sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Alascattalo Day!
Alascattalo Day honors Alaskan humor and is named for the alascattalo, a fictitious animal that is a cross between a moose and a walrus, that is said to have been bred by miners during the Alaskan Gold Rush around the turn of the twentieth century. The creature is believed to have come about as a response to stupid questions asked by tourists. For instance, some tourists have asked where Alaskan penguins can be found, and Alaskans have jokingly told tourists places to go look for them. Of course, penguins do not live in Alaska. Some have used a similar humor called "absurding" to answer questions. For instance, they have talked to tourists about the alacattalo when there is no such creature.
SU News
How Eric Coley, Vinson Reynolds balance father-son relationship within Syracuse football (PS; Bailey)
Vinson Reynolds’ mind was made up: if his stepson, Eric Coley, was going to play for Syracuse football, it would be on merit alone.
That’s partially why, after being hired as the Orange’s defensive line coach in January 2016, Reynolds didn’t tell his boss, Dino Babers, or any of his colleagues that he was helping raise a Power-Five recruit.
Coley was introduced simply as Reynolds’ son when he met Babers at a Super Bowl party early that February. It wasn’t until he attended SU’s junior day at the end of the month that two and two were put together inside the program’s recruiting department.
“Why didn’t you tell me your son played football?” Reynolds recalls Babers asking.
“I didn’t know I was supposed to,” he replied.
Reynolds still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of sharing a program with Coley when an offer was handed down after the junior day. But as his stepson visited other schools and experienced the recruiting process naturally, Reynolds saw firsthand the type of program Babers was building. If he left, Coley would be in good hands.
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Why Syracuse football is starting to speak up amid #NotAgainSU protest (DO; Graham)
Kenneth Ruff Jr. woke up around 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning and read the same email he and 104 of his Syracuse football teammates received.
As Ruff processed the events described in the email — a white supremacist shooter’s manifesto allegedly being posted online and shared on campus — his attention turned to the quickening pulse of text notifications buzzing his phone. Ruff, a senior who keeps in touch with as many players as possible, sifted through notes of anger, confusion and disappointment from teammates present and past.
“I’m sad,” Ruff said Tuesday. “I don’t like to be like this. You know how I am. I smile all the time. And it’s been hard to do that today, especially when I have my girlfriend calling me asking me if I could walk her to class because she’s scared.”
A day after Dino Babers said in his weekly press conference the team hadn’t addressed the matter as a whole, every player and coach was in the football auditorium on Tuesday morning.
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Syracuse Football: A game of musical chairs saved a season and a job (itlh; Esden Jr)
Here’s how a game of musical chairs saved the 2019 Syracuse football season and most importantly a man’s job. Here are all the details.
Syracuse football was 3-6 coming off of an embarrassing 58-27 blowout loss to Boston College. It was the fourth loss in a row and seemingly a sign of things to come in the final three games of the season.
Then Dino Babers and this Orange staff decided to finally play a game of musical chairs that not only saved the 2019 Syracuse football season but arguably saved a coach’s job.
Syracuse entered the season with three gaping holes on the offensive line with three players moving on (Koda Martin, Cody Conway, and Aaron Roberts). After the first week of the season starting center Sam Heckel went down and we haven’t seen him since.
That one little itsy bitsy injury has forced the entire offensive line to shuffle around. That has resulted in the Orange possessing the worst offensive line in all of college football.
Out of 130 eligible teams, Syracuse ranks dead last in sacks allowed (46). That’s an average of 4.6 sacks per game for a net loss of over 274 yards.
Back to that embarrassing loss vs Boston College, the Orange entered the bye week looking hard in the mirror and came up with a solution.
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Louisville football: Cards turn the tables on upcoming foe Syracuse (BRL; Meyer)
Entering the 2019 season, Syracuse was projected to be one of the best teams in the ACC. How Louisville football turned the tables on the Orange.
2019 was supposed to be Syracuse football’s year to take a quantum leap forward in the world of ACC football expectations. It was also supposed to be a rebuilding “year zero” type of season for Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football program.
Though the Orange lost long-time starting quarterback Eric Dungey, his replacement Tommy DeVito was pegged to be the next big thing in upstate New York.
The Orange returned the majority of its defense and bolstered its rushing attack by adding a strong recruiting class in 2019.
To say that expectations were high coming off of a 10-win season under fourth-year head coach Dino Babers would be an understatement. But Syracuse’s expectations seemed far too wild in retrospect now that the reality of a 12-game ACC season has hit.
The Orange began the season unimpressively with a sloppy 24-0 win over Liberty before their absolute dismantling at the hands of a Maryland squad who is unlikely to make a bowl game.
Entering conference play, the Orange were trounced by Clemson and have since taken four straight losses to NC State, Pitt, Florida State, and Boston College. Cuse finally broke through with a blowout win over Duke last week, but overall, they are allowing over 31 points per game to conference foes while failing to get things going on offense far too much.
Prior to the 2019 season, most had this pegged as a loss for the Cardinals. Four out of five of BRL’s contributors and site experts chose Syracuse to win by double digits, while one picked Louisville in a surprising upset.
10 games into the season, one could surmise that the more surprising outcome would be a Louisville loss. But how does that happen?
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Clemson Football: 5 Programs the ACC could consider adding in the future (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)
The Clemson football team may go through the 2019 season without beating an opponent ranked inside the top-25, which could prompt the ACC to make changes.
The chief complaint when it comes to Clemson football is the fact that the Tigers play in the ACC.
Though Clemson dominates teams from outside the conference all the time, analysts- and the CFB Playoff committee, for that matter- believe the ACC is ‘less than’ when comparing it to the rest of the Power-5.
Though the ACC has had some good years and currently has some programs potentially on the rise, there’s no doubting that the conference has been down this season.
Other than Clemson football, the ACC has not had one team consistently inside the top-25. Traditional powerhouses like Florida State, Miami and even Virginia Tech have struggled this year and the media has taken notice.
As we move towards the future, it certainly stands to reason that the ACC could consider adding two more programs- one to the Atlantic Division and one to the Coastal Division- to positively impact its perception in the future.
If certain programs- like FSU, Miami, Virginia Tech and NC State- could return to prominence, and the conference could add a couple more quality programs, there’s a chance that the Power-5 league could become one of the most difficult conferences in the country, with Clemson football leading the way.
It’s not going to happen overnight, but here are five programs the ACC could strongly consider adding in the future.
5. Memphis
Memphis, like a couple of others on our list, is a program on the rise.
Though Memphis is further away from the Atlantic Coast than most would like- after all it is in the central time zone- the school is still close enough in proximity to make sense.
With this addition, the ACC would be expanding its conference footprint further west, but not westward enough to get into traditional Big 12 territory.
Because Memphis is a program on the rise, the ACC would be getting a hot brand that would also make for a fun trip every other year for Clemson football fans, should they be added to the Atlantic Division.
The Tigers have been consistently inside the top-25 for the past few years and that’s only expected to continue to rise over the course of the next few seasons.
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Miami football could play in Orange Bowl due to ACC mediocrity (caneswarning.com; Rubenstein)
Don't hold your breath Miami
The Miami football team could play in the Orange Bowl Game for the second time in three years. Earning a bid to the game at Hard Rock Stadium this season would be due to the mediocrity in the ACC.
The Miami Football team is 6-4 through their first 10 games of 2019. The Hurricanes have to win their final two games of the regular season to finish 8-4 and have a chance at playing in the second Orange Bowl in their last three seasons. Miami lost 34-24 to Wisconsin in the 2017 Orange Bowl following a 10-2 regular season.
This season the chance for the Miami football team to earn a bid to the Orange Bowl is more a result of the mediocrity of the ACC than anything the Hurricanes have accomplished in 2019. Clemson is ranked third in the College Football Playoff Rankings and a near-lock to stay there.
The second-best team in the ACC is contracted to the Orange Bowl with Clemson surely bound for the College Football Playoff. The determining factor for which ACC team will be chosen for the Orange Bowl is the highest-ranked team in the College Football Playoff rankings. Clemson is the only ACC currently in the CFP Top 25.
Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported if no ACC teams other than Clemson are ranked in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 poll the Orange Bowl Board of Directors will choose the ACC representative in the Orange Bowl. Dodd stated that would likely be the first time an unranked team is selected for a New Year’s Six Bowl game.
It is a tricky situation for the Orange Bowl to be in. Using the Top 25 to select a team is built from a consensus opinion. The Miami based Orange Bowl Board of Directors choosing the Hurricanes would create opinions that the Miami football team being chosen to play at Hard Rock Stadium would be subjective.
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Only 8 ACC teams have bowl eligibility, and time running out (ESPN; AP)
For the Atlantic Coast Conference, eight may not be enough.
Only eight ACC teams have secured bowl eligibility, and unless some teams find a way to rally that will mean the league will be sending fewer teams to the postseason than it has in any year since expanding to 14 schools in 2013.
Clemson, Louisville, Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Miami are all bowl-bound. Georgia Tech is the only ACC school that is eliminated from the bowl mix.
The good news for the league is five teams -- Boston College, North Carolina State, Syracuse, North Carolina and Duke -- still have a chance of getting to that six-win prerequisite. The bad news is that, with the exception of Boston College, those schools have no room for error. Boston College is 5-5, and the Wolfpack, Orange, Tar Heels and Blue Devils all carry 4-6 records into this penultimate weekend of the regular season.
"It's not easy for anybody in our football world," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "I mean everybody, everybody is suffering in some manner. Whoever supports players, whoever coaches the players and more than anyone else the players themselves. And I realized in 44 years of coaching I've only been a part of six losing seasons. I don't really have anything to complain about by any manner. This season is not over."
He's right: The season is not over.
But for those five still-hoping ACC teams, the end is perilously close. And for the Wolfpack and Tar Heels, one will likely have the chance to end the other's bowl hopes.
Boston College needs a win against either Notre Dame or Pitt to secure bowl eligibility. Duke -- losers of four straight by a combined score of 155-44 -- needs to beat Wake Forest and Miami. N.C. State, also losers of four in a row, needs wins over Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Syracuse needs to sweep Wake Forest and Louisville. North Carolina plays Mercer this weekend, then N.C. State in the finale.
If North Carolina misses bowl season, that'll be a third consecutive postseason-less year for the Tar Heels. But a win over Mercer would give the Tar Heels five wins in 2019 -- matching the total for 2017 and 2018 combined, and in the mind of coach Mack Brown, that means relevance.
"It's like a playoff game for us," Brown said of Saturday's home finale against FCS school Mercer. "We've got to win two games to get to a bowl game. It's very obvious. It's out there for us."
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UNC Football: The Bowl Picture (tarheelblog.com; Hood)
Now that we have the ugliness of last weekend behind us, let’s look forward to something. A bowl game is still very much in play for this Tar Heel football team, but the question is what is a realistic expectation for where they can go?
To start, if you forgot about the bowl games that the ACC can go to, check out last month’s guide. It’ll provide a good base of knowledge going forward. We’ll break this down by who’s already set to go, who still could go, and then start to sort through the puzzle.
Who’s already qualified?
Clemson (11-0)
Notre Dame* (8-2) (Considered ACC for anything after NY6)
Virginia (7-3)
Pittsburgh (7-3)
Virginia Tech (7-3)
Wake Forest (7-3)
Louisville (6-5)
Florida State (6-5)
Miami (6-4)
Who can still qualify?
Boston College (5-5) (@Notre Dame, @Pitt)
NC State (4-6) (@Georgia Tech, vs UNC)
Syracuse (4-6) (@Louisville, vs.Wake Forest)
UNC (4-6) (vs.Mercer, @NC State)
Duke (4-6) (@Wake Forest, vs.Miami)
Who’s eliminated?
Georgia Tech (2-8)
So, we’re up to nine teams that are already set to go to ACC Bowl games, and four more who could qualify. Why four when you see five teams in that second list? Take a look at those schedules and you see that should Carolina and State win this weekend, the showdown in Raleigh will be for bowl eligibility. Thus, the ACC has a realistic shot of having 13 teams in its pool looking for a bowl.
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2019 Week 13 Factoids (RX; HM)
2019 Week 13 Factoids
This weekend is a mini-rivalry weekend, with games like UCLA/USC and BC/Notre Dame, and is headlined by the defacto Big Ten East title match between Penn State and Ohio State. Here are some factoids for your reading enjoyment...
From the ACC weekly media guide:
ACC COASTAL DIVISION: With two weeks remaining in the regular season, several possibilities still exist in the Coastal Division with Miami, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech all alive for a share of the division title; however, only Pitt, Virginia or Virginia Tech can play in the ACC Football Championship Game due to the divisional tiebreakers.
Scenarios for advancing to the ACC FCG (alphabetical order):
Pitt (7-3, 4-2) represents the Coastal Division with wins over Virginia Tech & Boston College, AND Virginia Tech defeats Virginia on Nov. 29.
Virginia (7-3, 5-2) represents the Coastal Division with a win over Virginia Tech on Nov. 29. The Cavaliers can also win a three-team tiebreaker with Pitt and Virginia Tech depending on the order of
finish among Miami, Duke and North Carolina.
Virginia Tech (7-3, 4-2) represents the Coastal Division with wins over Pitt and Virginia. The Hokies can also win a three-team tiebreaker with Pitt and Virginia depending on the order of finish among Miami, Duke and North Carolina.
Four-Way Tie at 5-3: In the event of a four-way tie among Miami, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech, the Hokies will represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Football Championship Game due to the divisional tiebreakers
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2019 Pitt / VT Preview (RX; HM)
2019 Pitt / VT Preview
Time to 'get crunk up in this hizzy!' It's Pitt! It's Virginia Tech! it's a chance to win the ACC Coastal division and play for the conference championship! Let's get this party started...
First, a reminder of how the last Pitt @ VT game* ended:
Can't get much more dramatic than that! (note: last year's game in Pittsburgh - not nearly so competitive).THE #LPD LIVES HERE️
Remember that EPIC goal-line stand against Pitt? #FBF via @TheACCDN #Hokies
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) January 12, 2018
Now, about this year's game...
Pitt Panthers.
Not that long ago the Pitt offense was defined by power running. Now the Panthers have a former NFL offensive coordinator (Mark Whipple) and they've developed into a very good passing team behind quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was featured this week as the ACCDN Top Performer:
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Other
Skewered meat mastery on display at Yang Di Chun BBQ (Dining Out Review) (PS; Pucci)
At first glance, the menu at Yang di Chun BBQ looks intimidating. Items such as hoof, heart and kidney are scarce in Central New York restaurants, but diners can order them here.
However, the menu is vast, including even the sort of predictable choices one finds on virtually every Chinese menu in town, like kung pao chicken and Chinese broccoli with beef. So we took a middle ground by trying dishes between the two extremes.
This is, after all, an Asian (more Chinese than Korean) barbecue place, and 36 different kebabs are offered, so we based our dinner on this early Wednesday evening on those. For good measure, we also tried something from almost every section of the menu.
The dining room at Yang Di Chun is pretty and comfortable, with diners partly separated by decorative panels attached to the backs of booths. The separation creates a feeling of privacy, though it doesn't do much to mitigate noise, given lots of hard surfaces. Fortunately, things were pretty quiet, so conversation was easy as we sipped our toasted barley tea and a bottle of Sapporo beer ($4).
Typically Korean banchan—little side dishes of items halfway between a vegetable side and a relish—are served before the main dishes. We always enjoy these, and this time, the cold bean sprout salad and spicy pickled vegetable (possibly radish?) were a welcoming touch.
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