Expectations

[GoSU96]

To me this entire season will boil down to how we survive Clemson health/mojo wise. If we go down there and get smoked 49-0, lose a few key players..that can turn a season on its head. We need to put the conference on notice that we can play w them and keep intact for the second half of the season when we're playing our true peer schools.

Getting blown out by the second ranked team at their place is nothing to get hung up about this year.

Getting out healthy is more important than keeping it close.

Much more interested in how we do against NCSt, ND, and BC.

 

[721Comstock]

When will you believe, when it's a done deal? The team needs you to believe now.

Yeah - "believing" in something AFTER it happens, isn't belief.

 

[elimunelson]

Getting blown out by the second ranked team at their place is nothing to get hung up about this year.

Getting out healthy is more important than keeping it close.

Much more interested in how we do against NCSt, ND, and BC.

I don't disagree with you. I'm grading on the "this could be a special season curve". As you remember, those back 2 back blowouts in 93 derailed a special season.

I think if we held with 14 against them, got out healthy (as you said), we could have enough mojo to throw together a 8-9 win season.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Getting blown out by the second ranked team at their place is nothing to get hung up about this year.

Getting out healthy is more important than keeping it close.

Much more interested in how we do against NCSt, ND, and BC.

Agreed. It's the most likely outcome and it's only 1 game. People will get all bothered by a poor showing but is what it is. The season boils down to Pitt, NC st, Wake, UNC and Louisville to me. Go 4-1 or at worst 3-2 there the rest is gravy. Maybe get one of the BC or ND games, I think ND is much more likely.

8 wins is an absolutely huge season for this program. 6-7 solid progression. When was the last time we won 8 in reg season 2001??

 

[elimunelson]

The team went on the road to 4 power teams last year and lost by 1 play in each of them. This years team is much deeper, stronger better. How do you come up with 49-0 is beyond me. Dino, Dungey, Defense, Devito and everybody else are going there to get a win.

I don't expect 49-0 but if it were to happen it would be a step back. I'm expecting us to put up a fight. Just saying that game is a fork in the road

 

[SU2NASA]

Natty.

 

[Geode]

I get what you are saying, but isn't it a bit of hyperbole to say our defense was "high JV level" the first two games? I was at the WMU game so I know all about that 3rd quarter, but what was so bad about our d against Wagner?

Of course it was hyperbole. Agree on the Wagner statement as well, but should Wagner be a gauge of anything?

I'm completely falling for this team but I'm doing so with a huge gain of salt between my cheek and gums (how's that for hyperbole and ancient pop culture). Call me stubborn, but I've fallen for "we've turned the corner" one too many times over the past 15 years. I think that this time does have a different feel and this thing really could catch fire and snowball into something big. However, I'm not going to jump on the hype train 3 weeks into the season where we beat a decent MAC team, a payout game, and a hot mess from FSU. Don't get me wrong the 4/5 star athletes on FSU alone should have made the game way more competitive than it was. So, that gives credence to HCDB and his corner turning skillz. But the days of blind faith due to all things being Orange will take a while to return in my book.

 

[CousCuse]

Last year the team lost 8 games. 1 of those was to MTSU and was really a lack of preparation, that was on Dino. 4 of them were on the road by 1 score to some serious football schools: LSU, Miami, FSU and NCST. And the last 3 games of the year after Dungey broke his foot. IF the team was ready and had won the MTSU game, got a couple of plays (Int at Miami, FG at FSU) and Ed didn't get hurt and they won 1 of the last 3 they would have had an 8-4 season. That is not some crazy wishful thinking to see that is really about what the team was last year. And they had a big win against Clemson last year as well. So, the team is better, deeper and stronger this year. We have 2 good and capable backup QB's. The teams in the Atlantic are regessing except BC and CU. Pitt, UNC and ND are all in a regession to different extents. Why should a team that could have easily been 8-4 and has gotten better and is playing what amounts to a weaker schedule be happy with a 6-6 record? They have to at least get 9 wins to have accomplished a very good season, and I think they will get moar than that.

 

[Domedog84]

Of course it was hyperbole. Agree on the Wagner statement as well, but should Wagner be a gauge of anything?

I'm completely falling for this team but I'm doing so with a huge gain of salt between my cheek and gums (how's that for hyperbole and ancient pop culture). Call me stubborn, but I've fallen for "we've turned the corner" one too many times over the past 15 years. I think that this time does have a different feel and this thing really could catch fire and snowball into something big. However, I'm not going to jump on the hype train 3 weeks into the season where we beat a decent MAC team, a payout game, and a hot mess from FSU. Don't get me wrong the 4/5 star athletes on FSU alone should have made the game way more competitive than it was. So, that gives credence to HCDB and his corner turning skillz. But the days of blind faith due to all things being Orange will take a while to return in my book.

I get the grain of salt approach, I was just curious about the one comment on the defense. I only brought up Wagner because of your first two games comment. I agree it shouldn't really be a true gauge, but they looked mostly dominant other than the one TD drive.

 

[jr4750]

This was posted by a UNC homer on WRAL. Tomcat linked it in today's articles.

Syracuse (away). We all know the narrative. “Any team in the Atlantic could beat any team in the Coastal by 100 points.” This may be the season that the script gets flipped on that one, though (with the exception of Clemson). Syracuse looked great this weekend against Florida State, but I’m not sure how much of that was the Orange being good and how much of that was the Noles being not good at all. Also, as much as it pains me to say (given that he’s the starting quarterback on my fantasy football team), I just can’t imagine Eric Dungey still being healthy this late in the season. The Syracuse star takes about six shots to the head per game. Carolina rolls, and the confidence builds."

Just got real fired up for that game.

 

[shu 49]

I’m not saying that we will win by any means, but watch us shock the world vs Clemson (again). I’m not sure how I would react if we KO’d them after they “marked their calendar.”

Look u pull whatever vodoo u need to make that happen and I owe u flooring some how some where some way sometime lol that’s all I can offer.

 

[RF2044]

Of course it was hyperbole. Agree on the Wagner statement as well, but should Wagner be a gauge of anything?

I'm completely falling for this team but I'm doing so with a huge gain of salt between my cheek and gums (how's that for hyperbole and ancient pop culture). Call me stubborn, but I've fallen for "we've turned the corner" one too many times over the past 15 years. I think that this time does have a different feel and this thing really could catch fire and snowball into something big. However, I'm not going to jump on the hype train 3 weeks into the season where we beat a decent MAC team, a payout game, and a hot mess from FSU. Don't get me wrong the 4/5 star athletes on FSU alone should have made the game way more competitive than it was. So, that gives credence to HCDB and his corner turning skillz. But the days of blind faith due to all things being Orange will take a while to return in my book.

"Blind" faith?

What have you been watching this year?

Look, you can choose to be skeptical, but I'm no longer interested in hearing that people aren't willing to get excited about the team's prospects because they are afraid of being disappointed.

Nothing about what's happened in the past has anything to do with how this team will perform. We have a great coaching staff -- not just a good one, a great one. They've turned the roster around in short order, and along the way have greatly improved the size / speed / athleticism of the players. They've built quality depth, and they've implemented a fun offensive style.

And they haven't even come close to hitting their stride offensively. That might not happen for several years. Can you imagine how fun this team is going to be when the personnel are truly optimized if this is the turnaround we're seeing after only two years of immersion in this new system?

Sorry, but I will call you stubborn. I listened to people wring their hands over having to play on the road at WMU game one, and then the lamentations after we dominated them for three quarters. I listened to all of the usual talking points about one game at a time after Wagner, and how we couldn't glean anything about the team's improvement. Then there was the flood of pessimism the week of FSU, complete with numerous predictions that their speed would burn us, and that they would magically "wake up" against us, even though numerous posters were expressing that we were the clear better team.

There's no excuse to not believe anymore -- not given the evidence we're seeing on the field. I'm not trying to call you out, Geode, but I'm just not receptive to the "wait and see" opinion at this point. You ARE seeing it.