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2022 season outlook

LawyerCane said:
We start 3-0 and we’re either 11-1 or 12-0. Most likely 11-0.
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LOL on that. Yeah sure, that's possible. But the thing you and many others fail to realize is that should we beat ATM, we may very well lose to one or more of UVA, GT, UNC, VT. Every single year guys say "there's only X teams on the schedule better than us!", then we lose to X+ teams on the schedule. And before you tell me this is a new staff/roster, guys say that every year too. Ask yourself these two questions: has Clemson lost to a team in the Atlantic in the past 10 years, and has a team in the Atlantice had more talent than Clemson in the last 10 years?

You should all know this, but you don't. Every team loses at least one game they shouldn't almost every single year. During the BCS years, I think there was only 1 season there was more than 2 undefeated teams. And I promise you there were more than 3 teams who were better on paper than all their opponents.

So yeah, should we go 3-0, we should then win 11+ games. But you've got your head in the sand if you don't see it's more likely we then finish with 10 or fewer wins than 11 or more.
 
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SinCityCane said:
Glad you agree with my conclusion, but this is far from the same team as last year. The DL for one is a different animal (3 potential new starters)...that on its own is a game changer. Colby Young and/or Frank Ladson will play big roles...every WR that can contribute is a difference maker considering who we have behind center. Porter should play substantially. We'll be hearing a lot of new names being called every weekend.
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Agree with this. For all intents and purposes this is a “rebuild” year. New staff, AD etc. At the macro level, even Manny was a boinked FG and two blown defensive calls from being 10-2 and in the ACCCG. He beat the coastal champions, Pitt, last year. Considering the much improved staff that’ll get more out of our guys, young and talented guys with more experience, plus the class Mario just signed and the transfers I’d say we may sneakily be in line for a surprisingly successful year. I personally can see 10-2 (losses to Clemson and TAMU) and rematch Clemson in ACCCG. If we don’t play down to our opponents. If we beat one of those two teams, it’s gonna be a fun one boys. 2017 type year and we don’t lose to Pitt with this staff at the helm.
 
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TemplarCane said:
Blake’s next job should have been at a Northeastern Division 3 school. Instead, he’s at ACC P5 member Boston College.
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Good point. I was surprised Blake got an ACC job but then again BC is considered a cheap *** athletic dept. Interested to see what happens after Hafley, if this BC season is as good as I expect he's gone.
 
Damiencane86 said:
A & M, Clemson, UNC, and Pitt should be the biggest tests on the schedule. UVA usually plays us tough and Mario's teams in Oregon had the tendency to play down to an opponent or two per season. Hoping that gets rectified. I see 7 guaranteed W's. I have us penciled in at 9-3.
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The difference is this staff is elite compared to his staffs at Oregon and it is not even close.
 
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Pentagon Cane said:
With this staff we are one win better than last year? PTSD.
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LOL. Yes i probably have PTSD. Staff is for sure a factor but there are other factors as well-- experience, talent, football IQ, mental ability. personnel and coaching of other teams, etc.

As an example, I was rewatching that FSU 4th and 14 play and the review of it by a commentator. The suggestion was that if one of our players had bumped or jammed their receiver near the line, that play would not have been a completion. i know the mindset / hope is that a new coaching staff would better instill this in our players, but as the saying goes the players still need to make the plays.
 
Pentagon Cane said:
With this staff we are one win better than last year? PTSD.
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Thank you. Alot of posters on here are just trying to prepare themselves mentally by giving this team low expectations.

8-4 to me isnt a horrible season, but you can forget about all this recruiting momentum we have. Especially if we lose the bowl game and end up 8-5...This season is really important to showing the recruits that are still on the fence that we are building something special FOR REAL this time. No more fake offseason hype machine. We are here. Going 8-4 with losses to TAMU, Clemson, UNC, and UVA (hypotheically) basically shows us and the rest of the nation that we are really not any better than we were last season. And lets be frank, this is an easy schedule.

Convince yourselves otherwise all you want, but the ACC Coastal sucks this year. We have basically 4 guaranteed wins. (Bethune, Middle Tenn State, Southern Miss, Duke) And you guys are okay with 8-4?? WOW. Ok. (shrugs)
 
Cane47 said:
LOL. Yes i probably have PTSD. Staff is for sure a factor but there are other factors as well-- experience, talent, football IQ, mental ability. personnel and coaching of other teams, etc.

As an example, I was rewatching that FSU 4th and 14 play and the review of it by a commentator. The suggestion was that if one of our players had bumped or jammed their receiver near the line, that play would not have been a completion. i know the mindset / hope is that a new coaching staff would better instill this in our players, but as the saying goes the players still need to make the plays.
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And you don't think 4 and 14 was not coaching? We had the worst defensive P5 coaching staff.

Talent? A big upgrade over 2021. You have DL transfers from USC, UCLA, WVU and Maryland. A first team all-conference player from UAB, which is a well-coached team and not even discussed. A starting LB from UCLA and a starting corner from WVU.

The defensive scheme alone was wreckless under Diaz. You cannot make plays when your schemes are wrong and predictable and you cannot even line up correctly.

On the defensive side of the ball, where do we not have elite coaching compared to 2021? I would argue that by resume who has a better defensive staff in the country?
 
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9-3/10-2 is the baseline. Personally, I think TVD and the weapons we have on offense are good enough for 10-2. There’s no reason we shouldn’t go 10-2. 9-3 wouldn’t be out of the question, if we sleepwalk through UVA or a game like that. Anything less than 9-3 would be a massive failure.
 
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Pentagon Cane said:
With this staff we are one win better than last year? PTSD.
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@ Clemson replaces Bama neutral.
@ TAMU replaces MSU at home.
App > Southern Miss.
NCSU > MTSU.
FSU, UVA and UNC were L's in '21 that should've been W's.

Looking at a 2-3 win improvement right there.

Q's:
How long is Nelson out? Is Rivers 100%?
Can you get a dozen defensive transfers on the same page this fast?
Steele & Strong gonna stay amicable?
Mario gonna Mario a game and lose to a UVA or UNC?
Who is going to catch the ball?
Mario/Feld gonna have 15+ guys out injured by mid-season again?
 
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