Louisville
Last year: 2-10 (0-8 ACC) Best win: vs. Indiana State, 31-7 Worst loss: at Clemson, 77-16
Coach: Scott Satterfield (first year, 51-24 career)
Starters returning: 19 (7 offense, 10 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: WR Dez Fitzpatrick. A junior this season, in 2018 Fitzpatrick recorded 31 catches for 422 yards and a trio of scores. No matter who plays quarterback, the receivers will have to step up and help out an offense that struggled mightily a year ago.
Defensive player to watch: LB C.J. Avery. As a sophomore, Avery was second on the Cardinals with 56 tackles, 2.5 for losses, and 0.5 sacks. He also picked off two passes, had two breakups, and
forced a fumble.
Special teams player to watch: K Blanton Creque. A senior this season, in 2018 Creque made 10 of his 12 field goals, including 3 of 3 from 40-49 yards. He's the most accurate kicker in school history at 84.3 percent.
Schedule: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Eastern Kentucky, vs. Western Kentucky in Nashville, at Florida State, vs. Boston College, at Wake Forest, vs. Clemson, vs. Virginia, at Miami, at N.C. State, vs. Syracuse, at Kentucky.
Win-loss prediction: 4-8 or 5-7. Satterfield comes over from Appalachian State, where he won at least 10 games three times in six seasons. Except for a couple of years at Florida International and Toledo coordinating offenses and coaching QBs, Satterfield is an App. State guy through and through, having played QB at the school in the early 1990s before being an assistant from 1998-2008. It will be interesting to see what he can do to turn around the culture at Louisville, a once-proud program that was awful last year and never quite as good in Bobby Petrino's second go-around at the school as in his first. It isn't a good sign when your best win a season ago was over an FCS team. The quarterback battle right now is between Jawon Pass and Malik Cunningham, both of whom saw time last season and neither of whom were very good. Pass completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,960 yards, eight TDs and 12 INTs. He was sacked 30 times. Cunningham completed 59.7 percent of his passes (on just 67 attempts), for 473 yards, one score, and one pick. He led the team with 497 yards rushing and five scores. Evan Conley, a true freshman who enrolled in January after flipping his commitment from App. St. to Louisville, could get a chance at the job. The line returns just two starters. The defense returns almost every starter but gave up 44.1 points per game last season, 127th (out of 129) in the FBS, and is switching to a 3-4 alignment. After Notre Dame, there are some winnable games, but the last stretch is tough.
Wake Forest
Last year: 7-6 (3-5 ACC), beat Memphis, 37-34, in Birmingham Bowl Best win: at No. 23 N.C. State, 27-23 Worst loss: at Florida State, 38-17
Coach: Dave Clawson (sixth year, 28-35 at Wake, 118-115 career)
Starters returning: 14 (6 offense, 5 defense, 3 specialists)
Offensive players to watch: QBs Sam Hartman and Jamie Newman. Hartman, a sophomore this season, started nine games in 2018 before suffering a broken leg. He completed 55.3 percent of his passes for 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding 275 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Newman, a junior, won three of his four starts at the end of 2018, including the regular-season finale at Duke that made Wake bowl eligible, and vs. Memphis in the bowl game. He completed 59.6 percent of his passes for nine scores and four picks, adding 247 yards and four TDs
on the ground. Both would be solid options for the Demon Deacons.
Defensive player to watch: DE Carlos Basham Jr. As a sophomore, Basham finished with 64 tackles, 11 for losses, 4.5 sacks, and a blocked kick.
Special teams player to watch: K Nick Sciba. As a true freshman, Sciba set the school record for field goal percentage at 86.4, making 19 of 22.
Schedule: vs. Utah State, at Rice, vs. North Carolina, vs. Elon, at Boston College, vs. Louisville, vs. Florida State, vs. N.C. State, at Virginia Tech, at Clemson, vs. Duke, at Syracuse.
Win-loss prediction: 6-6 or 7-5. Clawson hasn't quite been able to make the same jump at Wake that he did at other stops at Fordham, Richmond, and Bowling Green, but he's built a solid program nevertheless with two seven-win campaigns sandwiched around an eight-victory year since starting his tenure in Winston-Salem with a pair of 3-9 records. The offensive line only has two returning starters, and do-everything star Greg Dortch left school early for the NFL after two decorated years as a wideout and return man (he redshirted his first season, allowing him to leave after two years of playing). But the QB position has good options and a bruiser, Cade Carney, is back at tailback after a 1,000-yard season. The defense was not very good in 2018, allowing 459 yards and 33 points per game, but returns some production in Basham, leading tackler LB Justin Strnd (105, 8.5 for losses), and corners Essang Bassey and Amari Henderson (combined 25 breakups). Utah State went 11-2 last season and is a tricky opener, but then the Demon Deacons hit a stretch where they can really make some hay, including games against division opponents Louisville and FSU, which are down right now, before a final stretch that is pretty tough on paper.
Last year: 2-10 (0-8 ACC) Best win: vs. Indiana State, 31-7 Worst loss: at Clemson, 77-16
Coach: Scott Satterfield (first year, 51-24 career)
Starters returning: 19 (7 offense, 10 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: WR Dez Fitzpatrick. A junior this season, in 2018 Fitzpatrick recorded 31 catches for 422 yards and a trio of scores. No matter who plays quarterback, the receivers will have to step up and help out an offense that struggled mightily a year ago.
Defensive player to watch: LB C.J. Avery. As a sophomore, Avery was second on the Cardinals with 56 tackles, 2.5 for losses, and 0.5 sacks. He also picked off two passes, had two breakups, and
Special teams player to watch: K Blanton Creque. A senior this season, in 2018 Creque made 10 of his 12 field goals, including 3 of 3 from 40-49 yards. He's the most accurate kicker in school history at 84.3 percent.
Schedule: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Eastern Kentucky, vs. Western Kentucky in Nashville, at Florida State, vs. Boston College, at Wake Forest, vs. Clemson, vs. Virginia, at Miami, at N.C. State, vs. Syracuse, at Kentucky.
Win-loss prediction: 4-8 or 5-7. Satterfield comes over from Appalachian State, where he won at least 10 games three times in six seasons. Except for a couple of years at Florida International and Toledo coordinating offenses and coaching QBs, Satterfield is an App. State guy through and through, having played QB at the school in the early 1990s before being an assistant from 1998-2008. It will be interesting to see what he can do to turn around the culture at Louisville, a once-proud program that was awful last year and never quite as good in Bobby Petrino's second go-around at the school as in his first. It isn't a good sign when your best win a season ago was over an FCS team. The quarterback battle right now is between Jawon Pass and Malik Cunningham, both of whom saw time last season and neither of whom were very good. Pass completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,960 yards, eight TDs and 12 INTs. He was sacked 30 times. Cunningham completed 59.7 percent of his passes (on just 67 attempts), for 473 yards, one score, and one pick. He led the team with 497 yards rushing and five scores. Evan Conley, a true freshman who enrolled in January after flipping his commitment from App. St. to Louisville, could get a chance at the job. The line returns just two starters. The defense returns almost every starter but gave up 44.1 points per game last season, 127th (out of 129) in the FBS, and is switching to a 3-4 alignment. After Notre Dame, there are some winnable games, but the last stretch is tough.
Wake Forest
Last year: 7-6 (3-5 ACC), beat Memphis, 37-34, in Birmingham Bowl Best win: at No. 23 N.C. State, 27-23 Worst loss: at Florida State, 38-17
Coach: Dave Clawson (sixth year, 28-35 at Wake, 118-115 career)
Starters returning: 14 (6 offense, 5 defense, 3 specialists)
Offensive players to watch: QBs Sam Hartman and Jamie Newman. Hartman, a sophomore this season, started nine games in 2018 before suffering a broken leg. He completed 55.3 percent of his passes for 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding 275 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Newman, a junior, won three of his four starts at the end of 2018, including the regular-season finale at Duke that made Wake bowl eligible, and vs. Memphis in the bowl game. He completed 59.6 percent of his passes for nine scores and four picks, adding 247 yards and four TDs
Defensive player to watch: DE Carlos Basham Jr. As a sophomore, Basham finished with 64 tackles, 11 for losses, 4.5 sacks, and a blocked kick.
Special teams player to watch: K Nick Sciba. As a true freshman, Sciba set the school record for field goal percentage at 86.4, making 19 of 22.
Schedule: vs. Utah State, at Rice, vs. North Carolina, vs. Elon, at Boston College, vs. Louisville, vs. Florida State, vs. N.C. State, at Virginia Tech, at Clemson, vs. Duke, at Syracuse.
Win-loss prediction: 6-6 or 7-5. Clawson hasn't quite been able to make the same jump at Wake that he did at other stops at Fordham, Richmond, and Bowling Green, but he's built a solid program nevertheless with two seven-win campaigns sandwiched around an eight-victory year since starting his tenure in Winston-Salem with a pair of 3-9 records. The offensive line only has two returning starters, and do-everything star Greg Dortch left school early for the NFL after two decorated years as a wideout and return man (he redshirted his first season, allowing him to leave after two years of playing). But the QB position has good options and a bruiser, Cade Carney, is back at tailback after a 1,000-yard season. The defense was not very good in 2018, allowing 459 yards and 33 points per game, but returns some production in Basham, leading tackler LB Justin Strnd (105, 8.5 for losses), and corners Essang Bassey and Amari Henderson (combined 25 breakups). Utah State went 11-2 last season and is a tricky opener, but then the Demon Deacons hit a stretch where they can really make some hay, including games against division opponents Louisville and FSU, which are down right now, before a final stretch that is pretty tough on paper.
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