But here’s the thing: I don’t know anything about them as a team.
They were just so bad that—I know they brought Penn State, but guess who else was bad last year? Penn State. And James Franklin.
I want to hold off because I look at them and say, “Yeah, I need to see it.” Could you convince me they could have an okay season? Yeah. They brought in talent. But outside of Miami, for me, it’s got to be SMU. It’s got to be.
Blake Ruffino: Who else are you going to bring up? Can Tony Elliott and Virginia do it again? What in the **** is Florida State?
Joe DeLeone: Don’t even touch that.
Blake Ruffino: No, I’m saying if we had to pitch teams—get me away from Florida State. I’m tired of being optimistic and Norvell making me look stupid. I’m not touching them anymore.
