Mark Packer, ACC PM, joins Adam to discuss Syracuse at Clemson, Duke at Miami, and who he thinks is #2 in the conference.

Today on the ACC Network, Mark Packer, ACC PM, and lo and behold, Mark Packer joins us on the Adam Gold show. How are you? How are things going in the afternoon?

Well, I mean, they've always gone in the afternoon. The only thing I'm fighting is this torn Achilles, and I'm at least out of the boot, and I'm above ground. So I got that going for me, Adam. So that's about what we got, but I'm ready for another big weekend of ACC football. We finally got media days done with both the men and the women. Looking forward to hoops getting started in a couple of weeks. And so again, perfect weather. Let's go play.

I'm looking forward to it. Nothing going on, right? How did you tear your Achilles?

How did I miss this? I'd love to tell you a story that I jumped out of an airplane. I was chasing bulls or some crazy story, but it's just wear and tear. I've lost about 65 pounds. And you're eating right and doing a little, you know, actually being active, which is a unique concept for me. And, you know, just the wear and tear, I guess, and just felt something pop at the back of my foot.

And sure enough, I didn't completely tear, but I wore a boot for about three months and doing everything I can not to have surgery. So at least I'm out of the boot, but man, it still hurts. But, you know, that's just the deal. But again, it beats the alternative.

It absolutely does. All right, let's, we're going to just move past tonight's game for a second, Virginia at Georgia Tech. We have four games this weekend. I want to start with Syracuse at Clemson. I keep hearing this about the Clemson Tigers, that they're back.

But I have two questions about this. One, like if they went away, they only went away for a year. So I mean, I just don't understand the whole they're back thing. And the second is that I do need to be convinced that they're good enough to beat the teams that will end up in the top three. So you want to give a take a shot at that?

Yeah, I'll throw the first one. Really, they never left. I mean, listen, they're one of three teams in the history of college football that have given you double digit years of double digit wins. You know, we saw Bobby Bowden do it, the legendary coach of Florida State, we're watching Nick Saban do it in Alabama, and we're watching Dabo Sweeney do it at Clemson. That's it.

When you take role of Hey, have you ever accomplished the following? Those are the three institutions that do it, and two of them are still active. So you know, all this talk about Clemson being back.

I'm not exactly sure they left. I mean, they were 10 and three last year. And you know, you're sitting here in Raleigh, North Carolina, how delicate is winning 10 games? It's hard to do.

I mean, I don't care who you are. So for Clemson have a quote unquote, down here winning 10 puts things totally in perspective. But this team is better than they were a year ago. I think they've proven that I think they'll prove it again Saturday. This is a great year for Syracuse football.

Dina's in a nice job, but there are six wins five events in the dome. They're only road games been a road trip to Yukon. I got news for them.

They're not walking into Yukon Saturday. I knew it. So that's a special place down there. And I'm not just saying that as an alum, I've seen this enough. Uh, did a Valley when they're juiced up and ready to go, it doesn't matter if it's at 8 PM, like NC state, or if it's high noon, uh, when that crowd knows it's a big deal, uh, it's normally a tough place to play. They won 37 in a row. And I mentioned yesterday, uh, you got to go back to 2016 when Pitt beat them on a 48 yard field goal at the buzzer to win by one. If the guy that made the field goals, names blew it. And if he doesn't make the field goal at them, they've won 58 in a row at home. I mean, it's just stupid what they've done and they dominated good teams.

They dominate roast beef. A and M I think Syracuse is a really good team. Uh, well coached traders been out of sight.

Uh, Tucker is a great running back. I mean, they've got pieces, but I just think Clemson has more pieces in there at home. And I think coming off a performance in which they did not tackle well, and Tallahassee had a players meeting this week on the defensive side. I just think Clemson will be fired up to play. You got it.

I don't know how you pick against him at home until proven otherwise. So are the tigers back? I don't think they ever left. Uh, but your next part was, are they good enough to compete with the, whatever the three you want it to be? Ohio state, Georgia, and fill in the blank with whatever the sec, a du jour question is, whether it be Tennessee, Bama or who else? I don't know.

Uh, in fact, I'm not, I'm not sure we even know who the three or four are right now. I mean, if you'd have asked me that question a month ago, I would have told you, boy, Georgia looks better than everybody else. I see efforts against Missouri and, you know, Kent state where they look like they're just kind of sleepwalked a little bit.

So, you know, listen, it's October, it's now starting to get to the best part of the year. I wasn't sold on Michigan until I saw him bloody up Penn state run down their throat last weekend. I would've told you Alabama looks like Alabama until they got beat over the weekend.

And so, I mean, you know, Ohio state hasn't really played anybody. Um, the objects to play your best football when we get to late December and early January, I will tell you Clemson's best team to do that. They get better as the year goes on and Dabo's team feels that way.

And whether or not they're one of the elite, they'll get a chance to prove it if they're good enough. I like Mark Packer is joining us here in the Adam Gold show, ACC PM coming up this afternoon on the ACC network. Here's the thing I love about what they have done offensively and Dabo is still, you know, chip on his shoulder about DJ Uyengul away. He has gotten much better. And I just think maybe as the game just slowed down a little bit for him, because it's not just patience in the pocket with the passing game.

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Simply go to Geico.com or contact your local agent today. Yeah. You know, he's also lost weight. You know, he lost about 30 pounds.

He does look trimmer and quicker, even though he's still a big dude. Uh, but I think Clemson's probably been smart enough to say, Hey, listen, Tony Elliott's moved on to Virginia. There is a new scheme on the offensive side. They're wide receivers, even when they've dropped some balls this year. They had a terrible case that drops and injuries last year. And I would also say the other thing too, and this is something I think all of us are guilty of in the media.

You know, we're not with these guys all the time. And I think DJ probably went through some personal stuff last year with his family, uh, for folks that know that story that, you know, he's a California guy sitting there in the upstate of South Carolina. He's under a lot of pressure. They got off to a slow start. Um, that's how that's a lot on a kid. Who's sounding name image and likeness deals with Dr. Pepper and everybody else where you think you're supposed to be the second coming of Trevor Lawrence and you're not. And all of a sudden you're on a team that's supposed to be in the spotlight.

And at one time it was four and three this time last year. So that's a lot on a kid that's a 1920, 21 years old. So I think he, you know, I think he went through some tough times. Dabo obviously knows his team better than anybody else on the planet earth.

Uh, he said, Hey, this guy's a talented dude. He's got a great character, part of them that we love. And I think they they've coached them out pretty well, to be honest with you. I mean, the 17 to two ratio of touchdowns, the interceptions, the place, smart football, and Clemson really hasn't turned it over a whole lot this year. So I think they've, they kind of played to his strength, Adam, which is obviously good enough to get them to a undefeated record and ranked fifth in the country. Yeah. And, uh, look, I, I don't see a lot of losses on Clemson schedule between now and the end of the regular season.

I really don't. I mean, there, there are potential losses. I mean, you could lose, I don't think they're going to lose at Notre Dame.

Uh, you could lose against, uh, pit, pit could be, you know, they've had a little bit of an issue with pit at times, but, uh, so that, that could be a problem, but I don't see a lot of, uh, a lot of danger. You know, you know, and we mentioned earlier this week on the show that Clemson's won four true road games so far this year. Nobody else in the power five is one more than two. Clemson's won four. And you, when you start talking about, Hey, they've won at Georgia tech and before you laugh, all of a sudden the jackets are one, two in a row, trying to make it three in a row at night. They've won at wake four.

So I think everybody would admit Dave Clausen has got a really good team. Uh, you know, they went and won at Florida state over the weekend. And I know Florida state to the rebuild mode, but anytime Florida state Clemson get together, it's a great rivalry. They went on the road at Boston college, which was the red bandana game. And that there's ever a night in which BC is always going to be juiced up. That's the game.

So they've kind of gone through the gauntlet. They're done with ACC road games or, and here's the team that's won 37 consecutive home games. And you look forward to you say, listen, they get Syracuse at home. And is that a dangerous game?

Sure it is. Could they lose? Surely could, but man, who's going to pick against them, right? They got, um, they got Louisville at home and they're going to be favorite there. They got Miami at home. They're going to be favorite there. They got South Carolina at home.

They're going to be favorite there. And you mentioned the trip to Notre Dame and I watched the Irish over the weekend, somehow lose to Stanford and they've already lost it home to Marshall. So really, to be honest with you, Clemson's gone really through the toughest part of their schedule once they get through this weekend. And if assuming they can win Saturday, then they have an open date to get ready for at Notre Dame.

And then the last three games are at home. I don't think there's another team in the country who's got a number beside their name that has a better script in front of them than Clemson does. If they can get through Syracuse over the weekend. Let me ask you this question, Mark Packer, who is the second best team in the ACC?

I think it's Wake Forest. I do too. Um, and again, North Carolina is fun, but they can't tackle me or you. Um, and I, I can't wait. Well, in your boot, they could probably bring you down.

Well, I'm not sure that boots, you know, that's a weapon when I got the boot on and I feel like I'm being attacked. Um, I cannot wait to see Wake Forest in North Carolina hookup in November. I mean, the last two years, those two teams have combined for 225 points.

And I would tell you today that both of them are better offensively right now than they were at any point in time, the last two years. And given, I know that Wake's improved on the defensive side and Gene Chiswick's trying to figure it out, uh, for the heels, but that game potentially, I mean, could be so thoroughly entertaining, um, that I cannot wait to see it. I think there are two good teams. I think North Carolina has gotten better as the year goes on. I think Wake's really good.

Yeah. We're going to see my, my prediction is we're going to see Clemson and North Carolina in Charlotte at the end of the year. And that could put some strain on Clemson secondary, which is probably the weak link on them, right? Well, I would say this, and again, you never know how it's going to play out, but those would be the two favorites.

I think today, and I think that's probably a safe assessment. Uh, and again, nobody in the conference office would admit to this, but if it turns out that North Carolina and Clemson could run the table for argument's sake and North Carolina has got one loss, which was to Notre Dame and Clemson's got a zero in the loss column. If that's the game in Charlotte, North Carolina, uh, number one, it's thoroughly entertaining because Drake may has been awesome and North Carolina's offense is legit.

And if Clemson's at 12 and Oh, and who knows where they're going to be ranked at that point in time, number one, it's a tough ticket. It should be an incredibly thoroughly entertaining game. I think it's the ACC from a national narrative standpoint, you probably couldn't ask for a better case scenario because the environment should be great. The game should be great, terrific storylines and a lot at stake. That'd be a great situation.

No, no question about that. And Carolina would be, I'm not going to say out of nowhere because there were people who pick Carolina, uh, to win the coastal at the beginning of the year, but, um, Carolina out of nowhere, going to another major bowl would more than likely be the orange bowl unless they were to win that game. And then who knows, I'm not even going to, I'm not going to speak and I know you're sitting here in Raleigh, but how weird is it that before the season, given all the hype of NC state football, and I still think they're a really good team. I hate what happened to Devin. Larry is a game changer for me. Number one is a classy kid, terrific player. NC state's defense is legit.

It's really good. They're well coached a lot of experience, but it's weird how we're sitting here talking about North Carolina and NC state where they really have kind of done a total reversal of hype based on preseason versus where we are here, getting ready to enter week eight and the potential of North Carolina being that team in the ACC championship game with only one loss. And who knows under that scenario where they would be ranked versus where we thought NC state could be, Hey, this is the year for the Wolfpack, you know, to go back to back against Clemson, you know, really truly in the curse against those guys winning the Valley, get that thing back to win the Atlantic, get to the championship game.

And now I'm watching NC state. I just worry that they just cannot score. It was tough with Devin back and they're just having a hard time scoring. And as good as that defense is, I mean, you got to help them. You can't just come rolling into Syracuse and say, Hey, we're going to put a nine spot on the board.

And that's enough. It's not today's college football. So it's kind of weird to me how North Carolina and NC state have kind of done a 180 as this season is going on.

And I still think they're two really good teams, quite frankly. State's defense is among the best in the country. There's no question about that, but their offense doesn't give them any help. And if your defense is always on the field, you're just vulnerable. I think that's what got them against Syracuse. They couldn't, it's not that they couldn't sustain things.

They just, they just lack aggression when it comes to when you have an opportunity to score, it almost seems like they pretend, let's just make sure we get the three. But, and that was even with Devin Leary healthy. So I think some things might have to change offensively. The first question you asked me today was about Clemson being back and I go, we're going to end it with this.

I'm sure, but it's talking about NC state's office. It goes to show you what a remarkable job Dabo did with Clemson last year, because offensively they were a mess. They just, they couldn't do anything. They were terrible quarterback play injuries. Uh, I mean, they, you just couldn't score. And to think that that team won 10 games last year goes back to the question, you know, it's Clemson back.

Well, I'm not sure they ever left again. It's so hard to win 10. Um, and especially when you can't score and in today's world, it seems like everybody can put points on the board. Not everybody can play solid defense with that defense in Raleigh is legit. So we'll be kind of curious to see how Dave Dorn navigates the second half of the season.

Same thing with North Carolina. And even my guy like Mike Elko, who's been fantastic at Duke, uh, that game this weekend with Miami, I think it's interesting too. And not that it could have a bearing on the big picture, but it might for a team like Miami, since they only have one loss. But, uh, you know, I think the football and tobacco road this year has been about as interesting as it's been in a long, long time. If you want to throw a weight force in that mix to make you better, but the big four have really been entertaining this year.

Well, no question about it. I mean, they might be, you know, two, three, and I don't know, six in terms of you were stacking the ACC, uh, one to 14. All right. Four o'clock today, ACC PM, Mark Packer. I appreciate your time. My friend. We'll talk to you soon, Adam. Anytime you got me and take care of yourself. You got Mark Packer here on the Adam gold show.