National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance, ranking the top-tier linebackers for next season, the disrespected teams in the first coaches poll, and Matt Perkins’ ACC standings predictions.
Best Pac-12 Linebacker Units
— We move on to the PAC 12 (at least for one more year) and break down the best LB units.
1. USC
— Eric Gentry has amazing upside, and Mason Cobb comes over from Oklahoma State where he was a tackling machine.
2. Utah
— I love Lander Barton as a second year guy who could be the best in the conference and he leads a heady and nasty group which also has Karene Reid.
3. Cal
— Jackson Sirmon is a tackling machine on the inside and this group is slept on.
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4. Oregon
— Jestin Jacobs is a Dan Lanning kind of player and we should see much improvement from this group overall.
5. Arizona
— Justin Flowe has the best upside of anyone and if he can stay healthy he makes this group dangerous.
Teams Disrespected in the First AP Poll
— The first coaches poll is out and before I get to the overrated and overvalued let’s look at some disrespect.
Utah
No. 14
— The Utes always get slighted and I complained about this last year. However, they flopped in an opener against a poor Florida Gators team and it held them back. They won’t do it this season.
Oregon
No. 15
— The 4th best team in the PAC 12? Put some respect on Dan Lanning as the defense will improve and the offense will still be electric.
Kansas State
No. 21
— Deuce Vaughn and some others are gone but this is a deep roster and shouldn’t be ranked behind TCU and Oklahoma.
Arkansas
Unranked
— C’mon, let’s show Sam Pittman some love. He returns the best offensive backfield in the SEC and is still picked to finish nearly last in the SEC West?
Pitt
Unranked
— Pat Narduzzi can coach and always has his teams ready so to count them out in the ACC is a mistake.
Minnesota
Unranked
— Haven’t we leaned that PJ Fleck can win ugly and win often? Another 9 win season could be in the works.
Predicting the ACC
— And finally we have Matt Perkins’ ACC standings projections.
Top Half:
1. Florida State
2. Clemson
3. NC State
4. UNC
5. Duke
6. Miami
7. Pittsburgh
This is almost a make-or-break year for Mike Norvell and the ‘Noles, but I’m really bullish on their roster and this is their best bet to make it back to the CFP. Cade Klubnik has shown flashes in limited time at Clemson, but they’re still trying to shake off two underwhelming years of DJ Uiagalelei. The Wolfpack got a sneaky-great addition in Brennan Armstrong, pairing him with Robert Anae, his OC when he lit the conference on fire in 2021. UNC has to deal with a lot of departures in playmakers for Drake Maye, but he’s still arguably the best quarterback in the country.
Duke should be strong once again in Mike Elko‘s second year and Riley Leonard is a longshot for conference player of the year if he can build on last year’s success. Mario Cristobal had a rough go of it in his first year back at his alma mater, but they should be able to turn the corner in year two. You can never count out Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers, as they’ll certainly have a strong defensive line and a good running game.
Bottom half:
8. Louisville
9. Wake Forest
10. Syracuse
11. Virginia Tech
12. Boston College
13. Georgia Tech
14. Virginia
I almost flipped Louisville and Pittsburgh, but it’ll take a year or two for Jeff Brohm to really get things back up to where they need to be competitive in the conference once again. Losing Sam Hartman is a big blow for the Demon Deacons, but you can never count out Dave Clawson, who routinely does more with less than just about anyone in the country. Dino Babers could be the first coach fired in the conference if the Orange come out slow, but their team has some playmakers on the defense that could prevent that from happening.
Brent Pry underwhelmed in year one and their recruiting has been down for so long that it might be a minute before we see them being competitive again. If Dino Babers isn’t the first coach fired then Jeff Hafley might be, but the Eagles’ are hoping that the return of Christian Mahogany can solidify an offensive line that was surprisingly awful in 2022. Brent Key is in his first year as the full-time head coach, and though he was impressive as an interim last year, the talent gap is still pretty large in comparison with the rest of the conference. And it’s truly hard to judge where the Cavaliers will be, as they are still reeling in the wake of the senseless murders of three of their players last season.
