The ACC's best OOC matchups of 2010 season
by BirdGT on Apr 16, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
Email
PrintI want to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, the cream of the crop, the pinnacle of scheduling. The ACC scheduled nineteen opponents from the BCS conferences this upcoming season. The OOC schedule includes half of the BCS bound teams in Boise State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Florida, and Bama. And actually 10 of the 12 past BCS National Champions will be playing in ACC games this season. The most represented conference in our OOC slate is the SEC with 7 different schools matched up with ACC rivals.
When I first started putting this list together I kinda wanted to create a sort of strata of matchups in our OOC games. The first number I pulled was the 2009 Sagarin rating of both teams involved in the game and took the average. Ranking the games by average Sagarin rating, to me, gave a good idea of national hype for each game (particularly early season matchups). I also included non-BCS matchups that had higher Sagarin average ratings than their BCS OOC counterparts.
A few days ago, I complained pretty vociferously about the ACC's lack of respect due to our inability to win in big game situations. So today, I'm asking you which of these games will have the most impact on our conference's national perception this season?
20 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
If VT loses to Boise, the ACC is done.
We’ll be on Raycom 2 until the end of time.
Longest Atlanta Falcons winning-seasons streak: 2008 - current
The Falcoholic · Blog · Twitter
The first weekend.....
of the season will certainly tell the tale for the ACC this year. A Virginia Polly win over Boise & a UNC win over LSU & their vaunted “SEC speed” would put the ACC in a great position moving forward. A split doesn’t kill us but if the ACC loses both those games we have NO CHANCE at any national respect for 2010. We’ll know early….
It’s interesting that most ACC teams are willing to schedule two decent OOC opponents (Tech, Clemson, UNC) but won’t add that 3rd marquee game. Only the two Florida schools, Miami & FSU, play schedules that are really tough. We bust on them all the time & wonder why people outside the ACC think of them so highly after they have really been in decline for a while but the reason for this is they play tough, recognizable, MEANINGFUL, OOC games. This year Miami gets Ohio St., Pitt, & South Florida. It puts you in the spotlight when you’re willing to play games like that. Same for FSU with Florida, BYU, & Oklahoma. If the ACC wants to be relevant we have to play meaningful games. It pains me to defend F$U & Miami but they deserve credit & other schools in the conference should take note & follow suit.
"Punch 'em in the mouth" Paul Johnson
http://barrelofrum.blogspot.com/
Up to a point I agree
but I don’t see Alabama playing tough out of conference games. They should schedule Southern California, Penn State and Notre Dame but it would kill them. Not only do they have a losing record against all of these teams, in years they lost to them they plummeted in the rankings. No, they love to play their “warm-up” games through the season to rest up for their few big challenges.
What I look for besides a ratings boost is an interesting match-up. In the poll above I voted for Duke over Alabama as the game that would most change people’s perception of the ACC, but it will never happen. The game that I am most interested in for national impact is Miami versus Ohio State. That would be a huge win for the ACC after Tech’s performance against Iowa.
On a different note we can rag on Virginia playing Richmond and VMI but if you live in Virginia these are interesting match ups. I would watch these with the same curiosity I had when Georgia played Georgia Southern.
by Atlanta's original team on Apr 16, 2010 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Bama plays Penn State....
this year in Tuscaloosa & next in Happy Valley. I hear what you’re saying but it’s a perception issue as long as we have the BCS & no playoff. The SEC is perceived as the best league & thus gets a pass. For the ACC to move up in stature we need to win big OOC games. I too seek compelling match-ups & it’s games like OSU vs. Miami & FSU vs. Oklahoma that I want to watch. I want to know how we stack up against the rest of the country. BTW, VPISU’s schedule other than Boise is a joke…
"Punch 'em in the mouth" Paul Johnson
http://barrelofrum.blogspot.com/
by Hash Slinger on Apr 16, 2010 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
that is true but they had a good schedule last year
2010 VPISU schedule
Sept. 6: vs. Boise State (Washington, DC)
Sept. 11: James Madison
Sept. 18: East Carolina
Sept. 25: at Boston College
Oct. 2: at NC State
Oct. 9: Central Michigan
Oct. 16: Wake Forest
Oct. 23: Duke
Nov. 4: Georgia Tech (Thursday)
Nov. 13: at North Carolina
Nov. 20: at Miami
Nov. 27: Virginia
Features of the Perfect Car: 201 cubic inch displacement, 40 horsepower, 3.77:1 drive ratio, single barrel carburetor, top speed of 65 mph
I see
you are saying that the ACC has to try harder than the SEC because of a built in bias in favor of that conference. I get that. This past year when Alabama beat Texas it was the first time in history they had ever accomplished that feat yet one would never think of them as playing a soft schedule nor of not being able to measure up to difficult competition year after year.
I hate to say it but Virginia Tech may have the right formula (the Alabama formula) for creating the perception of a winner. Its boring for those of us who look from a distance and it doesn’t do much for the conference but I understand why they do it. Anyway, I am looking forward to the games you have mentioned. Now those will be interesting.
by Atlanta's original team on Apr 16, 2010 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Scheduling three "real" opponents....
The baseline schedule for major conference teams is one major conference opponent, two mid-majors, and a FCS school. That gives nine major conference opponents and three games a decent team should win.
Most schools follow this baseline. The ACC typically exceeds it.
No option for UVA over USC?
Oh right….there has to be an actual chance of victory.
by MaizeAndBlueWahoo on Apr 16, 2010 10:01 AM EDT reply actions
Other...
I could only put in so many games…albeit I threw Duke-bama in there for shits and giggles.
Features of the Perfect Car: 201 cubic inch displacement, 40 horsepower, 3.77:1 drive ratio, single barrel carburetor, top speed of 65 mph
Miami vs. OU?
I think in the poll you mean FSU vs. Oklahoma. I know they play this year and I doubt Miami plays pitt, Ohio State and Oklahoma, they aren’t that crazy.
Miami plays...
OSU & Pitt on back-to-back weekends & USF is their other OOC. FSU has Oklahoma, Florida, & BYU.
"Punch 'em in the mouth" Paul Johnson
http://barrelofrum.blogspot.com/
by Hash Slinger on Apr 16, 2010 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
dumb or necessary?
We don’t have any teams in the ACC besides Clemson/VT that consistently sell out no matter the opponent. I expect next season to be one of Tech’s best in recent years but still one of the worst attended seasons based purely on our ACC opponents, ACC traveling tendencies, etc.. We have to play big time games to at least get a sellout or two per year.
Features of the Perfect Car: 201 cubic inch displacement, 40 horsepower, 3.77:1 drive ratio, single barrel carburetor, top speed of 65 mph
yeah.
no one wants to buy season tickets when you can get them for cheaper off the street.
PS. I’VE ALREADY BOUGHT MY SEASON TICKETS.
by Winfield Featherston on Apr 16, 2010 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think
an ACC team can go undefeated with a weak OOC and beat out a pair of undefeated Big 12 or SEC teams with weak OOC. The media hates the ACC.
Features of the Perfect Car: 201 cubic inch displacement, 40 horsepower, 3.77:1 drive ratio, single barrel carburetor, top speed of 65 mph
Big Games
Biggest thing for the ACC I think would be to have two top 10 teams facing each other in the ACCCG. For that to happen, Clemson would have to win both against the SEC teams or FSU against Florida. I’m placing those as the biggest games (FSU v. Florida likely the biggest, especially if its Fla’s only loss).
Not quite as big games, but the VPI/Boise game could make VPI a legit top 5 team. If both us and VT are undefeated when we face each other, the winner would have a real shot at making the championship game (depending on what other teams do, I think an undefeated ACC team would get a shot over any other one-loss team, particularly if that one loss was Florida to FSU).
From a personal standpoint, I’d like to beat uga, but it doesn’t really help the conference too much in the grand scheme of things.
Miami – Ohio State would probably do the most behind Clemson / FSU – particularly if Miami later gets beat down by a better GT / VPI team and propels them into the top 2-3.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
SHOP THE FROM THE RUMBLE SEAT STORE
