Wednesday February 13, 2008

ACC Football Schedule Analysis

ACC Football Schedule Analysis
The Atlantic Coast Conference finally released it football schedule last Friday so I wanted to take a look each school’s schedule and break down how it compares to the rest of the league.

When looking at the schedules I think you need to look at who each team does not play as well as who they play. We must understand when analyzing a schedule a bias exists. We must also understand that some teams will be better than we think and others will be worse so it is difficult to judge a schedule in February. With that said, it is fun so let’s break each schedule down.

Boston College
Home: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland
Away: NC State, North Carolina, Florida State, Wake Forest
Non-Conference: @ Kent State, Central Florida, Rhode Island, Notre Dame
ACC Teams They Don’t Play-Duke, Virginia, Miami
Analysis: Give BC credit for playing Notre Dame but Central Florida is a mid-major and Kent State and Rhode Island are not. The home schedule is difficult and trip to Florida State is an issue. They miss Duke which is always bad news.

Clemson
Home: NC State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Duke
Away: Wake Forest, Boston College, Florida State, Virginia
Non-Conference: Alabama (Georgia Dome), The Citadel, SC State, South Carolina
ACC Teams They Don’t Play-Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Miami
Analysis: Clemson’s gets credit for two SEC teams (Alabama and South Carolina) but two in-state non-conference games are cupcakes. The home schedule is a boring but the road games appear to have some teeth. Clemson misses Virginia Tech and Miami which eases things.

Duke
Home: Virginia, Miami, NC State, North Carolina
Away: Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia Tech
Non-Conference: James Madison, Northwestern, Navy, @ Vanderbilt
ACC Teams They Don’t Play-Maryland, Florida State, Boston College
Analysis: I am not sure it is appropriate to really consider Duke’s schedule. At any rate, they play in the two toughest venues in the league (Clemson and Virginia Tech).

Florida State
Home: Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Boston College
Away: Miami, NC State, Georgia Tech, Maryland
Non-Conference: Western Carolina, UT-Chattanooga, Colorado, Florida
ACC Teams They Don’t Play-Virginia, North Carolina, Duke
Analysis: The Seminoles are usually an ACC title contender so the schedule is very important. Their home schedule may be the toughest in the league but they get the tough ones at home. Of the contenders, FSU may have the most difficult in the league. The out of conference schedule has two very good games and two cupcakes.

Georgia Tech
Home: Duke, Virginia, Florida State, Miami
Away: Boston College, Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina
Non-Conference: Jacksonville State, Mississippi State, Gardener-Webb, Georgia
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- NC State, Wake Forest, Maryland
Analysis: Tech has some tough road games in the league with trips to Blacksburg and Clemson. Even though they play Duke at home, it appears the home schedule is difficult. Two SEC schools help the out of conference schedule make up for two awful games.

Maryland
Home: Wake Forest, NC State, North Carolina, Florida State
Away: Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College
Non-Conference: Delaware, California, Eastern Michigan, Middle Tennessee State
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- Miami, Duke, Georgia Tech
Analysis: Give the Terps credit for the strange game against California but the other three out of conference games are pretty bad. Maryland might have the toughest road games in the league and the home ACC schedule is not a breeze.

Miami
Home: Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, North Carolina
Away: Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, NC State
Non-Conference: Charleston Southern, Florida. Texas A&M, Central Florida
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- Clemson, Maryland, Wake Forest
Analysis: The Hurricanes don’t have to go to any really tough road games. The home schedule is not the toughest but tougher than the road games. The out of conference schedule is the toughest of any ACC team.

North Carolina
Home: Virginia Tech, Boston College, Georgia Tech, NC State
Away: Miami, Virginia, Maryland, Duke
Non-Conference: McNeese State, Rutgers, Connecticut, Notre Dame
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest
Analysis: The Tar Heels do not play three of the better teams in the conference so they get a break there. The home schedule is tougher than the road schedule. The Heels do not have any games in a tough environment. Three of the four out of conference games are very good games.

NC State
Home: Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest, Miami
Away: Clemson, Maryland, Duke, North Carolina
Non-Conference: South Carolina, William & Mary, East Carolina, South Florida
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- Georgia Tech, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Analysis: State misses both schools from Virginia and Georgia Tech. The home schedule appears to be much more difficult than the road contests. The Wolfpack have one of the most difficult home schedules in the league. Unlike some years, I credit NC State for a good out of conference schedule.

Virginia
Home: Maryland, North Carolina, Miami, Clemson
Away: Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech
Non-Conference: Southern Cal, Richmond, Connecticut, East Carolina
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- NC State, Florida State, Boston College
Analysis: The conversation on UVA’s schedule has to begin with the Southern Cal game. You have to give them credit for agreeing to the game. A trip to Blacksburg is the only real tough road game. Virginia gets a break by missing three quality opponents from the other side of the league.

Virginia Tech
Home: Georgia Tech, Maryland, Duke, Virginia
Away: North Carolina, Boston College, Florida State, Miami
Non-Conference: East Carolina, Furman, Nebraska, Western Kentucky
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest
Analysis: The Hokies miss maybe the three best from the Atlantic division so they get the best end of that deal. But road games at FSU, BC, Miami and UNC are among the toughest of the road schedules in the league. The home is nothing special and Tech should be favored in all four home games.

Wake Forest
Home: Clemson, Duke, Virginia, Boston College
Away: Florida State, Maryland, Miami, NC State
Non-Conference: Baylor, Ole Miss, Navy, Vanderbilt
ACC Teams They Don’t Play- Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
Analysis: Wake Forest misses Virginia Tech but they must make road trips to Florida State and Miami. It certainly helps the Deacons to get Clemson at home. Wake is the only ACC team that has four solid out of conference games.

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