by Curran Campbell
In this week’s edition of the ramble, I think I finally have an idea of what the true pecking order in the coastal is. Let’s find out together next week when it turns out I actually have it all wrong again! Also, we will have basketball power rankings and predictions but only for conference games. There will also be no basketball analysis until football season is over.
Note: Since neither Clemson nor Virginia Tech played conference games this past weekend, I will not have analysis on them.
Wake Forest
Pure dominance over an inferior opponent is what the Demon Deacons displayed last Saturday against the Wolfpack in a 44-10 victory. The Wake defense took advantage of a freshman QB in Leary much like they did with Sam Howell earlier this season, and Wake continues their quest towards an Orange Bowl bid.
Boston College
AJ Dillon is the best tailback in the conference, and his performance led the Eagles to a 58-27 annihilation of Syracuse. 691 total yards of offense, with 496 of those coming on the ground from the likes of Dillon and David Bailey is generally a good formula for success.
Miami
The Miami defense was dominant in a 27-10 rivalry victory over Florida State, and I think Miami finally has the QB situation ironed out with Jarren Williams cementing his role as the starter. His play has been huge in Miami’s resurgence and will be critical for the Canes success down the stretch.
Pittsburgh
Not much to say here, Pitt did enough to beat a god awful Georgia Tech team 20-10, and they will go into the bye week looking to improve before playing a solid North Carolina team next Thursday night.
Virginia
Bryce. Perkins. I think that says enough about UVa’s performance in a 38-31 win over in Chapel Hill. UVa is now the clear favorite to win the coastal division. Assuming they win out going into the final week of the season, it’ll be a Commonwealth Clash for the ages that would theoretically decide the coastal.
NC State
State has played 3 quarterbacks so far this season, and they have all been bad with all 3, the most recent dumpster fire performance coming from Devin Leary. Leary went 17-45 for 149 yards to go along with a touchdown and two picks. That kind of play is unacceptable and with all the talent on that NC State roster, you have to think if they just had a QB they could be competing at the same level as Wake. Alas, they don’t have a QB.
Syracuse
Syracuse’s most recent performance was enough to get defensive coordinator Brian Ward fired a year after he was nominated for the Broyles Award. Simply put, when you lose 57-28 and give up nearly 700 total yards to Boston College, some sort of change has to be made, and Ward was the sacrificial lamb.
Florida State
After the 27-10 loss to Miami, FSU pulled the plug on the Willie Taggart era. I never thought that Taggart was the right hire for Florida State in the first place, that being said, Florida State never gave him enough of a chance. Let’s see how the Seminoles ruin their next coach!
North Carolina
The 38-31 loss to UVa killed the Tar Heels chances at a coastal crown, but the Heels still have a ton left to play for. With 3 games left in the season, the Heels need 2 more wins to go to a bowl game. They have 1 pretty much guaranteed with the Mercer game, but how will the Heels steal one on the road at Pitt, or win what is always a tough game at Carter-Finley stadium. Logic would indicate that the Heels shouldn’t have a problem against this NC State team in a few weeks, but we all know that logic doesn’t exist in that football game outside of 2015 when that dominant Carolina team just took care of business easily. Every other time, it’s a grinder of a football game, so it will be a tough, but very much doable climb for the Heels to go bowling for the first time since 2016.
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is bad, their players on offense still don’t suit the system that Geoff Collins is trying to run. A 20-10 loss to Pitt is a pretty solid result for GT as they continue a massive overhaul in Atlanta.
Football Power Rankings
1. Clemson
2. Wake Forest
3. Virginia
4. Virginia Tech
5. Louisville
6. North Carolina
7. Pitt
8. Miami
9. Duke
10. Florida State
11. Boston College
12. NC State
13. Georgia Tech
14. Syracuse
Football Predictions
Florida State at Boston College (-1.5): Boston College, 38-28
Georgia Tech at Virginia (-15): Virginia, 48-20
Wake Forest (-2.5) at Virginia Tech: Wake Forest, 31-27
Louisville at Miami (-6.5): Louisville, 35-24
Clemson (-31.5) at NC State: Clemson, 52-10
Notre Dame (-8) at Duke: Notre Dame, 21-17
Last week’s predictions: 3-3
Season Total: 16-12
Basketball Power Rankings
1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Louisville
5. NC State
6. Florida State
7. Syracuse
8. Miami
9. Notre Dame
10. Pitt
11. Clemson
12. Georgia Tech
13. Virginia Tech
14. Boston College
15. Wake Forest
Basketball Predictions
Louisville at Miami: Louisville, 73-69
Virginia Tech at Clemson: Clemson, 64-58
Georgia Tech at NC State: NC State, 83-70
Notre Dame at North Carolina: North Carolina, 87-72
Wake Forest at Boston College: Boston College, 61-55
Florida State at Pitt: Pitt, 81-75
Virginia at Syracuse: Syracuse, 65-62