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Sleeper team

The sun shines on a dog's a$$ every once in a while but not this year. I think it comes down to a depth issue ultimately, especially against the 2 juggernauts on the schedule. Jimbos defense along the line concerns me as does Clemson defense as a whole. Having said that, I could see us play up to that level possibly pulling a close game shocker if the team tackling improves dramatically and we catch some turnovers. I feel the season will go as the defense goes. Especially DL and LB. Either way I'm just happy to finally get genuinely excited for a season. Hasn't happened in 18 years.
 
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We are a flawed 9-3 team. Ceiling 10-2 and floor 8-4. We have to see how injuries factor in and how are portal additions and 1st and 2nd year players adjust to the scheme.
 
Yoyo82 said:
We could beat A&M and Clemson... That'll be the only 2 games we're not favored for and you just never know the impact coaching can have on a roster.

We have a top 3 QB..oline play will be significantly improved and we're deep and talented at TE and RB.

On defense, the transfers and coaching will make a significant improvement over last year.

I think we'll have a better chance against A&M than Clemson but we could beat Clemson if they don't get their QB situation figured out.

I don't expect us to go undefeated either but it's not outlandish.
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It’s totally outlandish. Are you not familiar with some of the incredibly talented teams that haven’t gone undefeated?
 
Rellyrell said:
@RVACane , @JD08 , or @IndayArtHauz

Can we just pin this thread to the top so no more posters can create a new thread on this same topic every f’ing season? Let’s just consolidate all the off-season “Miami picked as favorite in Coastal” , “Miami picked as dark horse in CFP”, “Miami picked as a sleeper team” and wrap them all up in a mega thread. I’m sure there’s 7 yrs worth of threads here on this.

T.I.A
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Or just delete every one of those threads as they appear.
 
CaneThang2020 said:
I'm sure he meant for the regular season. As someone else has said, A&M is the game to watch. We find a way to escape Kyle Field with a W.....our kids confidence will be through the roof, reminiscent of the post 2017 Notre Dame beat down.
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And how did that work out again?
 
Colombie said:
And we have coaches on both sides of the ball known to have different game plans for different teams based on their weaknesses.

We also have a special teams analyst from the NFL that should help us improve in that phase as well.

We could be the most prepared team in the Conference each game day.

(And with all of that there SHOULD be high expectations.)
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I agree about the likely improvements in special teams and defense.

The defense is likely to surprise the pundits.

We have Steele and Strong putting together tailored game plans with multiple looks that will be effective. Manure actually made decent half time adjustments in a number of games. Steele / Strong should outperform Manure with ease. They will also have more talent to work with then last year and elite position group coaching.

We will have much better tackling - it might actually be a strength with Mario’s focus on physicality.

We will have a 275 pound Left End instead of a 250 pound Left End that will make us more difficult to run against. Last years starting 250 pound LE was also one of the team leaders in missed tackles. This year we have at least three LEs that are in the 275 pound range that are also pretty good pass rushers.

We have a number of REs that should perform well, including Agude who was productive at UCLA and possibly Kelly who was an early enrollee and is physically developed.

The defensive interior is three deep with Taylor likely to be improved in his second season and Hunte apparently 20 pounds heavier. The transfer portal helped us with other additions.

The defensive line trench has talent and I believe is three deep. The talent is not as good as the elite teams, but they have good size and are not going to get worn down in the fourth quarter.

We have a fast productive 240 Middle Linebacker instead of a slow 220 linebacker who missed a lot of tackles last year and was outrun so many times on other occasions we could call these missed tackles as well. Our other linebacker is going to be fine - whoever he is. I believe it is going to be a fast two-headed monster comprised of Smith and Bissante.

Our three safeties are probably one of the best two or three safety groups in the country with Blades providing excellent backup. Two of our safeties were productive as freshman and should take a step forward this year.

Our corners are going to be more physical. They were much improved in the spring by all accounts. Two of our freshman corners look to be physically ready to contribute in the second half of the season.

Our offense is likely to help keep the defense off the field by converting more third and short situations. We can’t be any worst in this department then we have been over the last 10 years.

Bottom line, I see a top 25 defense.
 
NorthEastCane said:
But not with the blowout loss we had.
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If UM wins at Pitt, there is a 100% chance we go into the ACC championship game ranked #1 because Bama lost to #10 Auburn that same weekend. If UM had been undefeated and lost a close game to Clemson, we still had a good chance of making the playoffs. On the flip side, even with the Pitt loss, UM is a lock for the playoffs if we beat Clemson.

As for the blowout loss, a lot of people forget how injured UM was going into that game. Herndon, UMs 2nd leading receiver and an essential part of the run game, was out. Michael Irving was the starting TE (the other TEs on the rooster were Brian Polendy and Scott Patchan). Ahmmon Richards was out. We lost one of the best run defenders in Demetrious Jackson earlier in the season. Clemson was missing a starting LB and CB. Clemson could still play its normal defense without those two players. UMs entire offense was f#cked without Herndon because he was Rosiers security blanket and an excellent blocker. Does UM still get blown out if we have a healthy Herndon, Walton, and Ahmon Richards? I think we would have kept it respectable.
 
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kryptonite said:
And how did that work out again?
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10-3 season
1st 10 win season in a decade plus
1st ACC title game appearance since joining the ACC

So I take it ur the title or bust kind? If so, we can agree to disagree.

I'm more in the line of thinking that Rome wasn't built in a day. If we go 10-3 in 2022 I'd have to think that you likely would be the only poster here that wouldn't think the 2022 season was wildly successful.....but hey, to each its own
 
Canes Stan said:
Too many question marks imo. I predict we’ll spend a few Saturdays talking about how this team is learning to win and potential. But we have an elite player at the most important position, so you never know.
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I’m curious as to what you think our question marks are…
 
TimeBum said:
If UM wins at Pitt, there is a 100% chance we go into the ACC championship game ranked #1 because Bama lost to #10 Auburn that same weekend. If UM had been undefeated and lost a close game to Clemson, we still had a good chance of making the playoffs. On the flip side, even with the Pitt loss, UM is a lock for the playoffs if we beat Clemson.

As for the blowout loss, a lot of people forget how injured UM was going into that game. Herndon, UMs 2nd leading receiver and an essential part of the run game, was out. Michael Irving was the starting TE (the other TEs on the rooster were Brian Polendy and Scott Patchan). Ahmmon Richards was out. We lost one of the best run defenders in Demetrious Jackson earlier in the season. Clemson was missing a starting LB and CB. Clemson could still play its normal defense without those two players. UMs entire offense was f#cked without Herndon because he was Rosiers security blanket and an excellent blocker. Does UM still get blown out if we have a healthy Herndon, Walton, and Ahmon Richards? I think we would have kept it respectable.
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The only scenario for UM was to beat Clemson. They weren't going to let two ACC teams, including a two loss UM, into the playoffs.
 
NorthEastCane said:
The only scenario for UM was to beat Clemson. They weren't going to let two ACC teams, including a two loss UM, into the playoffs.
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When did I say a 2 loss UM team would have made into the playoffs? Because of the Pitt loss, UM had to beat Clemson. In a hypothetical world where UM had won at Pitt but lost a close game to Clemson, I think there was a chance that UM could still have gotten into the playoffs.

Does a 1 loss UM team, with its only loss to #4 Clemson in the ACC championship game, get in over a 1 loss Bama (with a loss to #10 Auburn) that also didn't play in the SEC championship game? Possibly. A 2 loss Ohio State team very nearly got in over Bama by virtue of its B1G championship win. UM might have been the happy medium- a 1 loss team that played in its conference championship but lost to a team that was ranked #1 going into the playoffs.
 
rekofred said:
The sun shines on a dog's a$$ every once in a while but not this year. I think it comes down to a depth issue ultimately, especially against the 2 juggernauts on the schedule. Jimbos defense along the line concerns me as does Clemson defense as a whole. Having said that, I could see us play up to that level possibly pulling a close game shocker if the team tackling improves dramatically and we catch some turnovers. I feel the season will go as the defense goes. Especially DL and LB. Either way I'm just happy to finally get genuinely excited for a season. Hasn't happened in 18 years.
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Stopped at juggernauts. Neither are that or close too it.
 
10-2 is the ceiling. But as far as choices go, we aren’t the worst pick for a sleeper team. Our schedule is trash and splitting Clemson/A&M should guarantee us 9 with a really good chance for 10 wins.
 
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TimeBum said:
When did I say a 2 loss UM team would have made into the playoffs?
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You didn't. I stated that not taking into account hypotheticals.
TimeBum said:
Because of the Pitt loss, UM had to beat Clemson.
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That's right and that was my second post. There are no consolation prizes. A respectable loss is still a loss.
TimeBum said:
In a hypothetical world where UM had won at Pitt but lost a close game to Clemson, I think there was a chance that UM could still have gotten into the playoffs.

Does a 1 loss UM team, with its only loss to #4 Clemson in the ACC championship game, get in over a 1 loss Bama (with a loss to #10 Auburn) that also didn't play in the SEC championship game? Possibly. A 2 loss Ohio State team very nearly got in over Bama by virtue of its B1G championship win. UM might have been the happy medium- a 1 loss team that played in its conference championship but lost to a team that was ranked #1 going into the playoffs.
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My original post was about the blowout nature of the loss. Even if we beat Pitt, that loss showed we didn't deserve to be in the playoff as an "at large contestant". Even if it was a close loss, Wisconsin was also undefeated going into the Big 10 championship game and suffered a close lost only 27-21 to OSU. Despite not playing in a conference title game, Alabama got in over Wisconsin because of "SEC, SEC". Why would anyone think they wouldn't put Bama in over us?

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it just is.
 
CaneThang2020 said:
10-3 season
1st 10 win season in a decade plus
1st ACC title game appearance since joining the ACC

So I take it ur the title or bust kind? If so, we can agree to disagree.

I'm more in the line of thinking that Rome wasn't built in a day. If we go 10-3 in 2022 I'd have to think that you likely would be the only poster here that wouldn't think the 2022 season was wildly successful.....but hey, to each its own
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I’m not at all the “title or bust kid”, at least not until we have a few good seasons in a row. But you’ll recall the OP was about us
CaneThang2020 said:
10-3 season
1st 10 win season in a decade plus
1st ACC title game appearance since joining the ACC

So I take it ur the title or bust kind? If so, we can agree to disagree.

I'm more in the line of thinking that Rome wasn't built in a day. If we go 10-3 in 2022 I'd have to think that you likely would be the only poster here that wouldn't think the 2022 season was wildly successful.....but hey, to each its own
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I’m not at all the “title or bust kid”, at least not until we have a few good seasons in a row. But you’ll recall the OP was about us running the table which I took to mean going undefeated. While 2017 was a bright spot in 20 years of crap, we collapsed pretty spectacularly at the end. So in the context of this thread, I’d say that season was a failure.
 
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