New Year’s Resolutions: ACC Edition
Atlantic
Clemson
Clemson will resolve to get back to the CFP in 2023. This resolution took me longer than any other team until it hit me with how basic their wants and needs are. The biggest barrier to a CFP berth has handled itself with DJ Uiagalelei departing and Cade Klubnik coming in. Will Shipley is coming back, the receiving corps will be solid, both sides of the line have future NFL players, and the defensive back seven is stout too. After a two-year absence from what had become a yearly ritual, Clemson will want nothing more than to return. I think the ACC will be improved next year but they’ll certainly have a shot.
Florida State
FSU’s resolution is to get to the conference title game in 2023. Mike Norvell has made great strides over the last year and a half. They run the ball with efficiency, they play good D, and very few non-CFP teams ended the regular season as hot as the Seminoles. They have also done extremely well in the transfer portal so far this winter, too. Making the conference title game is a reasonable next step for them to get back to being the Noles of old. With the ACC doing away with divisions next year this should be the goal.
Syracuse
Learn how to manage failure. Under Dino Syracuse has had a tough time turning things around when they start to go bad. This year was no exception. The Orange won their first six games then lost five in a row before winning the finale. Injuries certainly played a role in the five-game losing skid but not being able to find an answer for your own deficiencies is the death knell for many coaches. Figure out what’s going wrong, put a stopgap in place, then improve it long-term. It might not be easy, but it’s part of the game.
Louisville
Embrace the change. The offense became stagnant under Scott Satterfield and Malik Cunningham didn’t look like his former self. Satterfield left for Cincinnati and golden boy Jeff Brohm returned to his alma mater, fresh off of a Big Ten West division title. The Cardinals faithful have to be ecstatic about this move and the offensive prowess he brings with him. Something different will be embraced and should revitalize the program. Jack Plummer, who worked with Brohm at Purdue, is likely on his way after spending last season at Cal.
NC State
Improve on offense across the board. The Wolfpack ended the regular season 8-4 and had the 14th-ranked defense. The bad news is the offense ended with a ranking of 102. Much of that came down to Devin Leary being injured, MJ Morris played like a true freshman, and who knows if he’ll be the guy as a sophomore? Dave Doeren has a lot to figure out here. They lost Leary and some prominent pass catchers in the portal, the run game wasn’t what it had been in past years, and the O-Line was decent but not great. This unit has work to do.
Wake Forest
Replace Sam Hartman. Losing longtime signal caller Hartman to the portal has been known for a while now, even before it became official. Few teams were as dependent on their QB as the Demon Deacons. Bringing in a reliable guy to run the slow mesh will be Dave Clawson’s top priority this offseason. Does he have a guy on the roster? Will he look to the portal? No one really knows at this point, but Clawson probably has an idea. His tenure has been successful so far, how will he cope with losing his most important player?
Boston College
Find an offensive line. I’ve been watching college football my whole life and I’m not sure I’ve seen a worse O-Line from a P5 team. There were FCS lines who were better than the Eagles in 2022. No matter who is playing QB next year, if they can’t block for them it won’t matter.
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Coastal
North Carolina
The Tar Heels NEED to resolve to play defense in 2023, just a little bit is all I ask. Remember yesterday when I talked about Iowa’s offense being terrible and the other unit is good? That’s UNC’s defense. They had the 17th-ranked offense and the 116th-ranked defense. I don’t care how good Drake Maye is, and he’s really really good, you won’t be a CFP contender unless you improve the D. Winning the division this year was impressive, with Maye on the roster going to the conference title should be the minimum expectations. A defense that can cover and tackle will go a long way toward a top-notch 2023 team.
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Pittsburgh
Pitt’s resolution should be a shoe horn so Pat Narduzzi can remove his foot from his mouth easier. Listen, he’s a top-notch coach and his success and stability have been great for the program, that’s why his recent episodes of running his mouth have been unnecessary at best, toxic and damaging at worst. Last year it was the self-serving tirade about Jordan Addison transferring, this year it was players opting out of bowl games. Then we had the most out-of-bounds, claiming UNC QB Drake Maye was offered $5 million to transfer to another school and play. Maye went on to deny this but the damage was done. Pat can coach, but if you don’t know what to say in the microphone then run away from it.
Duke
The Blue Devils should resolve to give Mike Elko a long-term deal. Duke shocked us all by winning 8, and potentially 9, games in his first year in charge. After successful DC stints at Notre Dame and Texas A&M, this is Elko’s first head job, and what a job he is doing. Using all the resources necessary to keep him in Durham should be the goal of the administration.
Georgia Tech
Find a QB who can throw. The Brent Key interim era of 4-4, including two wins over ranked teams, was impressive. I will admit, I wasn’t inspired by giving him the full-time job but now that they have I hope he can succeed. The Paul Johnson era of the triple option is long over, which means throwing the ball is more of a priority. The 3 QBs with extensive passing attempts all had a completion percentage under 60% and none threw for more than five TDs. This will need to change if they want to succeed in the ACC.
Miami
Utilize spring football more efficiently than anyone. Miami had a disappointing 1st season under Mario Cristobal by any metric. They looked mediocre or worse most of the year. The good news is they have recruited extremely well and done well in the portal. These new additions coming in and learning the playbook in the spring to be ready for August will go a long way toward immediate success in 2023. Most coaches will get a longer grace period than Mario, he’ll need to get it done soon.
Virginia
Consistency, both in the roster and things they can’t control. The year zero label has rarely been as true for anyone as it was with Tony Elliott in 2022. Virginia was pretty poor on the field, no one could stay healthy, then an abrupt ending due to an unimaginable tragedy occurred. A full offseason of recruiting, the portal, and returning to normalcy is what the Cavs need, not to mention finding a replacement QB after Brennan Armstrong hit the portal. Being able to focus on football in a comfortable place is just what they need as well as some improvement on the field.
Virginia Tech
Finding a way to win the close games. The first year of the Brent Pry era was a disaster. A 3-8 record and snapped a 7-game losing streak in the final game to a Liberty team who re-wrote the book on tanking to end a season. That being said, 4 of the 8 losses came by one possession. I always say winning close games is part of the job, there’s a huge problem if you constantly lose these games (I’m looking at you, Scott Frost) but Pry is still early in his tenure, and hopefully getting a few results in these games next year can happen.
