Thursday, August 06, 2015

Young rosters and where BC stands in the ACC

Addazio is quick to remind everyone how young this BC team is. But it seems like other ACC coaches have the same issue. When Dave Doreen brought it up again at the ACC Media Day, ACCSports.com decided to look at all the rosters in the ACC. It turns out that everyone is young.

The nature of college football means that you're always going to have more underclassmen than juniors and seniors. First there is the redshirt aspect. That really turns your roster into three classes (redshirts, freshmen and sophomores) vs two (juniors and seniors). Then there is the inevitable attrition through injuries, grades and transfers that shrinks a class as it advances through college. For every class like BC's 2007 group (17 redshirt seniors), there will be plenty much smaller than that. But on most rosters and even the best programs, you need to win with your underclassmen.

But even though ever team is young, some are younger than others. That's where BC's 2016 roster comes in. Using ACCSports' data, BC is the third youngest team in the conference behind Wake and NC State. 67.5% of the roster are classified as underclassmen.

So when Addazio says the team is young, he's right. But that doesn't mean that BC's unique nor does it mean that we cannot win this year.

9 comments:

mod34b said...

Choo, choo… let’s get the Dazoo, Dazzoo excuse express training going.

BC underclass is almost identical to most of the other ACC school.

The average number of underclassman of the 6 other teams in BC's division is 56. BC has 57 underclassmen. Big deal.

Choo, choo… let's get the Dazoo, Dazoo excuse express train going… and many of the fans are more than willing to buy that noise... choo, choo . .. .

Big Jack Krack said...

All coaches talk like this in August - most anyway. This year we could surprise. 2016 - 2017 and hopefully beyond LOOK OUT.

Here comes BC!

Thomas said...

mod - curious to hear what your expectations were for the last two seasons and how poorly BC performed against them. What were you expecting - 10-2, 11-1 or 12-0?

blist said...

Isn't part of what gives Daz a little bit of credibility with the young comments is that the Jr & Sr class were Spazoo's?

mod34b said...

Thomas - here are my predictions for the last two years: 6-6 and 6-6. BC was 7-6 and 7-6. What was your point?

Daz is a charismatic fella, and his biggest calling card is that Urban Meyer, with the #1 recruiting class and National championships under his belt, chose Addazio as his OC. He could have picked anyone, but he picked Daz. Meyers obviously saw talent there. But has Daz shown that talent as coach? I'd say, "not yet"

Famously, as Bill Parcells said, you are what your record says you are. What does Daz's record say about who he is as a coach?

As for his 2010 Florida gig, it was a disaster. Urban Meyer's worst record as a head coach due almost exclusively to Addazio's inept offense. In 2010 Florida finished unranked for the first time since 1989.

As for his record as a Head Coach: for the last 4 years he is basically a .500 coach.

This year we are probably looking at more .500 ball - maybe better, I hope.

Why do so many fans overvalue Daz, with one seriously suggesting the Michigan would hire Daz away from BC?? Why is BC paying Daz $2.6 M -- I don't think he is worth it..

That said, I'd like nothing more than to see Daz reach his potential this year and coach with some imagination. The last two years he surprised us with the new-and-vastly-improved Andre and last year getting Murphy was great. This year? Nobody really knows yet. Surprise us Mr. Daz, we deserve it.

Dan said...

So you expected 12 wins and we got 14...

In most industries if you exceed your goals by 17% management is pretty happy with you.

mod34b said...

Dan - are you in an industry that accepts mediocrity? If so, maybe Daz could be a keynote speaker and a middle-schmiddle event!

CT said...

I think it becomes a bit harder to be young when you don't recruit elite talent.

It's especially difficult with a young quarterback. Even at football factories.

I suppose that's not a reason to some but an excuse. To each his own. But I'm more apt to fall on the the experience-is-everything when you have to coach 'em up more often. If Dazz is struggling in two years, I'll likely change my mind. But there are coaches at those football factories who are institutions and have never gotten a title.

EL MIZ said...

Addazio has made these comments seemingly every year as a way to temper expectations, as a good coach should do. Mod, what do you want him to say - "i expect us to win 10 games this year?" that'd be silly.

Addazio has exceeded expectations in yrs 1 and 2, yet Mod somehow concludes this is mediocre. i would not want to work for Mod.