Are we good?

[Arangeman]

How many remaining games will we be favored in? 2?

 

[Eric15]

How many remaining games will we be favored in? 2?

As of today (just a guess) I think we would be slight favorites at home against Pitt and BC, close to a pick em against Wake at home, and then underdogs in all our road games.

 

[orangenauburn]

What is your rationale for considering us an above average football team right now? We are 90th in total offense and 124th in total defense against 1 great but beatable team and 4 other average/bad teams.

Those numbers are before today

I have faith that we will show improvement vs other flawed teama

 

[pattycuse]

Think a lot of this year hinges on two things happening:

1) Heckel coming back to improve the OL to serviceable.
2) Bear comes back to sturdy the interior run defense.

I have confidence that Dino will have this team better each week. But I think these two additions are pretty critical- get those two pieces in place, along with improving health and normal development, and we have a chance at a nice season. Can’t say we won’t without them- but it certainly helps our chances.

 

[samspann1]

Thats only because we played Clemson...

Through 5 games, we've surrendered Maryland's season high in total yards gained (yes, we gave up more yards than Howard), and each of Clemson's and WMU's 2nd highest total in total yards gained (Clemson gained 20 more yards vs. GT, and WMU gained more yards vs. Georgia State).

We've surrendered more than 550 total yards in 3 of 5 games. That's horrible, no matter how you slice it.

 

[TheCusian]

Rutgers would beat a Liberty by at least 20

this is my favorite post

 

[TheCusian]

Lots of folks in this thread haven’t watched a lot of ACC football this year. Lots of bad offenses and QBs left.

Newman at Wake has played better than everyone in the ACC, followed by Lawrence. But everyone left on the schedule? I’ll take our QB.

(I think the kid last week is better than the rest too, outside of Newman)

 

[TheCusian]

Remember when people were laughing at FSU, like we were way beyond them as a program because we beat them once?

Good times.

no, I don’t remember that

 

[wooddoc]

It was a pretty rough diamond, to start the season, but it's taking shape.

 

[Cusefan78]

And the crowds will continue to be light, or at least smaller than should be as a result, all leading to Dino's frustrations and exit one day being the coup de grat of my fandom...

I have absolutely no idea why I decided to put that here and burden you with that...

Dino has no one to blame for crowd size then himself. Poor recruiting is the issue. No offensive line. He needs to take a look at recruiting plain and simple. Getting blown out at Maryland and against Clemson plus watching the wins has anyone not wearing orange glasses convinced we are not very good.

 

[cuse309]

Think a lot of this year hinges on two things happening:

1) Heckel coming back to improve the OL to serviceable.
2) Bear comes back to sturdy the interior run defense.

I have confidence that Dino will have this team better each week. But I think these two additions are pretty critical- get those two pieces in place, along with improving health and normal development, and we have a chance at a nice season. Can’t say we won’t without them- but it certainly helps our chances.

The line is bad enough, that the return of 1 player shouldn't matter a lot. There is a lot wrong with the line.

 

[omg_cuse_rules]

Probably a pretty good 3-2 team if I say so.

 

[Oakland]

If we beat FSU, Pitt, BC, and one other team, with a decent chance to beat a team in a 3rd tier bowl, I'd consider this a successful season. Below my preseason expectations but successful.

I'll give us FSU, Pitt, BC, and Ville right now.

Toss up NC State, Duke, and Wake

 

[MadNY3]

And the crowds will continue to be light, or at least smaller than should be as a result, all leading to Dino's frustrations and exit one day being the coup de grat of my fandom...

I have absolutely no idea why I decided to put that here and burden you with that...

Well then Dino shouldn’t be lit up 103-26 after we demonstrate faith.

 

[Marty's Hero]

Dino has no one to blame for crowd size then himself. Poor recruiting is the issue. No offensive line. He needs to take a look at recruiting plain and simple. Getting blown out at Maryland and against Clemson plus watching the wins has anyone not wearing orange glasses convinced we are not very good.

I hear this recruiting argument often but what are we supposed to do about being located in a region that does not generate a lot of d1 football talent? I think winning recruiting battles down south is really hard and that difficulty may underestimated.

 

[Cusefan78]

I hear this recruiting argument often but what are we supposed to do about being located in a region that does not generate a lot of d1 football talent? I think winning recruiting battles down south is really hard and that difficulty may underestimated.

I hear you but in The day and age of planes, espn, and the internet I really don’t believe local recruits are all that important. There are schools outside the p5 with much better oline recruit then we have. Why With our offense are we missing on qbs and wrs. Something is off

 

[PhatOrange]

If we beat FSU, Pitt, BC, and one other team, with a decent chance to beat a team in a 3rd tier bowl, I'd consider this a successful season. Below my preseason expectations but successful.

FSU looks formidable tonight even though they’re rolling out the backup QB. They have athletes all over. I’d be hard pressed to think we can currently win down there.

 

[cuse10]

NC State isn't a toss up. That's a game they could win outright.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Think a lot of this year hinges on two things happening:

1) Heckel coming back to improve the OL to serviceable.
2) Bear comes back to sturdy the interior run defense.

I have confidence that Dino will have this team better each week. But I think these two additions are pretty critical- get those two pieces in place, along with improving health and normal development, and we have a chance at a nice season. Can’t say we won’t without them- but it certainly helps our chances.

Agree 100%.

 

[kcsu]

Is the team good? Lets start with our record to date. 3-2 against our schedule would point to average. Have we improved or regressed our performance by unit from the first game. On O i see a slight improvement. Specials have been steady. Defense has been up and down so i will say it has remained where it started.
Coaching has remained the same. My two cents is that we have a Young QB who is talented but green behind a poor offensive line. Unfortunately this combination makes us an average team at best. If we had last years Oline Tommys lack of experience would be partially offset. Instead his lack of experience is magnified by the oline being weak.
On D our lack of a true NT and DT has really hurt us. It takes away much of the advantage of our DEs. Why because our interior Dline are being handled one on one and not demanding a double team like Slayton demanded last year. In addition by being weak in the middle it exposes our LBs which are the second weakest unit on the team.
My last observation is coaching. I believe that Lynch and Ward are at best average coordinators. Why? I dont see them out coaching their counterparts in game. I cant name one game that we have made in game adjustments that have turned the tide. Simply put i think that they are both below average ACC coordinators.
So my final answer is that we are a slightly below average team that based on our remaining schedule will win 6 or 7 regular season games and be invited to a middle of the pack bowl game.

 

[elimunelson]

Aside from Clemson we are with everyone else. Feels like a big East season when Miami moonwalked through the regular season.

The reasonable expectation is we get 3-4 wins from here. Team is improving from my eye test.

 

[Bayside44]

Well then Dino shouldn’t be lit up 103-26 after we demonstrate faith.

The crowd size thing is tiring. Anyone who goes goes for money and better recruiting.

The places that draw regardless don't need Dino.

 

[creatorsgam]

The reasonable expectation is we get 3-4 wins from here. Team is improving from my eye test.

Pretty much where I am at.

I’m not interested in debating if we are good or not. The games have been played, we all saw them, and they don’t matter now.

All I want to see is improvement. I know it can’t always be a linear progression, but try to be better in the next game compared to the previous.

After 4 weeks I think they have done that. Hope it keeps going... I’m cautiously optimistic that it will.