sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Bratwurst Day!
National Bratwurst Day is dedicated to bratwursts—sometimes simply known as brats—which are sausages made from pork, veal, or beef, that contain sweet spices and seasonings such as nutmeg. They originated in Nuremberg, Germany, in the 14th century, and their name is derived from the German words "braten", meaning "to fry" or "to roast", and "wurst", meaning "sausage". There are over forty varieties of brats made in Germany, and they are many times served on a roll with mustard. They are also quite often accompanied by sauerkraut and potato salad. They were introduced to the United States in the mid-19th century by German immigrants, and have become especially popular in Wisconsin.
National Bratwurst Day is being observed today! It has always been observed annually on August 16th.
SU News
Does Dino Think It’s Bowl Game or Bust This Year? – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Leonard)
In his first two years at Syracuse, Dino Babers has knocked down some checkpoints. In year one it was the marquee win over Virginia Tech. Then, this past year, of course, there was a much bigger victory. The Clemson upset made Syracuse football the topic of the sports world for a night, which hasn’t really been the case since way back in the Donovan McNabb days.
“I think it just kinda let’s everyone know were not that far off,” Babers told the Fizz Founder himself, Damon Amendolara, in an interview on the Jim Rome Show last week. “It’s not that it isn’t or isn’t not gonna work; it’s just a matter of time. It’s definitely going to work.”
Babers has been confident since day one. But, he’s also been realistic. Sometimes, those two things don’t exactly go hand and hand. Unfortunately for him the grace period in college football is rather small and with his third year on the horizon, pressure is ratcheting up.
The next major checkpoint is clear: get to a bowl game. So does Dino himself think it would be a bust if they didn’t hit that checkpoint this year?
“I would be disappointed if we didn’t,” Babers told D.A. “I don’t think it’s a bust, but I think we’re at the stage of our development where that should be something we’re seriously considering.”
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#CampCuse Position Preview: Defensive Line - Syracuse University Athletics (cuse.com)
The Orange have the benefit of starter's experience all across the defensive front line. It's a grouping that came together in 2017 and now heads into 2018 with a common familiarity.
Redshirt senior defensive tackle Chris Slayton said as much at last month's ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.
"We have so much depth on the d-line," Slayton said. "It's as much as it's been as long as I've been here. (There's) so much depth, and everybody is getting better."
Slayton is the veteran of the bunch. He has started 24 straight games. A three-year letterwinner, he contributed 28 tackles, including 8.5 for losses, last fall. Generally considered the strongest player on the team, a video of Slayton squatting 700 pounds made the rounds earlier this summer on social media. In addition, he's the team's active leader in games started (29), tackles for loss (24.5), sacks (6) and forced fumbles (4).
The top candidate to occupy the other interior spot is McKinley Williams, a junior nose tackle who made five starts and had 25 tackles in 2017. Williams is a bit of an athletic freak in his own right, able to do a back handspring at 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds.
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Clemson Football Opponent Analysis: Syracuse Orange (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)
Today we continue our analysis of 2018 Clemson football opponents with a look at the Syracuse Orange.
The 2018 Clemson football season is less than three weeks away from kickoff.
The Tigers will open up the season with a home game against the Furman Paladins. After going on the road for a match up with the Texas A&M Aggies, Clemson will go home for a game with Georgia Southern before hitting the road to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and then coming back home for a match up with Syracuse to close out the month of September.
Today, we continue our coverage of Clemson football opponents with a look at the Syracuse Orange, led by coach Dino Babers.
Clemson Football Opponent Analysis:
Who: Syracuse Orange
Game Date: Saturday, Sept. 29
Conference: ACC
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What's up 'Cuse Nation?!?! This show we hit up the twitter poll for this week. We discuss Dungey stats and his possible impact this year. Then, we hit up running backs, the receiver core, tight ends and finish with the line. Lastly I make fun of the beer Joe drinks
Dog days wearing on SU (spectrumlocalnews.com; video; Staff)
SU is finishing off the second week of camp. Now is the time the Orange has to push past the mental and physical fatigue.
ACC Football Rx: Best Team in each State 2018 (accfootrx.com; HM)
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Nevada
Nevada Wolf Pack
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Jersey
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
New Mexico
New Mexico State Aggies
New York
Army Black Knights (Sorry, Syracuse)
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Pre-Season Q&A - Talking ACC Football with Boston College Interruption (shakingthesouthland.com; Kantor and Black)
Our SB Nation sister site for the BC Eagles, Boston College Interruption, joins us today to talk some ACC football. AJ Black and I discuss ACC football and what’s in store for a 2018 Eagles team that has a roster primed for immediate success. You can follow AJ on Twitter here, and see the other half of our Q&A here.
STS: There have been a lot of good coaching hires in the ACC the past couple of years. The ACC is as deep as ever with Virginia coming off a bowl appearance and UNC expected to improve. With such a deep group of quality teams, there’s a chance the ACC has a lot of six and seven wins teams that are actually pretty good. Excluding Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech, which program(s) do you see rising this year? Over the next handful of years?
Black: I am going to sound like a bit of a homer here, but I think BC is going to turn some heads this year. They have really started to churn out and develop players that are ACC caliber, and this year will be a year where there are a quite a few All-ACC nominees. If Steve Addazio can get out of his own way, and not clench up in big games, I think they could beat some teams and finish 2nd this year. Another team that I really think will take a jump is Wake Forest. I like Dave Clawson as a coach, I think he really gets it on both sides of the ball, and they are going to be a team to watch in the future.
STS: AJ Dillon is favored as ACC Player of the Year. Aside from him, what couple of players on BC are you most excited to watch this year?
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ACC Betting Preview: Will Miami, FSU challenge Clemson? (si.com; Chase)
The 2018 preseason outlook for the ACC presents a pretty clear hierarchy: Clemson, and then everybody else. In a post-Deshaun Watson 2017 campaign, the Tigers entered the season as +300 to win the conference, odds that trailed only those of Florida State (+110). Of course, things went south quickly for the Seminoles, while Clemson rolled 38-3 over Miami in the ACC Championship Game to claim a conference title for the third consecutive year.
This year, the Tigers are the favorites in the ACC at -200 to pull off a four-peat, with Miami (+350) and FSU (+600) billed as their biggest challengers. Below are complete team odds to win the ACC (courtesy of William Hill), individual team previews and, finally, our best bets to win the ACC.
Odds to win ACC:
Clemson -200
Miami +350
Florida State +600
Virginia Tech +1000
NC State +3300
Louisville +4000
Boston College +5000
Georgia Tech +5000
Wake Forest +5000
Duke +6000
North Carolina +10000
Pittsburgh +10000
Syracuse +10000
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FSU Football: Will ACC be left out of College Football Playoff in 2018? (chopchat.com; Hunt)
Either FSU football and Clemson have represented the ACC Conference in the College Football Playoff since inception. Could that change in 2018?
FSU football won the ACC Conference in 2014 and represented the ACC in the inaugural College Football Playoff before losing to Oregon.
Clemson has won the last three ACC titles and made the College Football Playoff each of those years, playing for a national championship in two of those three years.
Clemson is loaded once again and favored to win the ACC with the Noles predicted to finish second in the ACC Atlantic division.
Odds are decent that the ACC will be won by one of these two teams. However, Athlon Sports says the ACC could be the odd man out when the College Football Playoff rolls around:
Florida State Seminoles Football
CHOP CHAT 0d -
FSU Alums: Jalen Ramsey goes all in on NFL quarterbacks during interview
MORE HEADLINES AROUND FANSIDED:
0d - FSU Football: Will ACC be left out of College Football Playoff in 2018?1d - FSU Football: College GameDay trolls Virginia Tech about bowl record1d - FSU Football: Website expects national title for Noles within five seasons1d - FSU Football: How much can freshman receivers contribute in 2018?2d - FSU Football coordinators labeled as future head coaches by website
The ACC gets left out of the College Football Playoff
I called this last year and Clemson did its best by losing to Syracuse in mid-October and nearly losing to NC State two weeks later. This year, the ACC champion Florida State Seminoles will have two losses before the conference championship game takes place. Between the preference of the committee and what we’ve seen unfold historically, there’s very little chance that a two-loss team punches a ticket to the College Football Playoff.
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Ultimate guide to the ACC this season (espn.com; Adelson & Hale)
Clemson practically ran away with the conference title last season, which leads to the question of whether anyone else has a chance this season. Miami led the Coastal Division last season and is the front-runner to win it again, but Virginia Tech has some momentum under third-year coach Justin Fuente. Plenty of eyes will be on Florida State and new coach Willie Taggart as he tries to get the Noles back in national title contention. And don't forget about Boston College, which has a strong sophomore back on the rise.
Check out everything you need to know before Wake Forest kicks off the ACC regular season against Tulane on Thursday, Aug. 30.
Power Rankings
1. Clemson2. Miami3. Florida State4. Boston College5. Virginia Tech6. NC State7. Louisville8. Wake Forest9. Pittsburgh10. Duke11. Georgia Tech12. North Carolina13. Syracuse14. Virginia
Five most important conference games
Sept. 3: Virginia Tech at Florida State
The Hokies have had a miserable offseason, with off-field issues, injuries and transfers on top of the loss of a host of veteran talent to the NFL. The Seminoles are turning the page on the Jimbo Fisher era, and while they're saying all the right things about Willie Taggart, there are obvious questions about how the transition will unfold. We'll learn a lot about the two teams most likely to challenge Clemson and Miami for division titles right off the bat.
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‘Best thing we’ve ever done’ -- NC State football hosts individuals with Down syndrome (newsobserver.com; Hyman)
N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium was filled with cheers, music and touchdown celebrations Tuesday evening.
But it was the Wolfpack football players who were doing the cheering as part of “Victory Day” for people with Down syndrome.
Victory Day was started in 2010 in Michigan and “set up for cognitively and physically impaired children to have an opportunity to play football or cheer and have their ‘moment in the sun,’” according to its website.
Thirty-five participants with Down syndrome were cheered on by the NCSU players as they ran down the Carter-Finley tunnel and out onto the field as they were introduced.
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Inside College Football: Rule change review (cbssports.com; video)
Inside college football rile changes review...
Other
Bongo's Jerk Hut: A celebration of flavor on the South Side (Dining Out Review) (PS; Woodman)
Usually, when we review a restaurant, it's new to us, so we don't know what to expect. This time would be different; we were visiting one of our favorite spots for take-out in Syracuse on a recent Wednesday evening--Bongo's Jerk Hut on South Avenue.
We've been getting take-out from the Jerk Hut for years. We also included the place in a review of the New York State Fair's Pan African Village food stops a few years ago. So we knew we would be happy with the food. Tonight the surprises would come from going beyond our usual choices.
Our comfortable classic is a jerk chicken dinner ($9.50) that, with an extra side of cabbage, feeds us both on an ordinary visit. The chicken is boneless thigh meat, cooked to melting tenderness in a medium-hot jerk sauce that flavors everything on the plate with the complexity of tomato, peppers, allspice, onions, garlic, vinegar and other seasonings. The combination would make anything delicious.
The sides that come with dinners at Jerk Hut are as appealing as the center of the plate. Cabbage is cooked with shavings of carrot, blending the sweetness of the vegetables to contrast with the spicy chicken. Rice and peas (red beans) cooked in coconut milk provide a foundation for the other elements, allowing the diner to soak up any extra sauce.
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