CFN - ACC Predictions
- Thread starter TheSpecialSauce
- Start date
9-3 or 8-4 with bowl win would be great IMO
8-4 would be a good season. Starting 6-0 and then falling off a tall bridge would be a weird way to get to it.
I would think Wake will take a step back, no? Obviously Hartman, but I assume Perry is also gone by now. I know Clawson is the QB whisperer, but still.
Will be an interesting season. I had high expectations last season, but we're replacing a lot this season, so I'm giving the coaches some leeway. Biggest disappointment so far is that we haven't supplemented the WR and LB positions enough via the portal, but there's still a little time.
If we do win 8 or 9, maybe Narduzzi becomes a hot name. Something to watch out for, I think. It was laughed off (by myself included) after that 2021 season because of the six before it, but I feel like he's really starting to claim some national respect now, after another top 25 finish and some Pitt guys getting some draft buzz again.
I would think Wake will take a step back, no? Obviously Hartman, but I assume Perry is also gone by now. I know Clawson is the QB whisperer, but still.
Will be an interesting season. I had high expectations last season, but we're replacing a lot this season, so I'm giving the coaches some leeway. Biggest disappointment so far is that we haven't supplemented the WR and LB positions enough via the portal, but there's still a little time.
If we do win 8 or 9, maybe Narduzzi becomes a hot name. Something to watch out for, I think. It was laughed off (by myself included) after that 2021 season because of the six before it, but I feel like he's really starting to claim some national respect now, after another top 25 finish and some Pitt guys getting some draft buzz again.
They’re not going to lose to Wake Forest or Duke.
Regular season: 10-2 or 9-3
Including bowl game, no worse than 9-4
Regular season: 10-2 or 9-3
Including bowl game, no worse than 9-4
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Duzz's teams are prone to weird letdowns but I can't see one of his teams falling that far.
Agree with most of this although if there were to be any "buzz", I don't think Duzz would go job jumping. Purely speculative on my part but I just don't see it.
I haven’t looked at all the tie breakers, but in CFM’s predicted season, Pitt might still be in the ACC title game mix going into that Duke game. If that was the case, I can’t imagine a Narduzzi led team going down lightly against Duke.
no more coastal divisions and we have the easiest 3 team annual cross-over opponents. call me crazy but i'd be a tad dissapointed with an 8-4 record..
this isn't paul chryst days anymore where 8-4 felt like a super bowl win, the bar has been raised.
this isn't paul chryst days anymore where 8-4 felt like a super bowl win, the bar has been raised.
Narduzzi has gone better than 8-4 in the regular season exactly once in 8 seasons. I don't think the bar has been raised that much, lol. Well, let me rephrase: He raised the bar, just not to a point where 8-4 is something to scoff at.
8-4 is a fairly respectable season for Pitt most years. After losing what we did last year, I would call it a good season if we do it in 2023.
Yeah, I could see him using it to negotiate more money but I don't really see him hopping around too much.
he went 8-4 in 2016 and in 2022 and did better than 8-4 in 2021 with 11-2 record.
we went 8-4 last year with sub-par qb play and most of the pitt fans were dissapointed with the season and happy to see slovis go..
8-4 is at best, par for the course where under Paul Chryst, he couldnt sniff 8 wins even with irrelevant win against a mac team in the "little ceasars inside a K Mart" bowl game..
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Not a terrible thing that expectations have changed. I really don't know why anyone would have been disappointed after last season but I think that CFB fans, in general, are difficult to please.
not terrible at all, actually fantastic that we are at a point where 8-4 is looked upon as "Meh."
Decades of praying that we'd get to 8-4 are a thing of the past..
doubt it.. he didnt look great (or good) last year. i think (Im guessing) they were ready for a change.. at least they werent flat out celebrating him leaving like they were with Cignetti though lol, that's a positive (I think.)
kind of similar to USC fans not caring at all about slovis.. and well probably the same about how we feel about slovis going to BYU too..
I think a team like Pitt (well, the fans) has to adjust its expectations depending on the season. Last season, we had a lot of returning starters from an 11-3 team. A lot of things had to go wrong to "only" go 8-4 last year. So I can see being disappointed with the micro results, even though 9-4 and finishing ranked, from a macro standpoint (i.e. when you're scrolling through Pitt's record by year 20 years from now), is still a damn good season.
This season, I think we're at a different place in the cycle. So 8-4, at least in my opinion, would be a good season.
I'm not sure about fans but I know a coach up there who was.
that's a fair point. 8-4 comes in many different colors, an 8-4 season under the right circumstances could def be considered a good season..
i didnt mean to say it would be bad, just feel like our expectations are higher as of late than in the past dating back to Wannstedt days. And that's a good thing.
Yeah, even depends on schedule. 8-4 in 2016 with two wins over top 5 teams and three close losses to good/pretty good teams felt like a solid season... whereas losing at home to GT in an atrocity against mankind and then not beating any good teams kind of tainted this past season a bit. At least until the bowl game, which really changed some perceptions. No different from 2009. Everybody and their mother thought that season was a disappointment after losing the final two games. But then we finished with 10 wins and a bowl win, and people were referencing it as our best season in 40 years before 2021.
Narduzzi has done a very good job. He’s the 3rd best HC we’ve had over the last 80 years. If Pitt fans want to take the next step, then they need to provide more NIL money and a better game day atmosphere to attract better recruits.
i cant do much on the NIL side of it but as a fan who wants to do his part, i promise to drink more pre game so i can scream and yell and make noise at the games...
that's just the kind of fan i am.
8-4 might be about right, however they may end up getting there a bit differently. As hard as it may be to swallow, losing an away game to the Hoopies and beating Duke at the end to go 6-2 in the ACC would feel much better since with tie-breakers (if Pitt wins the right ACC games) we could end up in the ACC championship game.
If that happened, 8-4 would be a very good season and even an outstanding one if they pulled the miracle win out likely against FL St.
If that happened, 8-4 would be a very good season and even an outstanding one if they pulled the miracle win out likely against FL St.
My biggest issues with this year's team:
1) Obviously QB is a question mark
2) Hammond is solid, but he ain't Izzy. Izzy could singlehandedly generate home run offense. That's especially problematic when...
3) The wide receivers struggled last year, and all we did was lose our best one
4) Never a guarantee that field safety spot isn't going to be an adventure when there is turnover. Even Hamlin wasn't great at first
5) Pass rush is a necessity in this defense; we lost our primary disruptor on the inside and our top two guys on the outside
6) Linebackers were not good last year, and we lost our best one; at the very least, there are depth concerns
You put those all together, and I'm really not sure where the high expectations are coming from. Obviously some of these concerns will be quelled, but the odds of all six coming together are unlikely. I mean, the ACC is a mess so we might be playing teams that have even more questions marks. But it's tough to say. We just lost a lot of guys. Are we going to be that much more talented than some of the teams we've taken wins for granted against these past few seasons?
1) Obviously QB is a question mark
2) Hammond is solid, but he ain't Izzy. Izzy could singlehandedly generate home run offense. That's especially problematic when...
3) The wide receivers struggled last year, and all we did was lose our best one
4) Never a guarantee that field safety spot isn't going to be an adventure when there is turnover. Even Hamlin wasn't great at first
5) Pass rush is a necessity in this defense; we lost our primary disruptor on the inside and our top two guys on the outside
6) Linebackers were not good last year, and we lost our best one; at the very least, there are depth concerns
You put those all together, and I'm really not sure where the high expectations are coming from. Obviously some of these concerns will be quelled, but the odds of all six coming together are unlikely. I mean, the ACC is a mess so we might be playing teams that have even more questions marks. But it's tough to say. We just lost a lot of guys. Are we going to be that much more talented than some of the teams we've taken wins for granted against these past few seasons?
8-5 and a good recruiting class would be a successful campaign considering all the players we lost.
EVERY team has issues. Every team loses starters. Every team loses star players to the NFL. Every team has players that steps up from one year to the next. You’re looking at the glass half full.
We have a QB coming in that knows the system and had great success under Cignetti in his junior year. Lots of teams can’t say that. We have a full roster of talented QB’s for the first time on a long while. Jurkovec is ungraded under Cignetti…
In general the roster is as deep as I’ve seen it in years especially on the DL.
Outside of ND & FSU, take a look at the other teams on the schedule and tell me why you think they will be better than Pitt?
Where is the idea that PJ had great success under FCJ coming from?
He was a highly rated recruit that flashed a ton of physical upside in 2020. But also graded out as one of the worst QBs in college football when passing from the pocket and plays within the structure of the offense. And had a very high INT worthy throw rate.
Basically, a dude with first round talent and a UFA brain.
And that has remained the scouting report on him every year in college. He hasn’t provrsssed any.
He’s a question mark. There’s a reason 247 only gives him a 3* grade as a transfer player.
He was a highly rated recruit that flashed a ton of physical upside in 2020. But also graded out as one of the worst QBs in college football when passing from the pocket and plays within the structure of the offense. And had a very high INT worthy throw rate.
Basically, a dude with first round talent and a UFA brain.
And that has remained the scouting report on him every year in college. He hasn’t provrsssed any.
He’s a question mark. There’s a reason 247 only gives him a 3* grade as a transfer player.
Lol. I would make a lot of money if you were the sportsbook.
I didn’t think you’d have a well thought out logic retort…It’s much easier spewing negativity….I’ll save this post and revisit it in December…. LOL!
I don’t think you e said anything too too crazy. Not sure about your DL depth statement though. This is probably the least depth (experienced wise) in years.
We lost kancey, Morgan, habo, Alexandre. That’s gonna hurt. Any depth will have to come from players who haven’t played yet.
I’m optimistic on Jurk though.
God, please do. I predicted 9-4 on the dot last year and mentioned that the OL and DL would carry us in spite of question marks at LB, WR, etc. Can't say that is how I thought we would get to 9-4, but nevertheless.
The roster is as deep as you've seen? Lol. Most of the potential high-end talent at the most important positions is quite young, so it's going to take a few years for that to develop. You don't think every team in the ACC has guys like Green, Danielson, Brima, Bentley, etc.?
I think you're going to find out what Izzy + Wayne + Baldonado + Alexandre + Kancey + Dennis + Hallett meant to this team.
Again, if we find a way to go 8-4, that's a job well done.
Well if it isn’t the resident turd in the punch bowl!
Ya know dude, I noticed you’re never around to celebrate anything good. Like for instance, The Sun Bowl, so I decided to check….. Sure enough… Nothing….
No post of excitement, no post of congratulations, no post of optimism… nothing.
However in preparation for the game, you posted this gem 3 days before the game:
“I’m the history of bowl games, no Sun Bowl game ever has, and never would have been, a “classic” bowl game.” - Dec 28th
That’s it…..
Your act is very old…. Do something with your sad life and get one…
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So glad simply to have a thread to think about football! End of hoops, the Pens with no hope, and yet another 100 loss Pirates season assured, makes this period a sports graveyard.
I see some validity in the pessimism in some posts, but at this point I have faith in Duz that he is going to be able to make something above average out of it. I’m not sure I could even explain why. But he’s done it more often than not.
I worry a bit of tailback play and WR, because it’s an offense-first sport. I think we’ll be ok if not better at QB with a solid starter and an actual viable backup. And an OL with some depth. But I have not yet seen evidence of playmakers. I’m not too worried about TB because Hammond is a solid bread and butter guy and a faster second back will likely emerge. But WR looks questionable. Sitting here now I’m not sure I can even name any! As for TE every year I want that to be a breakout position (as it is for so many great teams) and every year it … hasn’t been. Krull came closest to being one. Maybe a rejuvenated Bart is the one.
On D there is worry for all the DL we’ve lost. But that is Duz strength both in recruiting and development. So I will put blind faith he can deliver another good line. I have no so much faith in LB, but this makes 20 years or so of the same concern for that position. When the ball kicks off we’ll have guys playing there. That’s all I will bet on at this point. As for the secondary, their success will depend on the DL success, as it always has been in our system. Again, we’ll have a lot of different guys playing back there, that’s about all to count on right now.
I won’t predict how we’ll get there this early point, but 8-4 with a chance for 9 seems safe. Again only based on the faith that Duz has earned by now.
I see some validity in the pessimism in some posts, but at this point I have faith in Duz that he is going to be able to make something above average out of it. I’m not sure I could even explain why. But he’s done it more often than not.
I worry a bit of tailback play and WR, because it’s an offense-first sport. I think we’ll be ok if not better at QB with a solid starter and an actual viable backup. And an OL with some depth. But I have not yet seen evidence of playmakers. I’m not too worried about TB because Hammond is a solid bread and butter guy and a faster second back will likely emerge. But WR looks questionable. Sitting here now I’m not sure I can even name any! As for TE every year I want that to be a breakout position (as it is for so many great teams) and every year it … hasn’t been. Krull came closest to being one. Maybe a rejuvenated Bart is the one.
On D there is worry for all the DL we’ve lost. But that is Duz strength both in recruiting and development. So I will put blind faith he can deliver another good line. I have no so much faith in LB, but this makes 20 years or so of the same concern for that position. When the ball kicks off we’ll have guys playing there. That’s all I will bet on at this point. As for the secondary, their success will depend on the DL success, as it always has been in our system. Again, we’ll have a lot of different guys playing back there, that’s about all to count on right now.
I won’t predict how we’ll get there this early point, but 8-4 with a chance for 9 seems safe. Again only based on the faith that Duz has earned by now.
I can't say, I don't think I've really watched him play very much? I think I missed the game when they last played Pitt and generally, I wouldn't ever watch a BC game that doesn't include Pitt. I would hope he's better than Slovis, IMO Slovis was weak sauce, not a leader, not much of a player.
The knock on Jurkovec is inconsistent mechanics and slow through progressions but he has a strong arm, athletic, and has leadership characteristics (from what I’ve heard). The key is the relationship with Cignetti. Jurkovec knows the offense and they have a trust in one another.
Not to take anything away from Slovis because he seems like a good guy, it just felt like he didn’t gel with the team.
what's weird about Tino's last season is he had really good stats, but our team kind of sucked.. 21 TDs, only 3 interceptions, was throwing for 250+ yards per game. Wow, we must have been really good that year, right?
nope, lost to an fcs team by 2 Tds, got asses handed to us by cincy, went 3-4 in the big east who only had one ranked team and only reason we went 6-6 was because we played gardner webb..
you think if you are in a bad conference and have really good qb play, you'll be good. this 2012 team disproved that theory..
nope, lost to an fcs team by 2 Tds, got asses handed to us by cincy, went 3-4 in the big east who only had one ranked team and only reason we went 6-6 was because we played gardner webb..
you think if you are in a bad conference and have really good qb play, you'll be good. this 2012 team disproved that theory..
He doesn't even know what he's arguing against. He just sees something that isn't pom pom waving and starts going off like Ronnie from Jersey Shore after he's had two shots. My comment said that I don't know why people are snubbing their noses at 8-4 as if it would be a disappointment. I then listed a bunch of question marks and basically said that I'm sure some will be answered positively and others won't be.
So I'm the bad guy for telling people "woah nelly" when they're talking about 9 or 10 wins, but then when we actually win 7 or 8 games and I say "told you so," I'll also be the bad guy for being negative (even thought I'm literally stating that 8 wins for this season would be GOOOOOOD).
