It's time to start analyzing the schedules of the teams of the Power Five conferences. In this column we will take a look at the ACC and the Big XII. We still miss you, Pete Axthelm.
ACC
ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference looks the same as last year with 14 full time members split into two divisions and a part-time member in Notre Dame. Here's how the divisions stack up.
Atlantic Division
Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Wake Forest.
Coastal Division
Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Top Five Out of Conference Games for 2019
8/31- Boise State v. Florida State (Jacksonville, FL): Boise comes into this one off a 10-3 2018 season and has been touted in the preseason mags as the favorite to take the Mountain West crown. Also, heading east isn't a big deal for the Broncos as they have been making a trip every other year to the eastern time zone over the last decade. Meanwhile back in Tallahassee, 2018 was an epic failure of a season. The 'Noles went 5-7 in their first year under HC Willie Taggart. (Note: Oregon fans still don't miss him.) That was the first losing season at FSU since the bicentennial year of 1976. Needless to say a stumble here by the 'Noles would crank up the hot seat under Taggart to a Clay Helton level of burn with the FSU fanbase.
9/7- Texas A&M at Clemson: Last year's tilt was a barn-burner in College Station. This year's game at Death Valley could be just as memorable. With as much talent as Clemson has, you know that Dabo Swinney still isn't thrilled that his dominant D-line has all exited and that only four total starters return on defense. Clemson does have the offensive firepower to hold on for a close win here.
9/7- Syracuse at Maryland: These teams have met 36 times over the years with 'Cuse holding a 19-15-2 series edge. They only met once as ACC members in the overlap year when the Orange joined the league and Maryland was getting ready to leave for the Big Ten. For Syracuse, this game is a must win as they need to keep building on last year's 10-3 mark. HC Dino Babers has 13 returning starters but will be breaking in a new QB. Also for Syracuse this is will be their second straight road game to open the 2019 slate. Week one they travel to Liberty. How Liberty got a visit form 'Cuse is a head scratcher. Maryland is just trying to get back on their feet as a program with risky new HC hire Mike Locksley. The Terps went just 5-7 last year and most pundits don't believe they will make a bowl this year.
9/14- North Carolina State at West Virginia: This matchup is the second of two matchups featuring a Big XII opponent for the ACC. The first one should be a walkover for Boston College when they host Kansas. The Wolfpack can raise the standing of the ACC and gain a critical win towards being bowl eligible this year.
9/14- Pittsburgh at Penn State: Watch or record this game because the upcoming 100th edition of this great rivalry will be the last time you see these two square off until at least 2030. The schools tried to get it going again in 2026, but talks have broken off. For those who didn't pay attention like me, Pitt did win the ACC Coastal last year, but disappointed down the stretch losing their final three games. They lost their last regular season game to Miami, got smashed by Clemson in the ACC title game and then dropped a 14-13 decision to Stanford in the Sun Bowl. Pitt returns the same talent level as last year and will challenge for the ACC Coastal again. Penn State rolls into this one with a new QB, but with a solid O-line and a defense that returns at least two starters at every position group. However, PSU is looking up at Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten East. A win for the Nittany Lions would give them three straight over the Panthers as this series fades from the scene.
Top Five Conference Games for 2019
9/14- Clemson at Syracuse: Clemson has had their struggles with Syracuse. The Orange fell by a field goal last year at Death Valley and upset the Tigers in 2017 at the Carrier Dome. 'Cuse also gets the Tigers at home after Clemson takes on Texas A&M the previous week. If the Orange handle their two road games to start the year, this will be a home opener with big hype in upstate New York. Oh, and Syracuse has made this home opener their homecoming game too. Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence had his coming out party last year v. Syracuse. This year, he gets a full game to show his wares off to the Orange.
9/14- Florida State at Virginia: Street & Smith's is in with the in crowd. They know what the in crowd knows. This year's in crowd expects a huge year from Virginia. S&S has them winning the ACC Coastal. HC Bronco Mendenhall has built a solid club over the last three seasons. The Wahoos went form 2-10 in 2016 to 8-5 that included a 28-0 beatdown of South Carolina. A win over the 'Noles would be a huge validation for the program. As for FSU, it's simple. The 'Noles need wins. This is their first conference game and true road game of the season.
Virginia Trivia; Cavalier QB Bruce Perkins comes from a true football family. His brother Paul played RB at UCLA and is currently a member of the New York Giants. His Dad Bryce played RB at ASU back in the late '80s and his uncle is Don Perkins who starred at RB for the Cowboys in the 1960s.
10/5- Virginia Tech at Miami: This is your basic early October separation game. The winner here moves on with a shot at division title. VaTech took a huge step backwards last year dropping to 6-7 after going 10-4 and 9-4 in Justin Fuente's first two seasons on the job. The main reasons for that were a young team and injuries. Beating the 'Canes would help the Hokies have a bounce back season. Miami comes into this game trying to steady the program after Mark Richt's sudden departure last December. Miami hosts VaTech and Virginia on consecutive weeks and a pair of wins puts them in the driver's seat for a division crown.
11/9- Clemson at North Carolina State: This is the Tigers last real hurdle to another trip to the ACC title game. In two of the last three years, the Tigers have eked out seven point wins over the Wolfpack. This year's game features one of those matchups where each teams strengths and weaknesses mirror each other. Clemson has a strong offense and NC State sports a strong returning defense. Both teams are weaker in the opposite units matchup. Signs point to another tight one in Death Valley.
11/30 Miami at Duke: What? huh? Yeah this game makes the list because it could be the game that decides the ACC Coastal. An upset of the 'Canes by Duke could put either Virginia or VaTech into the ACC title game. Also. Duke may be in the running as well. Miami can't get caught napping on Tobacco Road.
The Notre Dame Factor
Here's the slate of ACC teams the Irish will face this year:
9/2 at Louisville
9/28 Virginia
11/2 Va Tech
11/9 at Duke
11/23 Boston College
From this slate, it's pretty obvious that the Irish will have an impact on the ACC coastal race. The two Virginia schools will have to clear the ND hurdle while Miami and Pitt won't.
ACC Scheduling Notes
...Well rested foes; Notre Dame will play seven teams that are coming off byes this season.
...Carolina on their minds; NC State will host East Carolina, Western Carolina and North Carolina this season.
...Keep the road whites washed; Boston College plays four of their last five games on the road this season.
...Odd combo; Utah State and Wake forest will square off for the third time in the last six years.
...Early counters; There are several ACC conference games in the first two weeks of the season. A few teams are going to be 0-1 in league play in August.
...Lay the points; The favorite has won eight of the last nine times that Virginia and Pittsburgh have played and covered four of the last five years.
...FCS double; VaTech is playing two FCS teams. Furman and Rhode Island both make a visit Blacksburg this year. Rhode Island is a replacement for East Carolina on the schedule. SMH
...Keeping it in state; Old Dominion is playing at both Virginia and VaTech. I guess after upsetting VaTech last year, the Monarchs figured they'd just double down.
The Big XII
Conference Members: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia
1 Definitely Not Top Five plus the Top Five Out of Conference Games
Definitely Not Top 5:
9/1-Houston at Oklahoma: With former West Virginia HC Dana Holgorsen now in charge at Houston, the popular thought is that Houston could pull off another upset of the Sooners as they did back in 2016. Let me dissuade you of that notion. Yes, Holgorsen does know the Sooners well, however that knowledge has never helped his teams. Holgorsen's Mountaineer squads went 0-7 versus the Sooners. The Mountaineers also gave up over 50 points in four of those games and acres of yardage. The Sooners should walk away with this one easily.
Top 5
9/7- LSU at Texas: This is a big one folks. These two haven't met in the regular season since 1954. Their last two meetings were in the Cotton Bowl where the Tigers beat the Longhorns 13-0 back in 1963 and then Texas returned the favor with a 35-20 win over LSU in 2003. Austin will be rockin' when Coach O and his Bayou Bengals arrive. Texas HC Tom Herman is entering his third year with very high expectations. The Horns went 10-4 last year, but they return a very inexperienced squad. Only five starters return on offense and a meager three on defense. Meanwhile, the Tigers have 16 returnees (8O/8D). Look for the Tigers to lasso the Horns.
9/14- TCU at Purdue: The Horned Frogs are looking for redemption after a year lost to injuries. 20 Frogs suffered season ending injuries while many more missed at least four games. In a conservative estimate, TCU lost over 320 games of service due to injuries in 2019. If they can stay somewhat healthy, the Frogs could hit double digit wins again. Purdue is a team with just enough talent to put a dent in the Frogs season. The Frogs will have to be sharp to grab this road win.
9/14- Kansas State at Mississippi State: This is another opportunity for the Big XII to take down the SEC. Yes, the Bulldogs sit in the lower echelon of the SEC, but a win here still matters. For K-State specifically, the win would give the Wildcats and new HC Chris Klieman a huge boost to the start of their season.
9/14- Texas Tech at Arizona: These old foes used to play each other almost every year as members of the old Border Conference from 1932-56. They did schedule each other through the 1970s, but haven't met since a two game set in '88 and '89. The big question that looms over this game for the Red Raiders is that with Kliff Kingsbury and the Air-Raid offense gone from Lubbock, will they have enough offense to offset their chronic lack of defense the last decade? Arizona has underwhelmed their opponents during the Kevin Sumlin era, but they should have just enough defense to win this game.
9/14- Oklahoma at UCLA: Despite the bRuins woes on the field this decade, a beat down of Joe bRuin by the Sooners would further elevate the Big XII's image and do further damage to the Pac 12's already weak reputation. One killer stat that makes the case for this happening is that the Sooners have won 20 straight true road games. OU will be looking for a clean 21 at the Rose Bowl and should get it with Alabama transfer QB Jalen Hurts at the helm.
Top Five Conference Games
9/28- Kansas State at Oklahoma State: This a pretty even matchup of the second tier teams in the league. How will new HC Chris Klieman set up the K-State defense to attack the Okie State offense? How will the new look Wildcats fare in their first conference road game? I'm eager to see what impact Kileman has on the Big XII in year one. Meanwhile, The Mullet, Mike Gundy and his Cowboys are coming back from a down season and knocking off the Wildcats well help improve things in Stillwater.
9/28- Kansas at TCU: This is a very important game for the Big XII race. TCU needs to keep focus and get past the Jayhawks. Huh? No Way! Ummm Way! TCU does have big game at Iowa State the next week, but the Jayhawks have given the Frogs fits lately. Over the last five years, four of the games have been decided by six points or less with he Jayhawks pulling off a 27-26 upset of the Horned Frogs last year. Also adding new KU HC Les Miles into the mix makes this game even more interesting.
10/12- Oklahoma v. Texas: This is always a big one, but when conference supremacy is on the line as well, then it gets just a little bit bigger. OU should be undefeated and Texas should be 4-1 when they square off at the Cotton Bowl. Last year, the Horns took the rivalry game. Then they dropped the rematch in the Big XII title game a few weeks later. The same pattern may emerge this year as it is awfully hard to beat the same team twice during a college football season.
10/26- Texas at TCU: This could be an eliminator game. A likely scenario is that each of these teams has a conference loss heading into the contest and second one would knock the other out of the title hunt. The major factor for TCU is to be healthy for this game. If the Horned Frogs turn into the MASH ward they were a year ago, the Horns will run all over Amon G. Carter Stadium.
11/9- Iowa State at Oklahoma: HC Matt Campbell has what should be his best squad yet at ISU. Iowa State is 1-2 v. OU with the losses being just by 7 and 10 points. In an offensive-happy league, the Cyclones play defense. The Cyclones return eight starters from a defense that led the Big XII in scoring defense, and was second in the league in rushing defense and total defense. Both teams come into this game off a bye. OU does have the talent edge and home filed advantage. Oklahoma hasn't dropped a game at home to Iowa State since 1990.
Big XII Scheduling Notes
...Both sides now; West Virginia hosts Texas the week before the Red River Rivalry game and then plays at Oklahoma the week after.
...Soft opening; Baylor Hosts Stephen F. Austin and UTSA, has a bye week, then plays at Rice to open the season.
...Tough ending; Baylor travels to TCU, then hosts Oklahoma and Texas in consecutive weeks in November.
...They know each other; The most played rivalry in the Big Twelve is the Sunflower State Showdown. Kansas and Kansas State have squared off 116 times.
...Slouching towards the border; Texas Tech is facing two old Border Conference foes in UTEP and Arizona this year. The Red Raiders were the top team in the old league capturing seven football titles.
...Backloaded; In a year where everyone has at least two byes, TCU hits the field seven straight weeks to finish the season starting on 10/19.
...Texas only plays four true road games this year. The Longhorns will play two neutral site games. They also leave the state of Texas just twice and the Central Time Zone only once this season.
...Phil Steele said so; I do love reading my Phil Steele guide every season, but I do have to wonder how does he rank all 130 teams. I think you can take the bottom 40 or so teams pick 'em out of a hat and be just as accurate.
Absolutely Useless Trivia (Trivia by definition is useless, but these facts elevate that uselessness to a whole new level)
College football stopped ties and started using Overtime periods in 1996. Here's the last regular season OT game result for the six power conferences of the mid 1990s.
ACC: 11/26/94- Florida 31- Florida State 31
Big 8/ Southwest Conference: 10/4/95-Oklahoma 24- Texas 24
Big 10: 11/25/95- Illinois 3- Wisconsin 3
Pac 10: 10/28/95- USC 21- Washington 21
SEC: 9/30/95- LSU 20- South Carolina 20
Until next time folks, remember that schedules make seasons.
-The Commissioner
