ACC Bowl Predictions after Week 1

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Dinich, who ignored us yesterday (click here), takes a moment to project the ACC bowls after week one.

Discover Orange Bowl, Jan. 3: Clemson
Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: Florida State
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Miami
Russell Athletic Bowl, Dec. 28: Georgia Tech
Hyundai Sun Bowl, Dec. 31: Virginia Tech
Belk Bowl, Dec. 28: North Carolina
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Wake Forest
Advocare V100 Bowl, Dec. 31: NC State
Military Bowl, Dec. 27: Maryland

It is actually hard to argue with the projection at the moment because of some intangible parameters that exist in the middle of the ACC bowl line-up. First, State went to Nashville last year so we are not going to be a fit for a repeat trip. Second – ignore the extreme baby blue bias of the Charlotte region for a moment and just focus on the fact that – related to the Belk Bowl, UNC-CH is still expected to be better than us this year and the Wolfpack has been to Charlotte more recently than the Heels.

With those two parameters in place, NC State kind of has to be able to clearly be projected to be good enough to earn a Sun Bowl bid to merit jumping up the projections. And, with Brandon Mitchell sidelined until at least early October it is hard to make that projection yet. If the Wolfpack manages to win at Wake Forest and at home against Syracuse in early October then you can expect to see a real chance for a move in the projected bowl assignments. Until then…nothing matters anyway.

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29 Responses to ACC Bowl Predictions after Week 1

  1. Texpack 09/02/2013 at 9:41 AM #

    Shreveport is an easy drive from H-Town. I’m there.

  2. 13OT 09/02/2013 at 10:56 AM #

    Michigan Coach Brady Hoke was asked recently to define what a successful season would be for his Wolverines. His reply wasn’t “Getting to go to a bowl game”, but rather “Winning the Big Ten championship”.

    It’s distressing to me to hear all the Wolfpack fans on here who believe that a successful season would be a trip to Shreveport.

    We’ve reached the point in Division One football where we have more bowl teams than the NCAA has in its Division One basketball playoffs. How many is enough? Even Lefty Driesell probably thinks we have too many teams in today’s Division One football post-season.

    Maybe we need to drop back to an 11-game schedule or add a 13th game to everyone’s schedule, so that no bowl-bound team can end up with a .500 record. Anyone who thinks that their team had a good season after losing half of their games is simply witless.

    Are NCAA Division One officials using the NCHSAA playoffs, where teams routinely go 4-8, 3-9 or even 2-10 and make the post-season, as a model?

    As far as I’m concerned, 8-4 for most teams is a pretty good season. Until we reach that level, we simply shouldn’t settle for the mentality that bowls like the ones in Shreveport, Birmingham, Boise, NYC and a dozen other places are trying to sell to fans: celebrate mediocrity in OUR city!

  3. vapackfan 09/02/2013 at 11:25 AM #

    13OT, with a new coaching staff and a change in offensive philosophy coupled with average recruiting from the previous staff, yes that would be a successful season. I would venture to say that coach D wants to win the ACC this year and every year. If next year and beyond Shreveport (or similar bowls) is your benchmark, then that is unacceptable.

  4. choppack1 09/02/2013 at 11:44 AM #

    130T – that’s at Michigan.

    We’re NC State – we have minimal tradition and don’t have the talent that the upper-echelon does in this conference (read Clemson and FSU…I actually think that those are the only 2 schools head and shoulders above us in terms of talent at this time)

    In a couple of years, 9-3 will be a successful season. This year, however, a bowl game would be a solid accomplishment and good start to the DD era.

    Regarding Wake – I will be surprised if they are not decent this year. I think they have a lot of experience and these are typically the years they have their solid (read 4-4 or 3-5 for Wake) teams.

    I will be shocked if we beat them in Winston this year.

  5. Wulfpack 09/02/2013 at 11:59 AM #

    Bingo. We ain’t Michigan. And TOB didn’t leave a whole lot of tools in the shed. His recruiting was miserable.

  6. Greywolf 09/02/2013 at 1:08 PM #

    @13OT

    DD has said he is here to win a National Championship. Winning the ACC championship, winning the division, going to a major bowl, going to any bowl are MILESTONES to winning a national title.

    You know what the true value of ANY bowl is to a team like NC State? It’s the extra practice time.

    It’s not the goal of Wolfpack fans to crawl but the mature fans know you have to crawl before you can walk. If it’s Shreveport, so be it. It’s crawling before we walk.

    If we are still going to the Shreveport bowls in DD’s 4th season, the wolves will howl again.

  7. Greywolf 09/02/2013 at 1:11 PM #

    Going to the Sun Bowl IS a successful season for VT.

  8. DC_wolf 09/02/2013 at 2:09 PM #

    Interesting she doesn’t have Pitt listed. They may not win their game tonight v. the ‘Noles, but check it out – I’m hearing they may have 1 of the best defensive units in the ACC (little east). I predict they could change places in @ least 1 of the last 4 bowls.

    See, this is why I don’t care much for Dinich, she has a friendly enough personality but she’s quick to dis, & doesn’t do her homework.

  9. tjfoose1 09/02/2013 at 3:52 PM #

    13OT, that’s quite a shortsighted diatribe.

    No one here strives for mediocrity. Given the circumstances, which I won’t waste my time to enumerate – you are either aware of them but chose to ignore , or just too dense to understand them – any bowl game would be a good step forward for this group.

    “Anyone who thinks that their team had a good season after losing half of their games is simply witless.”

    I say that anyone suggesting that statement reflects anyone here is witless.

    The program has a long way to go before it is where any of us WANT it to be. You want to criticize those who point out they want the the first step to be in the right direction. You want all to expect one giant leap. Shortcuts do not lend themselves to sustained success.

    Asinine.

  10. vapackfan 09/02/2013 at 4:04 PM #

    Can someone help me out? Did I see that a kid named Deatherage flipped from nc to State. I remember seeing his name during recruiting.

  11. Fastback68 09/02/2013 at 5:23 PM #

    Yes, Vapackfan. Baseball recruit that switched from unx to state.

  12. Wulfpack 09/02/2013 at 6:58 PM #

    Doeren wants fans in their seats to start second half:

    http://m.newsobserver.com/observer/db_277265/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=YaqHwrPK

  13. 13OT 09/02/2013 at 7:14 PM #

    Asinine? Yes, what I said would be just that, IF we were in a good conference. But the ACC is nowhere near a solid football conference. It hasn’t been in years, and isn’t likely to be anytime soon as long as we keep adding former Big East teams to our fold while killing off long-term rivalries.

    The ACC may be near or at the top of the heap in basketball, but it’s near or at the bottom of the heap in football. I don’t expect miracles either and want the same direction that you guys do, but 6-6 in this league in this day and age isn’t something to be proud of. Even DUKE is expected to reach .500 or better this season.

    I never said that a lower-tier bowl game would indicate a bad season, but I still stand on my belief that a 6-6 record is not a good season. Maybe if State played in the SEC at the stage they’re at now (rebuilding with a new coach), a .500 record might be something to be excited about.

    I am excited about Coach Doeren, however, and think he’s the real deal. I was at the game Saturday, and he sure rated more than a “B” in my opinion.

  14. TeufelWolf 09/02/2013 at 8:07 PM #

    -Bowl predictions this early are meaningless. It’s just cheap water cooler talk. Its one step away from preseason rankings.
    -A 6-6 record is nothing to be excited about and is a low standard even under the current circumstances. Although, yes, the extra practice that comes from even a ridiculous bowl would be extremely beneficial.
    -Have we really gotten to a place in our society where temps in the high 80s is extreme (old people, babies, and health issues excluded)? I will refrain from passing too much judgment since I was under the overhang but…. c’mon.
    -Can’t wait till Saturday! GO PACK!!!

  15. Wulfpack 09/02/2013 at 8:19 PM #

    For some of us, yes, it is extreme. I can’t possibly drink enough water to stay hydrated in that kind of weather. I dehydrate very easily. So just know that some of us just can’t take that kind of heat for extended periods of time.

  16. redcanine 09/02/2013 at 8:22 PM #

    FSU’s defense isn’t Sugar Bowl material. Well, not yet.

  17. blpack 09/02/2013 at 9:09 PM #

    FSU looks good, not great so far…

  18. Wulfpack 09/02/2013 at 9:24 PM #

    Winston, the freshman QB for the Noles, looks as advertised. He is going to be a problem.

  19. choppack1 09/02/2013 at 9:37 PM #

    Yea. Hey Buffalo… this guy is outplaying Manuel.

    I can’t decide if Pitt’s d is just awful or if Winston is that good.

  20. packalum44 09/02/2013 at 9:44 PM #

    Pitt looks very mediocre – Big East style.

    FL State’s new QB, Winston, is very good but hard to tell how good b/c he’s has so much time to pick apart the defense. Pitt’s front 7 are visibly outsized by FL State’s offensive line and getting tossed around.

    Pitt failure to capitalize in recruiting during Penn State’s weakness is a crying shame.

    Overall an awfully boring game I hate watching my own conference in football.

  21. tjfoose1 09/02/2013 at 9:49 PM #

    80? It was a lot hotter than 80 in the sun, inside CF, and that’s not counting the humidity. That said, I was in my seat at the 2nd half kickoff.

  22. tjfoose1 09/02/2013 at 9:52 PM #

    Winston LOOKS as advertised. If he’s as good as he looks tonight, he’s the ACC POY. Time will tell.

    FSUs defense is plugging in a lot of new pieces. This is game 1. They’ll be buku better by midseason.

  23. redcanine 09/02/2013 at 10:44 PM #

    Pitt’s first drive didn’t mean sh!t. FSUs D has been on the money ever since.

  24. choppack1 09/03/2013 at 12:30 AM #

    It is more than a bit absurd to expect a full house for a 1230 kickoff in August…. of course, the second half next Saturday night will likely yield the same outcome (and then he’ll definitely have a point.)

  25. DC_wolf 09/03/2013 at 8:09 AM #

    Ouch. I believe I owe Heather an apology. I thought I had done MY homework – could swear I read somewhere Pitt had the 2nd rated D in conference. That sure didn’t look like the team that took ND into overtime & almost beat them last year – they may not win in Durham this year. But not about to overlook the fine performance by Winston last night; the Clemson / FSU tilt should be interesting.

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