sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Syracuse University's 15th-ranked women's basketball team is set to host Niagara (3-6) for its annual School Day game on Monday at 11 a.m. The Orange are 4-0 at home this season and will welcome one of the largest crowds of the year, which will include over 5,000 Central New York-area students from local schools.
SU News
Dino Babers’ Three Biggest Wins in Syracuse – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Hoppe)
Christmas came early in Central New York last week when Syracuse and Dino Babers reached a contract agreement, showcasing Babers’ commitment to the program and the university. Since Babers arrived in 2016, he’s slowly but surely delivered on his faith without evidence remarks. The Orange’s leap from four to nine wins this year gives followers of college football all the evidence they need.
Syracuse officially took the next step as a program this past fall, but Babers has been delivering big wins since the moment he walked on campus. Three of them stand out above the rest.
1. Stunning Upset over #2 Clemson on Friday the 13th
Undoubtedly the biggest win in Babers’ career. One that no one saw coming and officially put SU football on the map, even though the Orange didn’t win a single game after that in 2017. After this win, interest in the football program skyrocketed both locally and nationally. How could it not? The Orange knocked off the defending national champions and looked like the better team throughout the game. And oh yeah, Babers had a pretty good post-game speech as well. All of that makes this one of the biggest wins and upsets in the history of Syracuse football.
2. Breakthrough win against #17 Virginia Tech
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WATCH: Expert makes pick on Camping World Bowl (277sports.com; Casazza)
CBS Sports has now weighed in on this and expects a lot of points when West Virginia and Syracuse meet in the Camping World Bowl 13 days from now.
On Wednesday, WVU will have a bowl media day as well as the early signing day news conference, and we'll learn more about the Mountaineers, what they think about the Orange and the bowl and how they're getting ready for both.
Here's what we know so far about the Dec. 28 game in Orlando, Florida.
Left tackle Yodny Cajuste tweets farewell message and won't play in the bowl game: "Cajuste started thirty games during his career at West Virginia, playing in a total of 33. He earned First Team All-Big 12 honors from both the Big 12 Coaches and The Associated Press. He was also named co-offensive lineman of the year in the conference by the league's coaches."
Quarterback Will Grier becomes second player to pass on the bowl game: "Grier only played in 22 career games at West Virginia (21 if you don't count the one quarter against Texas before injuring his finger), yet sits near the top of every passing category in the WVU football history books."
Departures result in seismic shift to Vegas odds: "When Cajuste announced his news on Friday afternoon, the line immediately dropped between two and two and a half points. When Grier announced his decision on Saturday morning, the result was the same. In both instances, several bookmakers took the line off the board temporarily, waiting for more news and to make a new adjustment before accepting more bets.
Careers of Camping World coaches have special tie: "They are offensive innovators who have poured themselves into the third side of the ball. Holgorsen took control of West Virginia's special teams upon handing off the offense and calling plays to Jake Spavital. At his introductory press conference at Syracuse three years ago, Babers vowed to make special teams something to be proud of."
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Last day to win free tickets to Camping World Bowl (cnycentreal.com; Bybee)
Monday is the last day for veterans, active military members, or military spouses to enter and win free tickets to the upcoming Camping World Bowl between SU and West Virginia.
Syracuse University Athletics in partnership with the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families is giving away a trip and tickets to the bowl game in Orlando, Florida.
Winners will receive two tickets to the Camping World Bowl, round-trip airfare from Syracuse, two night accommodations at the team hotel, transportation, tailgate, and more!
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Three-star Florida WR Ezeriah Anderson commits to Iowa State (desmoinesregister.com; Bain)
Iowa State quickly filled the hole left when receiver recruit DK Blaylock re-opened his commitment last week, adding a commitment from another receiver Sunday.
Ezeriah Anderson, a three-star prospect out of Seffner, Florida, committed to the Cyclones following his official visit this weekend, he told the Register. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder picked up his Iowa State offer in late November. He also held offers from Boston College, Missouri, Oregon and Syracuse, among others.
"(Iowa State) felt like a place I can focus on just football and academics, as well as the staff and players being very good to me," Anderson told the Register.
The 247Sports Composite ranks Anderson the No. 824 prospect in 2019 and the No. 102 receiver in the class.
With Anderson's commitment, Iowa State has 20 known recruits in the 2019 class.
247Sports' Alex Halsted first reported the news.
ACC Football Rx: Weeks in AP Poll - as of 12/14/18 (RX; HM)
I was inspired by some incorrect data posted concerning #weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 - so I did some research and came up with what I believe to be accurate data... this table shows the number of weeks ranked in the top 25, top 10, and the #1 spot in the AP poll, all-time, for Notre Dame, Maryland, and the current 14 ACC football teams...
Number of Weeks Ranked by AP Poll (All-Time)
Team | Top 25 | Top 10 | AP #1 | Highest |
Notre Dame | 798 | 547 | 98 | 1 |
Florida State | 560 | 368 | 72 | 1 |
Miami (Fl) | 490 | 303 | 68 | 1 |
Clemson | 434 | 161 | 10 | 1 |
Georgia Tech | 306 | 146 | 0 | 2 |
Virginia Tech | 302 | 95 | 0 | 2 |
Pittsburgh | 297 | 125 | 21 | 1 |
North Carolina | 245 | 76 | 1 | 1 |
Syracuse | 202 | 69 | 7 | 1 |
Maryland | 192 | 79 | 6 | 1 |
Duke | 172 | 57 | 0 | 2 |
Virginia | 168 | 21 | 3 | 1 |
NC State | 161 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
Boston College | 144 | 34 | 1 | 1 |
Louisville | 141 | 40 | 0 | 3 |
Wake Forest | 42 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Among full time football teams, FSU and Miami have spent the most time in the AP Top 25 - and their weeks in the top 10 is not even close!
Clemson is next, largely on the strength of the last 4 or 5 years in which they've basically been ranked every week (that's 60-70 weeks).
After the Tigers, it starts to get interesting...
Georgia Tech is 5th - I didn't see that coming. The Yellow Jackets have been ranked over 300 weeks all-time, much of that since joining the ACC in the 1980s. They've also spent nearly as many weeks in the top 10 as Clemson - although not recently. One final note: the AP poll never gave the top spot to GT, so their all-time highest rank remains #2.
Another all-time runner-up is next: Virginia Tech, with far less top-tier football history than the teams above it, the Hokies managed over 300 weeks in the top 25 nonetheless.
Pitt and Syracuse show their football pedigree next, each with multiple weeks at #1 (and, in fact, each with a national championship during the AP poll era).
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ACC Football Rx: Links, news and rumors - 12/13/18 (RX; HM)
From CSNBBS User ken_d: If all bowl favorites were to win, this would be the result, conference by conference...
Conf W L Pct
AAC 6 1 0.857
MWC 5 1 0.833
SEC 9 2 0.818
PAC 5 2 0.714
MAC 3 3 0.500
IND 1 1 0.500
SBC 2 3 0.400
B1G 3 6 0.333
ACC 3 8 0.273
USA 1 5 0.167
B12 1 6 0.143
ND 0 1 0.000
That doesn't sound very good for the ACC.
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ACC Football Rx: Most Wins All-Time as of 12/15/18 (RX; HM)
We just showed you the other day how FSU and Miami stand above the rest of the ACC full football members (and right behind Notre Dame) when it comes to AP Top 25 poll weeks. Now we'll take a moment to show you where some of the other ACC football-first schools shine...
MOST WINS ALL-TIME
953- Michigan
918- Notre Dame*910- Ohio State
907- Texas
904- Alabama
897- Nebraska
896- Oklahoma
887- Penn State
839- USC
838- Tennessee
819- Georgia
796- LSU
766- Auburn
752- West Virginia
744- Virginia Tech 742- Clemson740- Texas A&M
735- Georgia Tech 734- Washington
Syracuse was 31st with 710 wins at the start of 2018
UVa football: Mendenhall in position to welcome highest-rated recruiting class yet (roanoke.com; Doughty)
As the start of early signing period for football looms, it appears that Virginia will have the highest-rated class of Bronco Mendenhall’s tenure in Charlottesville.
With a commitment Sunday from wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks from Plaquemine, Louisiana, the Cavaliers now have 22 commitments.
The three-day early signing period begins Wednesday.
Virginia’s class was ranked 33rd by and 35th by 247sports as of Sunday afternoon. That would be UVa’s best showing since former head coach Mike London had the 28th-ranked class in 2013.
UVa’s 2016 recruiting class, which was started by London’s staff and finished by Mendenhall and Co., was ranked 43rd. The next two classes were 61st and 58th.
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Clemson scouting report ahead of Cotton Bowl showdown vs. Notre Dame (greenvilleonline.com; Keepfer)
What to expect when Clemson has the ball
In a word – balance. The Tigers passed for 270 yards per game and rushed for 260 yards per game, creating a complementariness that made Clemson’s offense difficult to defend. It took freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence only four games to overtake incumbent Kelly Bryant, and the decision by Clemson’s coaches paid off. Lawrence guided the Tigers to a 9-0 record as a starter, led all FBS freshmen with 24 touchdown passes and earned Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year honors. Lawrence’s arm already appears NFL ready, and he flashed that pro potential time and again during the season, connecting with 10 different receivers for touchdowns.
Sophomore Tee Higgins and freshman Justyn Ross, a pair of 6-foot-4 bookends, combined for 14 touchdown receptions. Clemson’s rushing attack exceeded all expectations, led by sophomore Travis Etienne, a tackle-breaker extraordinaire who averaged a gaudy 8.3 yards per carry en route to a 1,463-yard season. He was far from the Tigers’ lone rushing threat, however, as Adam Choice, Tavien Feaster and Lyn-J Dixon averaged a combined 7.4 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns as Clemson led the nation with 46 rushing touchdowns.
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Is the Big Ten hurting itself in the College Football Playoff chase? Ohio State 20 Questions (cleveland.com; Lesmerises)
All the Big Ten wants when it comes to the College Football Playoff discussion is an even playing field, but the best way to get that is for the conference to lower its standards. And that’s not worth it.
Urban Meyer has always hesitated on playoff expansion, fearing the wear and tear of more postseason clashes between elite teams. But when Ohio State barely missed the playoff for the second consecutive season, the Buckeyes outgoing coach fell back on what he knows has become a primary talking point for the Big Ten.
What’s that? Getting all the conferences to play by the same rules, so the 13-member playoff committee is judging the same criteria.
“Someone made a point to me about there should be more of a systematic way of setting the schedule,” Meyer said on the day the Buckeyes accepted their spot in the Rose Bowl as the No. 6 team in the final playoff rankings “Who you play, whether it’s eight conference games, nine conference games, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”
At the moment, the Big Ten, the Pac-12 and the Big 12 play nine conference games. The ACC and the SEC play eight conference games.
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ESPN Ranks College Football’s Top 5 Players For 2018 (thespun.com; Machin)
The 2018 college football regular season saw some incredible moments as QBs from Alabama, Oklahoma, and Ohio State tore through their teams’ record books.
ESPN followed up the season with a ranking of the top college football players for 2018 in terms of on-field production.
Unsurprisingly, Heisman trophy winning QB Kyler Murray from Oklahoma topped the list:
Not only did Murray win the Heisman Trophy and lead Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff, he produced one of the best individual statistical seasons in recent college football history. Murray posted a QBR of 96.0, which is the highest rating of any FBS player since ESPN began tracking the statistic 14 years ago. Murray is also on pace to shatter Baker Mayfield’s FBS passing efficiency record. If the Sooners have any chance of upsetting Alabama, it will be because of Murray, yet another special quarterback to pass through Norman.
Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa came in second – much like his final ranking in the Heisman trophy voting:
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JMU Coach’s potential move ignites college football frenzy (nbcsports.com; Brandt)
A single tweet Wednesday afternoon from a college football reporter ignited a frenzy across the FCS and FBS world and it could not have come at a worse time.
Bruce Feldman
@BruceFeldmanCFB
SOURCE: #JMU’s Mike Houston is expected to become the new head coach at #Charlotte.
Before the start to the 2018 college football season, James Madison University’s head football coach Mike Houston, who led the Dukes to two CAA titles, two National Championship Game appearances and one national title, signed a 10-year extension contract with the school.
But on Wednesday, just three days before the Dukes’ second-round playoff game against Colgate University, Houston was entertaining an offer from FBS program Charlotte, according to reports.
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College football players sitting out bowl games in 2018 (yahoo.com; Staff)
Back in 2016, it was a huge controversy when LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, after declaring for the NFL draft, decided to skip their team’s bowl game.
At the time, both players were considered likely first-round draft choices (they both went in the top 10), and did not want to jeopardize their health with a huge payday coming around the corner. However, the decision was viewed by many as quitting on their teams. In the years since, this practice has gotten more popular among draft prospects and public opinion has massively swayed. Though some still don’t agree with it, most completely understand what is at stake for these unpaid athletes.
This year, we will keep an updated list of the players who decide not to play in their team’s bowl game.
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Matt Calkins: Time to show up: Pac-12 playing for its football reputation during bowl season (fltimes.com; Calkins)
Nearly four months later, it seems almost certain: The Huskies' College Football Playoff chances ended the second they lost to Auburn.
Based on the way the CFP committee views the Pac-12, it's hard to reach any other conclusion.
Even if Washington had won out, it wouldn't have edged a one-loss Oklahoma squad for fourth seed, right? Not when the committee excluded a two-loss Washington State team from the New Year's Six while including four-loss Texas. Not when two three-loss SEC teams made it over the Cougs as well.
Part of this is based on how Pac-12 teams fared during nonconference play this season (bad). But it also has to do with how teams from the conference fared in bowl games last season (worse). In fact, the Pac-12's 1-8 showing marked the worst postseason performance in a Power 5 conference's history.
So with bowl season under way, it's obligatory that the Pac-12 show out this time. Or at the very least, show up.
Unfortunately, no signs of such a turnaround appeared Saturday afternoon. Arizona State, which was one win shy of going to the conference title game, lost to Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl, 31-20.
Sure, the Bulldogs came into the game ranked 21st in the country. But this was still a loss to a Group of Five school that outgained the Sun Devils by 143 yards.
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Other
No. 15/14 Orange Clash with Niagara on School Day - Syracuse University Athletics (cuse.com)
Syracuse University's 15th-ranked women's basketball team is set to host Niagara (3-6) for its annual School Day game on Monday at 11 a.m. The Orange are 4-0 at home this season and will welcome one of the largest crowds of the year, which will include over 5,000 Central New York-area students from local schools.
The Orange have had 12 days off since their last competition, a 96-51 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 5. Digna Strautmane led 'Cuse for the second straight game with 17 points while Miranda Drummond was second in scoring with 15 points. Tiana Mangakahia, Amaya Finklea-Guity and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi all added 14 points against the Hawks, marking the second-straight game five Orange women have scored in double figures.
Mangakahia paces 'Cuse with 15.7 points and 6.9 assists per game. Drummond and Djaldi-Tabdi are adding 10.8 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Djaldi-Tabdi leads the Orange with 5.9 rebounds and a team-best 1.4 blocks per game.
Niagara is coming off a 71-69 win over Coppin State on Saturday. NU has now won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Jai Moore leads the Purple Eagles with 14.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Niagara is scoring 60 points per game and shooting 36.3 percent from the field as a unit.
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