Georgia Tech
Last year: 11-3 (6-2), beat Mississippi State, 49-34, in the Capital One Bowl
Best win: at Georgia, 30-24, in OT Worst loss: at North Carolina, 48-43
Coach: Paul Johnson (eighth year, 58-35)
Starters returning: 15 (5 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Justin Thomas. The junior is probably the best QB Johnson has had at Tech. Last year, he ran the spread option attack to near perfection, rushing for 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns. He wasn't too shabby as a passer, either, completing 51.3 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards, 18 TDs, and six INTs.
Defensive player to watch: LB P.J. Davis. Another junior that led the defensive unit in tackles last
year with 119, 8.5 for loss, four sacks, and an interception.
Special teams player to watch: K Harrison Butker. He only made 11 of 18 attempts last year, but one of them was clutch: a 53-yarder to send the game at arch-rival Georgia into overtime. The coaches think he has the potential to be more consistent.
Schedule: Alcorn State, Tulane, at Notre Dame, at Duke, North Carolina, at Clemson, Pittsburgh, Florida State, at Virginia, Virginia Tech, at Miami, Georgia.
Outlook: The offense, as it normally is for Georgia Tech, should be good. There are quite a few running backs graduated and two receivers drafted to the NFL (DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller), but Thomas is very good and four offensive linemen return, surely large pieces to the puzzle when running Johnson's offense. There might be a slight drop off, but that says more about how good last year's version was rather than how big the anticipated drop off might be. A lot of time, it seems to be plug-and-play in the spread option. The defense needs to improve. It didn't get enough sacks (18) and gave up 411 yards per game, but did force 29 turnovers. Eight returning players to the unit should help. The schedule is pretty easy in the first part of the year, except for the road game at Notre Dame, but gets harder in the second half, with games against Clemson and Florida State, and the seemingly annual Coastal Division championship game against Virginia Tech, this year at home for the Yellow Jackets.
Win-loss prediction: 8-4 or 9-3
Miami
Last year: 6-7 (4-4), lost, 24-21, to South Carolina in the Independence Bowl
Best win: at Virginia Tech, 30-6 Worst loss: at Virginia, 30-13
Coach: Al Golden (fifth year, 28-22)
Starters returning: 13 (5 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Brad Kaaya. Just a true freshman last year, he completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 3,198 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. With WR Phillip Dorsett and RB Duke Johnson moving on to the NFL, it is now Kaaya's time to shine and lead the offense. He has the potential to be great.
Defensive player to watch: LB Raphael Kirby. Senior started all 13 games last year and racked up 54 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and two picks.
Special teams player to watch: K Michael Badgley. A true freshman last year, he made 14 of 18 field goals, a pretty good conversion rate, but missed four extra points.
Schedule: Bethune-Cookman, at Florida Atlantic, Nebraska, at Cincinnati, at Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, at Duke, Virginia, at North Carolina, Georgia Tech, at Pittsburgh.
Outlook: Much like Mike London at Virginia, this should be a make-or-break season for Golden in Miami, who has recruited well but has yet to win the Coastal Division with the Hurricanes. The talent has been there but they just haven't been able to get over the top. He seemed to be getting things turned around in 2013. The 'Canes were 7-0 and ranked No. 7 and then traveled to FSU where the Seminoles crushed them, 41-14. Miami finished the season 9-4. Since that 7-0 start, counting last season as well, Miami has gone 8-11. So the pressure mounts. This year's team took a bit of a blow late Sunday when it was revealed that Gus Edwards, the team's starting running back, will be held out this year with a foot injury. He rushed for 349 yards and six TDs last year. That means more of the running game's load will shift to Joe Yearby, who recorded 509 yards last year and a score. A highly touted true freshman, Mark Walton, should get plenty of reps, too. Kaaya is the star of the offense, now, though. It's going to have to be more on him, too, as he is missing Johnson, Dorsett, and tight end Clive Walford, all great weapons that were featured in the Hurricanes' offense in 2014. His top returning receiver receptions-wise is Malcolm Lewis (25 TDs, 1 TD). The defense last year was decent but needs to force more turnovers and replace LB Denzel Perryman, who had almost twice as many tackles as the guy with the second-most tackles last season. The schedule is fairly tough with respectable non-conference opponents Nebraska and Cincinnati and a middle stretch that also includes Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Duke. If the 'Canes can't beat Nebraska or Cincy and is 2-2 headed into the teeth of the schedule, Golden could be in trouble.
Win-loss prediction: 6-6 or 7-5
Last year: 11-3 (6-2), beat Mississippi State, 49-34, in the Capital One Bowl
Best win: at Georgia, 30-24, in OT Worst loss: at North Carolina, 48-43
Coach: Paul Johnson (eighth year, 58-35)
Starters returning: 15 (5 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Justin Thomas. The junior is probably the best QB Johnson has had at Tech. Last year, he ran the spread option attack to near perfection, rushing for 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns. He wasn't too shabby as a passer, either, completing 51.3 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards, 18 TDs, and six INTs.
Defensive player to watch: LB P.J. Davis. Another junior that led the defensive unit in tackles last
Special teams player to watch: K Harrison Butker. He only made 11 of 18 attempts last year, but one of them was clutch: a 53-yarder to send the game at arch-rival Georgia into overtime. The coaches think he has the potential to be more consistent.
Schedule: Alcorn State, Tulane, at Notre Dame, at Duke, North Carolina, at Clemson, Pittsburgh, Florida State, at Virginia, Virginia Tech, at Miami, Georgia.
Outlook: The offense, as it normally is for Georgia Tech, should be good. There are quite a few running backs graduated and two receivers drafted to the NFL (DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller), but Thomas is very good and four offensive linemen return, surely large pieces to the puzzle when running Johnson's offense. There might be a slight drop off, but that says more about how good last year's version was rather than how big the anticipated drop off might be. A lot of time, it seems to be plug-and-play in the spread option. The defense needs to improve. It didn't get enough sacks (18) and gave up 411 yards per game, but did force 29 turnovers. Eight returning players to the unit should help. The schedule is pretty easy in the first part of the year, except for the road game at Notre Dame, but gets harder in the second half, with games against Clemson and Florida State, and the seemingly annual Coastal Division championship game against Virginia Tech, this year at home for the Yellow Jackets.
Win-loss prediction: 8-4 or 9-3
Miami
Last year: 6-7 (4-4), lost, 24-21, to South Carolina in the Independence Bowl
Best win: at Virginia Tech, 30-6 Worst loss: at Virginia, 30-13
Coach: Al Golden (fifth year, 28-22)
Starters returning: 13 (5 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Brad Kaaya. Just a true freshman last year, he completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 3,198 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. With WR Phillip Dorsett and RB Duke Johnson moving on to the NFL, it is now Kaaya's time to shine and lead the offense. He has the potential to be great.
Defensive player to watch: LB Raphael Kirby. Senior started all 13 games last year and racked up 54 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and two picks.
Special teams player to watch: K Michael Badgley. A true freshman last year, he made 14 of 18 field goals, a pretty good conversion rate, but missed four extra points.
Schedule: Bethune-Cookman, at Florida Atlantic, Nebraska, at Cincinnati, at Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, at Duke, Virginia, at North Carolina, Georgia Tech, at Pittsburgh.
Win-loss prediction: 6-6 or 7-5
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