Football Bowl Subdivision

Atlantic:
Florida St: 9-3 (7-1)
Offense: Florida State’s offense should be good this year led by heisman potential QB Christian Ponder. Ponder is coming back from surgery on his throwing should but looked well in spring and looks to be 100% at the start of the season. The Seminoles will need a WR to step up and be a playmaker this year out of the group of Bret Reed, Jarmon Fortson and Taiwan Easterling. Willie Haulstead and Rodney Smith will also provide solid targets for Ponder. There is a big group of RB for FSU this year but not a big time go to guy. Jeremaine Thomas led the team in rushing last year, but was pushed by Chris Thompson during the spring. The line returns all five starters again this year led by G Rodney Hudson.
Defense: The defense is a big area of concern for the FSU after a below par season last year. Mark Stoops comes in as the new defensive coordinator needs to rebuild the line and secondary. The line does return three starters in DE/DT Everett Dawkins, DE Markus White and DT Moses McCray. DT Jacobbi McDaniel is expected to produce more this year and help the run defense. The LB corps is the strength of the defense with Kendall Smith and Nigel Bradham returning this year. The secondary has only one starter returning in CB Ochuko Jenije. CB Greg Reid will step in as the other CB, and should help the pass defense a good amount. CB Xavier Rhodes will also help in improving the pass defense.
Special Teams: FSU has a very good special teams unit led by its return man Greg Reid. K Dustin Hopkins has a very strong leg along with P Shawn Powell, who can also pin teams inside their 20 very well.
Overall: This is the first season since 1976 Florida State has a new head coach in Jimbo Fisher. Fisher is hopping to start his tenure in Tallahassee off on a good not and should be able to. The offense will be strong behind the arm Christian Ponder. The defense is where the concern is. The Seminoles will have to improve in all aspects on that side. They do have the players to make the improvement and a really good coordinator in Mark Stoops.

Boston College: 9-3 (5-3)
Offense: Once again this year Boston College will have a QB battle going on this fall. Unlike last year though this battle is a little more competitive and has better QB. Last years starter Dave Shinskie will be competing with Mike Marscovetra, Chase Rettig and Josh Bordner. Shinskie was the leader coming into fall camp and looks to be the starter opening day. He will have to find a new go to WR this year. Colin Larmond looks to be that guy after being a back up the past two years. TE Chris Pantale also provides a good pass catching option. The run game is the Eagles strength on offense and they have their lead rusher from last year returning this year in RB Montel Harris. Harris took a lot of the load last year and would benefit with a more balanced attack this year. The line returns four starters led by LT Anthony Castonzo.
Defense: The defense will once again lead the team this year. The line does have some questions in depth, but good starters. DE Alex Albright and DT Brad Newman will anchor the line. BC has one of the most inspirational stories in there LB corps this year, but also one of the best corps. The return of LB Mark Herzlich from bone cancer is a great story, but he is also a very good player. He was the ACC Defensive Player of the year in 2008. Luke Kuechly was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year last year and looks to team up with Herzlich to be very productive this year. The secondary returns only two starters in CB DeLeon Gause and FS Wes Davis, but they do have a lot of depth and experience.
Special Teams: P Ryan Quigley is one of the top P in the ACC and could compete with new K Nate Freese for the K job this year as well. Montel Harris and DeLeon Gause will be the main return men this year.
Overall: Going into his second year as Boston College’s head coach Frank Spaziani should once again have a team that will compete for the Atlantic division title and the ACC title. Once again this year it will be the run game and defense that leads the team. The offense will be better this year though with a better passing game making the Eagles even more dangers.

Clemson: 6-6 (3-5)
Offense: QB Kyle Parker’s decision to come back for another year was a big sigh of relief for Clemson. With out Parker this year the Tigers offense could have had some issues. Clemson already has to replace Mr. everything CJ Spiller at RB which will not be easy. The tandem of Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper will be looked upon to pick up Spillers productivity from last year. The WR corps doesn’t have much production back from last year. Xavier Dye looks to be the number one WR this year. TE Dwayne Allen will also provide a good sized target for Parker as well. The offensive line returns four starters, but could be in trouble if there is an injury or two as there is not much depth.
Defense: The Tigers have a very solid line with DE Da’Quan Bowers and DT Brandon Thompson and Jarvis Jenkins. They need to a better job against the run though this year. The LB corps is where the question marks are for the defense. Brandon Maye and Corico Hawkins will battle for the MLB possession and if Hawkins wins the job Maye will most likely be moved to OLB. Clemson did play a lot of Nickel last year and probably will again this year with a solid secondary; led by the very good safety combo of DeAndre McDaniel and Rashard Hall. CB Marcus Gilchrest is also very good as well.
Special Teams: K Richard Jackson needs to be more consistant this year or Spencer Benton could take his job this year. P Dawson Zimmerman also didn’t have the best season last year. Clemson will also have to find a new return man or two now that CJ Spiller is gone.
Overall: Head coach Dabo Swinney did a very good job last year in his first year getting the team to the ACC Championship Game just falling short to Georgia Tech. This year they look like they will take a small step back. Of course the Tigers will miss CJ Spiller and that he did for the team, but the lack of a big time WR will hurt. The defense should once again be good this year. The defensive line and LB need to step up this year and stop the run. A tough three game stretch early at Auburn vs. Miami and at North Carolina will show how good this team really is.

North Carolina St: 7-5 (3-5)
Offense: Just like Clemson fans NC St breathed a sigh of relief when QB Russell Wilson said he was returning to play this year and put his Major League Baseball career on hold. Wilson’s duel threat ability makes him one of the top QB in the conference. The RB corps had some injuries in the spring and brings some questions going into fall camp. Curtis Underwood looks to be the starting RB with some type of combination of Brandon Barnes, James Washington, and Travis Leggett. The WR corps is solid with the return of Jarvis Williams and Owen Spencer. TE George Bryan is also a good target as well. The line will be inexperienced on the inside with only tackles Jack Vermiglio and RJ Mattes.
Defense: LB Nate Irving will be back on the field for the Wolfpack for the first time since 2008 after missing all of last year due to injuries from a car crash. The LB corps is solid with Audie Cole, Dwayne Maddox, and Terrell Manning. The line lost all four starters from last year. Northwestern transfer DE David Akinniyi will start at one spot while Audi Augustin at the other. The secondary is young but does have some experience. CB CJ Wilson and FS Brandan Bishop will lead the unit. The whole defense will have to do a better job in allowing the opponents to score less if they want to win more games this year.
Special Teams: K Josh Czajkowski is very good. There will be a competition between Chris Ward and Jeff Ruiz for the P job. The return game is in good hands with TJ Graham again this year.
Overall: NC St will have a good team again this year since Wilson returned. The pass game will be in good shape, but the run game is a question mark. The defense has some big questions on the line but have a good group of LB and secondary. The Wolfpack do have a tough cross over schedule in conference facing Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina.

Wake Forest: 4-8 (2-6)
Offense: For the first time in four years Wake Forest does not have Riley Skinner as their starting QB. Coming out of spring practice Skylar Jones was the leading canidate to start, but has will compete with Ted Stachitas, and Brendan Cross. None of the guys competing for the job have thrown a pass in a college game. Who ever wins the starting job will have a very good trio of WR to throw to in Marshall Williams, Devon Brown, and Chris Givens. The Demon Deacons will most likely run the ball more this year with the good duo at RB in former ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Josh Adams and Brandon Pendergrass. The line is shaky this year with not much experience but does have to good pieces in C Russell Nenon and LG Joe Looney.
Defense: Wake will once again have a fast and athletic defense this year. DE Tristan Dorty and Kyle Wilber are good rush ends that should be able to get to the opposing QB a good amount. The LB corps will be strong this year with Matt Woodlief and Hunter Haynes. The secondary returns a good amount of experience but needs to force more turnovers this year. CB Kenny Okoro and SS Cyhl Quarles will lead the secondary in doing that.
Special Teams: Wake will have a solid kicking game again this year with the return of K Jimmy Newman and P Shane Popham. They will also have a good return game with the group of Devon Brown, Alex Frye, and Lovell Jackson.
Overall: Head coach Jim Grobe has done a very good job in his nine years at Wake Forest. It looks to be a down year this year though with an unproven QB and line on the offense and a defense that had some issues last year needing to improve. The non conference schedule is also very tough with games at Stanford, vs. Navy, and at Vanderbilt. To get to a bowl game would be a good year for the Deacons.

Maryland: 3-9 (1-7)
Offense: QB Jamarr Robinson played well at the end of last year after taking over for injured Chris Turner and will look to be a play maker once again for Maryland this year. His duel threat ability will help since the line was very inconsistent last year and could be the same way this year. The run game needs to improve from last year as well. Da’Rel Scott looks to rebound from an injury plagued season last year and should be in a decent 1-2 punch with Davin Meggett. The receiving core is solid with the return of WR Torrey Smith and Adrian Cannon.
Defense: Just like the offense last year the defense struggled just as bad. Allowing an ACC worst 31.1 ppg last year is the first place to start improving. The line is young but does have some experience led by the only returning starter in DT AJ Francis. The LB corps will be the strength of the defense with all three starters returning in Adrian Moten, Alex Wujciak, and Demetrius Hartsfield. The secondary has to improve this year after being 12th in the ACC and 97th nationally in passing yards per game last year. CB Cameron Chism is the only returning starter and did a good job last year. The Terps have a decent combo at S with Antwine Perez and Kenny Tate.
Special Teams: One positive last year for Maryland was the kicking game and both K Nick Ferrara and P Travis Baltz return this year. Torrey Smith will once again be the return man and can provide a spark for the team.
Overall: This is a do or die year for head coach Ralph Friedgen. Last years 2-10 record was not accepted very well by the alumni. The offense will have to be more productive this year and need the line to do a better overall job. The defense is key to whether of not the Terps return to a bowl game this year. If they can make some good strides in improvement this year that would be a big help. Maryland did have its far share of close games last year, but didn’t get the breaks to have them go their way. With a couple breaks here and there Maryland once again could be in a bowl game and save Friedgen his job.

Miami: 10-2 (7-1)
Offense: QB Jacoby Harris showed signs of being a Heisman candidate at times last year and should regain that form this year after having thumb surgery. He will have to cut down his ACC high 17 int from last year though. Harris doe have very good duel threat ability to keep the opposing defenses honest. Harris has a good quartet of WR to pass to in LeRon Byrd, Leonard Hankerson, Travis Benjamin, and Aldarius Johnson. The RB corps are also very deep with Damien Berry and Mike James being the main two backs, with Lamar Miller and Storm Johnson get their far share of carries as well. The wild card in the RB core is Graig Cooper who could be back at some point this season after tearing his ACL in the Champs Sports Bowl. The line is the weak spot on the offense. LT Orlando Franklin and RG Joel Figueroa. It will be interesting to see how highly recruited T Seantrel Henderson is used after decommitting from USC to come to Miami.
Defense: This years Hurricanes defense is one of the top defenses the team has had in the past few seasons. The line is very deep, athletic, and physical with three starters back in DE Allen Bailey, DE Andrew Smith, and DT Josh Holmes. The LB corps is the area with the most concern for Miami. Both Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence are back starting this year but after them there are some questions over the rest of the LB. The secondary is very talented with CB Brandon Harris and SS Vaughn Telemaque returning this year. CB DeMarcus Van Dyke is also back, but needs to be more consistent this year.
Special Teams: Matt Bosher is back again this year to do both the punting and kicking. He did a good job last year and should again this year. The return game does need some help and has plenty of options with all the secondary, RB, and WR depth.
Overall: Head coach Randy Shannon has done a very good job in getting “The U” back onto the national stage and should be even better this year. The offense was real good last year and should be even better this year with Harris now having plenty of experience and quality players around him. The defense will also improve this year and be one of the top defenses in the ACC. Miami does have a tough schedule going to Ohio St and Pittsburgh in non conference play and then the challenge of the Coastal division. Even with the tough schedule Miami is ready to be a top team again.

Virginia Tech: 10-2 (6-2)
Offense: Virginia Tech will have a good balanced attack this year led by QB Tyrod Taylor. Taylor’s duel threat ability keeps opposing defenses in check because you never know when he will break off a big run. The WR corps returns the top three from last year in Jarrett Boykins, Danny Coale, and Dyrell Roberts. All three have a chance of making a big play at any time when they have the ball. The strength of the Hokies offense is the run game though. RB Ryan Williams and Darren Evans are arguably the top 1-2 punch in the nation. Both could be seen on the field at the same time a good amount this year. Evans does return from a knee injury that kept him out all of last year, but should be fine this year. The only question mark on the offense is the left side of the line which will have two new starters.
Defense: The defense has some issues on the defense starting with the line. Only one starter from last year in DT John Graves. DE Steven Friday and Chris Drager do have some experience and should be good, but there isn’t much depth beyond the starters. The LB corps is young but talented and led by LB Barquell Rivers and Lyndell Gibson. The secondary only has one starter returning in CB Rashad Carmichael, but there is some experience in the unit.
Special Teams: Beamer ball has always been a huge part of Virginia Tech’s success and will once again this year. The Hokies haven’t been blocking as many punts and kicks the past few year but look to improve on that this year. Dyrell Roberts and Jayron Hosley are both good options at returner. There will be a new P and K this year. Chris Hazley looks to be the K while Brian Sauders the P.
Overall: Unlike most years when Virginia Tech is led by its defense and special teams, this year the offense will actually lead the team. The offense has plenty of power with Taylor, Williams, and Evans leading the way. The defense does have some issues, but Bud Foster should be able to do a good job in coaching up the unit. The Boise St game will show everyone right away how good the Hokies will be this year. With the game basically being a home game Virginia Tech should win and go on to a good season.

North Carolina: 9-3 (6-2)
Offense: The offense is the key to North Carolina’s season. If it can go from below average at times to average the team will be good shape. The first key to the offense is QB TJ Yates. Yates has dealt with injuries over his career but is 100% now and needs to and should perform better. If Yates doesn’t do well early on look for red shirt freshman Bryn Renner to take over. The Tar Heels have some good WR in Greg Little and Erik Highsmith returning along with 15 of the 16 players who caught a pass last season. The run game should be good this year as well with RB Shaun Draughn back to start and also with a quality back up in Ryan Houston. The line also returns four starters led by LG Alan Pelc.
Defense: North Carolina has arguably one of the best defenses in the nation this year, and probably the best defensive line. The d line has good depth and two very good playmakers in DE Robert Quinn and DT Marvin Austin. All three starting LB return again this year led by seniors Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivan. The secondary also returns all four starters led by CB Kendric Burney and FS Deunta Williams. There is one small issue with the secondary which doesn’t have the greatest depth.
Special Teams: K Casey Barth returns this year and is very accurate along with P Grant Schallock who does a solid job. The return game does need to improve this year though.
Overall: North Carolina is in line for another good season under head coach Butch Davis. The defense could dominate their opponents and scoring on them will be very hard. The offense is the key to the season though. If the offense struggles then it could be a little bit of a down season for the Tar Heals. Heck if the football team has another good season this year and basketball has another bad season North Carolina could become a football school.

Georgia Tech: 9-3 (6-2)
Offense: Paul Johnson’s spread option/flexbone offense will be led by QB Joshua Nesbitt for the third consecutive year. All that experience will serve him will in an offense that has so many reads in a little amount of time. RB Anthony Allen will take over the role as the main back this year. Roddy Jones and Embry Peeples will be the other two starting RB, and both have very good break away speed. The Yellow Jackets did loose their big play WR in Demaryius Thomas, but Tyler Melton and Stephen Hill provide good pass catching options when Georgia Tech decides to pass. The line only returns two starters but does have experience and will be led by C Sean Bedford.
Defense: Georgia Tech brought in a new coordinator this offseason in former Virginia coach Al Groh. Groh is installing his 3-4 scheme to help the Yellow Jackets cause more turnovers and get more pressure on the opposing QB. The line only has one returning starter in NT Logan Walls and there isn’t much depth. The LB corps is solid though with three returning starters. OLB Anthony Egbuiwe and Anthony Barnes are both athletic and can provide a good pass rush along with dropping back in coverage. The secondary is solid with ball hawking FS Jerrard Tarrant leading the way.
Special Teams: Both P Chandler Anderson and K Scott Blair return this year after solid seasons last year. The return game needs to improve some and will have Jerrard Tarrant being the main return man.
Overall: Georgia Tech once again this year looks to control the clock and the ground game. The offense is in good hands with Nesbitt and should be able to pile up the rushing yards. The defense needs to improve this year though and should under Groh. The Yellow Jackets will have a tough time defending their ACC title being in the Coastal division, but have a good chance depending on how the defense does.

Duke: 3-9 (2-6)
Offense: Two thirds of the big three return this year in Kyle Singler and Nolen Smith, but Jon Schyer’s leadership and shooting will be missed. Brian Zoubeck will also be missed… Oh wait this is Duke football we are talking about. David Cutcliffe has done a good job improving Duke’s pass game. This year he will have a new starting QB in Sean Renfree. Renfree does have some experience including leading the team to a come from behind victory over Army last year. He does have some real good targets to pass to this year in WR Donovan Vaner, Austin Kelly, and Conner Varner. The run game was the worst in the nation last year though and will need to improve a good amount to help take pressure off Renfree. The Blue Devils do have the top three rushers back from last year in Desmond Scott, Jay Hollingsworth, and Patrick Scott. The strength of the offense this year is the offensive line who returns four starters from last year. That should help in improving the run game.
Defense: The defense lost three big players in DT Vince Oghobaase, DE Ayanga Okopokwuruk, and CB Vinny Rey. The line is the area of most concern with only one returning starter and doesn’t have much depth. There is a lot of buzz about freshman DT Sydney Sarmiento though. The LB core also only returns one starter in Damian Thornton, but they do at least have some depth and experience. The secondary is the area of strength on the defense. CB Chris Rwabukamba and S Matt Daniels are the returning starters to the unit along with some good depth.
Special Teams: Once a big area of concern Duke finally has a K in Will Snyderwine. The rest of the special teams unit is still shaky though. P Kevin Jones needs to improve this year and the return game needs to help out the offense by setting up better field position this year.
Overall: In his first two seasons David Cutcliffe has done a good job at Duke, including a 5-7 season last year. This year the Blue Devils will take a step back. New starting QB Sean Renfree has plenty of play makers around him and should be able to get some help from the running game. The defense was decent last year and will try not to regress from even with the questions about line. When Alabama comes into Durham on September 18th will be a good test to see how far away Duke is. The team will try to stay relevant until about mid October then all the focus will once again go to the basketball team as they try to defend their National Title.

Virginia: 2-10 (0-8)
Offense: New head coach Mike London will having Virginia going back to smash mouth football this year. London’s offense is based off a heavy dose of the run game. One issue London is facing is almost all new starters in the skill possession areas. QB Marc Verica does have some starting experience and will be the starter by default this year. The RB are inexperienced but all could provide something different. Torrey Mack, Perry Jones, Keith Payne, and Dominique Wallace all look to contribute to the run game this year. The WR do have some experience and will look for Tim Smith to have a break out season. The offensive line fits well in London’s scheme led by returning starters LT Landon Bradley, LG Austin Pasztor, and RG BJ Cabbell.
Defense: The defense will be the strength of the team this year even with switching from a base 3-4 to a 4-3. The line has three returning starter in DE Cam Johnson and DT Nick Jenkins and Matt Conrath. LB Steve Greer will be the leader of the defense and is he only returning starter to the unit. The secondary is the strength of the defense. CB Ras-I Dowling will lead the unit that has some good experience and depth.
Special Teams: There are three players battling for the K job, but Robert Randolph has the inside edge. P Jimmy Howell did a decent job last year and returns again this year. The return game will have a group of players returning the ball until someone steps up.
Overall: Mike London has brought some new life and excitement to Virginia football this year. The first game of the year will be a big one as the Cavaliers host London’s former team in Richmond. This will set the tone for the season a win will be help a lot, while a lost could lead to another long season. There is a lot of rebuilding to do but the hiring of London should pay off in time for Virginia.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Miami over Florida St