ACC Coastal Preview.
This side of the conference doesn't get the accolades and respect the other side gets, but plenty of good, competitive football teams reside here. Miami, incredibly enough, appeared in its first ACC title game last year. Virginia Tech, Duke, North Carolina and Georgia Tech have appeared in conference title games in recent years. The Coastal also has four head coaches with over 100 wins in their careers. Miami and Virginia Tech may be slight favorites to win this division, but the five other teams may have something to say about that.
Duke
2017: (3-5)(7-6)
Head Coach: David Cutcliffe, (11th year) 59-67
Coach David Cutcliffe has performed wonders at Duke; a once moribund program that once was considered a certain blowout for opponents. Duke has appeared in five bowl games in the past six years and an ACC title game appearance. This could be the best Duke team in the Cutcliffe era.
The offense returns seven starters including one of the better ACC quarterbacks in Daniel Jones. He can run and is a downfield threat. The line in front of him has to replace their tackles. Zach Harmon will move from guard to center. Junior, Julian Santos will take one of the guard spots. Improvement in protecting Jones is a must.
Receiver, T.J. Rahming is a possession receiver. Brittain Brown and Deon Jackson will be the primary and secondary running backs.
Eight come back from a defense that was 21st in the country, but could accumulate more tackles for losses and fumble recoveries. Linebacker, Joe Giles-Harris may be the top linebacker in the country and Ben Humphreys had 70 tackles. Trevon McSwain is a veteran defensive tackle. Cornerback, Mark Gilbert is one of the better ones.
The schedule is unforgiving for the Blue Devils. They host Army to begin the season, then two consecutive trips to Northwestern and Baylor. They also have trips to Georgia Tech, Pitt, Miami and Clemson. They will have to fight to six wins.
Georgia Tech
2017: (4-4)(5-6)
Head Coach: Paul Johnson, (11th year) 75-54
Paul Johnson's option offense has befuddled defenses in his years coaching Navy and several years into his Georgia Tech career. The past three seasons have been tumultuous, going 17-19 in that span. Can the Yellow Jackets buzz their way back into a bowl game?
Fast quarterback, Taquan Marshall returns but only had a 37 percent completion percentage. Tobias Oliver and Lucas Johnson are the backups. Georgia Tech, as usual, are capable at running, being fifth in the nation. Other than Marshall, a rotation of running backs led by Kirvonte Benson, Nathan Cottrell and Clinton Lynch. Juniors dominate the offensive line that allowed 20 sacks. Guard, Parker Braun was All ACC. Ricky Jeune has departed, making Brad Stewart and Jalen Camp the top receivers.
Georgia Tech is looking to generate more defensive pressure; switching to a 3-4. 17 sacks and 47 tackles for loss are considerably below the line. Jalen Johnson and Jaylon King lead the backfield, which lost all five starters.
After a tuneup with Alcorn State, Georgia Tech goes off to South Florida and Pitt. Other road games are to Louisville, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Georgia. They host Clemson after the visit to Pitt. The defense will have to grow and the option offense humming to get to six wins or more, and maybe salvage Johnson's job.
Miami
2017: (7-1)(10-3)
Head Coach: Mark Richt, (3rd year) 19-7
The Canes finally won the Coastal Division last year, but kind of backed into it. They won their first 10 games and everyone believed that the 'U' was indeed back and enamored with the turnover chain. Their playoff hopes were buried with their first loss at Pitt to a true freshman quarterback that the Panthers just discovered a week before. Clemson ran them out of the ACC title game and fought Wisconsin to lose the Orange Bowl.
Then there is the Mark Richt factor. He has a history of getting teams into the picture, but that's when inexplicable losses occur at Georgia and now his alma mater. Is that phenomenon avoidable this year?
The Hurricane offense has to up its 29 percent third down conversion rate and quarterback, Malik Rosier has to cut down on picks; (14). If his inconsistency continues, look for N'Kosi Perry begin to take over the controls. Travis Homer did a fine job running the rock after he replaced an injured Mark Walton; just missing a thousand yards rushing. Lorenzo Lingard and Deejay Dallas back up. Ahmmon Richards returns at receiver after a knee injury, but still broke Michael Irvin's freshman school record for yards received. Jeff Thomas and Mike Harley will be other targets.
The offensive line has three solid starters in senior center, Tyler Gaunthier, right guard, Navaughn Donaldson and left tackle, Tyree St. Louis.
Miami's turnover chain symbolized their 31 takeaways, which was third highest in the nation. They had the top pass rush with 44 sacks. Expect more of the same with NFL ready ends, Joe Jackson and Jonathan Garvin. Florida transfer, Gerald Willis will man a tackle spot. The linebackers are very strong with Zach McCloud and Michael Pinckney on the outside and 83 tackle man, Shaquille Quarterman in the middle. The secondary has four contributors return with cornerback, Michael Jackson; (4 interceptions) and leading tackler, Jaquan Johnson at safety. They have to improve against capable passing quarterbacks. Pitt's Kenny Pickett, Clemson's Kelly Bryant and Wisconsin's Alex Hornibrook all had their way with them.
Miami kicks the season off at AT&T Stadium against LSU. The remainder of their schedule is manageable, but a game with big time Coastal Division implications looks to be at Virginia Tech on the next to last week of the season. Florida State is at home. That defense should be able to cover any offensive weakness and win this division again.
North Carolina
2017: (1-7)(3-9)
Head Coach: Larry Fedora, (7th year) 43-34
After losing quarterback, Mitch Trubitsky and kick returning demon, Ryan Switzer; a major rebuilding job is in progress at Chapel Hill. Their only conference victory last year was away at Pitt and managed only two more. Complicating matters is the staggered suspensions of 13 players that were involved in a shoe selling operation. It promises to be another season of hard knocks for the Tar Heels. Will Larry Fedora survive it?
Nathan Elliott will have to take over the reigns, since Chazz Surratt is facing suspension. Surratt is the better passer between the two. Anthony Ratliff-Williams will be the main target with freshman, Dylan Brown and Antoine Green. The running backs are quick and have good hands with Jordan Brown and Michael Carter. The offensive line was horrible last year, allowing 30 sacks and couldn't stop anyone from rushing. Four need to be replaced here.
Eight starters are back from a defense that needs to generate more takeaways. The line is captained by end, Malik Carney and big tackles, Aaron Crawford and Jeremiah Clarke. Linebacker, Cole Holcomb was the team's leading tackler. Jonathan Smith will be in the middle.
The defensive backs only had six interceptions. Cornerbacks will have to be sorted out, but J.J. Britt and Myles Dorn are capable safeties.
Trips to California and East Carolina begin their season, followed by Central Florida and Pitt at home. 0-4 is a real possibility heading to Miami in week 5 and hosting Virginia Tech in week 6. They have to get at least two of those six games. The schedule lightens up a bit with Syracuse, Virginia and Duke away and Georgia Tech and NC State at home. I'm confident North Carolina will be bringing up the rear of the Coastal Division again.
Pitt
2017: (3-5)(5-7)
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi, (4th year) 21-17
This Pitt Panther preview is brought to you by the number 2. They went through two quarterbacks last year before discovering one in the next to the last game of the season. They have beaten two #2 ranked teams each of the past two seasons. They also should have lost twice to FCS Youngstown State in the Pat Narduzzi era. Consistency has been a problem for this program for years. Can a young, confident quarterback make the Panthers a factor in the Coastal Division?
Quarterback, Kenny Pickett came on during the Virginia Tech game and should have led Pitt to a win against the Hokies. The next week, he took down an undefeated Miami team that was looking toward a playoff appearance. It took 10 games but Pickett seems the leader they were looking for. If he isn't, USC transfer, Ricky Town is next in line. They have solid running backs in Darryl Hall, fifth year senior, Qadree Ollison, George Aston, and newcomers, Todd Silbey and Mychale Salahuddin. The receiving corp got a boost with Indiana transfer, Tysir Mack being ruled eligible. Other receivers are Rafael Araujo-Lopes, Shocky-Jacques Louis and Marcus Ffrench. Questions abound the offensive line. They have to do a better job at pass protection, allowing 31 sacks and 79 tackles for loss. Alex Bookser can play guard or tackle.
A defense that needs much more disruption returns nine starters. There is promising talent in defensive end, Rashad Weaver, Dewayne Hendrix and James Folston. Amir Watts and Shane Roy will be the returning tackles. The strength of the defense lies in the linebackers with Oluwaseun Idowu; (All ACC), Saleem Brightwell, Elijah Zeise and the return of Quinton Wirginis.
The secondary loses Jordan Whitehead and Avonte Maddox to the NFL. Dane Jackson and Paris Ford will be the cornerbacks and Damar Hamlin and Demar Hamilton the safeties. This unit has been much maligned in recent years, but this is the best young talent under Narduzzi.
Pitt has a very strong non-conference slate with trips to Central Florida and Notre Dame. It also faces Penn State at home. North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest and Miami are ACC road trips. They will probably lose to Albany and beat Penn State, but Pitt will probably have to scratch and claw to bowl eligibility.
Virginia
2017: (3-5)(6-7)
Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall, (3rd year) 8-17
Navy blasted the Cavaliers in the Military Bowl to mark Virginia's sixth straight losing season. Nine of the past ten have been below .500. It's been a struggle for coach Bronco Mendenhall, who previously didn't experience a losing season in his 11 years coaching BYU. Virginia has shown signs of breaking out. Not everybody blows out Boise State on the blue turf. Does Virginia have enough to finally get back on the winning ledger?
Virginia was last in the ACC in total offense and it has to replace quarterback, Kurt Benkert. Arizona State transfer, Bryce Perkins is a dual threat quarterback and will get the nod. They had one of the worst running attacks you'll witness. Senior, Jordan Ellis has to raise his four yards per carry and depth needs to be developed. Wide receiver, Olamide Zaccheaus will be the top target. Joe Reed; who will return kicks, and Terrell Jana are the other receivers. The offensive line needs to better its run blocking and a few more players need to begin to stand out.
The strength of the defense is in the secondary. The top cornerbacks are Bryce Hall and Tim Harris. Safeties will be senior, Juan Thornhill and Brenton Nelson. The loss of Micah Kiser at linebacker hurts, but talent is there. Chris Peace is All ACC with Jordan Mack and Malcolm Cook. They are thin up front and has to stay healthy. Ends are Andrew Brown and Mandy Alonso. Eli Hanback will be the nose tackle.
Giving up punt returns and getting too many kicks blocked has to be tightened up.
There is still much work to be done at Virginia. After the first two games, there are no give me's. They travel to Indiana, NC State and Duke. Their final two games are at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers may take a step back simply because of the schedule.
Virginia Tech
2017: (5-3)(9-4)
Head Coach: Justin Fuente, (3rd year) 19-8
The Hokies may be in a slight rebuilding mode this year, but still could be good enough to win the division. Coach Justin Fuente lifted the Memphis program from the abyss and plans to continue what his predecessor, Frank Beamer built in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Returning quarterback, Josh Jackson won his eligibility and will be the starter. He passed for 2991 yards and 20 touchdowns. He rushed for 324 more. Ryan Willis and Hendon Hooker back him up.
The Hokies have been lacking in explosiveness in their rushing attack in recent years. Deshawn McClease is a quick running back. Steven Peoples, Coleman Fox and Jalen Houston should all get carries. A top receiver needs to be found among Cam Phillips, Sean Savoy, C.J. Carroll and Eric Kumah. Damon Hazelton returns after missing last year.
Three return on the offensive line which includes big man tackle, Yosuah Numan and guard, Kyle Chung.
Five starters are gone from Bud Foster's defense. They lose a linebacker and safety in the Edmunds brothers, another linebacker in Andrew Motuaruaka and two cornerbacks in Greg Strohman and Brandon Facyson. The ends will be Houston Gaines and Trevon Hill with Ricky Walker at tackle. Six linebackers with some experience return including sophomore, Dylan Rivers in the middle.
The cornerbacks took another hit as Adonis Alexander was ruled ineligible. Players will have to emerge at cornerback. Reggie Floyd and Divine Deablo are the safeties. Mook Reynolds will play whip linebacker.
Bud Foster's defenses are usually solid and he will probably find solutions to some of the holes. They were 13th in the country in total defense.
Virginia Tech kicks off the season at Florida State. They have a manageable schedule the remainder of the way. Trips to Old Dominion, Duke, North Carolina and Pitt. Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Miami; which could be for all of the Coastal marbles, are at home.
Predicted Order of Finish...
1. Miami (7-1)(10-2)
2. Virginia Tech (6-2)(9-3)
3. Pitt (5-3)(6-6)
4. Duke (4-4)(7-5)
5. Georgia Tech (2-6)(4-8)
6. Virginia (2-6)(4-8)
7. North Carolina (0-8)(3-9)
The ACC Championship Game...
Clemson over Miami
