sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 25,279
- Like
- 109,168
Welcome to Lincoln's Birthday!
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was born on February 12, 1809. Over the years, he has become known as one of the greatest American presidents of all time. At the time of his death, in 1865, many saw him as a martyr, and it wasn't too long afterward that his birthday began being observed informally. In the mid-1870s, Julius Francis of Buffalo, New York, began honoring Lincoln on his birthday and petitioned Congress to make the day a legal holiday.
But, as of 2019, Lincoln's Birthday is not, nor has it ever been, its own federal holiday. On the state level, a handful of states celebrate Lincoln's birthday on its actual date. In recent years, it has been celebrated as a state holiday in Ohio, Missouri, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut. It is celebrated as such in California as well, but since 2009, it has no longer been a paid holiday there. Some states, Indiana being one example, have officially celebrated Lincoln's birthday, but not on the actual date of his birth. In prior years, more states officially celebrated his birthday; twenty-four states celebrated it in 1940, and ten celebrated it in 1990.
SU News
A Way Too Early Look at Syracuse Football's 2020 DE Rotation (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse football added a talented defensive end transfer on Monday in Jeffrey Gunter. The 6-foot-4, 255 pound Gunter will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, and will be ready to contribute for the 2020 season. That is important because current starting defensive ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman will be gone after the 2019 campaign, as will reserve Brandon Berry.
What will that defensive end rotation look like? Clearly it way too early to know for certain, but let's take a stab at it now just for fun, shall we?
THE STARTERS
Kingsley Jonathan had a strong sophomore season in 2018. He will be a junior in 2019 and a senior in 2020. As a reserve in 2018, he finished the year with five sacks and six tackles for loss. He will be a key cog in the defensive end rotation once again as a junior. Entering the 2020 season, he will be a senior with a lot of experience and production. He should be a heavy favorite to start once Coleman and Robinson depart.
On the other side, Gunter was not brought in just to be a body. The Syracuse coaches targeted Gunter, despite a strong defensive line haul in the 2019 class, because they viewed him as a potential star once he is able to contribute. Already at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Gunter has a great frame. He has a strong first step as well and uses his hands extremely well. With a year in the program, he should be ready to hit the ground running in 2020. Expect Gunter to start and be highly productive.
THE RESERVES
This is where it really gets tricky. There are a lot of names who are unproven at this point. How some of those guys step up in 2019 will go a long ways towards determining what role they can expand into in 2020. The key names are as follows: Zach Morton, Caleb Okechukwu, Steven Linton, Cooper Dawson, Andrew Tuazama and Ishmael Goulbourne.
...
Where are New York's top 20 football recruits heading? (PS; Mink)
National signing day has come and gone, and most college football programs have wrapped up recruiting in the 2019 class.
It's time to take a final look at where the top recruits in New York are headed.
20. JAMES PRINCE
Position: Offensive tackle
High school: Archbishop Stepinac
Hometown: White Plains, N.Y.
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 280 pounds
Stars: 2
College: Howard
Prince signed in December.
19. TREVOR YEBOAH-KODIE
Position: Running back
High School: Garden City
Hometown: Garden City
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 180 pounds
Stars: 2
College: Brown (lacrosse)
Yeboah-Kodie was named the state's Gatorade High School Player of the Year after rushing for 1,532 yards and 22 touchdowns on 129 carries to lead Garden City to a unbeaten, 12-0 season and its third-straight Long Island Class II championship, according to Newsday.
He will attend Brown and play lacrosse.
18. DARRYL FULLER
Position: Offensive tackle
High school: Christ the King Regional
Hometown: Middle Village
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 260 pounds
Stars: 2
College: Army
Fuller signed with Army last week after committing in November.
...
...
2. JASON BLISSETT
Position: Defensive tackle
High school: Poly Prep
Hometown: Brooklyn
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 271 pounds
Stars: 4
College: Miami (Fla.)
1. ADISA ISAAC
Position: Defensive end
High school: Canarsie
Hometown: Brooklyn
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 220 pounds
Stars: 4
College: Penn State
Isaac signed with Penn State in December. He is a top-100 recruit nationally and the No. 4-ranked player at his position.
He listed Syracuse in his final four but never took an official visit to campus before signing.
2019’s projected 130-team S&P+ rankings, from Bama to UTEP (sbnation.com; Connolly)
Rk Team Conference Recruiting impact Returning production Weighted 5-year Proj. S&P+
1 Alabama SEC 1 1 1 35.4
2 Georgia SEC 2 2 7 30.7
3 Clemson ACC 10 3 3 29.9
4 LSU SEC 3 4 6 25.8
5 Oklahoma Big 12 4 6 5 25.0
6 Florida SEC 6 5 23 24.6
7 Ohio State Big Ten 5 7 2 24.3
8 Auburn SEC 7 9 9 22.6
9 Michigan Big Ten 12 11 12 21.6
10 Mississippi State SEC 22 8 20 21.4
11 Wisconsin Big Ten 28 10 8 20.1
12 Notre Dame Indies 14 14 15 19.1
13 Texas A&M SEC 8 13 24 18.7
14 Penn State Big Ten 11 17 11 18.4
15 Washington Pac-12 18 16 17 17.7
16 Missouri SEC 38 12 39 17.5
17 Utah Pac-12 40 15 27 15.4
18 South Carolina SEC 19 20 46 14.9
19 Miami ACC 23 25 19 13.9
20 Oregon Pac-12 13 26 25 13.8
21 Tennessee SEC 17 28 33 12.9
22 Oklahoma State Big 12 37 23 22 12.8
23 Michigan State Big Ten 27 27 21 12.6
24 Boise State MWC 53 24 30 12.6
25 Iowa Big Ten 39 22 35 12.5
26 Memphis AAC 68 18 44 12.3
27 UCF AAC 62 21 59 11.7
28 Florida State ACC 15 43 4 10.9
29 USC Pac-12 16 38 10 10.7
30 Virginia Tech ACC 26 32 26 10.6
31 Appalachian State Sun Belt 100 19 58 10.4
32 Stanford Pac-12 21 39 13 10.0
33 Minnesota Big Ten 42 31 48 9.5
34 TCU Big 12 30 41 16 9.2
35 Texas Big 12 9 51 37 8.9
36 Washington State Pac-12 61 29 51 8.9
37 Kentucky SEC 33 33 68 8.8
38 West Virginia Big 12 45 34 40 8.6
39 Ole Miss SEC 24 48 18 8.5
40 Baylor Big 12 36 42 31 8.1
41 Virginia ACC 44 37 70 7.9
42 Utah State MWC 97 30 79 7.6
43 Iowa State Big 12 49 40 69 7.2
44 Cincinnati AAC 69 35 77 7.1
45 Nebraska Big Ten 20 58 42 6.6
46 Indiana Big Ten 41 49 49 6.4
47 NC State ACC 32 54 29 6.3
48 Arkansas SEC 25 57 41 6.1
49 Arizona State Pac-12 31 53 54 5.9
50 BYU Indies 75 44 65 5.7
51 Fresno State MWC 93 36 98 5.5
52 Arizona Pac-12 55 45 60 5.4
53 Vanderbilt SEC 57 47 78 5.2
54 San Diego State MWC 86 46 47 4.9
55 Texas Tech Big 12 64 50 53 4.8
56 Syracuse ACC 54 52 73 4.6
...
The Scoop - Monday February 11, 2019 - FootballScoop (footballscoop.com)
...
Michigan: Pat Perles has joined the staff as an analyst / assistant offensive line coach, Field Yates tweets. Perles is a coaching veteran with stops around the NFL and with Syracuse, Michigan State, North Dakota State, and also spent a number of years in the CFL.
...
Predicting the 2019 Over/Under Win Totals for the ACC - Stadium (watchstadium.com; Jacobson)
Unless you project each ACC school to lose just about every OOC game, these projections are not possible...
ACC Atlantic
Clemson
2018 over/under win total: 11
2018 regular season record: 12-0
2019 outlook: Clemson is the favorite to win the National Championship, and they’ll be a favorite in all 12 of their games. The Tigers open on the first Thursday night of the season with a home date against Georgia Tech. Their toughest test will be a week later against Texas A&M, and their most challenging conference game is in Week 3 when they travel to face Syracuse. After that, it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way for Dabo Swinney’s team.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 11.5
Syracuse
2018 over/under win total: 5.5
2018 regular season record: 9-3
2019 outlook: Syracuse exceeded their betting market expectations last regular season and capped off their year with a bowl win over West Virginia. Syracuse opens this season with a road game against Liberty in what will be remembered as Hugh Freeze’s debut with the Flames. The Orange have the aforementioned matchup with Clemson in Week 3 and cross-division games against Pittsburgh and Duke. Syracuse will get more respect this offseason especially with Florida State and Louisville coming off down years.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 7
NC State
2018 over/under win total: 7.5
2018 regular season record: 9-3
2019 outlook: There will be some question marks for North Carolina State after losing quarterback Ryan Finley and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers. The Wolfpack open with four non-conference games — with a contest at West Virginia being the most difficult. They play everyone in their division in the next six games and then close with cross-division clashes at Georgia Tech and against North Carolina. Expect the program to take a step back in 2019.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 6
Boston College
2018 over/under win total: 7
2018 regular season record: 7-5
2019 outlook: Boston College opens their season with one of their two cross-division games against Virginia Tech. They also have two of the weakest Power Five teams on their non-conference slate in Kansas and Rutgers. The Eagles then end the regular season with four of five games on the road. They play at Clemson and at Syracuse in back-to-back weeks, which is one of the toughest stretches an ACC team can endure in 2019. Star running back A.J. Dillon is back for the Eagles, but with Notre Dame and Pitt on their late November docket, Boston College’s schedule will get challenging as the season goes on.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 6.5
Florida State
2018 over/under win total: 8
2018 regular season record: 5-7
2019 outlook: Not only was Florida State one of the most disappointing teams in 2018, but their 36-year bowl streak came to an end. This offseason hasn’t brought any good news for the Seminoles, as quarterback Deondre Francois was dismissed from the program and Willie Taggart failed to sign a quarterback on National Signing Day. As for their schedule, it’s going to be a challenge again with notable matchups against Boise State and Florida catching my eye. Florida State is usually a national powerhouse, but I expect their win total to be much lower than usual unless they solve their quarterback conundrum.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 6.5
Wake Forest
2018 over/under win total: 6.5
2018 regular season record: 6-6
2019 outlook: Wake Forest’s schedule has a unique wrinkle in that they’ll play North Carolina in a “non-conference” game in addition to the ACC’s traditional eight-game conference format. So while it appears like the Demon Deacons have nine in-conference games, including cross-division matchups against Virginia Tech and Duke, it’s technically the standard eight. Wake Forest doesn’t have to leave their campus in October, as they have a bye and three straight home games in the middle of the season. November will be a tricky month with road dates at Virginia Tech, Clemson and Syracuse.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 5.5
Louisville
2018 over/under win total: 7
2018 regular season record: 2-10
2019 outlook: Louisville was the most disappointing team in 2018, falling short of their win total by five games and covering the spread only one time all season. Scott Satterfield is their new head coach, and he’ll be greeted with extremely low expectations in 2019. Unfortunately for him, the Cardinals will be tested right away with a Monday night matchup at home against Notre Dame. They also play Western Kentucky on a neutral site in Nashville and have a trip to Florida State in September. Louisville plays Virginia and Miami from the Coastal Division and finishes the season with a non-conference game against a reborn Kentucky program.
2019 over/under win total prediction: 3.5
...
Louisville Football: Cardinals' 2019 Spring Preview (athlonsports.com; Staley)
This year, the Louisville Cardinals will begin their spring practices a month earlier than in previous seasons as head coach Scott Satterfield will start to put his stamp on the program. Louisville will not have a traditional spring game as the team will wrap up their spring with a scrimmage on March 7 that will be open to the public.
The Cardinals, just like every program in the FBS, is allowed 15 spring practices as they will finish up before spring break on March 9.
5 Storylines to Watch During Louisville's Spring Practice
1. Scott Satterfield
As previously mentioned, Satterfield takes over for Bobby Petrino, who had coached the Cardinals from 2014-18. Last season, the Cardinals finished 2-10, which is why a coaching change was made in the first place.
It will be interesting to see how quickly Satterfield can have Louisville back to contention in the ACC. While at Appalachian State, Satterfield was 4-8 during his first season. That was followed by five straight winning seasons, including a 10-2 mark in 2018.
The Cardinals' fan base will need to be patient with Satterfield and the program as it will likely take some time to get back to relevance.
2. What freshmen will stand out in the spring?
Obviously, with a team that finished a poorly as the Cardinals last year, there will be more opportunities for younger players to get playing time. As Louisville signed 16 new players, Satterfield will be looking to see which of the freshmen stand out in the spring.
Defensive end Ja'Darien Boykin is the highest-rated prospect in the Louisville signing class. He was a four-star prospect by 247Sports and No. 318 overall in the nation.
...
ACC Football Rx: DBU 2000-18 (RX; HM)
Which school is "DBU" (Defensive Back University)? Many have laid claim to the title, including some ACC schools. If you look strictly at players drafted by the NFL, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a strong claim...
But of course, NFL draft picks aren't the only measure of DBU - and neither are they the only "picks"...
...
ACC Football Rx: 2019 ACC Recruiting Grades (RX; HM)
ESPN gave each FBS team a grade for National Signing Day - here's how the ACC fared...
ACC Team
Grade Nat'l
Rank
Clemson Tigers A 10
Florida State Seminoles B+ 19
Virginia Tech Hokies B 27
Miami Hurricanes B 30
NC State Wolfpack B 31
North Carolina Tar Heels B- 37
Virginia Cavaliers B- 40
Duke Blue Devils B- 42
Pittsburgh Panthers C- 48
Wake Forest Demon Deacons C 54
Boston College Eagles C 56
Syracuse Orange C 58
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets C 60
Louisville Cardinals C- 68
BOTTOM LINE: No truly horrible or failing grades, but only one "A" spells lots of mediocre recruiting this go around. Fortunately, the ACC recruited very well last year - but these teams can't make this a habit if they expect to continue playing with the big boys!
.
Posted 18 hours ago by Hokie Mark
ACC Football Rx: Links, news and rumors - 2/11/19 (RX; HM)
Links, news and rumors - 2/11/19
Clemson didn't win the 2019 National Championship - Alabama just lost it!
That's what some SEC fans say, at least.
http://allsportsdiscussion.com/2019...ize-clemson-football-was-just-better-in-2018/
And it isn't just the championship game, either. Apparently some think Clemson has NEVER actually beaten any SEC football team - the Tigers have simply caught them on bad days.
Jake Bentley: Clemson wasn’t ‘that much better than us or better than us at all’
#Hubris.
__________
Speaking of those same Clemson Tigers, they tide the Tide in something...
Brett McMurphy
✔
@Brett_McMurphy
Most players at NFL Combine:
11-Alabama, Clemson
10-Ohio State
9-Georgia, Ole Miss, Washington
8-Florida, Kentucky, Miss St., Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Wisconsin
7-Boston College, Penn St., Stanford
6-Auburn, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, NC State, Utah, West Virginia
...
ACC Football Rx: Movies that need to be on the ACC Network (RX; HM)
Movies that need to be on the ACC Network
There are 8,760 hours in a year. The ACC Network is expected to air 1,300 sporting events each year. If we figure those events average - at most - 3 hours each, that accounts for 3,900 of those 8,760 hours. That leaves 4,860 hours to fill. No doubt some of that will be filled with coaches shows (figure at least 15 hours per week, for another 780 hours) and some rebroadcasts (figure 1 hour each for compressed versions of football and basketball games, for another 190 hours max). That gets us down to 3,890 hours to fill. Toss in a couple of one-hour weekly pregame and postgame shows (104 hours) and we're starting to wonder where that last 3,786 hours of programming will come from...
The official ACC release on November 30th, 2018 stated that there would be "a complement of news and information shows and original programming" - great, but I'd like to put my 2 cents in and make a special request: movies! ACC-related movies could be shown on the ACCN. Why not? Since this is a football blog, I'm only going to focus on football-related movies here - but there are also movies about other sports which could fill some air time, too! Here are some suggestions...
__________
Dramas
The Program (fictional, but...)
It's a movie about a fictional college team call "ESU", but I remember at the time I saw it I thought 'this is really about FSU'. I mean, look at this player's warpaint and tell me that's not a Seminole...
Yeah, I know, "Much of the movie was filmed at the University of South Carolina" and "some of the campus shots were at Duke University" - but it caught the essence of 1990's Florida State football, IMO. They even play Georgia Tech in the film (just like real 1990's FSU). At least one player in the film is meant to be a Seminole - from "The making of 'The Program,' college football's cult movie", Actor Duane Davis admits "I based [movie character Alvin Mack] on [Florida State LB] Derrick Brooks" (although other characters are based on players at other colleges).
NOTE: When "The Program" was originally released it included a scene where some players laid down head to feet along a highway stripe with cars racing by. Some young people tried to imitate that scene in real life - and died - so the scene was cut and the movie re-released without it.
__________
The Express (Syracuse)
This one is based on a true story, though of course they had to make it a little more dramatic.
Watch "The Express" for free on Sony Crackle
Not only is this a film about the one and (so far) only national championship for the Syracuse football team, but it also portrays the story of the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy - and the racism he faced at various away locations. Dramatic, with an educational element.
__________
Brian's Song
Most young people today don't even know what this movie is about - much less that it's titular character was a football player for Wake Forest! Still, it could appeal so us old guys (and our wives who like a good tear-jerker!)
...
Other
New York Mets considering playing exhibition game in Syracuse (PS; Kramer)
Syracuse baseball fans could be getting an up-close look at their new major league affiliate before this season even starts.
A spokesperson for the New York Mets said Monday that the team is considering playing an exhibition game this spring at NBT Bank Stadium. Nothing has been set, however. The Mets own the Syracuse franchise and this is the first year New York will put its players on the NBT Bank Stadium field.
The Mets’ last exhibition game is March 25 vs. Baltimore, and the team opens its regular season March 28 in Washington. It’s possible another exhibition contest could be scheduled for Syracuse between those two dates.
Syracuse general manager Jason Smorol couldn’t be reached for comment. Syracuse has an open house on March 2, at which time Smorol has promised a major announcement.
...
Last edited:
