sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to the Chinese New Year (Year of the Pig)!
Zodiac Animal Recent Years Personality Traits
Rat 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
Quick-witted, resourceful, versatile, kind
Ox 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
Diligent, dependable, strong, determined
Tiger 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
Brave, confident, competitive
Rabbit 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
Quiet, elegant, kind, responsible
Dragon 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
Confident, intelligent, enthusiastic
Snake 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
Enigmatic, intelligent, wise
Horse 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
Animated, active, energetic
Goat 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
Calm, gentle, sympathetic
Monkey 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
Sharp, smart, curiosity
Rooster 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
Observant, hardworking, courageous
Dog 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
Lovely, honest, prudent
Pig 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
Compassionate, generous, diligent
SU News
Ranking college football's Top 25 head coaches during 2018 (247sports.com; Crawford)
...
25. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
24. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
23. Mike Leach, Washington State
22. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
21. Nick Saban, Alabama
20. Chris Petersen, Washington
19. Bill Clark, UAB
18. Matt Wells, Utah State
17. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
16. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
15. Matt Rhule, Baylor
14. Urban Meyer, Ohio State
13. Josh Heupel, UCF
12. Tom Herman, Texas
11. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
10. DINO BABERS, SYRACUSE
College Football News: "He was just one … fourth … down … stop from beating Clemson for the second year in a row. Even with that loss, Babers made Syracuse football matter again with a ten-win season and a dominant bowl victory over West Virginia."
What 247Sports says: Babers made the most of having senior quarterback Eric Dungey as the team's leader and didn't disappoint, posting a 10-3 season following back-to-back 4-8s with the Orange. Now, the question is, will Syracuse take a major step back in 2019 or will Babers continue the momentum established by one of the program's all-time best teams? If you have stock in Babers, it might be time to sell high.
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ACC Football National Championship Odds: Favorite, Dark Horse & More - Stadium (watchstadium.com)
Odds to win 2019 national title via Westgate Superbook @LVSuperbook for each ACC school (including Notre Dame):
Clemson 9/5
Miami 80/1
Virginia Tech 100/1
Florida State 100/1
Syracuse 200/1
Virginia 500/1
NC State 500/1
Boston College 500/1
Louisville 500/1
Pitt 1,000/1
Georgia Tech 1,000/1
Duke 1,000/1
Wake Forest 2,000/1
North Carolina 2,000/1
Notre Dame 30/1
Power ratings entering 2019 for each ACC school (including Notre Dame) via Collin Wilson, the Action Network @_Collin1:
1. Clemson
23. Florida State
30. Miami
33. Virginia
40. Syracuse
43. Virginia Tech
45. Pitt
52. North Carolina
54. NC State
58. Boston College
61. Duke
62. Wake Forest
64. Georgia Tech
77. Louisville
9. Notre Dame
The Favorite: Clemson
No surprise here. The Tigers have a stranglehold on the ACC – four ACC titles and counting – and don’t show any signs of letting up. Clemson must replace its entire defensive line, but Coach Dabo Swinney doesn’t expect a drop-off.
“I think we have a lot of guys that y’all don’t have no idea who they are right now,” Swinney said the morning after beating Alabama in the 2018 title game. “But this time next year everybody is going to know who they are.”
But there are two Tigers everyone knows: quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne. As a freshman, Lawrence guided Clemson to college football’s first 15-0 record in modern history and Etienne had 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Dark Horse: Syracuse
The Orange are listed as only the fifth-best national title choice from the ACC at 200-to-1, but Syracuse – unlike the rest of the ACC – has shown it can compete with Clemson. Last year, Syracuse nearly won at Clemson and in 2017, stunned Clemson in the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse should breeze through its non-conference slate with games at Liberty and Maryland and home vs. Western Michigan and Holy Cross.
The Orange must replace quarterback Eric Dungey, with Tommy DeVito expected to get the nod. Because of Syracuse’s emphasis on its rushing game, that might not be a tough transition. In Dino Babers’ first year with Syracuse in 2016, the Orange averaged only 119 yards per game on the ground. Last year, the Orange averaged more than 200 yards rushing per game.
With Babers, the Orange are definitely trending in the right direction. After only eight victories the first two years, Syracuse won 10 games last season for the first time since 2001, capped with a 34-18 win against West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl.
We’ll know early if Syracuse is a legit contender when defending national champion Clemson visits on Sept. 24. It will be Clemson’s first trip back to the Dome since the Orange stunned Clemson 27-24 in 2017.
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FSU Football: Website predicts Noles finishing third in ACC Atlantic (chopchat.com; Parker)
In the first 13 seasons that FSU football played in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Seminoles never finished lower than second in the league and brought home the championship 11 times. Since the conference broke into two divisions for the start of the 2005 season, it has been a much different story for the Noles.
In the 14 seasons since the breakup into the Atlantic (home of the Seminoles) and Coastal divisions, Florida State has won just three championships and finished either first or second a total of eight times during that span – with the last time being a second place finish behind Clemson during the 2015 season.
In the three seasons since, FSU football has finished third, sixth and fifth respectively in the seven team division – and only finished that high last season by virtue of their tiebreaker win over Wake Forest, one of just three ACC wins the Seminoles had last season.
Of course, the positive side is that there is nowhere to go but up for the Seminoles when it comes to their place in the division. While not many people both in and out of Tallahassee are predicting a trip to Charlotte, they aren’t predicting being in the bottom half of the Atlantic either.
One of those sites is College Football News, which has the Seminoles coming in at third place when it comes to their pre-spring practice predictions.
DE Brian Burns left early for the NFL, but the young linebacking corps from last year returns intact, and the secondary should be among the ACC’s best. In all, eight of the top ten tacklers return.
And then there’s the offensive side …The line has to be better, and it has to replace several veterans with just two returning starters. The skill guys are in place, with QB Deondre Francois back for his senior year.
In their predictions, the website has FSU football just behind the Clemson Tigers (not even close to being a shock) and the Syracuse Orange (a slight shock), despite the men from New York that blew out the Seminoles last season losing their star quarterback, receiver and two top tacklers.
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The Scoop - Monday February 4, 2019 - FootballScoop (footballscoop.com)
McNeese State: Per source, Ben Olson has been hired as defensive line coach. Olson previously coached at Colgate, Yale, Syracuse, Bowling Green, and Eastern Illinois.
(the new head coach at McNeese State is Dino Babers disciple Sterlin Gilbert)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...-southern-mississippi/?utm_term=.4317f61679c9 (washingtonpost.com; Bonesteel)
Art Briles has long maintained that he would like to coach football again, despite his past. Southern Mississippi seems willing to at least consider it. Per Patrick Magee of the Sun Herald, Briles was on that school’s campus Monday to interview for that program’s vacant offensive coordinator position.
Briles guided Baylor to new heights on the field during his eight seasons as the Bears' coach, but the school fired him in May 2016 in part over his handling of sexual assault allegations against a number of his players during his time in Waco. After the school fired Briles, the Baylor regents told the Wall Street Journal that 17 women had reported sexual or domestic assaults involving 19 players, including four alleged gang rapes, since 2011. The school also has settled five Title IX lawsuits with women who claimed that the school mishandled their sexual assault complaints while also reaching settlements with at least three other women who did not file lawsuits.
In April 2017, Briles nearly landed an assistant-coaching job with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, but the team backed down from the move amid criticism after a discussion with league officials. In August 2018, an Italian football team announced that Briles would become its head coach for the 2019 season.
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Farewell to Clemson QB Kelly Bryant (shakingthesouthland.com; Contract)
Kelly Bryant enrolled at Clemson in 2015 following a decorated career at nearby Wren High School. He was a finalist for Mr. Football in the state of South Carolina, a 4-star QB prospect, and the heir apparent at quarterback for the Tigers. His physical skills were well known, but he first made our jaw drop as a freshman in 2015 against an overmatched Miami team...
The games that followed would bring a multitude of highs for Clemson Football. Bryant waited his turn behind Watson and was part of consecutive championship game runs, and the 2016 national championship team. Then, in 2017, Bryant was put in the incredibly difficult position of being the quarterback to replace Deshaun Watson, the greatest player in Clemson football history.
Bryant responded to that challenge by showcasing dynamic running skills, efficient passing, and superb leadership. He led Clemson to an 11-1 regular season, winning every game he started and finished. Then, he orchestrated a dominant 38-3 performance in the ACC Championship game against #7 ranked Miami. The play Bryant displayed during that December night in Charlotte should not be forgotten. His accuracy – at any distance – was at its peak, and his tremendous athleticism was on display almost immediately...
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North Carolina Football: 3 Reasons for Optimism About the Tar Heels in 2019 (athlonsports.com; Kinne)
Running back Antonio Williams is one of several talented skill position players that new head coach Mack Brown can lean on this fall
Hope and change are often intertwined. When things aren't going right, the only way to sell the masses on hope is to make a change.
That is exactly what happened at North Carolina. Larry Fedora may very well be a good head coach, but with just five wins in two seasons, the Heels needed to go in another direction. So for Carolina, it is out with the old and in with the... older.
Here are three reasons for optimism regarding North Carolina football in 2019.
1. The return of Mack Brown
He’s 67 years old and he hasn’t coached since 2013. Even in his heyday, he wasn’t known as the best Xs and Os guy in college football. But he is someone that has not only had success on the big stage, he has won big in Chapel Hill once before and knows his way around the state of North Carolina. Moreover, he is beloved by all, especially high school coaches across the land. Brown will welcome in a solid 2019 recruiting class and the Heels are already off to a good start for '20.
2. Offensive skill talent
UNC needs to solidify the quarterback position, but there are some exciting options at running back and receiver. The triumvirate of Antonio Williams, Jordon Brown, and Michael Carter gives the new coaching stuff ball carriers that can ease the pressure off the passing game. And out wide, rising junior Dazz Newsome looks capable of developing into a No. 1 receiver while Dyami Brown hopes to build off a very nice freshman season.
3. The secondary
Strong safety J.K. Britt was the team’s second-leading tackler and he is out of eligibility. But everyone else in the defensive backfield returns, including senior-to-be Myles Dorn at free safety and cornerback Trey Morrison, who received votes for ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Tar Heels were decent at defending the pass in 2018 and should be even more adept at coverage in '19.
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A historically bad performance in Raleigh, recapping the Super Bowl, what the Justin Robinson injury means for the Hokies, and more Francois drama for Florida State - Chowder and Grits (chowderandgrits.com; podcast; Iola)
On the latest episode of Chowder & Grits, we discuss one of the worst performances in the history of the shot clock era, what the Justin Robinson injury means for the now very thin Virginia Tech Hokies and their NCAA Tournament dreams, and the latest on the dismissal of Deondre Francois from the Florida State football program. And just for fun, we recap the Super Bowl and discuss some of the commercials that left a lot to be desired.
ACC Football Rx (RX;HM)
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is National Signing Day; just a reminder...
I made this last year, but it will apply for eternity. A flowchart for whether or not you should tweet at recruits.
Keep quiet and don't mess it up!
Crystal Ball Forecast: Hokies on the verge of a monumental flip?
6-foot 6.5-inch, 305-pound Top247 offensive guard and Ohio State commit Doug Nester (Huntington, WV/Spring Valley) is at least considering flipping to Virginia Tech. If true, adding Nester to four-star Bryan Hudson, who signed with Virginia Tech in December, would give the Hokies two of the top 12 offensive guard prospects nationally...
The Hokies currently hold 22 verbal commitments in the 2019 recruiting cycle. According to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, Virginia Tech has the No. 29 class nationally (No. 4 ACC).
This offseason might turn out ok for the Hokies after all...
Speaking of turning things around, here are 14 college football teams that could make big moves on National Signing Day according to SBNation:
Auburn
Nebraska
USC
Miami
The Hurricanes, with the No. 33 class, have 16 commits. That’s not indicative of the new talent they’ve added to their program, because they’ve gotten a bunch of good transfers. But it’s still not where Miami’s supposed to be on the prep recruiting front. For the moment, there’s a bit of buzz that they’ll flip Alabama verbal commit Khris Bogle, a four-star DE, amid a series of coaching staff changes in Tuscaloosa. That’d be a big deal, both because Bogle’s a South Florida product and because Miami has holes that need filling.
Tennessee
Florida
West Virginia
Georgia Tech
Texas Tech
Houston
Maryland
Kansas
Louisville
Illinois
These teams are all on this list (and all grouped together) because they have precious few commits (as few as nine at Louisville and 18 at Georgia Tech) and, in most cases, new coaches. Some teams will just sign small classes, and everyone’s scholarship math is different. But any team with that few commits is at least on watch to add a few more and rise up the rankings for pure quantity reasons. It’s farfetched that Louisville’s going to finish 117th, no matter how much of a wreck Bobby Petrino left behind for Scott Satterfield.
Other
NY extends talks with Charter over order booting cable company (PS; Moriarty)
The New York Public Service Commission has extended settlement talks with Charter Communications over the commission’s order booting the cable company out of the state.
The commission on Monday granted Charter, which operates under the brand name Spectrum, an additional 30 days to seek a rehearing of its July 27, 2018, order. Charter now has until March 6 to file rehearing petitions.
Charter also was given an additional 30 days, to April 3, to file a six-month exit plan.
In its July 27 order kicking Charter out of the state, the commission alleged that the company has repeatedly failed to meet a requirement that it extend its broadband network to 145,000 customers in unserved and underserved areas of the state.
The requirement was made part of the commission’s Jan. 8, 2016, approval of Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable’s New York assets and franchise, an acquisition that made Charter the biggest cable company in the state.
Charter has said it has met the commission’s build-out requirements -- if its network extensions in New York City are counted. The commission says New York City is one of the most wired cities in the country and cannot be considered underserved or unserved.
The July 27 order revoked the commission’s approval of Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable’s assets and franchise in New York and directed the company to file, within 60 days, a six-month exit plan.
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