sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Bagpipe Appreciation Day!
Today we celebrate the bagpipes! The instruments have long been associated with the Scottish Highlands, although they have come from many different places, and there are many variations of them. They have also been used in many different contexts.
The main components of the bagpipe are the bag, chanter, and drones. The bag is usually made of animal skin or rubberized cloth. It is inflated either by having air breathed into it through a blowpipe or by using a bellows. Air can then be fed throughout the instrument to make the sound, by placing arm pressure on the bag. The bag allows sound to be continuous while giving players the chance to take breaths, as well as for several tones to be played at the same time.
The chanter, or melody pipe, has finger holes that let a player make notes to form melodies. The other pipes, called drones, may have single or double reeds. They play single, constant notes that accompany the melody. They are tuned with the chanter by lengthening or shortening their extendable joints. The pipes are in wooden sockets, or stocks, which are tied into the bag.
SU News
Syracuse linebacker Mikel Jones (13) celebrates with Josh Black (85) after recovering a fumble when Pittsburgh running back Vincent Davis (22) missed a backward pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) AP
Mikel Jones named to Butkus Award watch list (PS; $; Mink)
Syracuse linebacker Mikel Jones is on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, a national award that honors the nation’s top linebacker.
Jones, a third-year player with sophomore eligibility, was one of the most disruptive players in the country last season, having a hand in eight turnovers, including nation-leading four interceptions.
He earned All-ACC recognition after finishing last season with 69 tackles, including two for loss, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
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Syracuse football picked to finish last in ACC division (PS; $; Mink)
Syracuse football was picked to finish last in its ACC division by conference media members.
The dreary outlook is not a huge surprise. The Orange is coming off a 1-10 season, and oddsmakers’ preseason win totals have been set around three wins.
Syracuse was last picked to finish at the bottom of the division in 2018 when the team finished 10-3 and ended the year second in the Atlantic Division behind conference champion Clemson.
Here’s how the conference media voted on the order of finish in each division:
Atlantic Division
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Clemson – 1,028 (146)
2. NC State - 804 (1)
3. Boston College - 638
4. Florida State - 510
5. Wake Forest - 472
6. Louisville - 462
7. Syracuse - 202
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Five Schools the ACC Should Target in Conference Expansion (SI; McAllister)
With Texas and Oklahoma informing the Big-12 that they will not renew their media rights agreement when it expires in 2025, conference expansion/realignment talk is only getting louder and more intense. This is expected to be the first step in both schools heading to the SEC. There are several scenarios that could play out from there, but the best way for the ACC to ensure its survival is to be proactive. That is why it should target these five schools to join the conference.
WEST VIRGINIA
WVU has a history with several current ACC schools dating back to its days in the Big East. They included Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech. Renewing those would be appealing to both sides. West Virginia may not be a big television market, but it has a strong fan base for football and basketball with respected programs in both. With the Big-12 in peril with the potential loss of Texas and Oklahoma, the move would make sense for West Virginia as it would preserve a spot with a major conference. In addition, it would help strengthen the ACC.
CINCINNATI
Cincinnati football and basketball always seem to be good. Those are the two money makers that schools evaluate when looking to expand, with football as the main revenue driver. The Bearcats football program has at least nine wins in seven of the last 10 seasons. That includes going 11-2, 11-3 and 9-1 in the last three years, finishing ranked in each season. Currently in the AAC, Cincinnati could look to move to a power conference. While the AAC is reportedly looking to poach Big-12 schools in order to assert itself as a power conference, the ACC could be an attractive option. It would also further the ACC's reach into the Midwest.
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This is the fourth simulation of the 2021 Syracuse Football Simulation hosted by Orange Fizz. 'Cuse opened the season with an impressive 29-0 win on the road at Ohio. Dino Babers and Company dropped the Dome Opener to Rutgers 57-40 in a shootout. SU responded with a 30-7 win over in-state foe UAlbany. So 'Cuse sits at 2-1 entering its final non-conference matchup with Liberty. The Flames beat the Orange last year in the Dome. Can Syracuse get revenge one year later?
On The Block On Demand 7-26 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent is back from vacation to address Texas and Oklahoma’s move from the Big 12 to the SEC and how this impacts Syracuse as well as college sports as a whole.
David Hale "On The Block" 7-26 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
David Hale joins Brent to discuss Texas and Oklahoma’s move to the SEC and the ripple effect this will cause throughout all of college sports.
Syracuse Football: Why RB Sean Tucker would be a perfect choice for 44 (itlh; Fiello)
Last season was admittedly hard to watch at times as the Syracuse football team struggled. However, one bright spot for me was watching one name emerge and made me excited to watch and that was Syracuse football running back Sean Tucker. So therefore I was excited to see the announcement that he was named to the Doak Walker Watch List.
Last season, when Syracuse’s top two options (Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard) at running back opted out for the season, Sean Tucker was not even hardly mentioned on the depth chart. Yet as the season progressed, Sean and Cooper Lutz stepped up and had fans excited. This despite the fact that the offensive line had injury issues and unfortunately Florida transfer Chris Bleich was forced to sit out due to transfer rules despite an appeal to play immediately that was denied.
Watching Sean play last season brought me back to my youth when I would wonder if a player who played like that would be a perfect fit to wear the 44. I know…I know…44 is retired and nobody can wear it again and blah blah blah.
Sorry, but I loved the tradition of handing the 44 jersey to a top-notch player and watching him wear it on the field while we fans regaled in the stories of the legacy of the number knowing that player may not achieve what the greats did but still brought pride to the Orange uniform. The university has stated through spokespeople that it could return for an exceptional athlete and I consider Sean’s achievements last season to be exceptional.
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League-wide QB depth to define ACC football this fall (post-gazette.com; McGonigal)
Just before last week’s ACC Kickoff, well, kicked off, E.J. Manuel made a claim.
“This is a great group, not just in the ACC, but throughout the country,” the former Florida State star said after being asked about the ACC’s quarterback depth. “I think top to bottom, this is the best in the country.”
A cynic might contend that of course Manuel, an ACC Network analyst, would say that on the conference’s TV channel. But he has a point.
Thirteen of the ACC’s 14 football programs have a quarterback with starting experience returning this fall, with Duke the lone exception. That wealth of talent was reflected at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte last week, as Syracuse was the only team not to bring a quarterback for media days. Virginia and Florida State brought two.
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Exploring Big Ten's best expansion plans for building a superconference (sportsnews.com; Bender)
When asked about Oklahoma and Texas' pending move to the SEC, Ohio State coach Ryan Day offered a glimpse into what Big Ten football fans might see in the future.
"We may wake up in five years and not recognize college football," Day said at Big Ten Media Days. "There's so many giant things going on right now.”
The transfer portal, NIL and playoff expansion are all part of the puzzle, but the Sooners and Longhorns launched what is coming next.
Realignment. Super conferences. New television deals, and the Big Ten cannot afford to wait five years to see what that end result will be. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is entering his 23rd season as head coach. He offered simple advice.
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Clemson football: Jay Bilas says ACC should approach SEC for merger (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)
The Clemson football program has been among the top-tiered programs in the nation for the last half-decade and nothing seems to be getting in the way of that trend continuing as we look into the near future.
That being said, there is something happening on the horizon of College Football that should at least have Clemson football fans somewhat concerned: Conference realignment and expansion.
The SEC is reportedly set to add Texas and Oklahoma to its member institutions following the school’s joint statement that they would not be renewing their grant of media rights with the Big 12 following the 2024 season and that has everyone up-in-arms discussing what the fallout could be from such a move.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas says that if he were ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips that he would approach the SEC for considerations of a merger.
What a merger with the SEC could look like and what it would mean for Clemson football
If the ACC and SEC came together under one merger to form a super-conference and kept all of their member institutions, we would be talking about a league with 30 teams. If Notre Dame was added to the mix, that would make 31.
That league would be enough to play a full regular season schedule with just itself and we’d likely have to divide up into regional pods- say five pods of six teams- to make it work. That could get messy.
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Pat Narduzzi talks defensive line, pass rush at ACC Football Kickoff Media Day (cardiachill.com; Whaley)
Pitt football head coach Pat Narduzzi spoke at the ACC’s football media day this past week covering a range of topics. One unit he really broke down a little was the defensive line.
The line, of course, was a major strength for the team last year. But with the loss of their top two pass rushers in Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver to the NFL, the Panthers could conceivably be in for a dropoff this season. That pair combined for 16 1⁄2 sacks last year and the two easily led the team.
Not everyone expects a major dropoff this year. Pro Football Focus, for example, just put the Panthers’ pass rush for 2021 in their top ten. Still, questions — and even Narduzzi acknowledges the obvious losses.
“With Patrick Jones heading to the Vikings, Rashad Weaver to the Titans, we lost a lot of firepower there,” Narduzzi said.
Despite that, it’s worth pointing out that the Panthers have been building depth on the line and the Panthers have even had success with lower-ranked recruits.
“I’m happy with the depth,” Narduzzi said. “I’m happy with the development. It all comes down to development. Patrick Jones was a two-star player out of Virginia that I don’t want to say nobody wanted, but we were able to get. He only had two stars.”
Pitt seems to have this uncanny ability to just plug and play a little bit once they lose key players. And for what it’s worth, the Panthers didn’t even miss a beat on the defensive line last year when it was unexpectedly announced that star Jaylen Twyman would be sitting out the season. So count me out on the idea that the unit will struggle this season. I just have a good amount of faith in the next group of guys. Reaching the heights of 2020 might be a bit difficult, but I don’t think the unit will fall off of a cliff.
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ACC coaches agree, 85-scholarship limit archaic for today’s college football (theclemsoninsider.com; Vandervort)
Last year, the NCAA awarded an extra year of eligibility to all student-athletes who played fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And though the NCAA is not counting that against football teams’ 85-scholarship limit this year, it will, beginning in 2022.
That is just one issue for head football coaches across the country when it comes to managing their rosters, especially when you throw in the transfer portal, the one-year transfer rule and the freedom players have to opt out at any point in the season.
Since 1992, the NCAA has limited all Division I football teams to 85 scholarships. But Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson believes that is an archaic rule that needs to be updated.
“What did a college football season look like in 1992? It was 10 or 11 regular-season games, and maybe if you were lucky a bowl game,” Clawson said at the ACC Football Kickoff this past Thursday in Charlotte. “So, the maximum amount of games you were playing back then, when they put the 85-rule in, is I believe 12 games. There weren’t playoffs. There weren’t conference championship games.
“To constantly be adding games, conference championships, rounds of playoffs, and then the roster pressure you’re now getting from a one-time transfer rule, the roster pressure from people who opt out, and they’re not just opting out for bowl games, they’re opting out in October if they don’t have the role they want or their agents are telling them in November, ‘Hey, you don’t need to play anymore, you’re already a first-round pick.’ At a certain point you just can’t keep burning it at both ends.”
That is why the ACC football coaches sent a proposal to the NCAA asking for five more scholarships to alleviate some of the headaches that have come with the optouts, transfer portal, one-year transfer rule and now the extra year of eligibility because of COVID.
“If we’re going to (expand the playoff), and it looks like there’s a good chance it’s going to happen, add a tournament, add games, at a certain point we have to go back and look at the rosters,” Clawson said. “We do not have the ability to sign guys off the waiver wire of another team’s practice squad when we get hurt at a position with injuries or opt-outs in November.
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ACC players vote NC State’s fanbase most annoying (backingthepack.com; Muma)
When the N&O conducted an anonymous poll among the players at ACC media days, the results were not surprising. Carter-Finley Stadium received the most votes for least favorite place to play. Most annoying fanbase? NC State took that one, too.
“I just don’t like that place at all,” said one player. In other words: mission accomplished, everybody! Nice work all around. Let’s make some noise for, uh, making noise!
It’s a compliment that players on opposing teams don’t like coming to Raleigh, and being as annoying and disruptive as possible is something Wolfpack fans have prided themselves on for a long time. It beats the alternative—Wake Forest got a couple votes in the “most hated venue” category, and I don’t think that’s for the ambiance.
The players also were asked which quarterback was the most underrated, which led to guys responding with their own team’s signal-caller. That’s just being a good teammate right there. Among the players deemed overrated, Bam Knight got a vote. Wonder which Wake or UNC player is responsible for that one.
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https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article252968533.html (newsobserver.com; Staff)
N.C. State fans, you are not liked by these players. Well done.
Coaches brought a collection of their best and most respected players to ACC Kickoff in Charlotte this week to meet the media. We took an anonymous survey of players from all 14 football teams in the conference and there was a resounding sense of ire toward the Wolfpack.
“I hate playing in N.C. State. The fans are like — they’re like right there,” one player told us. “They could touch you if they wanted to. And I don’t like that.”
ACC players shared everything from who they think is the most overrated player in the league and most underrated quarterback to which fanbase is the most annoying and how much money they plan on making with their name, image and likeness.
Below are the highlights of their responses.
WHO IS THE MOST UNDERRATED QUARTERBACK IN THE ACC?
▪ Phil Jurkovec, Boston College (3 votes)▪ Gunnar Holmberg, Duke (3)
▪ Malik Cunningham, Louisville (2)
▪ Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh (2)
▪ Tommy DeVito, Syracuse (2)
VISITING STADIUM YOU HATE PLAYING IN THE MOST
There’s no sign of respect quite like not wanting to walk onto someone else’s field: “It’s a love/hate relationship with Virginia Tech,” one player said. “I hate it because it’s so loud in there and their fans are so into it, but I love it for the environment that it is. It’s a true college atmosphere.”More than half of ACC schools were listed, but N.C. State got the most votes (three), followed by a three-way tie for second with Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State.
On the flip side, Clemson and UNC were where visiting players most enjoyed playing.
WHO IS THE MOST OVERRATED PLAYER IN THE ACC?
Only North Carolina’s Sam Howell got multiple votes here, and there are a fair amount of players listed, so at least the criticism is balanced. Quarterbacks were the main targets, and a good portion of players we spoke to didn’t have an answer for this question. As one said: “Here’s the thing, I feel like if you’re at this level, you have talent. I don’t really feel like there is anybody who is not good that’s playing (college football). We are all good because we got here.”Fair enough. But if anyone is overrated, here are the guys fellow ACC players called out:
▪ Sam Howell, UNC quarterback (2)
▪ Xavier Thomas, Clemson linebacker
▪ Bam Knight, N.C. State running back
▪ Sam Hartman, Wake Forest quarterback
▪ D’Eriq King, Miami quarterback
▪ Bubba Bolden, Miami safety
▪ D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson quarterback
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Georgia Tech: Past and Present (RX; HM)
Georgia Tech: Past and Present
3 videos focus on Georgia Tech football...
CBS Sports
College Traditions: Georgia Tech
College Traditions: Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck has been part of the school's history for 83 years. CBSSports.com takes a closer look at what makes this tradition so unique in Atlanta.
__________
__________
College Football on ESPN
Georgia Tech restoring football
program to former glory
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What is a Tier 1 CFB game worth? (RX; HM)
What is a Tier 1 CFB game worth?
Is it possible to calculate - at least a rough estimate - of what a T1 football game is worth?SEC TV Contract
As most of you know, the SEC signed a new T1 contract with ABC/ESPN which begins in 2024 and includes the 15 most valuable SEC games [top picks, previously on CBS]. The total value of this new contract was reported to be $300 million per year. That includes rights to the SEC Championship Game, which has been carried on CBS.Many of you know that this new contract also includes 8 men's basketball games which were previously on CBS. If it's 80% football, that's $240M/15 games = $16M per game! However, that's not the whole story.
Some of you also know that the new SEC contract also includes the 14 least-valuable SEC games which are being moved to ESPN+, as well as another 20 non-conference men's basketball games which will stream on ESPN+ [source].
Untangling all of those parts to figure out exactly how much the T1 football games alone are worth is complicated. To help us figure things out, let's include some more data points. Specifically, let's look at the Big Ten.
B1G TV Contract
Let's start with the differences between the Fox and ESPN portions of the Big Ten contract.#Games per Network
| Net | FB | MBB | CCG | $M |
| Fox | 25 | 50 | 1 | 240 |
| ESPN | 25 | 50 | - | 190 |
| CBS | 3 | 10 |
Fox pays $50M more. What do they get for that money? Two things: (1) the B1G Championship Game, and (2) first pick of all T1 games, which has been used to grab the Ohio State/Michigan game.
If we assume the Ohio State/Michigan game is worth about 1/2 as much as the CCG, then the split is $33M for the CCG, $17M for the big game.
Now, let's assume the 80/20 rule applies to football/basketball, but adjust for twice as many basketball games, making the split 67/33. That means Fox and ESPN are paying $190M*67% = $127M for Big Ten football, or about $5M per game.
That also means the Fox thinks the Ohio State/Michigan game is worth over 3X as much as the "average" tier one Big Ten game. This is where we need to admit that there's a big difference between the last B1G contract and the recent SEC contract: the Fox and ESPN contracts with the Big Ten are both a blend of T1 and T2 games, whereas the new SEC contract is pure T1.
We have more math work to do...
Back to the SEC
Let's assume that the SEC CG is worth a couple million dollars more than the Big Ten CCG, so $35M. Subtracting that out of the $240M for SEC T1 football leaves $205M for 15 games, or $13.7M each - but that assumes zero value for those 14 ESPN+ games, which isn't right. Let's assume those games are worth $1M each (they are all versus FCS opponents). That drops the T1 games to $12.7M each - still high, but in the ball park of our estimate for the overall #1 game, Ohio State vs. Michigan.Now, using the previous ESPN contract for all SEC games except for the CBS T1 games, we get approximately 40 games at $150M/year = $3.75M/game. Again, very close to the Big Ten average of T1+T2 games, which makes sense when we realize that there are about 4X to 5X more T2 games than T1 games.
So we basically have a pricing structure developing:
That is the current value of each tier.
So, is the ACC getting market rate or not?
Part of the problem with the ACC is determining how many games are in each tier. For our purposes, we'll assume that all games selected by ABC are T1, all games which fall to the RSNs are T3, and everything else (including the ACCN) are T2. So the numbers are:
| Tier | #gms | $M/gm | $M/yr |
| T1 | 11 | $13.70 | $150.7 |
| T1 | 62 | $3.75 | $232.5 |
| T1 | 17 | $1.00 | $17.0 |
| Tot | 90 | $400.2 | |
| Avg | 6.4 | $28.6 |
What this says is that if the ACC were being paid current market rate for every game it provides to ABC/ESPN/ACCN, etc. it would pay out approximately $28.6 million per school for media rights only. Since it's actually paying out just $22 million, we can conclude that each ACC team is being underpaid by about $6.6 million per year due to a poorly-negotiated TV contract.
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Other
Syracuse’s wild house market: Buyers skip inspections, bring cash, suffer heartbreak (PS; $; Breidenbach)
Joe Santimaw and Morgan Goold raced through the front door of yet another house for sale, this time armed with flashlights, their phone cameras turned on, ready to split in two directions.
They needed to make the best of their time. They would have only 15 minutes to inspect a home that could either shelter their future family or sink their finances underwater.
They had learned many lessons after losing bids on nearly a dozen houses in a real estate market unlike anything the Syracuse area has seen in a lifetime.
“It was the most thorough 15 minutes you’ve ever seen,” Santimaw said.
This is how house shopping goes in a pandemic. Few people want to part with their homes at the same time others want to move up or just move in. Who would sell a home without a guarantee they will find another one?
A historic lack of inventory has created a seller’s market that veteran real estate agents say they have never experienced. Sellers are empowered to unload homes quickly, pass over any tricky negotiations and ask for more. Buyers are left with risks, high price tags and broken hearts.
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