Feels low considering even a QB1 injury shouldnāt give us too much of a drop off and our schedule
2 Likes
Tend to agree, especially at TE. At LB, entirely depends on how we feel about Kamās health. Getting Marcellus back was massive. Iām super high on the young guys in the room. Rowe, Reese, Uran, and Brannon were all big time recruiting wins, despite their respective rankings. Danley is obviously more proven and ready for a starting role if necessary. Brown is a bit more unknown but appears to be highly thought of. TBD on whether the newer guys leapfrog him or not. And then you have Hardy, who isnāt an underclassmen, but given who we added in the secondary it seems like heās a full time LB now. Heās very talented so thereās definitely some upside with him.
All in all, sure getting a veteran could be nice but no guarantee they would beat out the other guys.
4 Likes
Anything less than 8 wins would be a disappointment. ACC CG upside.
13 Likes
The fact that the tougher teams on the schedule are away from home make it feel kinda higher floor lower ceiling than how I felt this time last year
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https://twitter.com/cbssportscfb/status/2013489986524369155?s=46
I know these are meaningless, but I keep seeing VT on them and I just do not agree. They have not gotten near enough difference makers that will be good next season to warrant this.
James Franklin just had a preseason top 2 team implode in front of everyone. Itās a team of 4-star freshmen, a couple of guys from his old job where they massively underperformed, and a meh Xs and Os coach. What are people seeing with them that Iām missing?
If youāre giving us points against them right now for next season I would place a big bet. And Iām an extreme pessimist about our football program!
7 Likes
āI know these are meaninglessā¦.ā I always debated this in my head about Duke basketball. They get to enjoy an annual coronation beginning almost immediately after the season, imagining success for 3/4 of the year before ultimately failing in the end. Is that fun?
As for VT, I think the offense could be good with strong rbs and a qb who can complete a forward pass (O line caveat below), but I ultimately donāt see it either unless all transfers hit and Franklin coaches them up, which feels like a long shot, especially with that Oline.
2 Likes
I mean itās definitely useful for some things because you get to recruit and fundraise with a number beside your name without actually accomplishing anything for a large portion of the year. Hard to separate the chicken from the egg on the brand influencing the ranking and vice versa on that though.
Sometimes I believe we must have something wrong with our branding that we never get these benefits of the doubt. Even when Tony was rolling and it was clear we had good teams with returning players weād be picked to finish 4th in the ACC or whatever and were absolutely going to beat that barring catastrophe. People just sort of seem to forget about us for whatever reason.
But back to the Hokies, it feels insane to me. Thatās not a team built for next year imo. Could be great 2-3 years from now, but Iām not seeing anything special for 2026.
Iād probably take 6+ ACC rosters over theirs for next year, including ours.
3 Likes
James Franklin and the Hokies are going to get the same national media welcome wagon that Will Wade and the Wolfpack received for basketball.
Theyāre an easy storyline once you get past the historical top of the ACC.
15 Likes
Hope they get a ton of lofty preseason predictions and hype. It will guarantee next season is a failure for them
2 Likes
Their roster isnāt remotely top 25 quality. The OL is atrocious
4 Likes
Love seeing all those SEC teams back in the top 25 after such a solid showing in their bowl games
13 Likes
Thanks for putting these together and updating these.
I forgot, do our CBs play left/right or boundary/field? Iām pretty sure they donāt travel with the WRs.
Also, assuming Kam isnāt ready to start the season, who is the backup MLB/off ball LB until he returns (figuring Marcellus starts there and has the green dot helmet).
15 Likes
Way too early..
but on FanDuel, Virginia opens as the tied-27th team in the country, 4th in the ACC. VT is tied-38th and 9th in the ACC.
national title odds
Miami 19/1
Clemson 100/1
SMU 100/1
Virginia 125/1
Louisville 150/1
Georgia Tech 200/1
Florida State 225/1
Pitt 250/1
Virginia Tech 400/1
Cal 500/1
Others 1000/1
9 Likes
Rud lists guys as RC and LC, not FC or BC.
Iāve got Danley penciled in as the starter in Kamās absence.
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Rewatched the Missouri game on my flight yesterday and Danley was all over the field. Really impressed me
7 Likes
I also started working on a first hack at a depth chart, itās over in the wiki. Offense is done so far, will try to get to defense later this week.
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Does Rud use the 2 LBs interchangeably (similar to the 2ILBs in a 3-4 front) or are they more specialized like a Mike and Will in a 4-3 front?
Iām curious because I always thought it was more like Mike-Will responsibilities and Kam was the Mike. When Kam went down, Jackson slid over from the Will to the Mike and Marcellus took over as the Will. Next season weād be looking at Marcellus as the Mike and Danley/Hardy as the Will until Kam returns. So thatād leave pretty thin at the Mike behind Marcellus.
But if theyāre interchangeable off ball LBs, then the positions donāt really matter much. Youād just be playing a little lighter than youād want to.
Side note, when they converted Hardy, I thought heād play more of a Spur/coverage LB role, but that hasnāt been how theyāve used him.
Iād much rather be ranked higher on this list 
3 Likes