NCAA Future Looks - the Sleepers

You make excellent points. The defense was greatly improved from the first half of the season where three of those point totals you mentioned were given up. The unit returns 10 and that is huge.

With the new offense, if it works out of the gate, it could be one of the best around.

Wins last year mean nothing for this year as everyone is a year older and a year more experienced. I mentioned the schedule is brutal to open but if they can get those games, the last 3/4 of the schedule is very manageable.

 12/1 makes them one of the top 10 favs, odds-wise............is that a sleeper? I don't see much vaue in that at all. If they lose 1 game (before the B12 CG) with that weak sos, they'll be relegated to the back of the pack of the all the 1-loss teams.........& there goes their (& your) shot @ the MNC.

I'm not going to pretend The Canes don't have a brutal schedule, but if any team can handle it, they can.  Why?  Because they went through it last year, in an even more severe way, as they opened @FSU, vs GT, @Va Tech, vs Oklahoma.  At least this year, they open with FAMU to get a game under their belt.  Plus, there is one huge silver lining in this schedule, which commonly gets ignored.  They have 10 days to prepare for Ohio St, 12 days to prepare for Pitt, and 10 days to prepare for Clemson.  

I'm very biased, but I have no idea how you can compare last year to current year and call yourself a capper... If teams played the same every year sports bets would be a no brainer, if anything using your theory they should go 11 and 1 getting better...  The U has a great shot on an easier schedule than last year, but tough enough to make NC with 1 or 2 loss depending upon the rest of the nation...  The O is loaded, the D is stacked (might not have played like it, they will this year)...  QB is top ten and he is healthy...   Might have the best WR crew....  RB's are solid ALL of them...  Not much not to like other than schedule.

 Dunno we will see, I like their odds and 24 to 1! Hate all you like..

Let's just crown em now...

don't go crazy over the Canes .....JUST YET....

TRUE....many here ..one individual in particular...fails to see the ENTIRE picture....with no awareness of the improvements they have shown....and the huge setbacks also......> SCHEDULE + (too many) coaching changes + INJURIES ( a ton).....only 3 guys on D were able to go every week LY.....over 45 starts lost on D alone.....now....on D....166 starts return (63 DL...41 LB...62 DB).....last year had ZERO depth...and had to stay on the field way too long in some games....due to offense's inability to sustain drives

still......ranked #31 in total D ....5.2/play.......#22 in rush D...3.6/rush....(vs winning teams)

REMEMBER.....when even reasonably healthy (several key defenders were already hurt) ....week 2 ....held Ga Tech to (by far) their lowest output of the season.....the Wreck had 317 vs N Caro.....333 and 301 vs Clemson...309 vs V Tech   .....only managed 95 vs that "awful" Canes rush D....sure... when 8 guys were out vs WF...they struggled   ....
only 1 team managed over 200 yards vs the decimated.....and "awful" rush D....(hokies in the rain/mud..canes top 2 DL out).....Clemson only 84 on 34 carries (including one 45 yard run by Spiller)

PROBLEM ?......Canes were thrust into prime time...before they were ready.....(let's face it....Shannon has been learning on the job himself also)......so off 2 big wins LY......got way  too much hype.....way too soon

STILL....maybe a year away from seriously making a run  ....OL issues.....combined with unproven RB's.... might make it difficult......BUT....if OL comes thru.....and a guy like Lamar Miller steps up ...could easily do some damage this year...

* I will do a very extensive breakdown on the Buckeye game soon...so far that game screams UNDER....... 

so wait, you answered these other guys and not me?

you didn't even bet the best odds!!!

wow, I have never gotten an answer from the "experts" an for not even saying "my bad" on the odds, is just bad.

I hope you bet all 3

and for "Da U" lover, OK

I'm very biased, but I have no idea how you can compare last year to current year and call yourself a capper...

It should be pretty obvious.  Nobody's played any games this year.  The WHOLE FRICKING PROCESS of handicapping games at the beginning of the season is to compare this year to last year.  What in the hell are you talking about?

You make excellent points. The defense was greatly improved from the first half of the season where three of those point totals you mentioned were given up.

The Clemson game and the UNC game were both in the second half of the season.  In the second half of the season, the Canes also allowed Wake Forest to run up 555 yards.

Now, injuries were a factor, as BA pointed out, but the defense was actually much worse in the second half of the season than in the first.