sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Fried Scallops Day!
in honor of @lil joe. Gone but not forgotten...
Scallops are marine mollusks that are about two to five inches in length and swim rapidly in water by opening and closing their shells. One of the main ways they are eaten in the United States is by being fried, but there are many other ways to prepare them such as putting them in soups, in sushi, and sautéeing them in butter.
National Fried Scallops Day is being observed today! It has always been observed annually on October 2nd.
SU News
Tommy DeVito faces injury as Syracuse football gets headed in the right direction (northjersey.com; Rowe)
Tommy DeVito is in the midst of what could be the most agonizing week in his college football career.
Syracuse’s quarterback from Don Bosco suffered what the Orangemen said was an upper body injury in Saturday’s 41-3 win over Holy Cross. DeVito told a television interviewer that he’ll be all right, and coach Dino Babers said he was encouraged after the game when DeVito “gave me the thumbs up.”
Still, Babers said DeVito would receive treatment this week before a decision would be made about whether he could start Syracuse’s next game, against North Carolina State on Oct. 10.
DeVito threw for four touchdowns against Holy Cross, his second straight game with four TD throws. That followed back-to-back one-sided losses to Maryland and Clemson in which some Syracuse fans openly questioned whether DeVito was the right man to lead their team.
On the fourth-quarter possession after which DeVito left the game, the quarterback ran twice for three yards and then threw a long pass that Holy Cross intercepted. As he came to the sidelines, DeVito, according to Syracuse.com, was caught by ACC Network cameras grimacing while talking to coaches and trainer. He was not hit on the throw.
When Barbers was asked why DeVito, with his team leading by 38 points, was still in the game in the fourth quarter, he answered: “We’re trying to get better. Our goal is totally different than some other people's, so were gonna play. He had the first team offensive line out in front of him.”
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Football roundtable: Beat writers evaluate Syracuse football during bye week (DO; Staff)
Syracuse has reached the first of its two byes this week. Through five games, the Orange have gone 3-2, with wins against Western Michigan, Liberty and Holy Cross and a pair of losses to Maryland and No. 1 Clemson. SU has juggled a shaky offensive line, the first couple games of Tommy DeVito at the helm and a plethora of injuries throughout its secondary.
Almost midway through its season, our beat writers discuss pressing questions about Syracuse football.
1. How have your expectations changed since the start of the season?
Eric Black: Mine haven’t changed too much, despite the fact that Syracuse might not be as good as we all thought it would be. While many people believed SU would take another step forward after its 10-win season last year, I wasn’t as convinced. I expected the Orange to have success similar to that of last season, if not slightly worse, and that’s what looks destined to happen this year. Just like I wrote prior to the season, though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It takes time to become a perennial 10-win team and an Atlantic Coast Conference contender. I expect Syracuse will play better in its final seven games than it did in its first five, and if it can finish the season going 6-1 or 5-2, that’d be a win in my book.
Andrew Graham: Actually, not that much? It feels kind of weird to say, and I do admit I must temper my pick of a 10-2 record, but something along the lines of 8-4, 9-3 is still on the table. Its last two games, Syracuse looked like it did last year, and that’s a good thing. Those two wins did come against Western Michigan and Holy Cross, so how much we can read into that remains to be seen. After getting roundhoused by Maryland — which has scored 17 points since its 63-20 win — SU hung with No. 1 Clemson until the end of the third quarter. The rest of the ACC lays the groundwork for a manageable back half of the schedule, one the Orange should leave with at least four or five more wins. Anything on top of that is just exceeding expectations at this point.
Josh Schafer: So if we’re going strictly by the numbers, my expectations have tapered down slightly. I originally picked Syracuse at 9-3, which still feels attainable, but perhaps 8-4 might be more fitting. The Orange’s offense has looked good in spurts but we haven’t seen consistency which is a point of concern headed into ACC road games, particularly the Orange’s next matchup — a Thursday night game at North Carolina State. Syracuse has returned some of the key elements form a year ago in consistent turnovers and top level special teams. But this year the offense is ranked 84th in the country in total yards per game and 77th in scoring. Those numbers were lowered by shaky offensive performances against Clemson and Maryland. While the Tigers are a potential College Football Playoff team, the Maryland loss felt reminiscent of SU’s struggles away from the Carrier Dome in the first two years under Dino Babers.
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Bowl Projections 2019: Predictions, Updated College Football Playoff Outlook (BR; Tansey)
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Postseason Projections
College Football Playoff
Peach Bowl (December 28): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Fiesta Bowl (December 28): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
The College Football Playoff could feature undefeated conference champions from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.
Alabama's toughest test comes at home versus LSU on November 9, and by the time it faces Auburn at the end of the regular season, the Tigers could be worn down from a brutal schedule.
Through five weeks, the Crimson Tide look like the best team in the SEC with a quintet of 20-plus-point victories, two of which were over conference foes.
If Nick Saban's team does not lose, it should land the top seed due to the overall strength of its league.
The same can't be said for Clemson, who has a single Top 25 foe left on its schedule. But there is no guarantee Wake Forest will still be ranked by November 16. One more loss by Virginia could land a two-loss squad in the ACC Championship Game opposite Dabo Swinney's side.
For now, the Tigers are second in the AP Top 25 and Amway Coaches Poll, but the amount of quality sides on Ohio State's schedule may make force an extended discussion.
The Buckeyes have four ranked foes left, and they could face Wisconsin twice if the Badgers take first in the Big Ten West.
An unblemished resume with victories over Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State might be enough to persuade the committee to place Justin Fields and Co. at No. 2.
Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma could be on a collision course for a meeting with his old team. If the Sooners beat Texas on October 12, they should have a clear path to the Big 12 Championship Game, but then they would likely have to beat the Longhorns again.
If Texas suffers a second conference loss, the Sooners may have to hurdle Oklahoma State or TCU to land in the playoff.
If the quartet of conference winners remain without a loss, Notre Dame would be on the outside looking in as well as the other contenders from the SEC.
New Year's Six
Cotton Bowl (December 28): Boise State vs. Georgia
Orange Bowl (December 30): Notre Dame vs. Auburn
Rose Bowl (January 1): Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl (January 1): LSU vs. Texas
Even if Georgia, Auburn and LSU end up with two losses, the power of the SEC could land them in New Year's Six games.
A year ago, Florida landed a spot alongside Georgia and LSU in these games, and if the Gators beat Auburn on Saturday, they will be in the mix for a premier bowl game.
Since the loser of the ACC Championship Game may have three losses, one of the SEC teams could jump over it to earn one of the at-large positions.
If Notre Dame wins out, it should lock into the New Year's Six and likely position itself with a foe from the South.
Oregon needs to finish the campaign without another loss and some help to be considered in the playoff conversation as the Pac-12 champion, but the Rose Bowl would be a nice consolation.
As the possible loser of the Big Ten title game, Wisconsin would land in Pasadena, California. If Ohio State runs through all of its opponents, Penn State would be the only one-loss squad that could be left in the Big Ten East.
Other Bowls
Bahamas Bowl (December 20): Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan
Frisco Bowl (December 20): Temple vs. Toledo
New Mexico Bowl (December 21): Southern Miss. vs. Wyoming
Cure Bowl (December 21): Cincinnati vs. Coastal Carolina
Boca Raton Bowl (December 21): Tulane vs. Louisiana Tech
Camellia Bowl (December 21): Kent State vs. Arkansas State
Las Vegas Bowl (December 21): Washington State vs. Utah State
New Orleans Bowl (December 21): Florida Atlantic vs. Appalachian State
Gasparilla Bowl (December 23): UCF vs. North Texas
Hawai'i Bowl (December 24): BYU vs. Hawaii
Independence Bowl (December 26): Miami vs. UAB
Quick Lane Bowl (December 26): Boston College vs. Maryland
Military Bowl (December 27): Syracuse vs. Navy
Pinstripe Bowl (December 27): NC State vs. Minnesota
Texas Bowl (December 27): Baylor vs. Kentucky
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Bowl Projections: Clemson must be careful in down ACC (SI; Shapiro)
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So who will slide into the Playoff, and who will settle for a spot outside the top four? Sports Illustrated’s latest slate of bowl projections are below.
Dec. 20
Bahamas Bowl, Nassau (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Conference USA vs. MAC
Marshall vs. Kent State
Frisco Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
American vs. Sun Belt
Memphis vs. Louisiana Lafayette
Dec. 21
Celebration Bowl, Atlanta (12 p.m. ET, ABC)
MEAC vs. SWAC
North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State
New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Conference USA vs. MWC
UAB vs. Utah State
Cure Bowl, Orlando (2:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
American vs. Sun Belt
Tulane vs. Arkansas State
Boca Raton Bowl (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
MAC vs. American
Eastern Michigan vs. Temple
Camellia Bowl, Montgomery (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
MAC vs. Sun Belt
Central Michigan vs. Louisiana Monroe
Las Vegas Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Pac-12 vs. SEC or Big Ten or MWC
Cal vs. BYU
New Orleans Bowl (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
C-USA vs. Sun Belt
Southern Miss vs. Coastal Carolina
Dec. 23
Gasparilla Bowl, Tampa (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Conference USA vs. ACC or American
Florida Atlantic vs. Cincinnati
Dec. 24
Hawai'i Bowl, Honolulu (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
MWC or BYU vs. American
Hawaii vs. UCF
Dec. 26
Independence Bowl, Shreveport (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
SEC vs. ACC or Notre Dame
Arkansas vs. Pitt
Quick Lane Bowl, Detroit (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Big Ten vs. ACC or Notre Dame
Maryland vs. Florida State
Dec. 27
Military Bowl, Annapolis (12 p.m. ET, ESPN)
American vs. ACC or Notre Dame
Navy vs. Virginia Tech
Pinstripe Bowl, Bronx (3:20 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Big Ten vs. ACC or Notre Dame
Minnesota vs. Syracuse
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Best case scenarios for every ACC team (247sports.com; Crawford)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Best case: 3-9, 1-7 — Somewhere, the Yellow Jackets might win a game vs. ACC competition. The unexpected early loss to The Citadel hurt, but it's not like Geoff Collins' first season was ever going to be a success for a program in transition.
Duke Blue Devils
Best case: 8-4, 6-2 — It's always enjoyable to watch a team coming together at the right time, beginning to gel on both sides of the football. That's exactly what the Blue Devils showed in last week's 45-10 drubbing at Virginia Tech. I'm apologizing ahead of time when David Cutcliffe surprises all with an eight-win season after I penned the ceiling for this year's team at five in August. That will be a job well done for Duke if the Blue Devils get to eight with a schedule that features Alabama and Notre Dame.
Boston College Eagles
Best case: 6-6, 4-4 — What happened to Steve Addazio's team vs. Kansas a few weeks ago? It's like the Eagles thought they could trot out at home and beat a dreadful bottom-dweller without focus and attention. Didn't happen and a loss to the Jayhawks may have flatlined this team. They bounced back with a win over Rutgers, another bad team, but squandered a chance to improve to 2-0 in ACC play on Saturday with a 3-point loss to Wake Forest.
NC State Wolfpack
Best case: 8-4, 5-3 — First, let's take a look at the games N.C. State won't likely win — Wake Forest and Clemson in November. Outside of those two, you have to like how the schedule sets up if you're a Wolfpack supporter. The early loss to West Virginia stings and Saturday's setback at Florida State in the ACC opener puts N.C. State a game behind every team in the Atlantic. The Wolfpack can throw a wrench into things if they win their next three games, beginning with a Thursday night showdown vs. Syracuse in two weeks.
Louisville Cardinals
Best case: 4-8, 2-6 — Like we said in the preseason, can you find two remaining games on the schedule Louisville can win this fall? Boston College at home on Saturday potentially is one, but it's hard to find another. Perhaps Kentucky on the road in a rivalry showdown in the season finale? That could be a feather in the cap-type win for Scott Satterfield to close out Year 1.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Best case: 11-1, 7-1 — Nine wins was the ceiling we projected in August, but that glass ceiling has been shattered. After an impressive 5-0 start, this Deacs team is thinking New Year's Six if they can't beat Clemson and finish second in the ACC Atlantic as a nationally-ranked team. Florida State and NC State are two extremely important home games upcoming at BB&T Field. The finale at Syracuse would be one of the biggest games in program history if the Deacs can get past Clemson and Duke during the two weekends prior.
Pitt Panthers
Best case: 8-4, 5-3 — With their three toughest games out of the way this fall including a surprising win over UCF, the Panthers can breathe a bit easier heading into Saturday night's game at Duke. A win in Durham over a confident Blue Devils teams makes the ACC Coastal race wide open again, though Pitt will need Virginia to lose two games somewhere to win the division after losing to the Cavaliers in the season opener.
SYRACUSE ORANGE
Best case: 8-4, 5-3 — The special season Syracuse fans dreamed about all summer went down the tubes against Maryland in Week 2 and a 35-point home loss to Clemson the week after that put the Orange on life support outside the Top 25. Dino Babers will salvage a bowl invite out of this and there's been promising signs offensively over the past two games, both blowout wins, but we aren't going to know if Syracuse has fully recovered until a Thursday night game at N.C. State on Oct. 10. That game will dictate how the second half of the season goes for the Orange.
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Bye Week Defensive/Special Report Card for Syracuse Football – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Raucci)
The unit that was supposed to be the strength of the team. The unit that returned some of the most formidable young secondary talent in the country. The unit that was supposed to have a pair of pass rushers that unleashed almost certain havoc on a weekly basis.
That’s how the SU defense was billed coming into the 2019 season. Now that we’re at the bye week and we’ve evaluated how the offense has looked, let’s do the same for the defense and see if they’ve lived up to those lofty expectations.
Defensive Line
This was probably the hardest group to nail down a grade for simply because of the fact that they’ve had such an absolute roller coaster of the season. They started by picking up eight sacks and allowing -4 rushing yards in an absolutely dominant performance against Liberty before getting taken to the wood shed by Maryland the next week to the tune of 354 rushing yards. They more or less were neutralized by Clemson (221 rushing yards, just three QB hurries) before having a baffling performance against Western Michigan in which they dominated in the pass rush with eight QB hurries and three sacks but still got gashed for over 200 yards rushing. They were then outright dominant against FCS Holy Cross.
Kendall Coleman has been consistent this season, but not stellar like we thought we might see while Alton Robinson has been mostly quiet outside of near-career performance against Western Michigan. The interior D-line is still dealing with the loss of McKinley Williams who has still yet to play a game this season and it’s obvious they’re missing him and struggling with the loss of Chris Slayton. The backups at all four spots have performed admirably and are a big part of the reason SU ranks fifth in the ACC in sacks with 17, but it’s just not the dominance up front we were expecting and if SU wants to keep their loss total low going through ACC play, the front four is going to have to step up and turn from up and down to just up. Pass rush, keep it up. Run defense, pick it up, and quick.
B-
Linebackers
This was probably the biggest question mark for the defense going into the 2019 season and while they’re certainly not going to wow you or remind you of the good old days of Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett, the duo of Lakiem Williams and Andrew Armstrong have been pretty good this season. The two top the charts in terms of total tackles on the year (and are tied for second in tackles for loss as well) and have done a decent enough job in pass coverage with a few PBUs each. Williams leads the team in sacks with 3.5 on the year and has even made his presence felt in the pass rush when he’s not getting directly to the quarterback.
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Syracuse football has a lot of reflecting to do during bye week (itlh; Esden Sr)
Our Paul A. Esden Sr shares his top takeaways from Week 5 and why the Syracuse football team has a lot of reflecting to do during bye week.
With the Syracuse football bye week upon us, it gives us a chance to reflect on the Holy Cross game.
We learned a lot from that game and it puts a new light on the 2019 campaign. I hear you, Paul has gone off his rocker again, what could we possibly learn from a 41-3 blow out? Plenty for a moment let’s reflect on some of my keys to the game:
The Orange will win this game hands down.
“The important piece is to seize the opportunity to fire on all cylinders prior to the schedule heating up against ACC opponents. They need to go out and dominate this game to help build chemistry on the offensive line, Tommy’s pocket presense and running game. These are the keys to the push for Bowl eligibility.”
Sadly this did not happen, yes if you look at the team statistics you could fool yourself (269 yards passing for Tommy DeVito) until you realize that 70 yards of this were on one pass play (that happened in the fourth quarter) and 47 yards on another reception both of which involved significant yards after catch.
Removing those two second-half scores Tommy DeVito went 17-of-29 for 152 yards against an FCS opponent. This is a warning sign for the remainder of the season.
“Not a key to the game but a key insight into the future of the 2019 game will be the Orange defense pitching a shutout. This is not a stretch, Syracuse has NFL level talent on the defense (Kendall Coleman and Andre Cisco to name a few). This game will allow them to work as a cohesive unit and prepare them for the next 8 games of the season.”
For me this was the bright spot of the game, the defense came out and executed as they should have. Syracuse allowed .6 yards per rushing play and 3.4 yards per completion. Complete dominance. This is a positive sign for our push for bowl eligibility.
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Syracuse fan's bye week viewing guide (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse football may be off this week, but that does not make this week's slate of games any less interesting for Orange fans. In fact, it provides a little bit of stress relief knowing your team cannot lose. Instead, you can sit back, relax and watch Saturday's games while enjoying time with friends and family. That does not mean Syracuse fans should head out and go apple picking or do yard work or go to the mall or some other activity that takes you away from college football's full schedule of games. Oh no, far from that.
We have ten games that should peak the interest of Syracuse fans in various ways as sort of a cheering guide for the weekend. Before we get to those games, let's reset where Syracuse stands after five games with seven ACC matchups on the horizon.
Syracuse currently sits at 3-2 (0-1) on the 2019 season. The Orange had tremendously high offseason expectations, and started the year ranked in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls. They started the season with a 24-0 win at Liberty where the the defense was dominant, but the offense struggled for much of the night. The following week Syracuse remained on the road and played at Maryland. In a game that clearly meant more for the Terps than the Orange, Maryland blew out Syracuse 63-20.
Week three gave Syracuse a chance at redemption with the top ranked Clemson Tigers coming into the Carrier Dome. Syracuse played them tough for three quarters. In fact, they were trailing just 17-6 midway through the third quarter when an interception gave them first and goal at the nine. However, a Tommy DeVito interception on the next play turned the ball over and essentially ended Syracuse's upset bid. The Orange have rebounded with back to back wins over Western Michigan and Holy Cross.
KENT STATE AT WISCONSIN
The teams here may not have a ton of interest to Syracuse fans on the surface. However, Kent State head coach Sean Lewis was the offensive coordinator under Dino Babers during the first two years of the Babers era at Syracuse. Lewis left to take his first head coaching gig, and has been tasked with turning around the Golden Flashes. After a 2-10 rookie campaign, Lewis is off to a 2-2 start this year with those losses being at Arizona State and at Auburn.
Kent State comes into this game off of a 62-20 win over Bowling Green. Dustin Crum, Kent State's quarterback, went 26-31 for 310 yards and three touchdowns in that game. Former Syracuse commit Joe-El Shaw ran for 109 yards on 15 carries with a pair of scores. Should a school have success luring Dino Babers away from Syracuse in the offseason (we do not believe this will happen as of now), Lewis would be a natural choice to replace him.
Game: 12:00pm on ESPNU
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Syracuse Football: Future at TE looks safe with arrival of Luke Benson (itlh; Esden Jr)
Syracuse football has a lot of question marks on the roster, tight end isn’t one of them. Here’s how Luke Benson made his presence known on Saturday.
When you play an FCS opponent in your own building a few things are guaranteed.
A Syracuse football victory (41-3) and due to the mismatch on the field another thing that is assured is youngsters getting playing time.
Despite the 38 point victory, head coach Dino Babers kept a lot of his starters in the game throughout the contest.
Although several young players did get their opportunity to make something happen and one of those key cogs was freshman tight end, Luke Benson.
There is good and bad news with Benson’s rock-star debut. The bad news is he only finished the game with one reception. The good news is it went for 70 yards for a touchdown.
Quality over quantity.
After the game, Luke sat down with us to talk about his first career touchdown reception, his game-breaking speed, and what is still in store for 2019 and beyond.
The first touchdown reception of your career is in the books did it go according to plan and what was that moment like?
“Yeah man, it was awesome to get the first one in the books. The No. 1 thing I wanted to do this year for the Orange was to produce so I’m glad I was able to do that for the team.”
You know tight ends aren’t usually known for their speed, but you caught that pass and brought it all the way to the house, is that something you pride yourself on?
“Absolutely my speed is the base of my game, to be honest. I’m trying to become a more complete player. I need to improve my blocking and my overall game to reach the next level.”
Speaking of speed what’s your 40-yard dash time?
“I’ve never done an official one before but hand-timed I’ve clocked in the high 4.4’s. I’ve always been fast and a vertical threat so that helps.”
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King of the Hill: ACC Football Power Rankings (Week 5) (cardiachill.com; Whaley)
Here’s how I rank the conference teams based on what we’ve seen so far. Number in parentheses is the team’s ranking last week.
- (1) Clemson (5-0) - Beat North Carolina, 21-20
- (2) Virginia (4-1) - Lost 35-20 to Notre Dame
- (4) Wake Forest (5-0) - 27-24 win over Boston College
- (3) Pitt (3-2) - 17-14 win over Delaware
- (5) Florida State (3-2) - 31-13 win over NC State
- (13) Duke (3-1) - 45-10 win over Virginia Tech
- (7) North Carolina (2-3) - Narrow loss to Clemson
- (6) Louisville (2-2) - Bye
- (8) Miami (2-2) - Bye
- (12) Syracuse (3-2) - Defeated Holy Cross, 41-3
- (10) Boston College (3-2) - Lost to Wake Forest
- (9) North Carolina State (3-2) - Lost to Florida State
- (11) Virginia Tech (2-2) - Lost to Duke
- (14) Georgia Tech (1-3) - Lost to Temple, 24-2
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ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 6: Can someone wake Clemson up, please? (saturdayblitz.com; Pryor)
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11 SYRACUSE ORANGE3-2, 0-1 Last Week: 13
The Gooch was the nemesis of Arnold Jackson in the classic television series Different Strokes. Like most bullies, the Gooch was bullied. The Orange have become the Gooch of the ACC. They got bullied by Maryland and Clemson, now they’ve bullied Western Michigan and Holy Cross in back-to-back weeks.
I sold my Syracuse stock after the Maryland game, but maybe the bullying of a MAC team and an FCS Patriot League team is just what the doctor ordered for Dino Babers and the Orange. They were out of sync on both offense and defense. We’ll see what they look like in conference play. The Orange travel to Raleigh to take on an equally-confusing North Carolina State team Oct. 10.
10 NC STATE WOLFPACK3-2, 0-1 Last Week: 9
The Wolfpack got a whiff of what it smells like when the Seminoles play a complete game. It wasn’t pretty, mind you, but they didn’t let their lead slip away. The Wolfpack, however, left the game with questions at the most critical position on the field: quarterback.
Matthew McKay, who started the first five games, was pulled after completing three passes on NC States first three possessions, and only one pass against Ball State in the previous game. He got pulled for Florida State transfer — how ironic — Bailey Hockman played most of the game with Devin Leary seeing snaps as well.
The defense played well, limiting Florida State running back Cam Akers to 83 yards and sacking Seminoles starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook eight times. They have until Oct. 10 when they invite Syracuse to Carter-Finley for a Thursday night game to figure out who’s playing quarterback.
9 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS2-3, 1-1 Last Week: 7
The legend of Sam Howell took a detour this week as he almost pulled off the impossible, and defeated the Clemson Tigers in Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon.
When Trevor Lawrence was asked about the game, he replied, “What game? I was asleep and woke up in full pads in the visitor’s locker room about 20 minutes ago. Coach said we played a game, but I don’t remember anything but going to sleep the night before.” OK, but seriously, North Carolina had a fantastic game plan they executed well. They just came up a bit short.
For all those wondering, yes, they should have gone for two. They aren’t deep enough to go extra periods with Clemson, and Trevor and company might have come out of their sleep walking trance.
North Carolina is going to win a few more they shouldn’t before their season is over. They have two road scrimmages against the Yellow Jackets and the Hokies before they play the rival Duke Blue Devils. Every team they play for the rest of the season had better be on upset alert because the man, the myth, the legend Sam Howell and the Heels are coming.
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Miami Hurricanes Searching for Consistency - Last Word on College Football (lastwordoncollegefootball.com; McMurphy)
A few tweaks in my bowl projections this week, including, most notably, dropping Clemson to a No. 3 seed behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Oklahoma.
I’m projecting all three of those schools to finish 13-0 with Georgia easily having the toughest schedule of the three. Oklahoma (with potentially two neutral site wins vs. Texas) would edge Clemson (home win vs. Texas A&M and not much else as far as nationally-ranked ACC opponents).
What about Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and Auburn? I don’t believe any of those four will make it through undefeated. One factor the College Football Playoff selection committee has consistently shown us: an undefeated Power 5 team won’t be left out of the playoff.
I have Alabama getting the final spot in the playoff – yes, even after losing to Georgia in the SEC title game – while Ohio State (Rose), LSU (Sugar) and Auburn (Orange) should secure New Year’s 6 bowl bids.
Right now, I have Notre Dame and Penn State just missing out on a New Year’s 6 bowl. However, with the SEC West’s upcoming monster matchups, either Notre Dame or Penn State – or both – could move up if any of the SEC West teams suffer multiple losses.
This week, I’m projecting five bowls with SEC and Big Ten affiliations not being filled, which is good news for the Pac-12 (I’m projecting nine bowl-eligible teams) and the Mountain West (could have seven bowl eligible teams for five spots) to fill those openings.
Onto this week’s projections:
College Football Playoff
Championship – Jan. 13 (CFP semifinal winners)
Projection: Georgia vs. Clemson
Semifinals
Peach Bowl – Dec. 28 (CFP semifinal)
Projection: Georgia (CFP No. 1) vs. Alabama (CFP No. 4)
Fiesta Bowl – Dec. 28 (CFP semifinal)
Projection: Oklahoma (CFP No. 2) vs. Clemson (CFP No. 3)
New Year’s 6 bowls
Rose Bowl – Jan. 1 (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl – Jan. 1 (Big 12 vs. SEC)
Projection: Texas vs. LSU
Orange Bowl – Jan. 1 (ACC vs. SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame)
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Auburn
Cotton Bowl – Dec. 28 (at-large vs. Group of 5*)
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Memphis*
Other Bowls
Citrus Bowl – (Big Ten vs. SEC)
Projection: Penn State vs. Florida
Outback Bowl – (Big Ten vs. SEC)
Projection: Michigan State vs. Texas A&M
Gator Bowl – (Big Ten/ACC vs. SEC)
Projection: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
Holiday Bowl – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Iowa vs. Arizona State
Liberty Bowl – (Big 12 vs. SEC)
Projection: Kansas State vs. Washington State**
Redbox Bowl – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Michigan vs. Utah
Sun Bowl – (ACC vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Duke vs. Utah
Military Bowl – (ACC vs. American)
Projection: Syracuse vs. UCF
Arizona Bowl – (Mountain West vs. Sun Belt)
Projection: Utah State vs. Georgia State
Belk Bowl – (ACC vs. SEC)
Projection: Miami vs. Mississippi State
Alamo Bowl – (Big 12 vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Washington
Camping World Bowl – (ACC vs. Big 12)
Projection: Notre Dame vs. TCU
Music City Bowl – (ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC)
Projection: Virginia vs. Colorado**
Texas Bowl – (Big 12 vs. SEC)
Projection: Baylor vs. Kentucky
Pinstripe Bowl – (ACC vs. Big Ten)
Projection: Pitt vs. Minnesota
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Duke QB Quentin Harris
The Devil’s in the details: Duke football puts together dominant display against Virginia Tech (dukechronicle.com; Rego)
They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details—and numbers.
Each week, the Blue Zone will dissect five key numbers from last week's action in Duke sports, whether they be historic or underwhelming. This week, let the numbers take you inside football’s impressive road victory, men’s golf’s ascension to the top and volleyball’s early issues in conference play.
149.2
Quentin Harris put together his third consecutive standout performance in football's 45-10 defeat of Virginia Tech last Friday, compiling a 149.2 passer rating and only throwing seven incompletions against an aggressive Hokie secondary. After a slow start offensively, the Blue Devils (3-1, 1-0 in the ACC) finally began to click on that side of the ball in the second quarter and never looked back, with Harris leading the way.
32
Deon Jackson has struggled to find consistent holes in the running game this year. However, he broke off his longest run of the season against Virginia Tech, a 32-yard scamper with 12:25 left in the ball game. Jackson’s ability to help Duke’s offense on the ground will play a pivotal role in the Blue Devils' ACC slate.
1
Golfweek’s most recent men’s team collegiate rankings place Duke at the top spot. This distinction was announced Friday morning, two days before the Blue Devils began their title defense at the Nike Collegiate Invitational on Sunday. Three players—Adrien Pendaries (No. 2), Steven DiLisio (No. 70), and Chandler Eaton (No. 71)—were part of the individual top 100 rankings as well.
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Miami Hurricanes Searching for Consistency - Last Word on College Football lastwordoncollegefootball.com; Maxis)
The Hurricanes beat Central Michigan for their second win of the season but the team had their least impressive performance. Miami recorded a season-low 17 points against the MAC opponent and was held to 31 yards rushing. The Miami Hurricanes are still searching for consistency on both sides of the ball.
Head coach Manny Diaz has stated all year that the Hurricanes need to “learn how to win football games” and against the Chippewas, that showed to be true. Miami needs to correct mistakes quickly because the team starts ACC play soon.
Miami Hurricanes Searching for Consistency
Offensive Inconsistency
After seeming like the offensive line finally was making improvements, the unit took a step back against Central Michigan. Junior running back DeeJay Dallas had his worst performance of the season so far. He was near averaging 100 yards in the first three games, but was bottled up and only averaged two yards per carry last week. Overall, Dallas has been the offense’s biggest playmaker. He needs to make adjustments and stay consistent going forward.
The play of the offensive line has been a rollercoaster in the first four games. Youth and a growing chemistry are likely the cause. Diaz and his staff have already shuffled the lineup several times this season. True freshman Zion Nelson took a small step back after showing improvement in games two and three. Another true freshman, Jakai Clark, started against North Carolina but regressed slightly versus Central Michigan. The offensive line was always a question before the season started but flashes from the group gave the impression the worst was behind.
In terms of the passing game, Miami is much improved from last season. However, the Hurricanes lack a downfield passing attack. Jeff Thomas is averaging only eight yards per reception. Last season Thomas averaged over 16 yards per reception. His connection with quarterback Jarren Williams will need to be much better as Miami enters ACC play. The Hurricanes must also figure out which receivers will have a bigger role in the next stretch of games. Sophomore Mark Pope is a candidate to receive many more targets as Miami needs to have its most explosive players on the field.
Kicking Troubles
The kicking game through the first four games has not helped the Hurricanes very much. Sophomore Bubba Baxa is five for nine on field goal attempts and seems to be having confidence issues. The coaching staff has trust in his leg as he has already made a 50-yard kick. The problem has been the intermediate kicks for Baxa. He will be heavily relied upon in the coming weeks. With the Hurricanes set to have a number of key games at home, his performance should improve.
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North Carolina AD apologizes to Clemson for jabbing football fans on video board (usatoday.com; Robinson)
for gbo
Gameday operations officials at the University of North Carolina cracked jokes at the expense of Clemson fans Saturday afternoon, but not everyone rolled with the punchlines.
During a break in action of Clemson's 21-20 victory in Chapel Hill, the video board displayed individuals with overlaid captions insinuating that they were bandwagon Clemson fans.
One shot suggested a lady "thinks that Clemson is in Georgia." Another teased that a man "thinks 'The Fridge' (former Clemson All-American William Perry) is just a kitchen appliance."
While some Clemson fans accepted the jabs as good-natured ribbing, several denounced the display as classless and demeaning. Some shared their displeasure via social media. Some sent complaints to UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
According to UNC associate athletic director for strategic communications Robbi Pickeral Evans, Cunningham apologized to Clemson president James Clements and athletic director Dan Radakovich on Sunday.
Pickeral Evans said Cunningham "also has responded to all of the emails he has received so far about the video board spot."
"We want everyone who comes to Chapel Hill to have a positive experience on our campus — whether they are our supporters or our opponents’ fans, first-time visitors or long-time guests," Cunningham wrote. "The video board spot featuring Clemson fans on Saturday was not in that spirit.
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Massey Composite Rankings - 10/2/19 (RX; HM)
Massey Composite Rankings - 10/2/19
The human polls caused a little controversy when they dropped Clemson from #1 to #2 - despite the fact that (1) the Tigers were undefeated and (2) the team that jumped them - Alabama - doesn't have a single win over a ranked opponent yet this season.
Well, if you've read this blog for long you already know how I feel about human polls - very biased! For that reason, I tend to put a little more weight on computer polls. Admittedly, this time the computers agree that Alabama is probably playing better than Clemson right now - but they don't put the Tide in the top spot! That spot belongs to the Ohio State Buckeyes (see table):
| Rank | Team | Conf |
| 1 | Ohio St | B10 |
| 2 | Alabama | SEC |
| 3 | Clemson | ACC |
| 4 | Auburn | SEC |
| 5 | Georgia | SEC |
| 6 | LSU | SEC |
| 7 | Penn St | B10 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | B12 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | B10 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | IND |
| Rank | Team | Conf |
| 11 | Washington | P12 |
| 12 | Iowa | B10 |
| 13 | Florida | SEC |
| 14 | Oregon | P12 |
| 15 | Texas | B12 |
| 16 | Michigan St | B10 |
| 17 | Oklahoma St | B12 |
| 18 | Boise St | MWC |
| 19 | UCF | AAC |
| 20 | Missouri | SEC |
| Rank | Team | Conf |
| 21 | SMU | AAC |
| 22 | Utah | P12 |
| 23 | Arizona St | P12 |
| 24 | Wake Forest | ACC |
| 25 | Michigan | B10 |
| 26 | Cincinnati | AAC |
| 27 | Appalachian St | SBC |
| 28 | Memphis | AAC |
| 29 | Mississippi St | SEC |
| 30 | Kansas St | B12 |
| Rank | Team | Conf |
| 31 | Texas A&M | SEC |
| 32 | TCU | B12 |
| 33 | Virginia | ACC |
| 34 | Baylor | B12 |
| 35 | California | P12 |
| 36 | USC | P12 |
| 37 | Duke | ACC |
| 38 | Minnesota | B10 |
| 39 | Utah St | MWC |
| 40 | Colorado | P12 |
| Rank | Team | Conf |
| 41 | Iowa St | B12 |
| 42 | Air Force | MWC |
| 43 | Tulane | AAC |
| 44 | West Virginia | B12 |
| 45 | Louisiana | SBC |
| 46 | Hawaii | MWC |
| 47 | Florida St | ACC |
| 48 | Pittsburgh | ACC |
| 49 | Wyoming | MWC |
| 50 | Arizona | P12 |
| Rank | Team | Conf |
| 51 | Nebraska | B10 |
| 52 | North Carolina | ACC |
| 53 | Washington St | P12 |
| 54 | Syracuse | ACC |
Factoids - 10/2/19 (RX; HM)
Factoids - 10/2/19
Three ACC teams are ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll, including No. 2 Clemson, No. 22 Wake Forest and No. 23 Virginia. This is the Demon Deacons' first appearance in the AP poll since 2008 when they spent eight weeks in the rankings.
Following a road win over North Carolina, Clemson relinquished its hold on the top spot in the polls for the first time since the start of the season. Virginia is ranked for the fourth consecutive week. All three teams are also ranked in the Amway Coaches Top 25, and Duke is receiving votes.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Clemson is the first team to drop from the top spot in the AP Poll after winning a game since Ohio State on Nov. 8, 2015. That week, the Buckeyes beat Minnesota 28-14 but were jumped by Clemson after the Tigers beat No. 17 Florida State 23-13.
Just four games – all league matchups – are scheduled for week six. Boston College travels to Louisville for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff on RSN; Miami plays host to Virginia Tech at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN; North Carolina travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech at 4 p.m. on ACCN; and Duke plays host to Pitt in a prime time contest at 8 p.m. on ACCN.
Wake Forest has won seven straight games, matching the school record set in 1944 when the Deacons started the year 7-0. Wake owns the fifth-longest active win streak in the country behind only Clemson (20), Ohio State (11), Appalachian State (10) and Florida (9). This is fourth time in school history that Wake Forest has started 5-0 and the first time since 2006.
Clemson has won 20 consecutive games. That is the second-longest streak in ACC history and the longest active streak in the country. The league record is 29 straight by Florida State from 2012-14.
Clemson has won a nation's best 23 consecutive regular season games. The last time the Tigers lost a regular season game was at Syracuse on Oct. 13, 2017. Clemson has won 54 of its last 56 regular season games.
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Realignment Phase II: End of Big East Football (2004-2014) (RX; HM)
Realignment Phase II: End of Big East Football (2004-2014)
Back in May 2019 we discussed Conference Realignment Phase I: End of Independents (1990-91) in which the major FBS football independents were all absorbed into conferences (except for Notre Dame). Today we'll look at Phase II: End of Big East Football...
When the second phase of conference realignment began there were six "Automatic Qualifier" (AQ) conferences: the ACC, the Big East, the Big Ten, the Big XII, the Pac-12 and the SEC. However, when the SEC and Big XII had so much success (financially, on the field and recruiting) thanks to their conference championship games (which at the time required a minimum of 12 members), the writing was on the wall - expand or die!
Now when two objects try to occupy the same space, something has to give. The ACC and the Big East essentially occupied the same East Coast space, and it was becoming clear that it wouldn't be possible for both to survive long-term. So, in the early 2000s the ACC decided to invite Miami and Virginia Tech to join the conference. It appears that the original plan was to add Miami and Syracuse, but the Virginia Tech folks were able to successfully lobby for the Hokies to be included instead of the Orange (who were honestly not ready to leave the Big East at that point anyway).
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Looking Ahead to 2019 Week 7 (RX; HM)
Looking Ahead to 2019 Week 7
ACC Announces Football Game Times & Networks for October 12
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the following football game times and networks for the week of Oct. 12:
Thursday, Oct. 10
Syracuse at NC State, 8 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Oct. 11
Virginia at Miami, 8 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Oct. 12
Georgia Tech at Duke, 12:30 p.m., RSN
Rhode Island at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m., ACCN
Louisville at Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m., ACCN
Florida State at Clemson, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ABC – game time tbd after the games of Oct. 5.
Open Dates: Boston College, North Carolina, Pitt
All times are Eastern.
BOTTOM LINE: FSU and Clemson are both idle this week, so essentially whether they play in prime time or not depends on what happens in the Big Ten... this one's so complex I'm going to let Matt Sarzniak explain it:
So here's our rooting guide: we need Michigan State to lose at Ohio State (I'm just going to check that one off now), and we need Penn State to handle Purdue at home (another check). It's too much to ask for Wisconsin to lose at home to Kent State, but if you want to pull for that, too, be my guest. At any rate, I think FSU/Clemson has a pretty good chance of playing out under the lights...
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Other
‘The Shed’ trailer: New horror movie from ‘Saw’ producer filmed in Syracuse (PS; Herbert)
“Let me see your pet monster": A new vampire horror movie filmed in Central New York is ready to terrify the world.
“The Shed,” written and directed by Frank Sabatella, was filmed in Syracuse and Manlius last year with a cast that includes CNY natives Frank Whaley and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. A trailer released last week shows Hogan as a cop investigating a mysterious killer living inside a tool shed.
According to Deadline, the plot follows high school student Stan (Jay Jay Warren), who discovers a bloodthirsty vampire living in his shed. Rather than try and fight the demon, his best friend Dommer (Cody Kostro) thinks they should use it for revenge on school bullies and Stan’s abusive grandfather.
“We always respond to story ideas that beg the question ‘What if?’,” producers Peter Block and Cory Neal said in a statement. “Maybe its kids stuck on a ski lift, or two guys chained up in a dingy bathroom, or scuba divers abandoned in the middle of the ocean. This time it was watching the news and seeing another senseless school shooting by a bullied teen and we wondered what if he didn’t have his Dad’s AR-15, but rather… and that’s ‘The Shed.’"
NewsChannel 9 reports Block, a former Lionsgate Films vice president best known for producing the “Saw” horror franchise, talked about the production at the CNY Film Conference earlier this month. “The Shed” is being released through Block’s own company, A Bigger Boat Productions, and RLJE Films.
“The Shed,” also starring Sofia Happonen and Timothy Bottoms, will premiere at the SITGES Film Festival in Spain this week before getting a U.S. debut at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
The rest of the world will have to wait until after Halloween to see the movie, though. “The Shed” will be released in theaters and digital Video On Demand (VOD) on November 15.
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