Has it been four months since my last blog article? Yes. Have I been busy? Also yes. Am I still busy? Still yes. Will that stop me from releasing this article last minute? Well, maybe. If you’re reading this, I somehow managed to push past my writer’s block and released more content.
I’ve been itching to get out another story, but the issue for me has been a lack of a sense of direction. I’m not sure what I want to write about or where I want to take this blog. I feel like I’m at an impasse creatively. I’m about to graduate in December and have to begin hunting for jobs, but I’m still trying to figure out what niche of the football world I want to try and occupy. But, finally being struck with inspiration, I have decided I want to take on a challenge bigger than I reasonably should: the entire college football season — or at least the Power Five.
I recently was invited to participate in a student-journalist-ran project called Student Media Poll, a college sports poll akin to AP but run by student media. It’s an honor to be a part of it, and I will be voting weekly in polls for college football this season. I will be releasing all of my individual polls on my Twitter @j_epp22. To keep up with the project, visit https://studentmediapoll.com or @studentmedia25 on Twitter. Please help support student journalism.
My flame of passion for college football was rekindled during the process of making my poll. I got hit with a wave of inspiration to tackle this project, and, fun fact, this isn’t my opinion at all. Actually, I have come across the real-life script for the 2022 college football season. So if you disagree with any takes I make, don’t. This article will actually be 100% accurate, and nothing I say will be wrong, so any argument is futile. So let’s start with the first chapter of this series, where I talk about everything that will happen in the ACC in 2022.
The ACC
While putting together my ballot for Student Media Poll, I realized one thing I didn’t notice before: the ACC is full of talent this season. Over the year, I have been very critical of the ACC for being a dead conference that often provides nothing more than a punching bag for Clemson. But as Clemson has declined from its once-dominant age, the rest of the ACC has begun to rise.
The main takeaway when looking across the ACC’s rosters is that there may be more top-end quarterback talent on the East Coast than anywhere else in college football that isn’t the SEC. With gunslingers like Devin Leary, Sam Hartman, Malik Cunningham, Brennan Armstrong and Tyler Van Dyke, ACC football will be a topic of discussion ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Last season was a disappointment for Clemson, but this year will be the resurgence for the Tigers, due in large to the abundance of talent defensively, especially with defensive linemen Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy and Tyler Davis. Despite the concerns I have for their offense led by quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, the Tigers will — remember, this isn’t my opinion, this is a fact — go 10-2, a slight step up from last year. However, they will fall short of the ACC Atlantic title yet again.
North Carolina State will take over the ACC with an 11-1 season. With an easy schedule and a superstar quarterback in Leary, the Wolfpack will improve upon its 9-3 season last year and surprise everyone. With a current projected win total line of 8.5 wins on DraftKings Sportsbook, I recommend smashing the over on N.C. State’s win total if you’re a batting person. The Wolfpack will win its first-ever ACC Atlantic title, as well as its first ACC title since 1979.
They won’t be the most fun team in the ACC, though. That will go to Louisville. While they will only be a 7-5 team, Cunningham will be in Heisman discussions as he puts up video-game numbers of over 3,000 passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns.
Another team to watch will be Wake Forest. Last season, they finished 11-3 and made a surprise run to the ACC Championship Game. This season, Wake Forest will take a step back but still finish 8-4. Hartman will miss an indefinite amount of time as he recovers from a non-football-related medical condition. Fortunately for Demon Deacons fans, it won’t make much of a difference for the games in the first half of the season. A return for Hartman will be crucial in making or breaking the team’s second half of the season when the schedule evens out more with close games against teams more similar to Wake Forest’s skill level. Regardless, wide receiver A.T. Perry will make his name relevant in the race for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Unfortunately for Florida State, there won’t be much to look forward to once — again — as the Seminoles will go 4-8 — again — and miss out on a bowl game — again; they will finish just behind Boston College, who will go an even 6-6 on the season.
Lastly, in the ACC Atlantic, Syracuse boasts my favorite player in the conference for what I expect to be another stellar, statistically-dominant season. Running back Sean Tucker is in line for another 1,300-plus rushing yard season and will vault his name into the discussion of best running back in the nation. While Tucker is vying for that distinction offensively, another star will be on the Orange’s defense. Garrett Williams will continue to cement his name as a cornerback, helping to bolster Syracuse’s defense. Despite the star power, Syracuse will sit toward the bottom of the conference at 5-7.
On the opposite side of the conference, Miami will come out as the victor. The Hurricanes will return to relevancy behind the stellar play of Van Dyke. He ended 2021 with six consecutive games of at least 300 yards passing and three passing touchdowns. He will continue his elite-level production against a favorable schedule in and out of conference and reach marks of 4,000 passing yards and 35 touchdowns en route to a 10-2 season and an ACC Coastal title after a 7-5 season.
Last year’s ACC Coastal and ACC champions, the Pittsburgh Panthers, are due for regression. It’s easy to point to the departures of quarterback Kenny Pickett to the NFL, wide receiver Jordan Addison to USC or offensive coordinator Mark Whipple to Nebraska and say the Panthers will fall off a cliff, but I think the Panthers’ record won’t be indicative of their true regression due to an easy schedule. They will finish 8-4, missing out on a second consecutive ACC title berth. Pittsburgh will look to its defense for most of the season rather than its offense, a unit that has continued to produce NFL talent.
Another staple of talent in the ACC Coastal is North Carolina. Wide receiver Josh Downs is one of the best in the country, but neither he nor the team’s favorable schedule will help North Carolina much this season. The Tarheels were electric in 2020 and full of talent, but even with quarterback Sam Howell under center in 2021, the team fell to a poor 6-7 record. The downslide will continue as Chapel Hill, N.C., continues to see talent exit the facility on both ends of the ball. Another middling season is inbound with a 6-6 year ahead.
The rest of the ACC Coastal’s future in 2022 is bleak. According to DraftKings’ odds to win the ACC title, four of the bottom six teams belong here — and three of the bottom four. Georgia Tech had one of the highest-ranked transfers depart from its program in running back Jhamyr Gibbs. A 3-9 season sparked a lot of turnover in the coaching staff, which could be good down the road but makes it hard to have faith they’ll do better than 2-8.
The only team with lower odds than Georgia Tech is Duke. With a new head coach in Mike Elko at the helm, a very successful former defensive coordinator with Texas A&M, hope may be in the air in Durham, N.C., at long last. A new identity will unite the Blue Devils for a strong 3-2 start, but the wheels will fall off as the schedule picks up, leaving the team with a 3-9 record.
Virginia has a brand new coaching staff from head-to-toe, with former Clemson assistant Tony Elliott taking the reigns. Virginia is another team whose future is exciting, but for now, they will just repeat with a middling 6-6 record, due in large part to low competition. Armstrong had one of the best seasons of any quarterback in 2022, but in a new offense that likely won’t be nearly as pass-happy as 2021’s. A step back is expected for the redshirt senior.
Across the state in Blacksburg, Va., similar movements were made, with a brand new coaching staff captained by Brent Pry, formerly Penn State’s defensive coordinator. The change in Virginia Tech's team construction will be a big change, not only in the coaching staff but on the field. The losses of running back Raheem Blackshear, who led the team in rushing, and quarterback Braxton Burmeister, who led the team in passing and was second in rushing, will leave the team short of a lot of talent. Expect a below .500 season of 5-7 for the Hokies.