PiRate Ratings Going Ahead As Planned

Hello to all of our patrons and occasional readers.  The PiRate Ratings are currently going under the preseason compilation for both College and Pro football as if nothing has changed from the past.

Should the season be postponed or other major changes are made, we will do our best to adjust the ratings based on whatever presents itself.

Additionally, we will not participate in any political commentary or make any comments other than mathematical and historical counts.  That means that even though 2020 is an election year, we have chosen to stay out entirely from issuing any electoral vote count predictions and all the House and Senate forecasts.

We want this to be an escape for you to visit to get away from all other outside forces.  We are strongly considering adding a potential tabletop football game like we did several years ago with a “best of” tournament between some of the greatest college football teams of all time, similar to how we did this as a replacement to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, won by the 1968 UCLA Bruins.

Additionally, we are also considering putting a package together where people can send a small payment here, and we will send you the PDF files to print the “best of franchise” NFL and AFL teams between 1960 and 1979 with instructions on how you can cheaply print and have your own tabletop football strategy game to play.  We currently do not have a zip file creator on the PiRate ship.

One more heads up.  WordPress has begun to phase out the original editor, and they may force a new editor to be used, one that is not friendly to pasting tables from our spreadsheet.  If for any reason we find it impossible to paste our spreadsheet tables into this site, we will create a new site and leave the link to that site as the final posting here. Let’s hope we can get through the season without having to make that change.

If all goes according to the norm, expect to see the preseason PiRate College Football Ratings around August 20 and the NFL Football Ratings within hours after the teams make their final cuts the first Saturday in September.

Sincerely

The Captain

Selections Against The Spread: December 4, 2015

A stopped watch is correct twice a day, and the PiRates’ watch enjoyed one of those moments last week, as we won with our straight selections and our Money Line Parlays.

 

The straight sides selections are still only in the .500 range for the year, but our money line parlays now boast a return on investment above 50% for the year.  We know that some of you are actually now ignoring our advice and are playing our money line parlay selections.  Remember this: even though our ROI is about +52% for the year, unless you play every one, you may lose, because we are making parlays that pay out better than even money.  Thus, we can be correct 35% of the time and make a profit.  If you choose to play just one parlay when we issue five, the odds are greatly against you.  Thus, the smart thing to do is to NOT use our picks as advice in losing your hard-earned money.

 

That said, we do not particularly like this week’s schedules in college and pro football.  Between the two, we like the picks of underdogs more than the parlays, because the schedule is not favorable for making parlays.

 

We are actually going with two one-team money line selections and are picking the underdog in upsets.

 

Read with caution.

Note: Later today, we will reveal the opening round results of the computer simulated NCAA football playoffs using the 24-team format used in FCS Football.

Straight Sides Selections

12/4/2015
Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Bowling Green (N)	Northern Illinois	13.5	Northern Illinois
Georgia Southern	Georgia St.	21	Georgia St.
South Alabama	Appalachian St.	-18	South Alabama
Western Kentucky	Southern Miss.	7.5	Southern Miss.
Michigan St. (N)	Iowa	3.5	Iowa
Buffalo	Houston	3	Houston
Minnesota	Seattle	-1.5	Minnesota
Oakland	Kansas City	-3	Kansas City
Pittsburgh	Indianapolis	7	Indianapolis

 

Money Line Selections

Money Line Parlay	5 Teams at 8-3		$375 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Chicago	San Francisco		Chicago
Cincinnati	Cleveland		Cincinnati
Carolina	New Orleans		Carolina
Denver	San Diego		Denver
New England	Philadelphia		New England
Money Line	1 Team at +210		$210 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
West Virginia	Kansas St.		KANSAS ST.
Money Line	1 Team at +185		$185 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Clemson	North Carolina		NORTH CAROLINA

 

Selections Against The Spread: November 26, 2015

It’s time to stuff your wallet with money.  And, how best may we recommend that your wallet gets stuffed?  Keep it there and do not use all these picks to lose it all.  There are retailers anxiously waiting to remove all that cash you have saved in the last 52 weeks, so waste it on that cheap drone toy that will be broken by January 10.

 

We have opened the vault and come forward with the most selections of the season for this week’s slate.  Rivalry games, games that are must win contests for bowl eligibility, and teams that are reversing earlier trends lead our selections this week.  A season high six money line parlays anchor 13 straight picks.  Enjoy, but only to look at them.  Don’t be like a certain reader here from the Las Vegas area that informed us three weeks ago that SHE played every money line parlay selection we issued and won a few hundred dollars after losing every week prior during this season by using other information.  Yes, she won some money that week, but if she followed our advice the following week, she gave a chunk back to Vegas.

 

Which brings us to another point:  for some reason, women seem to be following this blog more than men, or at least, they contact us more than the guys.  As some of you know, this site is run by a majority of the fairer sex.  Our founder is the only male contributing here.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American followers.  Happy Autumn/Spring to all our followers on the other side of the pond and on the lower side of the Earth.

 

11/27/2015
Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Buffalo	Massachusetts	6.5	Buffalo
Georgia St.	Troy	1	Georgia St.
Tulane	Tulsa	-6.5	Tulsa
San Jose St.	Boise St.	-7.5	San Jose St.
Kentucky	Louisville	-4.5	Kentucky
Michigan St.	Penn St.	11	Penn St.
Purdue	Indiana	-6.5	Indiana
Illinois (@Chi.)	Northwestern	-3.5	Northwestern
Stanford	Notre Dame	3.5	Stanford
Detroit	Philadelphia	2	Detroit
Dallas	Carolina	1	Carolina
Green Bay	Chicago	9	Chicago
Houston	New Orleans	3	Houston

Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 7-5		$245 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Pittsburgh	Miami (Fla)		Pittsburgh
Buffalo	Massachusetts		Buffalo
Akron	Kent St.		Akron
Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 13-10		$230 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Toledo	Western Michigan		Toledo
Tulsa	Tulane		Tulsa
West Virginia	Iowa St.		West Virginia
Tennessee	Vanderbilt		Tennessee
Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 7-3		$325 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Utah	Colorado		Utah
Florida St.	Florida		Florida St.
Georgia	Georgia Tech		Georgia
Clemson	South Carolina		Clemson
Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 3-2		$256 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
LSU	Texas A&M		LSU
Alabama	Auburn		Alabama
Oklahoma	Oklahoma St.		Oklahoma
San Diego St.	Nevada		San Diego St.
Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 8-3		$358 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Houston	New Orleans		Houston
Kansas City	Buffalo		Kansas City
New York Jets	Miami		New York Jets
Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 13-10		$233 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Cincinnati	St. Louis		Cincinnati
Arizona	San Francisco		Arizona
New England	Denver		New England

 

 

Selections Against The Spread–Friday, the 13th of November, 2015

It usually happens once a year–the PiRates decide to go with a slate of underdogs, and this is the week we do it in 2015.

 

We have been looking to this week for the past month believing that there could be trap games galore in college football, and thus the urge to go with some underdogs stimulates us to present you with 11 plays.

 

We have chosen four money line parlays for you with all offering better than even money odds.  Enjoy these picks, but remember, they are worth exactly what you have paid for them.

Straight Sides

11/12/2015
Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Cincinnati	Tulsa	19.5	Tulsa
Syracuse	Clemson	-30	Syracuse
Rutgers	Nebraska	-8.5	Rutgers
Old Dominion	UTEP	7.5	UTEP
Air Force	Utah St.	-2	Air Force
Nevada	San Jose St.	1	San Jose St.
Idaho	Appalachian St.	-19.5	Idaho
South Carolina	Florida	-8.5	South Carolina
Boise St.	New Mexico	30.5	New Mexico
Green Bay	Detroit	12	Detroit
Vanderbilt	Kentucky	3.5	Kentucky

Money Line Parlays

Money Line Parlay	6 Teams at 7-5		$242 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Ohio St.	Illinois		Ohio St.
Northwestern	Purdue		Northwestern
Louisville	Virginia		Louisville
Michigan St.	Maryland		Michigan St.
North Carolina	Miami (Fl)		North Carolina
Oklahoma St.	Iowa St.		Oklahoma St.
Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 2-1		$294 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Iowa	Minnesota		Iowa
West Virginia	Texas		West Virginia
Alabama	Mississippi St.		Alabama
Georgia Southern	Troy		Georgia Southern
Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 4-3		$228 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Green Bay	Detroit		Green Bay
Cincinnati	Houston		Cincinnati
New England	N.Y. Giants		New England
St. Louis	Chicago		St. Louis
Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 2-1		$292 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Philadelphia	Miami		Philadelphia
Carolina	Tennessee		Carolina
Denver	Kansas City		Denver

 

Selections Against The Spread–October 29 – November 2, 2015

Well, the three-week hot streak came crashing to an end last week, as our Money Line picks lost a little bit from our account at the Fantasy Island Vegas Book.

This week, we go back to taking some sides in addition to four Money Line parlays with odds better than even money.  Additionally, we are issuing a parlay that includes an underdog to win outright, greatly increasing the odds to produce a windfall IF it wins.  IF is a big word, because not only must the underdog win outright, but another favorite must also win in order to cash this parlay for a big payout.

As always, remember that we do this strictly for fun and do not actually waste hard-earned money on ridiculously entertaining picks.

 

Selections Against The Spread For October 29 – November 2, 2015

10/29/2015
Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Rice	Louisiana Tech	-13	Rice
North Carolina St.	Clemson	-10	North Carolina St.
Washington St.	Stanford	-11	Stanford
Texas Tech	Oklahoma St.	-3	Oklahoma St.
Houston	Vanderbilt	12.5	Vanderbilt
Florida Atlantic	Florida Int’l	-2.5	Florida Int’l
SMU	Tulsa	-3.5	Tulsa
Minnesota	Michigan	-14	Minnesota
UCLA	Colorado	21.5	Colorado
Kansas City	Detroit	5.5	Detroit
New Orleans	New York Giants	3	New Orleans

 

Money Line Parlay Selections For October 29 – November 2, 2015

Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 6-5		$220 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
TCU	West Virginia		TCU
Louisville	Wake Forest		Louisville
Iowa	Maryland		Iowa
Texas	Iowa St.		Texas
Money Line Parlay	2 Teams at 5-2		$360 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Central Michigan	Akron		AKRON
Idaho	New Mexico St.		Idaho
Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 7-3		$330 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
New England	Miami		New England
Atlanta	Tampa Bay		Atlanta
St. Louis	San Francisco		St. Louis
Baltimore	San Diego		Baltimore

 

Selections Against The Spread: October 22-26, 2015

Okay folks.  Let’s not get carried away.  We welcome your comments here, and especially to our sister site at http://www.piratings.webs.com.  Yes, we know that a certain part of this weekly edition has been destroying the books in theory, theory being if you actually used these picks.

We will not name names, since you guys probably don’t want your name being called out, but we will post here a couple of the comments to our sister site.

From a small city in Georgia: “If you would have played your Money Line picks the last three weeks, you would be rich today.”

 

From Vancouver, BC: “Do you know what your profit margin would have been this week if you wagered that mythical $100 on each of your four parlays?  That $400 would have won you almost $900.

 

From Henderson, NV: “Your money line selections have been killing it.  You should just do Money Line parlays.  I am going to wager on your selections next week.”

 

From Ada, OK: “Do you realize how well you did with those parlays?  You don’t know jackxxxx about the baseball dude.”

 

From Glenarm IL: “You nailed the parlay picks this week.”

 

We get about 40-50 comments a week, and usually they are not as flattering as these.  We read them all and usually get a laugh, because we perpetually remind you to NEVER, EVER, EVER use these fun-only selections to wager real money.  Just because we are having an incredibly hot streak with our money line selections, it does not mean they will continue.  We could easily go 0-4 with the picks we are going to issue today.

 

You have been warned, especially the gentleman in Henderson, NV, who supposedly is going to wager real money this week against our warnings.

Since you guys and gals like these money line parlays with better than even money odds, that’s all we’re going to submit this week.  We have made four selections again, each with a return that will give you more in winnings than you would invest if it were real.

 

Money Line Parlay	4 Teams at 7-5		$242 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
East Carolina	Temple		East Carolina
Alabama	Tennessee		Alabama
North Carolina	Virginia		North Carolina
Southern Miss.	Charlotte		Southern Miss.

 

Money Line Parlay	6 Teams at 13-5		$355 Payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Toledo	Massachusetts		Toledo
Michigan St.	Indiana		Michigan St.
Rice	Army		Rice
Cincinnati	Connecticut		Cincinnati
Mississippi St.	Kentucky		Mississippi St.
Florida St.	Georgia Tech		Florida St.

 

Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 9-5		$277 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
St. Louis	Cleveland		St. Louis
New England	N. Y. Jets		New England
Carolina	Philadelphia		Carolina

 

Money Line Parlay	2 Teams at 6-5		$218 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Buffalo	Jacksonville		Buffalo
Miami	Houston		Miami

 

 

This Week’s Selections: October 8-12, 2015

We told you last week, and it came true last week.  A broken clock is correct twice a day, and the PiRate clock just happened to experience one of those instances where we lucked into a nice winning weekend.

Our straight picks against the side went 4-2-1, and our Money Line parlays returned 70% on investment.  Yes, it was a nice winning week for those that theoretically used our picks as their investment advice.  And, we received positive comments from some of you, two of whom thanked us for supplying research data by commenting at our sister site: http://www.piratings.webs.com.

This disturbs us.  How many times have we warned you readers not to use our picks as your method of choice to wager real money?  How many times can we say that you are getting exactly what you paid for–NOTHING!

Our selections are strictly for fun, much in the way you might play a game of Strat-o-Matic baseball against a friend.  Your 1927 Yankees may beat your friend’s 1954 Indians 5-3, and 15 minutes later, it is forgotten (unless you live in a make-believe world).  These picks should be considered Strat-o-Matic wagering.  Use your Monopoly money to make wagers; please do not use these picks for real.  We have no experts here.  We lose nothing, and we do not regret doing it just for fun when we have a successful week like the last one.

Don’t be like the poor soul that took his pickup truck in the high waters in South Carolina after failing to heed the warnings not to attempt to drive through the flooded street.  We cannot bail you out if your financial pickup truck takes on too much water and flips over.

Please read the above paragraphs once more before skipping down to this week’s picks.

Okay, here are this week’s Pretend Picks.  We are going with what worked last week and sort of worked the week before–13 straight side picks against the spread and four money line parlays where the odds give us a payout better than 1-1.

Straight Selections Against the Spread

10/8/2015
Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Purdue	Minnesota	-2.5	Minnesota
Army	Duke	-12.5	Army
Iowa	Illinois	11	Illinois
Northern Illinois	Ball St.	10.5	Ball St.
Georgia St.	Appalachian St.	-15.5	Appalachian St.
Tennessee	Georgia	-2.5	Georgia
Michigan	Northwestern	8	Northwestern
Houston	Indianapolis	-2.5	Indianapolis
Kansas City	Chicago	10	Chicago
Cincinnati	Seattle	3	Cincinnati
Oakland	Denver	-4.5	Denver
N.Y. Giants	San Francisco	7	N.Y. Giants
San Diego	Pittsburgh	3	San Diego

Money Line Parlays

Money Line Parlay	5 teams at 6-5		$216 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Oklahoma	Texas		Oklahoma
Akron	Eastern Michigan		Akron
Temple	Tulane		Temple
Alabama	Arkansas		Alabama
Oregon	Washington St.		Oregon
Money Line Parlay	5 teams at 6-5		$222 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Notre Dame	Navy		Notre Dame
Arizona St.	Colorado		Arizona St.
Boise St.	Colorado St.		Boise St.
Texas Tech	Iowa St.		Texas Tech
Michigan St.	Rutgers		Michigan St.
Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 6-5		$218 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Baltimore	Cleveland		Baltimore
Atlanta	Washington		Atlanta
Green Bay	St. Louis		Green Bay
Money Line Parlay	3 Teams at 3-2		$246 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
New England	Dallas		New England
Denver	Oakland		Denver
N.Y. Giants	San Francisco		N.Y. Giants

Selections Against the Spread–October 1-5, 2015

Have you not had enough angst in your life?  Do you have to come visit this addictive weekly exercise in futility?  Why is it that this no-frills weekly submission is our most read regular post?  Are we doing that well that you must look at our picks before losing your rent money?

We have told you time and again that you should not use these picks to make real wagers, because we sure don’t.  So, why is it that we have dozens of visits from web addresses in Nevada, Delaware, Ontario, and Europe, the places where there are legal storefront sports books?

We have figured out the answer.  Something in the way we select teams has been tipping off the smart bettors.  They know something about our picks we ourselves do not know.  Maybe when we select an NFC West game, and they believe the opposite will be true, they wager more knowing they will be correct, and we will not.  Or, maybe when we select a money line parlay, they take each of the individual components and wager against our selection?

Our more likely, a couple dozen poor souls do not heed our advice and go ahead and use this site as their reference.  When we say “poor” souls, we are hiting the nail on the head, because our picks have been mediocre to this point.

With that in mind, remember that a broken clock is still correct twice a day, and we figure that eventually our broken clock will tell the correct time this year–maybe this week.

We are expanding our picks this week, because in our crazy mixed-up brains, the five of us believe we know things that the books do not.  We believe we have isolated some decent picks this week.  For your sake, we hope you know better.

Sides

10/1/2015
Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Cincinnati	Miami	-6.5	Miami
Oklahoma	West Virginia	7	Oklahoma
Florida	Ole Miss	-7.5	Florida
Middle Tenn.	Vanderbilt	1.5	Middle Tenn.
New Mexico	N. Mexico St.	12.5	New Mexico
Pittsburgh	Baltimore	-3	Pittsburgh
Carolina	Tampa Bay	3	Carolina

10-Point Teasers

	Home	Visitor	Teaser	Pick
1	Charlotte	Temple	-12.5	Temple
	Penn St.	Army	15	Penn St.
	Kent St.	Miami (O)	0.5	Kent St.
2	Northwestern	Minnesota	-6	Northwestern
	Wisconsin	Iowa	16.5	Iowa
	Oklahoma St.	Kansas St.	17.5	Kansas St.
3	Georgia	Alabama	12	Alabama
	Duke	Boston College	17	Boston College
	Middle Tennessee	Vanderbilt	-8.5	Middle Tennessee
4	Missouri	South Carolina	12.5	South Carolina
	Tennessee	Arkansas	16.5	Arkansas
	Maryland	Michigan	-6	Michigan
5	Miami (@London)	N. Y. Jets	-11.5	Miami
	Arizona	St. Louis	-3	Arizona
	Seattle	Detroit	Pk.	Seattle

Money Line Parlays

Money Line Parlay	5 teams at 43-20		$315 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Indianapolis	Jacksonville		Indianapolis
San Diego	Cleveland		San Diego
Denver	Minnesota		Denver
Arizona	St. Louis		Arizona
Seattle	Detroit		Seattle
Money Line Parlay	4 teams at 11-10		$210 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
BYU	Connecticut		BYU
Kent St.	Miami (O)		Kent St.
Oklahoma	West Virginia		Oklahoma
Michigan	Maryland		Michigan
Money Line Parlay	3 teams at 1-1		$200 payout on $100
Favorite	Underdog		Must Win
Iowa St.	Kansas		Iowa St.
Northwestern	Minnesota		Northwestern
Southern Miss.	North Texas		Southern Miss.

 

Selections Against The Spread–September 24-28, 2015

Today, we expand our fun nonsense with three different types of selections to lose you money quicker than if you throw it away playing one weekend fantasy games.  Before you throw away good money thinking you can be that one person in 20 million that makes a million dollars, and before you decide to lose it in the conventional way by playing the stock market, consider losing it this much more entertaining way.

Pardon us whilst we remove tongues from cheeks.

Seriously, just remember that these selections are worth less than what you pay for them.  Use these only as something to either endorse your prior beliefs of convince you to pocket that extra change in your wallet and buy some nice flowers for your utmost.

Today, we have decided to go with five sides picks, seven 10-point teasers, and one stupendous Money Line parlay.

Did we mention this: DO NOT use these picks as your guide to lose all your money this weekend.  How much will the PiRates wager this weekend?  A big fat 0.  We have chosen to go the flowers route; the payoff is so wonderful.

 

Sides

Home	Visitor	Line	Our Pick
Syracuse	LSU	24.5	Syracuse
Carolina	New Orleans	3	Carolina
N. Y. Giants	Washington	3	N. Y. Giants
Baltimore	Cincinnati	2.5	Baltimore
Cleveland	Oakland	3	Cleveland

10-Point Teasers

	Home	Visitor	Teaser	Pick
1	Washington	California	-14	Washington
	Baylor	Rice	44.5	Rice
	Charlotte	Florida Atlantic	-21.5	Charlotte
2	Syracuse	LSU	-34.5	Syracuse
	Michigan	BYU	15.5	BYU
	Kentucky	Missouri	12.5	Missouri
3	Virginia	Boise St.	7.5	Boise St.
	Notre Dame	Masachusetts	19	Notre Dame
	Ole Miss	Vanderbilt	15	Ole Miss
4	Dallas	Atlanta	10	Atlanta
	Carolina	New Orleans	-7	Carolina
	St. Louis	Pittsburgh	10	Pittsburgh
5	Miami	Buffalo	12.5	Buffalo
	N. Y. Giants	Washington	-7	N. Y. Giants
	Houston	Tampa Bay	-3	Houston
6	Seattle	Chicago	25.5	Chicago
	New England	Jacksonville	4.5	New England
	Baltimore	Cincinnati	12.5	Cincinnati
7	Cleveland	Oakland	-7	Cleveland
	Green Bay	Kansas City	-2.5	Green Bay
	Minnesota	San Diego	11	San Diego

Money Line Parlay

For those two or three of you that have read this far and do not know what a Money Line parlay is, we will tell you, but we will also wonder why you have read this far in the first place.

The Money Line allows you to select the winner of a particular game without having to worry about a point spread.  However, since it is obvious that the favorite has a better chance to win the game than the underdog, you must pay a premium when you select the favorite to win the game.  For example, this week New England is an overwhelming favorite to beat Jacksonville.  The Money Line allows you to wager on New England to win the game by just one point and return money to you.  However, the Money Line odds for this game at most Las Vegas books is: New England -1400 and Jacksonville +800.  What this means is for every $1,400 you wager on New England at -1400, you can win $100 more than you wager.  So, if you put down $1,400 on New England on a Money Line wager, you receive $1,500 if New England wins (Your original $1,400 plus $100 profit, which is a return on your investment of 7.1%).  If you believe Jacksonville will upset the Patriots in Foxboro on Sunday and wager just $100 on the Jaguars to win the game, you stand to receive $900 (Your original $100 plus $800 profit) if Jacksonville wins.

A Money Line Parlay allows you to combine multiple games into one wager.  Let’s say that you have 3 favorites you believe will all win and feel confident enough to lay down cash for one combined wager.  For an example let’s use a possible 4-team Money Line Parlay for Sunday.

Houston is currently -280 vs. Tampa Bay

New England is currently -1400 vs. Jacksonville

Seattle is currently -1600 vs. Chicago

Green Bay is currently -320 vs. Kansas City

If you believe Houston, New England, Seattle, and Green Bay are certain winners and combine these four games into one wager, our parlay calculator says that for every $100 you wager, you will get back $203 (Your original $100 plus $103 profit) if the four teams all win.  If just one of the four loses or ties, then you lose your $100.

Just for fun, what if you think New England and Seattle will win with 100% belief in your mind?  What if you combine -1400 and -1600 into one wager?  The payout on $100 wagered would be just $114.  That is obviously a 14% return on your investment.  Now remember that in your mind this is 100% winnable.  Where else can you return 14% on an investment in one weekend?  Ah, this is why there are so many broke individuals in Las Vegas, and why the books and casinos can build new and improved versions every few years.  Who do you think wins the majority of these wagers?

Now that you have been warned, here is our super-duper 8-team Money Line Parlay for this week.  This returns at a rate slightly better than 3-2 if it wins.  For every $100 you wager on this parlay, if all eight teams win, your return is $251 (Your original $100 plus $151 profit).

And, here it is:

Money Line Parlay	8-team Parlay	3-2 odds	$151 payout for $100
Favorite	Underdog	Odds	Must Win
Nebraska	Southern Miss.	-1400	Nebraska
Houston	Texas St.	-800	Houston
Penn St.	San Diego St.	-800	Penn St.
Western Kentucky	Miami (O)	-1150	West Virginia
Georgia Southern	Idaho	-750	Georgia Southern
South Carolina	Central Florida	-650	South Carolina
Oregon	Utah	-500	Oregon
Northwestern	Ball St.	-1200	Northwestern

Did we mention that we strongly advise you not to wager real money on any of our recommendations?  Consider how much you paid for this information.  The sharpest of the sharp bettors make consistent profit during football season.  Do they look at our recommendations?  Okay, Billy, if you are reading this, please let us know.

2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Preview

The Atlantic Coast Conference has undergone more changes than any other Power Five conference.  Here’s how it once looked:
Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina St., South Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest.  South Carolina left more than 40 years ago, while Maryland left just two years ago.  Georgia Tech, Florida St., Virginia Tech, Miami, Boston College, Louisville, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh have joined the league throughout the period, meaning that of the 14 teams (15 if you include Notre Dame, which plays in all other sports while facing an ACC football slate of six games), only six remain from 1970.

Florida State’s recent three year return to greatness, and Clemson’s recent three year ressurection gave the league a shot in the arm, but 2015 may see the prestige take a small hit.  It’s not that the league has weakened.  No, it’s the other way around.  Both divisions should be wide open this year, and unlike the SEC where seven competitively balanced teams means seven teams in the top 15 of the nations, in this league, it will bring the top teams down far enough to be out of the playoff picture this season.

The PiRates stand strong in their support that if the FBS is going to crown a champion through a playoff, then every Power 5 Conference champion should have a guaranteed spot in those playoffs.  The NFL is the king of the sports universe because every team in the league has an equal opportunity to make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.  Imagine what would happen if the 11-5 Pittsburgh Steelers were not given a bid to the NFL playoffs after edging out 10-6 Cincinnati and 9-7 Baltimore, while 12-4 Denver made the playoffs when their schedule included two games against 2-14 Oakland, 6-10 San Diego, and 8-8 Kansas City.  Could you see Condaleeza Rice going on ESPN toexplain to Steeler Nation that their team should have won that week 17 game over Cleveland?

Back to the ACC, we have plugged our preseason numbers into the computers, and both divisions show ties in the predicted standings.  It was not this way earlier in the summer, but the team we had pegged to be the clear-cut favorite lost two key players and came back to the pack.

That team that took a direct hit across the bough was Clemson.  The Tigers would have been our pick to win the Atlantic Division and the overall conference championship, but the Tigers will go to battle without key stars on both sides of the ball.  Defensive back Korrin Wiggins tore his ACL and is out for the season, while dominating offensive left tackle Isiah Battle decided to make himself available for the NFL Supplemental Draft and was selected by the St. Louis Rams.  Those two player losses is enough to drop CU back into a four-way logjam in the Atlantic.
Coach Dabo Swinney still has top notch talent.  Quarterback Deshaun Watson returns after missing time with a torn ACL last year.  If healthy, the true sophomore has the potential to be the top offensive player in the league.  He has a talented crew of receivers led by the outstanding duo of Mike Williams and Artavis Scott.  Last year, this pair of speedsters with flypaper hands combined to catch 133 passes for almost 2,000 yards.

The biggest unknown in the offense is in its leadership.  Former offensive coordinator guru Chad Morris has now pulled up stakes in Dallas at SMU.  As a comparison, after Gus Malzahn left Auburn to become the head coach at Arkansas State in 2012, the War Eagles dropped to last place in the SEC with an incompetent offensive attack.  We don’t see Clemson’s offense dropping off like this, but we do believe there will be some effect.

Defensively, CU must rebuild with only two returning starters from last year.  The front seven begins anew with all new starters, and this is enough cause for concern to bring Clemson back to the pack.

If Clemson is not our choice to win the Atlantic Division, then most people would quickly predict that Florida State would be our clear-cut choice.  These people are right and wrong.  Yes, they are our choice, but no they are not clear-cut.  In fact, as you will see in our predictions below, we believe a tiebreaker will put the Seminoles back in the ACC Championship Game.

While Clemson will be dealing with an inexperienced defense, FSU will be rebuilding on the attack side.  Losing the first pick in the NFL draft usually means the replacement for that player will never replicate what the team lost.  However, the Seminoles got the top “free agent” in the market when former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson ended up in Tallahassee.  Golson is not another Jameis Winston and most likely will not be an NFL QB, but as a college quarterback, he has the talent to lead FSU to a New Year’s Six Bowl and even a playoff spot.

The Seminoles lost their top two receivers from last year, but Golson will have some exceptional talent on the other end of his passes this year.  Keep an eye on the player we believe will become a breakout superstar in Ermon Lane.  As a true freshman, Lane showed flashes of greatness in a backup role.  Watching him catch a short pass in the flat against Miami and then putting a move on Hurricane DB Deon Bush, leaving him in his dust was enough to make our PiRate scouts move him up into the company of receivers like LaQuoun Treadwell at Ole Miss.

Defensively, Florida State returns enough talent to believe that their 2015 defense will come in statistically somewhere in between the numbers the 2013 and 2014 defenses put up.  Jalen Ramsey is a complete defensive back.  The cornerback is equally strong containing an outside run, blitzing into the backfield to break up a play, breaking up a pass in the short zone, and shutting down the deep threat on the perimeter.  Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith should both hear their names called in the 2016 NFL Draft.  The defensive line is the only question on this side of the ball.

In times of yore, Florida State lost key games with poor placekicking.  It can be said that missed short field goal attempts kept this school from winning two national championships.  This will not be a problem in 2015, as the ‘Noles have one of the best kickers in America.  Roberto Aguayo has few peers.  If we were asked to name a better placekicker, we might have to go with Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts.

Two additional teams should contend for the Atlantic Division title this year, Louisville and North Carolina State.
Bobby Petrino’s return to Derby City resulted in Louisville’s competing immediately in their first year in the ACC.  The Cardinals had to replace an NFL caliber QB and a majority of its top flight defense from 2013, but Petrino has UL just a few precious points away from winning the division and running the table in the regular season.  Against Virginia, the Cardinals had the lead late before UVa kicked the winning field goal.  They were about five feet away from the winning touchdown when time ran out against Clemson, and they blew a large lead against Florida State in their other loss.

The Cardinals lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but Petrino has a lot of talent returning.  Quarterback Will Gardner looked like the next star to play at Papa John’s Stadium before an injury cut his season short.  A healthy return gives UL a chance to shine.  The offensive line and receiving corps will be green this year, but there is enough talent there to forecast offensive success.

Defensively, the secondary is brand new, and this will probably be the liability that keeps UL out of the ACC Championship Game.  The front seven is competent enough to put pressure on enemy passers and try to limit the liability of the back four.

A killer schedule might be the nail in the Cards’ coffin.  UL starts with a kickoff classic game against Auburn and continues with home games against Houston and Clemson (played with just four days off).  The first half of the schedule concludes with back-to-back road games against North Carolina State and Florida State (with a bye week in between).  If the team comes out of the first half without a lot of injuries, then the Cards could easily run the table in the second half.

North Carolina State is our surprise team in the Atlantic this year.  The Wolfpack have steadfastly improved under third year coach Dave Doeren, and after an 8-5 season that saw NCSU improve by a good 10-14 points by November, this team is ready to growl on the hunt in 2015.

Former Florida quarterback Jacoby Brissett was a different player in November, when he began to scramble and add the threat of the run to his passing.  It led to the ‘Pack scoring 121 points and gaining 1,376 yards in their final three games.  Brissett may not have an all-star contingent of receivers, but there is quality and depth here.  The same can be said about the running attack, as Doeren can call on a double-headed monster in Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes.  NCSU will pound the ball inside to set up the passing game.

Defensively, look for State to continue to shave off points and yardage from what they gave up last year.  This team could give up as little as 24-25 points per game and 350 yards per game, which will put the Wolfpack in the race in the Atlantic.  End Mike Rose will force opponents to double team him after the big and quick pass rusher made 14 stops behind the line last year.  Safety Josh Jones makes it hard for opponents to throw the skinny post pass, and he led the team with four interceptions last year.

NCSU has an easier schedule than Louisville, as the Wolfpack’s September slate should allow the team to host the Cardinals on October 3 while sporting a 4-0 record.  The following week sends the ‘Pack to Virginia Tech, where an upset could possibly put State in the driver’s seat in the division. The second half of the schedule brings Clemson to Raleigh, while State faces Florida State on the road in November.  This should be North Carolina State’s best season since 2010 and maybe best since the 1990’s.

Boston College faces an uphill battle trying to become bowl eligible for the third consecutive year.  Third year coach Steve Addazio has a rebuilding job to do on offense, and we believe the Eagles will take a step back in 2015.  Only three starters return on the attack side, none of whom are on the interior line.  None of the quarterbacks on the roster have the talent of the top four teams in the division, and in this day and age of college football, teams do not succeed without exceptional QB play.

Defense has been the key for BC in the Addazio years.  The Eagles were not very generous last year, giving up just 21 points and 325 yards  per game.  However, it was a feast or famine affair on this side of the ball.  BC stopped cold teams like Maine and Syracuse, while Louisville and Penn State found little resistance moving the ball.

Because the Eagles bring Notre Dame back on the schedule, it is like playing nine ACC games.  The Eagles must win three to gain bowl eligibility, and one of those other three non-conference games comea against MAC power Northern Illinois.  BC must win this game and win at Duke to have any shot of going 6-6, but we believe the team will come up short.

Wake Forest has seen its win total drop by one from six to five to four to three over the last four seasons.  Dave Clawson came on board last year, and the Demon Deacons found the going tough trying to implement a very complicated offense.  The results in year one were less than stellar, as Wake averaged less than 15 points per game and just 216 yards per game.  Considering the offense was on the field for just 50 plays per game, the defense did an admirable job, giving up 26 points and 369 yards per game.  Enough starters and backups return on both sides of the ball to believe that the Deacons will show some improvement in 2015.  John Wolford has a year of the Clawson offense in his mental databanks, and he should perform much better in year two, as the game begins to slow down for him.  It isn’t impossible that the Deac could sneak up on a team or two and flirt with bowl eligibility this year, but we believe they are a year away.

Syracuse brings up the rear this year in our PiRate Ratings.  The Orangemen did not compete in the ACC last year, and the team looks to be a little weaker to start this season.  The offense has gone the wrong way since Ryan Nassib graduated in 2012.  Last year, the ‘Cuse averaged just 17 points and 330 yards per game, while the defense played above their talent level and prevented games from becoming major blowouts.  This year, the defense has been decimated by graduation, and the offense is not going to be much better if at all.  An early game against Wake Forest is vital to this team’s hopes of competing for bowl eligibility, but we cannot see a situation that will bring six wins to this team this year.  Repeating last year’s 3-9 record will be an accomplishment with this squad.

The Coastal Division promises to be just as competitive as the Atlantic.  No team is a clear-cut favorite.  Georgia Tech is a nightmare for other ACC foes to prepare for in one week, as the Yellow Jackets’ offense is completely different than all other offenses among the Power 5 conferences.  Coach Paul Johnson’s spread option offense (the 21st Century Wishbone) is a throwback to the 1970’s, where teams ran and ran and ran the same basic series over and over until surprising defenses with a quick long pass to a wide open receiver.  Last year, Tech ran this offense like clockwork, rushing for more than 340 yards per game and averaging north of nine yards per pass attempt.  The keys to making this offense unstoppable are a quarterback who can read and react on the move, and a receiver contingent that forces defenses to keep four secondary players guarding against the pass first.  If defenses cannot bring a dedicated eighth player into the box to play the option, then theoretically, this attack cannot be stopped.

Quarterback Justin Thomas can handle the first key.  He is an expert at reading defenses on the run.  Thomas topped 1,000 yards rushing last year, while throwing for more yards and touchdowns than any Johnson-coached QB.
The question this year is whether there will be receivers that can keep that eighth defender out of the box.  DeAndre Smelter was that man last year.  This may be what keeps the Jackets from competing for a playoff spot in 2015.

Defensively, look for GT to be better this year than last when they surrendered more than 400 yards per game.  A 30-50 yard drop in yardage allowed could lead to Tech giving up around 22-24 points per game, putting them in contention to cop the Coastal.

What hurts Tech’s chances to compete for a playoff spot is their schedule.  Road games against Notre Dame, Clemson, and a home game against Georgia means this team will have no fewer than two losses and probably three in the regular season.

Virginia Tech was less than two minutes away from suffering its first losing season in eons last year.  A late comeback win over Virginia followed by a Military Bowl win allowed the Hokies to finish 7-6.  Of course, VT pinned the only loss on Ohio State last year, holding the Buckeyes to just a hair over 100 rushing yards.  Coach Frank Beamer is ready to return this team to glory with talent and depth on both sides of the ball, but that opening game on Labor Day brings the defending national champs to Blacksburg looking to punish the Hokies for 2014.

Inconsistent offense has been VT’s thorn since Tyrod Taylor departed Lane Stadium in 2010.  Michael Brewer is not a Taylor or a Logan Thomas, but the second year starter should cut down on his picks and become a better game manager.  Brewer has capable receivers at his disposal, including the league’s best tight end.  Bucky Hodges grabbed 45 passes and scored seven times last year and should top 50 this year.

The only possible thorn in the offense’s side this year is an offensive line that lacks the experience of last season’s line.  This could also slow down the running game and once again cause the offense to be inconsistent, or more correctly, to do okay against weaker defenses and bog down against better defenses.

The Hokie defense has consistently surrendered 17-22 points and 300-350 yards per game under famed coordinator Bud Foster.  Foster is to Beamer what Bill Gutheridge was to Dean Smith on the hardwoods at North Carolina.  Look for the 2015 edition of stop troops to be among the best in the nation once again.

Up front, VT has the best interior in the league, led by end Dadi Lhomme Nicolas and tackle Luther Maddy.  Nicolas posted nine sacks and 18 1/2 total tackles for loss last year, but those numbers do not accurately reveal how good he was.  He might have registered 15 sacks had his partner on the other side had not also recorded Ken Ekanem had not been just as successul dropping QBs on their tushes.  Ekanem had 9 1/2 sacks and 19 QB hurries.  While different stats-keepers may have different interpretations about QB hurries, Nicolas’s 36 hurries looks like a pitcher winning 30 games in today’s Major Leagues.  Maddy was not used for rushing the QB; he shone by plugging the middle and keeping blockers away from the linebackers.

The back seven of the Tech defense is almost as talented as the front four, with free safety Chuck Clark leading the way.  He plays all over the field, stuffing the run and clogging the middle of pass protection.
The only reason we are selecting Georgia Tech over Virginia Tech is because when these top two contenders face off for what should decided the division winner, it will be in Atlanta on Thursday night, November 12.  Both teams will have byes the week before, and as of today, we show GT winning a very close game.

North Carolina has been overlooked in the preseason of many other publications.  We do not agree with this assessment.  The Tar Heels have gone from eight to seven to six wins in Larry Fedora’s three years in Chapel Hill, but that trend will cease in 2015.  UNC has a scary offense with the return of 10 starters to an attack that averaged more than 33 points and 430 yards per game.  Quarterback Marquise could contend for All-ACC honors after putting up some gaudy numbers last year (3,000+ yards passing, 21 TD, leading rusher with 13 TDs).  There is depth behind Williams, as Mitch Trubisky may be the top backup in the league.

Williams well recognize his receiving corps, as his top five targets from 2014 are back to give pass defenses nightmares. The tandem of Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins ranks only behind Williams and Scott of Clemson.  Throw in Quinshad Davis and Bug Howard, and UNC probably has the best quartet in the league.
Now, add the return of the entire starting offensive line and most of the second five, and it is obvious that the Tar Heels are going to score a lot of points this year, maybe close to 40 per game.

Can their be a problem with scoring 40 points per game?  Unfortunately for this team, yes it can.  Last year, UNC gave up 39 points and almost 500 yards per game, but we will go on record and state that this will not happen again if for no other reason than the fact that offensive juggernauts Clemson, Notre Dame, and East Carolina are off the schedule (UNC gave up 170 points and 1,833 yards in these three games).

When a defense has one possible star, it is advantageous for that star to be the Mike linebacker, and UNC’s lone star player is Jeff Schoettmer, who led the Heels with six tackles for loss while adding six passes defended.  The defensive backfield is average at best, while the front line leaves a lot of room for improvement.  Carolina may still surrender more than 30 points and 400 yards per game this year, but this team can go 8-4 with that lack of production.  And, if the ball bounces their way, it would not surprise us if Fedora’s troops pull off an upset of one of the two teams picked ahead of them in the ratings.

Pittsburgh has consistently been better than average but not great for several years.  The Panthers have earned seven consecutive bowl bids, but in this day and age where a big school gets a bid with a 6-6 record, this is not a major accomplishment.  Regular trips to December bowls does not lead to great rewards, especially when you lose to Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl and to SMU in the Birmingham Bowl.

The Panthers might have been our darkhorse pick to contend for the Coastal Division title this year, but Coach Paul Chryst return to Badgerland to take command of Wisconsin, and his replacement, Pat Narduzzi, has zero head coaching experience.  While Narduzzi is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game, we frequently see defensive coordinators needing a year or two of learning when making that step up to the head job of a major program.  Thus, we have dropped Pitt a few points in their ratings, as opposed to new head coaches that were offensive coordinators (Chad Morris, Tom Herman, and Mike Bobo).  Oftentimes,  defensive masterminds tend to play too conservatively, believing their defense will eventually win the game, when in actuality, this has not been true in college football in decades.

Pitt actually has enough talent on hand to win eight regular season games.  The Panther offense returns its chief weapon in bruising tailback James Conner.  Conner led the ACC in rushing with 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns last year, while averaging close to six yards per carry.  Having a quarterback that can fake the handoff and keep the ball for a nice game helps keep defenses from totally focusing on Conner, much like the fullback in the I-formation of the 1980’s and 1990’s did for the I-Back.  QB Chad Voytik is just that man.  As a passer, he is serviceable, but add his running ability, and you have an effective signal caller.

Look for Conner to run to his left a lot this year, as the Panthers’ left side of the blocking wall features stars in guard Dorian Johnson and tackle Adam Bisnowaty.

Pitt’s receiving unit is not among the tops in the league, but the Panthers do have one star. Tyler Boyd caught 78 passes for 1,261 yards and eight touchdowns last year, while earning 1st team All-ACC honors.
Defensively, you would expect Pitt to make forward strides under Narduzzi’s watch, but that has not always been the case when defensive coordinators take over as head coach, especially if they do not remain the defensive coordinator.  We expect the Pitt defense to stay in the same range it has been for the last few years, giving up about 25-27 points per game and less than 375 yards per game.  It’s impossible to identify the star of this side, as the sum of Pitt’s parts is not equal to the whole.  All three Panther units are credible but not sensational, but the team plays hard on this side of the ball and seldom gets embarrassed, except when facing Georgia Tech’s offense.

You can gauge Pitt this year on how the Panthers perform in game three at Iowa.  This should be a blue collar type of game like two big heavyweights going at it in the ring.  If Pitt can leave Kinnick Stadium with a win, the Panthers will believe they can take out Virginia Tech, especially since they will have an extra week to prepare.  If they lose this game, then Narduzzi may have a tough time keeping the team on track to remain bowl eligible.  It is one of those truly critical non-conference games this year.

Al Golden proved his competency as a head coach by leading Temple back to respectability after inheriting a winless program.  At Miami, he has been tasked with trying to bring the Hurricanes out of a major probation with numerous penalties.  His four year record is 28-22 with consecutive bowl appearances  once bowl eligibility was restored.  However, Miami fans and alums expect the Hurricanes to always be in contention for national honors, and Golden’s seat has been pre-heated for this season.  Unfortunately, we do not see a turnaround for this program in 2015, just more mediocre results.  And, another season similar to the previous four will probably send Golden out of Coral Gables.

The UM offense lost its big star when Duke Johnson left early for the NFL.  Johnson led the ‘Canes and finished second overall in the ACC with 1,652 yards, while averaging close to seven yards per carry and scoring 10 times last year.  New starter Joseph Yearby has talent but will not approach 1,600 rushing yards.

Quarterback Brad Kaaya returns, but his top three receivers must be replaced (Johnson was #3).  There are no adequate replacements for Phillip Dorsett and Clive Walford.

Defensively, Miami has improved for three consecutive seasons, but too much talent was lost to expect further improvement in 2015.  The strength of this unit is at linebacker where Raphael Kirby and Jermaine Grace return after combining for 114 tackles a year ago.  The secondary has experience but tends to get beaten a few too many times.

The ‘Canes will have a tough road staying bowl eligible this year, but we actually rate Golden as one of the most affective coaches at winning close games.  Thus, we are going to move his expected wins total up to six to give Miami bowl eligibility.  Having to play Nebraska and Cincinnati outside of the league, as well as both Clemson and Florida State from the Atlantic Division immediately eliminates the 2015 Hurricanes from returning to their glory days.  Our advice to Miami fans: would you rather have Larry Coker as your head coach?  Stick with Golden like Virginia Tech stuck with Beamer, or your 2016 team may look more like the other Miami playing in the MAC.

The job that Duke coach David Cutcliffe has done in Durham cannot be overstated.  This was a program basically given up for dead in the ACC prior to his arrival at Wallace Wade Stadium.  It had been 18 years since Duke’s last bowl game when he broke through with the Belk Bowl bid in 2012.  It had been 24 years since the Blue Devils had owned a title when Duke won the Coastal Division in 2013.  Duke was not expected to come close to replicating that 2013 season last year, but Cut produced a nine-win season, missing out on another division crown by one game.
2015 brings another situation that looks like Duke will take a step back to the wrong side of .500, but you can never count out Cutcliffe to find a way to win a few games Duke should not win.  What gives us cause for concern with this Devil edition is the breaking in of a new quarterback combined with the loss of the top two receivers and a pedestrian running game.  We cannot see how Duke can replicate or closely approach their offensive successes of the last three years, where they topped 30 points per game each year.  A return to 21-24 points per game is possible, while 25-27 is probable.  And, that little drop is enough to turn nine regular season wins into five.  A win over Northwestern in September is a must if Duke is to find a way to scratch and claw its way to six wins without signing a pact with that other Devil.

Pity poor Mike London.  The Virginia Cavaliers’ head coach is a dead man walking on the Charlottesville campus.  In a year, where he must win over face dismissal, he must face a non-conference schedule that opens at UCLA, hosts Notre Dame and then after a supposed breather that could be anything other than that  against William & Mary, Boise State comes to town for a Friday night game.  UVa will be 1-3 at the best by this time, and if the Tribe upsets the Cavs (they did so in 2009, 26-14), London might not make it to October.  Virginia has a week off on October 3, and it isn’t out of the realm that London would not make it to the October 10 game at Pittsburgh with homecoming coming the following week.

London is a quality coach, but recruiting to Virginia has never been easy.  With the ACC getting tougher every year, it is hard for this school to keep up with the Clemson’s, Florida State’s, and Louisville’s, let alone having a powerhouse in-state rival in Virginia Tech.

The fact that a quarterback that will be attending his fourth college in four years (Connor Brewer) could compete for a starting bid shows how far this program has to go to catch up with its rivals.  Another experienced player transfering in is running back Albert Reid who could help the Cavs in power running plays up the gut. something this team has lacked in the past.

Defensively, there are not many stars, and because this team competed with talent on this side of the ball last year, you can expect a regression to a statistical result more similar to 2013 (33 ppg) than 2014 (24 ppg).

Here is how the ACC Media predicted the league for 2015.

Atlantic Coast Conference Media Poll
Pos.	Team	1st Place	Total	Champ. Votes
Atlantic Division
1	Clemson	101	1032	84
2	Florida St.	56	992	41
3	Louisville	1	746	0
4	North Carolina St.	0	673	1
5	Boston College	0	473	0
6	Syracuse	0	291	0
7	Wake Forest	0	217	0
Coastal Division
1	Georgia Tech	96	991	20
2	Virginia Tech	44	841	7
3	Miami	7	632	2
4	Duke	4	615	0
5	North Carolina	4	590	3
6	Pittsburgh	3	535	0
7	Virginia	0	220	0

Here is the Media’s preseason All-ACC team.

ACC Preseason All-Conference Team
Offense	Player		School
Quarterback	Deshaun Watson		Clemson
Running Back	James Connor		Pittsburgh
Running Back	Shadrach Thomas		North Carolina St.
Wide Receiver	Tyler Boyd		Pittsburgh
Wide Receiver	Mike Williams		Clemson
Wide Receiver	Artavis Scott		Clemson
Tight End	Bucky Hodges		Virginia Tech
Tackle	Roderick Johnson		Florida St.
Tackle	Adam Bisnowaty		Pittsburgh
Guard	Landon Turner		North Carolina
Guard	Eric MacLain		Clemson
Center	Matt Skura		Duke
Defense	Player		School
End	Dadi Lhomme Nicolas		Virginia Tech
End	Shaq Lawson		Clemson
End	Sheldon Rankins		Louisville
Tackle	Adam Gotsis		Georgia Tech
Tackle	Luther Maddy		Virginia Tech
Linebacker	Terrance Smith		Florida St.
Linebacker	Brandon Chubb		Wake Forest
Linebacker	James Burgess		Louisville
Cornerback	Jalen Ramsey		Florida St.
Cornerback	Kendall Fuller		Virginia Tech
Safety	Jeremy Cash		Duke
Safety	Quin Blanding		Virginia
Special Teams	Player		School
Punter	Alex Kinal		Wake Forest
Kicker	Roberto Aguayo		Florida St.
Return Specialist	Ryan Switzer		North Carolina

Here are the PiRate Ratings beginning ratings and averages for 2015.

Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Division
Team	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Average
Clemson	113.5	114.6	113.4	113.8
Florida St.	114.4	114.1	112.9	113.8
Louisville	109.6	112.1	110.0	110.6
North Carolina St.	109.7	112.1	108.8	110.2
Boston College	100.9	106.0	99.4	102.1
Wake Forest	97.1	101.9	96.7	98.6
Syracuse	94.1	98.1	93.0	95.1
Coastal Division
Team	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Average
Georgia Tech	119.2	110.4	118.6	116.1
Virginia Tech	114.2	111.1	114.3	113.2
North Carolina	112.1	112.1	111.5	111.9
Miami	108.2	109.1	108.7	108.7
Pittsburgh	105.3	107.1	106.8	106.4
Virginia	102.3	99.6	101.4	101.1
Duke	100.0	100.4	99.7	100.0
ACC Averages	107.2	107.8	106.8	107.3

These are our preseason won-loss predictions and bowl projections.

PiRate Ratings Predicted Records
Pos	Team	Conf.	Overall	Bowl
Atlantic Division
1	Florida St.	6-2	10-3 *	New Year’s 6
2	Clemson	6-2	9-3	Gator
3	Louisville	6-2	9-3	Sun
4	North Carolina St.	6-2	9-3	Pinstripe
5	Boston College	2-6	5-7	None
6	Wake Forest	2-6	5-7	None
7	Syracuse	0-8	4-8	None
Coastal Division
1	Georgia Tech	7-1	9-4 ^	Belk
2	Virginia Tech	7-1	10-2	Russell Athletic
3	North Carolina	4-4	8-4	Independence
4	Pittsburgh	4-4	7-5	Military
5	Miami	2-6	6-6	Quick Lane
6	Duke	2-6	5-7	None
7	Virginia	2-6	3-9	None
*	Wins Title Game
^	Loses Title Game

Coming Next: The Big Ten

How high up will the obvious preseason number one team begin the 2015 season?  Where will this rank in the annals of the PiRate Ratings?