I say..........
13. Pittsburgh Panthers
Pitt: The best team that no one, and I mean NO ONE, cares about. This is the annual pitfall of the favorite in the Big East, were the winner gets a BCS bowl, and laughs about the idea of their champion actually playing for a national title. It took undefeated Cincinnati half the season to pass Boise State in the rankings, and didn't pass TCU until the final week of the season. The Big East is a BCS laughing ground and with BSU and TCU in the national title picture this year, it's official, busters now get more respect than Big East teams. Pittsburgh is looking to change that perception this season, on paper they look very capable of double digit wins, and with some luck an undefeated season.The offense is the tale of two players. RB Dion Lewis ran for almost 1800 yards last season in his first year and will be legitimate Heisman contender. There are deep concerns at QB however, first year starter Tito Sunseri has little to no hype, and even lower expectations. Sunseri should be asked to do very little, as Pitt runs the ball about 70% of the time, if Sunseri is good for 30% the Panthers could be looking at a trip to Glendale. The line is hard to predict, with an all-american at left tackle, but also new starters at both guard spots and center.
The defense is probably the most solid unit in the conference. There are two new starting cornerbacks, but there is a lot of returning talent everywhere else. The defenseive front is the best in the Big East and the linebackers are pretty good too. DE Greg Romeus has been a all-conference selection two years running and will be back for his senior year, when he could easily be playing sundays this year.
The schedule is difficult but managable. There are no games that the Panthers aren't good enough to win, the hardest game will be against Miami on September 23, but that will be at home, and the Panthers are almost as good as the Canes. Notre Dame and Utah won't be rollovers either, but if this team is legitimate as a top 15 squad, it should be able to win two out of three here. In conference play, Pitt gets West Virginia abd UConn at home, and closes out the season at Cincinnati.
Prediction: 2nd Big East. Sorry Pitt fans, but I watched Dave Wanstedt ruin better teams than this in Miami, I'll believe he can win the big one when I see it.
Rivals says: USC
I say......
12. Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes 2009 season was much better than expected. A team that started unranked, beat three ranks teams in their first four games, spent a week in the top ten, and had a 9 win season. So why are the Canes so down after this season, probably because the ended the season losing 3 out of seven games, including a Champs Sports Bowl beatdown at the hands of Wisconsin. There is reason to be excited this year though, there is no real strong conference favorite, and Randy Shannon's recruiting classes should start being dominant.
On offense, this team will go as far as Jacory Harris improves, and no further. Harris was brilliant at the start of last season and even weaseled his way into some Heisman chatter, but he ended the season poorly, and some bad turnovers on his part can be blamed almost solely for the cold finish. There is plenty of talent at the skill positions but the line is a big question mark. There are two players on the o-line that are among the best in the conference, the rest of them are pretty bad, if some new starters can step up big though, this could be a dominating unit.
The defense is as agressive as any team in the conference, and has talent everywhere, there is no one dominating unit like UNC's line or V Techs linebackers, but for depth they have no match in the conference. Ninie starters will return overall, and there should be at least one all-conference players at each level.
The schedule is an absolute nightmare, if the Canes run the table, there is no doubt that they'll be in Glendale for the national championship game. The schedule features 8 teams with at least eight wins from a year ago. After the opener against Florida A&M, the Canes will face Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Clemson, and Florida State in successive games. They get a few gimmees against the conference floormats in Maryland, Duke, and Virginia, but they also have North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech as well. If they survive all that, they get South Florida out of conference to close the season.
Prediction: 2nd, ACC Coastal Division
Rivals says: Wisconsin
Isay.......
11. Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hokies will, as usual, start the season as the popular pick to win the ACC, but with the rest of the division catching up. North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Miami all pose serious threats to the Hokies. There is a lot of talent, but just as many question marks.
The offense could very well be the best rushing unit in the nation. QB Tyrod Taylor can run like no other QB in the conference, Ryan Williams is coming off a 1500 yard season, but Darren Evans is back from injury, and he did the same thing two years ago. The line is good, the runners are better. This squad will dominate in the trenches virtually all season long, the only worry is whether Taylor will be any better throwing the ball when he occasionally has to do it this year.
The defense is questionable, which I know is blasphemous to say about a Frank Beamer team, but there is alot of turnover to deal with. The linebackers are the best in the conference, and are among the five best units in the nation, but there are a lot of people to replace everywhere else. The defenseive line simply doesn't have a lot of talent on it, at least not for Virginia Tech, and the Hokies will have a harder time than usual stopping the run. The secondary has a lot of talent, but no experience, replacing three starters from a year ago. This is major concern for a team hoping to play for a national chmpionship, because the three best teams on its schedule (Boise State, Miami) love to throw the ball a lot.
The schedule is great, just great. The Hokies get to skip Florida State and Clemson from the other side of the conference, and will be tested only once outside of the conference against Boise State. The big three conference games (Miami, Ga. Tech, and UNC) are played in succesive weeks in November, if they survive that and Boise State, the rest of the year should be a cakewalk.
Prediction: Winner ACC, Orange Bowl
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