First as a disclaimer: Practice access is great for seeing rotations, which younger players are emerging, how far along freshmen are, getting 1-on-1 time with players and staff ... but not so much when actually determining how good a team is. It's all a zero-sum game. Touchdown -- great, does the defense suck? Turnover -- great, but is our offense going to be careless?
A few reasons I said 5 wins:
- The schedule is brutal. I think they start 4-0 so projecting 1-7 to close is probably too pessimistic. But when the two games you've got the most confidence in over the last two months of the season are trips to VT and Syracuse, and the November track record is what it is, it's hard to find optimism (at least, IMO).
- As I've written, I have the same questions about their defense I have seemingly every year at this time. I don't know that there's depth at DT, DE or CB.
- I think this is a bridge year. 6 or 7 wins would be decent, extend the bowl streak, and then see which players who can leave after the season come back for Mitch Griffis' second year as a starter. If they get a chunk of those guys -- I have in mind Ellison, Banks, Morin, K. Williams, D. Gordon, J. Davis, K. Pointer, C. Jones (I think has another year), C. Carson, M. Mustapha -- back and develop elsewhere, I think next year is when WF competes around the top of the ACC (whatever it looks like).
A closing thought: "My Take" going into the '21 season was "I'm not as bullish as most" ... so really, what the hell do I know?!