Yes.... don't underestimate the power of actually liking your head coach. Of having him not be an asshole.
USA Today's early 2017 Top 25
- Thread starter UPitt '89
- Start date
Ohio State is losing their QB and Clemson whacked them. Typical geek media stuff. Only 4 ACC teams in top 25 LOL yet clearly the best conference is ACC.
The Big 10 doesn't have squat to do with it. San Diego, Stanford, the 49ers, Michigan. The guy is a winner.
Harbaugh, Saban, Meyer... No thanks. I'll take the assholes that win. BTW, those guys are only assholes to the opposition. I'm quite sure you would love any of those guys if they coached here.
Of course I actually remember reading "I'd rather have Jamie Dixon than John Calipari" from several posters on here. LOL.
In case you haven't noticed, we only have two elite programs in the ACC. FSU & Clemson.
Yes... he is a winner.
Until the season's BIGGEST moments.
And that is what separates him from greatness. And why Swinney is better.
SEC right now only has one. LSU, Florida, and Auburn could return to that status.
Big Ten like to think they have 4... but they really have only 2. OSU and Michigan.
Big 12 only has one... Oklahoma.
PAC 12 only has one right now... USC.
But below those "elite" teams... the ACC has more *GOOD* teams in the next tier than any other conference.
No Harbaugh is an asshole in person, according to almost everybody who has met the man.
Meyer isn't an asshole. Neither is Saban.
Harbaugh, however, is.
I think PSU is there too. They won the Big 10 with a young team and played to the wire with USC. I think they are preseason #4 in a poll that you just posted.
The SEC at least has 7 or 8 programs that can recruit and give themselves a chance to become an elite program. The ACC currently has 3. FSU, Clemson, and Miami. Southern schools. Big suprise.
I don't believe that. Go to a Michigan board and take a poll. I bet they don't think he's an asshole. A lot of top recruits don't seem to think he's an asshole.
Now that Max Browne is a Panther, I am following your team. What do you expect next year? How many returners do you have on offense and defense? Thanks.
I think Virginia Tech, UNC (if they want to), and Louisville can recruit with the second 4-to-8 teams in the SEC right now.
Hell, even Pitt in a "down" year of recruiting according to our fans, has the 29th rated class for 2017 according to ESPN at the moment (41st on rivals, admittedly).
Also, this past year PSU began unranked and finished Top 10. Next year has a very good likelihood of being the exact reverse.
No, they can't. Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, TAMU, will all recruit better than VaTech, UNC & Louisville. I'd also throw in South Carolina under Muschamp and possibly Ole Miss.
I've heard a former SEC coach that hosts a radio show talk about this with other coaches. To a man, every coach has agreed that you can't put stock in recruiting ratings for individual players, but they are very accurate when taking a macro view. If you can't consistently bring in Top 15 classes with the class averaging at least 3.4 stars, the chances of building a program that can win a National Title are slim bordering on none. Do the research. I think you'll find that accurate.
PSU will be good next year. I don't know if their record will be as good or if they will repeat as B1G champs, but I don't think they will finish outside the Top 25. There is no objective reason to think they would, without some unfortunate rash of injuries or something out of the ordinary.
SEC and ACC in the 2017 Top 40 team rankings for recruiting at ESPN:
#1 Alabama
#2 Georgia
#5 LSU
#7 FSU
#8 Texas A&M
#9 Auburn
#11 Tennessee
#12 Clemson
#13 Miami
#16 S. Carolina
#18 Florida
#21 Arkansas
#22 UNC
#23 Miss. State
#24 Louisville
#26 Kentucky
#27 Duke
#29 Pitt
#31 VT
#35 Syracuse
#39 Ole Miss
SEC with 11, ACC with 9.... SEC definitely ahead for 2017.
Rankings for 2016:
#1 FSU
#2 Alabama
#3 LSU
#4 Ole Miss
#7 Georgia
#8 Clemson
#9 Auburn
#12 Florida
#14 Tennessee
#19 Miami
#20 Texas A&M
#24 Arkansas
#27 S. Carolina
#28 Duke
#31 Pitt
#33 Miss. State
#34 UNC
#35 Kentucky
#36 Louisville
#39 VT
ACC with 8, SEC with 12.
So yeah... SEC is a little better in those rankings, but not exceedingly so. But outside of Saban, the ACC has the much better coaches right now too. And so the ability to get the most out of those recruits is much higher in the ACC right now. Yes, things are cyclical.... but right now the arrow is starting to point down for the SEC and up for the ACC.
It could change again in a couple years.... but right now, the coaching edge is in the ACC... and the recruiting edge is SLIGHTLY in the SEC.
You can stop at 15. Any program that is going to play big boy football is going to be in the Top 15 in recruiting in most years.
An added point about this post, TD. You listed three guys... Harbaugh, Saban, and Meyer.
Dabo Swinney just beat 2 of those three guys on neutral fields in the span of 9 days.
And the one he didn't beat, Harbaugh, is clearly the 3rd best of those three.... and Swinney would've throttled Michigan as bad as he throttled OSU if they would've played.
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...-seminoles-headline-way-too-early-top-25-2017
22. Pittsburgh
2016 record: 8-5, 5-3 ACC
Returning starters: 6 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams
Key losses: RB James Conner, OT Adam Bisnowaty, G Dorian Johnson, TE Scott Orndoff, QB Nathan Peterman, DT Shakir Soto, DE Ejuan Price, LB Matt Galambos, K Chris Blewitt
Outlook: The Panthers defeated both ACC champion Clemson and Big Ten champion Penn State, and four of their five losses came by a combined 18 points. Even with tailback James Conner and quarterback Nathan Peterman departing, Pitt might be poised for a breakthrough in coach Pat Narduzzi's third season. The Panthers have to eventually get better on defense, and Narduzzi is slowly upgrading the defensive talent. Pitt plays Penn State (road) and Oklahoma State (home) in nonconference games and doesn't play ACC foes Clemson, Florida State or Louisville during the regular season.
For more on how the Panthers will look in 2017, check out Pittsburgh's recruiting profile
and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.
22. Pittsburgh
2016 record: 8-5, 5-3 ACC
Returning starters: 6 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams
Key losses: RB James Conner, OT Adam Bisnowaty, G Dorian Johnson, TE Scott Orndoff, QB Nathan Peterman, DT Shakir Soto, DE Ejuan Price, LB Matt Galambos, K Chris Blewitt
Outlook: The Panthers defeated both ACC champion Clemson and Big Ten champion Penn State, and four of their five losses came by a combined 18 points. Even with tailback James Conner and quarterback Nathan Peterman departing, Pitt might be poised for a breakthrough in coach Pat Narduzzi's third season. The Panthers have to eventually get better on defense, and Narduzzi is slowly upgrading the defensive talent. Pitt plays Penn State (road) and Oklahoma State (home) in nonconference games and doesn't play ACC foes Clemson, Florida State or Louisville during the regular season.
For more on how the Panthers will look in 2017, check out Pittsburgh's recruiting profile
and ESPN RecruitingNation's class rankings.Harbaugh had a Senior filled team suck air in his two biggest games of the year.
He couldn't compare to Dabo when it counted the most this year, and it wasn't even close.
Wow, looks like Penn State won't end up Higher next year in spite of having all players Back except a few and still behind Michigan and Ohio State? Campus Insider has them lower to at #8? This could be a big bummer for the PSU Fans, staying where they end up in 2017 as in 2016 or lower? WVU too!
He doesn't win dude. He's never won a conference championship in college and was out coached by his boner brother in the super bowl. Harbaugh is all sizzle and no steak. For as much as we love to bash old Fist Pump Jimmy Franklin, HE won a conference title before Harboner.
"Whooooooooose got it better than us?" Like 15 programs, dude.
I can't see the thought that Michigan will be a national championship condender when they lose 19 starters, including every starter on defense. They have talent and will be good, but that seems overly optimistic.
Last edited:
Am I wrong? Thought QB was gone. Apologies if I misunderstood.
With that said Clemson still whacked OSU 31-0!!! So under very few, if any, circumstances should OSU be ranked preseason ahead of Clemson. Natty game two years in a row. Literally as lame as putting OSU ahead of Bama. N The Big10 is overrated and the media in general are geeks that know little about the game. They jock sniff! Then over years become respected by older and younger jock sniffers. It's a jock sniffing vicious circle the media is. When they come up for air they vote OSU ahead of Clemson because their friends say the Big10 is great LOL.
Last edited:
And that
1 year doesn't make him a great coach. He had his hands full last night despite having a HUGE advantage at QB.
1 year doesn't make him a great coach. He had his hands full last night despite having a HUGE advantage at QB.
He won his league twice when he was at San Diego. He took Stanford to a 12-1 season just 4 years after the disaster that was the Walt Harris era. He won the NFC at a franchise that didn't have a pulse when he arrived and has flat-lined since he left.
Look at the energy he brings to recruiting and the creative methods he uses to sign talent from everywhere. Do you really think Dabo could have as much success at a school like Pitt as Harbaugh? I don't.
1 year? Did you miss his last few years? The recruiting he's done. Recruiting against HR SEC!!! TD why don't you just say it? Clemson is a top 3 program with a top 3 coach. I have zero skin in the game and seems obvious to me. That's coming from a guy that had $100 on Bama last night.
You're right. He just won the national title this year.
And played for it the year before.
And beat Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl in 2013.
He's clearly a flash in the pan........
All that energy and no rangs. 0-2 vs. Ohio State and his piss baby antics resulted in a penalty which basically gave Ohio State a touchdown. If you want to win championships, go to Clemson. If you want to make rap videos, go to Michigan.
Haha. Dabo has been at Clemson 9 freaking years. Harbaugh just finished his second at Michigan. Please.
And he won't make it past a fifth year. He'll get sick of the bullshit and bolt for a pro gig. And he'll leave without winning one Fat 10 title.
I don't know about all that. We'll see.
I sense you really don't like the guy very much. Perceptive aren't I?
I'm not going to engage in this pointless debate, they are both excellent, Tier 1 coaches, but Harbaugh just finished his SECOND YEAR at Michigan. Take a look at Dabo's first couple years at Clemson.
Anyone who knows anything about the Michigan program knows that the culture change since Harbaugh took over has been profound. He instilled toughness and discipline that program hasn't had in decades. And he's still working with Hoke's players. His own recruits haven't even seen the field yet.
If you're going to argue about nonsense like this, at least be fair about it.
Why would Harbaugh stay at Michigan? The answer that "he loves his school" is pathetic......
Harbaugh will be back in the NFL within 24 months.
Harbaugh will be back in the NFL within 24 months.
I don't dislike him. I actually like that he rattles the SEC's cage with the satellite camps. I just think there's a lot of hype with few results. Dude lost three of his last four down the stretch. Had Narduzzi done that we would all be wringing our hands, yet this guy hikes up his khakis and gets a pass. He's a braying ass on the sidelines and yet he gets a pass. Narduzzi lost it during the Tech game and a bunch of opinion pieces hit the papers. He's basically Buddy Ryan.
Maybe he should try some of that discipline. His game personal foul gave Ohio State momentum.
The fact that his starting QB's throwing shoulder was hurt was a big factor in those last 4 games.
LOL.
Before the game, all we heard was how Alabama was superior on both sides of the ball at every position except QB. Now, you equate that sole Clemson advantage as the be-all and end-all that trumps Alabama's advantage everywhere else.
Secondly... it isn't *ONE* year. It's six. Here's Clemson's record the past 6 seasons:
10-4
11-2
11-2
10-3
14-1
14-1
70-13
2-0 against Urban Meyer
1-1 against Nick Saban
2-0 against Bob Stoops
1-0 against Les Miles
Three ACC titles... Five Atlantic division titles.
45 players from his Clemson rosters are playing in the NFL right now.
Nobody moves goalposts like you, TD. Nobody.
Swinney is the 2nd-best coach in College Football at the moment.... behind only Saban.
I've got to respond to this ridiculous post twice, haha.
The sentence you have in bold above, implies that Clemson barely won a game in which they were the favorite to win. They were 6 to 7 point underdogs. When an underdog wins a game... it is ridiculous to use language like they "had their hand full, despite having a HUGE advantage...".
That is language that goes towards the favorite. Had Alabama held on to win 31-28... it would be appropriate to say "Saban had his hands full, despite an advantage at every position on the field except QB."
Swinney won over the "greatest coach in College football" as a touchdown underdog on a neutral field.
"Had his hands full... despite...." .... your language is ridiculous, TD.... and you're a pathetic troll.
Similar threads
