Basketball Conference: The Acc Football Podcast

Our good friend Dan Rubin (@BCDanRubin) of BCEagles.com joins us once again, this time to preview THE DUDES in 2019! Steve Addazio has notched EXACTLY 7 wins in 5 of his 6 seasons as head coach at Boston College -- when does the fanbase there start to get restless with perceived stagnation? Will a new set of coordinators make the difference in getting past the 7-win plateau? QB Anthony Brown was expected to be a breakout player last year and didn't quite accomplish as much as was expected -- can he take that next step in giving the Eagles a credible passing threat this year now that he's healthy? Is it ultimately a recipe for disaster that Boston College has a ton to replace on defense, and a new coordinator working with that unit? There's a pretty major reason with the schedule that the Eagles need to get off to a hot start this year, but that they're in great shape if they do. All of this, and MORE!

We're joined once more by Matt Trogdon (@Matt_Trogdon) of SB Nation's Streaking the Lawn to preview the Virginia Cavaliers in 2019! The dynamic, playmaking QB Bryce Perkins is back for his senior season, but there's going to be quite a bit of change around him as three of his main supporting cast from last year are gone -- will the offense continue to move the ball effectively, or struggle to make up for how little the replacements were involved in last year's game plans? Is there any reason to think that the defense won't continue to be really good under Bronco Mendenhall? Can you really say anything about the schedule EXCEPT that it's designed purely for UVA to finally beat Virginia Tech? And most importantly...is it finally Virginia's turn to win the Coastal Division, completing the seven-year cycle of winners? All of this, and more!

Our team previews roll on with some help from Nate Mink (@MinkNate) of Syracuse.com as we preview Dino Babers and the Orange in 2019! The Babers era started with a pair of 4-8 seasons before a huge jump in Year 3 to 10-3 and a #15 ranking at the end of the year. Was that jump for real, or just a fluke thanks to poor performances from the teams around them? With Eric Dungey gone, is Tommy DeVito in good position to keep the Syracuse offense rolling? How good can the Orange defense be with most of their pieces back, and perhaps more importantly...how good do they even *need* to be? Does the schedule set up favorably for another strong run this fall? All this, and MORE!

As our season preview series continues, Norm Wood (@normwood) of the Daily Press in Newport News, VA joins us to preview Mike’s Hokies in 2019. Was 2018 a fluke, or a potential example of things to come for Virginia Tech? Justin Fuente is saying there will be a QB battle, but….it’s clearly Ryan Willis’s job, right? Can the Hokies manufacture a more functional rushing attack on offense following the departure of Steven Peoples and after a couple of pretty rough seasons on the ground? Surely Bud Foster’s defense won’t be THAT bad again, will they? We’ll learn a LOT about the Hokies in their very first game of the season. All of that, and more!

As the season preview series rolls on, we're joined by Conor O'Neill (@ConorONeillWSJ) of the Winston-Salem Journal to preview the fall for the Steamin' Deacs! Dave Clawson enters his sixth season at the helms at Wake Forest, officially making it his longest head coaching tenure of his career -- that being said, why shouldn't we expect him to be hired somewhere else with a significantly larger budget in the near future? With Sam Hartman and Jamie Newman back, who's going to be the primary starter at QB this fall? How are the Deac's going to replace the production of Greg Dortch on the other end of the passing game? With Jay Sawvel fired midseason in 2018, can Lyle Hemphill and Dave Cohen continue the improvement we saw down the stretch into the new season? And...we're betting Wake to go OVER their Vegas win total, right? All of this and MORE!

We're joined once again by Ethan Moore (@_ethanmoore) to discuss a new era in Louisville football! Cardinal fans are *actually* OK with this hire (even though it's not Jeff Brohm), right? How does a new offensive scheme impact the QB situation, and will Juwon Pass or Malik Cunningham be the starter on Labor Day? We thought it couldn't get worse than Peter Sirmon on defense, and then The Notorious BVG proved us wrong -- surely improvement is on the way under Bryan Brown? Could Louisville's schedule be laid out much worse for a "Year Zero" situation? All this and more!

We're joined by Clemson beat writer Matt Connolly (@MattatTheState) of The State newspaper to preview the reigning conference and national champions in 2019. What questions even need to be answered by the Tigers this fall? They're pretty clearly the favorites to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoffs for a fifth straight year, right? Is there even a particular development need for Trevor Lawrence in his sophomore season? After losing a ton of production and talent in their front 7 on defense, how is it that Clemson isn't worried whatsoever? The win total was set at 11.5 by Las Vegas...and that's too low, isn't it?

As we embark upon Season 4 of Basketball Conference, Mike and Joey have a couple of quick announcements regarding where to find the podcast moving forward and some slight content changes coming with it.

We're joined once more by Panther Lair's Jim Hammett (@JimHammett) to discuss a number of questions surrounding the reigning Coastal Division champion Pittsburgh Panthers entering the 2019 season. Was 2018 for real, or just a lucky fluke for Pat Narduzzi's program? Will Kenny Pickett take a major step forward with both Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall gone? Is an experienced, talented secondary the key to a more consistent defensive output? And, ultimately...what are the chances that Pittsburgh makes a repeat appearance in Charlotte in 2019?

We're joined by Steven Muma (@akulawolf) of SB Nation's Backing the Pack, to help us preview NC State's 2019 season! After years of consistency on the offensive side of the ball, the Wolfpack is basically looking at a hard rebuild this year -- starting with replacing OC Eli Drinkwitz and 3-year starting QB Ryan Finley. After losing a ton of talent (both on the field and on the coaching staff) the last two years, can Dave Doeren and NC State retain their positioning near the top of the Atlantic Division?

Former Florida State FB James Coleman (@biggamejames36) makes his return to kick off our 2019 team previews by talking 'bout the 'Noles! Willie Taggart's first year in Tallahassee was a rough one, marred by injuries to the offensive line and a roster that wasn't left in the best of shape in the wake of Jimbo Fisher's departure. With experienced QB Alex Hornibrook transferring in from Wisconsin and Kendall Briles as the new OC at the helm, can the Seminoles bounce back and make a run at the Atlantic Division?

It took us about six weeks to record a podcast, but we have a good reason why.... Joey's a father, the NFL Draft happened, and why did Dave Doeren get a contract extension again?

After nearly a full month without recording, we had to call in the big guns to help make it up to you -- none other than Cam Underwood returns to the show, talking all things Miami. Between the coaching transition from Mark Richt to Manny Diaz, to the ever-complicated QB situation, to the entrances and exits via the transfer portal, this has been a busy (and interesting) offseason in South Florida. PLUS, Dave Doeren gets a contract extension at NC State (?), Georgia Tech has a Takeaway Cruiser, Syracuse is renovating the Carrier Dome's roof, and we remember the life of fallen Georgia Tech DT Brandon Adams. All of this and MORE on a fun edition of Basketball Conference.

With Joey back from vacation, he and Mike are joined by former Georgia Tech DT Denzel McCoy to talk over some ACC-related updates from the past few weeks. Perhaps the most important ACC-related news update of the offseason thus far, the conference's bowl lineup appears to be improving with a tie-in to the Holiday Bowl, plus a more formal situational tie-in with the Outback Bowl! PLUS, Georgia Tech has announced one game per year from 2020-2024 to take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (the nearby home of the Falcons), Florida State adds an intriguing grad transfer quarterback, who's got the most momentum in the conference this offseason, and MORE!

Joey and Mike are joined once again by Ethan Moore, to discuss all things Louisville football over the past 6 months. When he last joined, we were previewing a team that had legitimate bowl aspirations -- now, they've followed up a 2-10 season by hiring a new coaching staff. The 2018 Cardinals were one of the most interesting Power-5 teams of the last decade, but for all the wrong reasons - Ethan breaks it down! PLUS, a coaching shuffle, an (alleged) prevented coaching shuffle, a Quarterback headed to Blacksburg, and discussions of a hypothetical coaching shuffle. All this, and MORE!

National Signing Day (#2) has come and gone, meaning it's time to look at final recruiting results across the ACC. Clemson reigns supreme for the second year in a row, Florida State finished strong (but with one major flaw), and Louisville...looks to be going full-tilt into a rebuild. Elsewhere, the 'Noles are staring down the barrel of a really undesirable Quarterback situation after the dismissal of Deondre Francois. PLUS, what are the next few coaching jobs that will come available in the ACC? All this and MORE!

With the offseason upon us, the ACC has remained in college football's news, and Joey and Mike are back to discuss. Topics covered include (but are certainly not limited to): -- The 2019 ACC Schedule has been released! -- Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Miami are assembling their coaching staffs! NC State made some significant changes to theirs! -- How is the ACC being affected by THE TRANSFER PORTAL?!? -- If you were visiting the White House, which brand of fast food would you ask to be served? All of this, and MORE!

Right on the heels of the final whistle, Joey and Mike are recapping Clemson-'Bama IV as the Tigers have been crowned National Champions once again. Tune in for instant analysis of all the action as another college football season comes to a close!

There's one last game to preview on the season, and it's the one we've told you was coming for months now. Clemson and Alabama meet in the College Football Playoff for the fourth straight year, and will compete for a national championship for the third time in that span. Both teams have dominated this year and attained a 14-0 record, with underclassman quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa leading high-flying offenses that are backed by two of the best defenses in college football. They're the two best teams in the country, and have been all year long. They square off in Santa Clara, CA on Monday evening to decide who takes home the National Championship. We're here to preview yet another epic match-up between these teams -- are you ready?

With the ACC's bowl games wrapped up, we're taking a look at Clemson's Playoff domination over Notre Dame, strong performances from Syracuse, Virginia, Duke, and Wake Forest, and a whole lot of underwhelming performances from everyone else. PLUS, Miami has a new coach after a rough bowl performance (and why their situation is actually similar to Georgia Tech's), and NC State left something to be desired.