I'm interested in people's expectations for FB down the road now that the Mendenhall hire has set in. Keep in mind that the Richt hiring and Fedora extension make this a pretty different division now. Here are what I see as the key questions to where we go, where the Coastal (and by extension ACC) goes, and what expectations should/could be.
1) Does Richt over/under perform at the U? He has the experience, cred, etc., to recruit well there, but he usually underperformed expectations rather than overachieved in Athens. I think this is the single biggest question for the ACC as a whole, now that Clemson and FSU are real-deal getting it done.
2) Does Fuente do what he did at Memphis on the bigger stage? He was at TCU so he's kind of been on the big stage as a coordinator, although not the truly big stage of the P5 (TCU moved to the BigXIIish after he left for Memphis). I actually think he helped himself by keeping Pud, so their move to re-establish being a top 25 versus remaining mediocre greatly affects the ACC's second tier (for now, and potentially top tier later).
3) Does Fedora sustain success? He had a great last season at Southern Miss before bolting for UNCheat, but the Holes were pretty dynamic this year. If he has another good year next year, they could get on a roll (unless the NCAA decides to stop it).
4) Does Narduzzi stick around if he continues to have success? He's a B1G guy, right? I could see him bolting if the right job comes open at some point.
5) Does Mendenhall translate to the East Coast? I have little doubt he'll be no worse than respectable. The real question becomes can he win the Commonwealth's recruiting battles year in and year out (and stave off the Notre Dame/Stanford types for academic minded kids). If he does, we're back in the ACC's middle class PDQ.
The biggest losers last week? David Cutcliffe and Paul Johnson. They certainly used ineptitude (Golden/London) and decay (Beamer/Pitt) to remain decent for a while. I honestly think in two years time Duke will struggle to make bowls consistently, because two ACC wins might be hard for them to come by. I think they sink back to the very bottom of the Coastal and take our place as division anchor. PJ? He might be dead man walking by October of next year or 7-0 given this crazy division (what do I know).
As to expectations for UVa, I see a lot of 7 and 8 win seasons that feature blowing out lesser teams, being competitive within the ACC, and the occasional better season (9 or 10 wins and compete for the division type years). I think fringe top 25 will become the norm, much like BYU has been (with occasional solid top 25 finishes). Bowling most every year. The division is too even but less-than-overwhelming to envision having huge success or long-term failure with BM at the helm.
Ok, folks, let's hear your predictions!
1) Does Richt over/under perform at the U? He has the experience, cred, etc., to recruit well there, but he usually underperformed expectations rather than overachieved in Athens. I think this is the single biggest question for the ACC as a whole, now that Clemson and FSU are real-deal getting it done.
2) Does Fuente do what he did at Memphis on the bigger stage? He was at TCU so he's kind of been on the big stage as a coordinator, although not the truly big stage of the P5 (TCU moved to the BigXIIish after he left for Memphis). I actually think he helped himself by keeping Pud, so their move to re-establish being a top 25 versus remaining mediocre greatly affects the ACC's second tier (for now, and potentially top tier later).
3) Does Fedora sustain success? He had a great last season at Southern Miss before bolting for UNCheat, but the Holes were pretty dynamic this year. If he has another good year next year, they could get on a roll (unless the NCAA decides to stop it).
4) Does Narduzzi stick around if he continues to have success? He's a B1G guy, right? I could see him bolting if the right job comes open at some point.
5) Does Mendenhall translate to the East Coast? I have little doubt he'll be no worse than respectable. The real question becomes can he win the Commonwealth's recruiting battles year in and year out (and stave off the Notre Dame/Stanford types for academic minded kids). If he does, we're back in the ACC's middle class PDQ.
The biggest losers last week? David Cutcliffe and Paul Johnson. They certainly used ineptitude (Golden/London) and decay (Beamer/Pitt) to remain decent for a while. I honestly think in two years time Duke will struggle to make bowls consistently, because two ACC wins might be hard for them to come by. I think they sink back to the very bottom of the Coastal and take our place as division anchor. PJ? He might be dead man walking by October of next year or 7-0 given this crazy division (what do I know).
As to expectations for UVa, I see a lot of 7 and 8 win seasons that feature blowing out lesser teams, being competitive within the ACC, and the occasional better season (9 or 10 wins and compete for the division type years). I think fringe top 25 will become the norm, much like BYU has been (with occasional solid top 25 finishes). Bowling most every year. The division is too even but less-than-overwhelming to envision having huge success or long-term failure with BM at the helm.
Ok, folks, let's hear your predictions!
