sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Blackout Wednesday!
Blackout Wednesday, sometimes referred to as Drinksgiving, takes place the night before Thanksgiving Day, and in some parts of the United States is one of the biggest drinking and party nights of the year. Many college students come back to their hometown for Thanksgiving, and go to bars the night before to meet their friends whom they haven't seen while away at school. Many bars mark the occasion by having promotions and drink specials as well. Thanksgiving is usually a low stress holiday for college aged kids, where gifts don't need to be purchased, and older family members do the preparing of meals. This leaves college aged kids with more expendable cash, and the luxury of eating a big meal the day after drinking without having to prepare it.
Blackout Wednesday has been trending on Google searches since 2004, particularly during the month of November, and there seems to have been an uptick in searches for it starting around 2010. Furthermore, it seems to be most popular around the Great Lakes region. A sad consequence of the day is that a lot of drinking and driving takes place. In some locations it is the top drinking and driving night of the year, and accidents and fatalities are high. Fittingly, many police departments step up their patrols on Blackout Wednesday.
SU News
What if Michael Vick picked Syracuse over Virginia Tech? (PS; Axe)
Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb couldn’t stop smiling.
They watched as Vick’s No. 7 was taking its place high above the field at the Wegmans Dome, never to be worn again, right next to McNabb’s No. 5.
“I still can’t believe you said that to her, Don” Vick said.
McNabb smiled again, shook his head and exclaimed with a belly laugh, “It got you here, didn’t it!"
What McNabb told Brenda Vick on the phone as her son, Michael, was hosted on a visit to the Syracuse campus in the fall of 1997 remains one of the great mysteries in Syracuse football history.
Imagine a speech that amounts to Syracuse football’s version of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy proclaiming America would win a race to the moon, but only an audience of three know its details.
You have to remember how unlikely it was Vick would come to Syracuse. Everyone thought he would stay close to home, where his mother preferred, and play for the same school as his cousin and trusted confidant, Dwight, at Virginia Tech.
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Schafer: On senior day, keep those shoulder pads on as long as possible (DO; Schafer)
Two days after Thanksgiving, Syracuse and Wake Forest will strap up for a seemingly meaningless football game. At 4-7, Syracuse is all but eliminated from bowl contention. For 8-3 Wake Forest, any outcome still results in a bowl game appearance but not a spot in the conference championship.
The game’s final score is in many ways irrelevant, but that doesn’t mean the game, and the moments before and after, will be. At least not for Syracuse’s seniors.
After losing to Louisville last weekend, the Orange need a miracle, including several teams denying bowl bids, to extend their season to December. That means for 22 seniors, Saturday could be their last time playing competitive football. In an otherwise lost season, one that was expected to be so much more, the potential final curtain call of their football careers provides significance to an otherwise inconsequential Saturday.
Sure, there’s always the NFL, but only 14 former Orange players have been drafted since 2010. Maybe there’s the Canadian Football League or arena football. Perhaps random spring leagues will continue to pop up.
Regardless, those games won’t be the same. Just ask Dino Babers. His last football memory remains a few plays on a bum knee at the end of a Canadian preseason game, which culminated in him being cut without compensation.
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Syracuse Football: Keys to Zaire Franklin, Chris Slayton earning more PT (itlh; Queripel)
Zaire Franklin and Chris Slayton are two former Syracuse football players who deserve more playing time. Here’s how they can get it in the NFL.
As the NFL enters the final quarter of the season, we look at several former Syracuse football players in the NFL this week and some players that haven’t seen much action.
To recap the Orange on current NFL rosters are Chandler Jones, Justin Pugh, Riley Dixon, and Zaire Franklin. Both Jones and Pugh are on the Arizona Cardinals and had a week off to prepare for the rest of the year.
Former Syracuse punter, Riley Dixon, had one of his best performances of the season against the Chicago Bears.
For the Giants, Dixon booted the ball deep five times. The punts resulted in a net average of 51.2 yards per punt. That mark ranks as his second-best of the year. Dixon pinned the ball inside the 20 on four occasions, which is the most of the season.
Another former Syracuse player in the NFL is Zaire Franklin for the Indianapolis Colts. This year Franklin has just three tackles playing primarily on special teams. Last year, Franklin made a big impact in his rookie year on defense but hasn’t had the same opportunity in 2019. Let’s look at what needs to happen for the former Orange linebacker to thrive.
In 2018, Franklin had a breakout first year totaling 29 tackles for the defense. He also played on 17% of the defensive snaps a season ago and none this year.
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ACC football picks: Virginia Tech vs. Virginia & 3 more
It’s rivalry week across the ACC, with cross-conference matchups for most of the conference’s teams. One rivalry matchup that is within the conference, however, will decide the Coastal Division and who faces Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.
Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Virginia, Friday, noon ET, ABC
TEAM SPREAD MONEYLINE TOTAL
| Virginia Tech | -2.5 (-113) | -140 | Over 48 |
| Virginia | +2.5 (-107) | +115 | Under 48 |
Virginia Tech is 8-3 straight up and 6-4 against the spread. Virginia is also 8-3 straight up and 5-5 ATS. Since the Hokies turned to quarterback Hendon Hooker, they are 6-0. He averages 10.3 yards per pass attempt, an elite number that puts him sixth in the country at that statistic, and the defense has played inspired lately, in defensive coordinator Bud Foster’s final season.
For Virginia things are changing for the better under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The defense hasn’t played as well as many would hope, especially since it lost star defensive back Bryce Hall for the year, but quarterback Bryce Perkins is a dual-threat option who is helping the offense put up enough points each week to get the Cavaliers to the top of the division. Virginia has scored 55, 33 and 38 points in its last three games, and it will be fascinating to see if this success translates when the Hokies comes to town.
Virginia is 6-0 at home this year. Mendenhall understands the importance of this game, for both recruiting and national relevance, and if the Cavaliers are going to ever break the streak, this is as good of an opportunity as they’ve had in recent memory.
Pick: Virginia +2.5
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Week 13 ACC Football: What happened to Miami "The U" football? | PFN (profootballnetwork.com; Driscoll)
With another week in the ACC in the books, it’s becoming very clear which programs are not just anomalies in terms of their performances. Some programs, including the historic University of Miami, just haven’t hit the same stride as they have in the past. Meanwhile, the weak ACC still boasts several programs with good NFL talent and steady performances from week to week.
Let’s start with the embarrassment that is Miami Hurricanes football.
A brutal loss for the once-proud Miami Hurricanes
Week 13 ACC football is in the books and the big story coming out of the weekend is the demise of the Miami Hurricane football program. One question that is certainly on the table: is head coach Manny Diaz safe?
The Miami Hurricanes offer a proud tradition of elite college football. Every week on Sunday Night Football, we see Miami alumni proudly disclaim that they are from “The U” when the starting lineups are introduced. The football program has won 5 NCAA national championships and produced a litany of NFL talent. That impressive list includes the likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Jim Kelly, Cortez Kennedy, and Jim Otto.
However, the Hurricanes’ football program is a shell of its former self. Once considered the pinnacle in terms of producing NFL talent, Miami has only had 4 players selected in the first round of the NFL draft since 2009. During that time period of 11 years, Miami has only produced two pro-bowl players. Those players are tight end Jimmy Graham and defensive end Olivier Vernon. Not only are they not producing NFL talent, but they are also non-competitive in an extremely weak ACC.
Last Saturday, the “U” suffered an eye-opening loss to Florida International University. Miami was a 21-point favorite against the FIU Panthers, but they lost by a final score of 30-24. How does this happen? Miami has a roster with legit NFL talent, which includes Shaq Quarterman, Brevin Jordan, Trevon Hill, Jonathan Garvin, and Trajan Bandy to name a few.
Outside of quarterback James Morgan, the FIU football program will not likely have a player drafted in the 2020 NFL draft. While talent is not the only reason, the finger must be pointed squarely at head coach Manny Diaz. Now, Miami finds itself with a 6-5 record, unranked and embarrassingly a non-factor in a weak conference. At this point, there are more questions than answers. However, it is safe to say that one answer isn’t Manny Diaz.
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USA TODAY writer pegs ACC coach as potential Arkansas target (saturdaydownsouth.com; Farner)
As Arkansas moves forward in its coaching search, the Razorbacks may consider an ACC coach who was previously a hot name in the coaching carousel in recent years.
USA TODAY writer Dan Wolken has pegged Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuentes as a possible target in Fayetteville.
“One name that has consistently come up as a potential target is Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente,” Wolken wrote. “Though Arkansas would be a tougher place to win, Fuente has deep family ties nearby in his native Oklahoma and could get away from a Virginia Tech fan base that hasn’t completely appreciated how difficult a job he faced after Frank Beamer let the program slip over his final few years.”
Fuentes, a former Memphis coach, is 33-18 at Virginia Tech in his fourth season after he went 26-23 in four seasons at Memphis. The Hokies are No. 23 this week in the AP Top 25 and coaches polls.
There’s another, perhaps more wild card option, too.
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Teel Time: Virginia vs. Virginia Tech clash in showdown for Commonwealth Cup and division crown (dailypress.com; podcast; Teel)
On this week’s episode of the Teel Time podcast, Virginia Tech beat writer Norm Wood joins columnist David Teel for a chat about this week’s monumental showdown between Virginia and Virginia Tech.
After an “unbelievable stretch for Virginia Tech’s defense," the Hokies visit Charlottesville riding a three-game winning streak this season and a 15-game winning streak in the in-state rivalry.
Virginia Tech dominated Pitt in its latest victory, shutting out the Panthers 28-0, while Virginia blew out Liberty 55-27.
What can you expect when the Hokies and Cavaliers - both 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the ACC - meet on Black Friday in a game that will decide the Coastal Division title?
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https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article237801014.html (newsobserver.com; video; Giglio)
The News & Observer's Joe Giglio previews the NC State's football game against UNC Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. It has been a rough season for the the Wolfpack. How will they fare in their rivalry game with North Carolina?
CFP Poll - 11/27/19 (RX; HM)
CFP Poll - 11/27/19
Here's the latest top 25 from the CFP Selection Committee:
| CFP Rankings | |
| RK | TEAM |
| 1 | Ohio State |
| 2 | LSU |
| 3 | Clemson |
| 4 | Georgia |
| 5 | Alabama |
| 6 | Utah |
| 7 | Oklahoma |
| 8 | Minnesota |
| 9 | Baylor |
| 10 | Penn State |
| 11 | Florida |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
| 13 | Michigan |
| 14 | Oregon |
| 15 | Auburn |
| 16 | Notre Dame |
| 17 | Iowa |
| 18 | Memphis |
| 19 | Cincinnati |
| 20 | Boise State |
| 21 | Oklahoma State |
| 22 | USC |
| 23 | Iowa State |
| 24 | Virginia Tech |
| 25 | Appalachian St |
More Links, news, and rumors - 11/26/19 (RX; HM)
More Links, news, and rumors - 11/26/19
[I'm trying to squeeze everything in before Thursday because I know you guys can't read my blog when you're in a food coma...]
ESPN’s Week 14 College Football Menu: ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, American Athletic Conference and MAC Title Game Berths on the Line; Highly Ranked College Football Playoff Teams in Rivalry Games. From the press release:
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Worst-Case Scenarios - 2019 Week 14 (RX; HM)
Worst-Case Scenarios - 2019 Week 14
You think you know who's going to the playoffs this year? What if Rivalry Week blows the whole thing up?
Based loosely on CBSSports' article "The Monday After: What a College Football Playoff doomsday scenario would look like"
ACC: Clemson loses to South Carolina, then loses the ACC Championship Game, leaving the ACC with an 11-2 Clemson and either UVa or VT at 10-3, neither team in the top 10. The ACC Champ goes to the Orange Bowl as contractually obligated, but where does Clemson go - maybe the Cotton? or do the Tigers fall to the Camping World Bowl?
Big Ten: Michigan picks this year to finally beat Ohio State, and Minnesota loses to Wisconsin. The Badgers win the B1G CCG, giving every Big Team team at least 2 losses.
Big 12: Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State and Baylor [somehow] loses to Kansas. Both are now 10-2, but somehow Baylor pulls off the upset in the Big 12 Championship. Baylor wins the Big XII with a 11-2 record and a loss to Kansas, and OU ends up 10-3.
Pac-12: Utah loses to Colorado, which means USC wins the Pac-12 South by virtue of owning the tiebreaker. The Trojans then defeat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, leaving USC at 9-4 and Oregon at 10-3 (Utah would be 10-2 but without so much as a division title).
SEC: Texas A&M shows that last year was no fluke by beating LSU again this year. Georgia suffers a shocking upset loss at Georgia Tech, but rebounds to win the SEC CG. Let's say for good measure that Auburn beats Alabama, too. The SEC has a 10-2 champion with losses to 5-7 South Carolina and 4-8 Georgia Tech - but every other team has at least 2 losses as well.
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https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2019/11/2019-week-14-tvradio-schedule.html (RX; HM)
2019 Week 14 TV/Radio Schedule
Here's how you can watch and listen to ACC football this weekend...
Upcoming ACC Football Schedule
| Friday, Nov. 29 | Time | TV | Sirius | XM | App/Web | |
| Virginia Tech (8-3, 5-2) | at Virginia (8-3, 5-2) | Noon | ABC | 84 | 84 | 84 |
| Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 58-37-5; Last meeting: VT, 34-31, ot (2018) | ||||||
| ABC: Dave Fleming (play-by-play), Jim Mora (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline) | ||||||
| Saturday, Nov. 30 | Time | TV | Sirius | XM | App/Web | |
| Clemson (11-0) | at S. Carolina (4-7) | Noon | ESPN | 133 | 193 | 955 |
| Series: Clemson leads series, 70-42-4; Last meeting: CU, 56-35 (2018) | ||||||
| ESPN: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline) | ||||||
| Georgia (10-1) | at Georgia Tech (3-8) | Noon | ABC | 135 | 194 | 956 |
| Series: Georgia leads series, 67-41-5; Last meeting: UGA, 45-21 (2018) | ||||||
| ABC: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Allison Williams (sideline) | ||||||
| Louisville (7-4) | at Kentucky (6-5) | Noon | SECN | 121 | 203 | 966 |
| Series: Kentucky leads series, 16-15; Last meeting: UK, 56-10 (2018) | ||||||
| SECN: Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline) | ||||||
| Wake Forest (8-3, 4-3) | at Syracuse (4-7, 1-6) | 12:30 PM | RSN | 108 | 202 | 965 |
| Series: Syracuse leads series, 5-3; Last meeting: SU, 41-24 (2018) | ||||||
| RSN: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Kelsey Wingert (sideline) | ||||||
| Boston College (5-6, 3-4) | at Pitt (7-4, 4-3) | 3:30 PM | ACCN | 135 | 194 | 956 |
| Series: Pitt leads series, 17-13; Last meeting: Pitt, 30-20 (2014) | ||||||
| ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Kelsey Riggs (sideline) |
‘Hey, Jones!’: Pasadena possibilities; would PSU swap B1G for ACC?; what might’ve been if not for Minnesota loss (pennlive.com; Jones)
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This, from Geno Crosby: Any chance down the road could PSU ever end up in the ACC with a possible package deal with ND? Not sure financially this would make sense, but traveling to North Carolina [schools], Florida, and Virginia is more appealing than Iowa and Bloomington in November.
Side note: If PSU hoops can gain some traction before January, the schedule is loaded for Saturday home games. We might see the BJC blankets lifted with some quality play in the next month.
Why is it that everyone thinks they can weasel in two questions this week? Is it Rutgers? First, PSU in the ACC: Zero chance. The Big Ten is more lucrative, by a lot. Thanks to its superior broadcast contract, the B1G’s 12 oldest members (not including Rutgers or Maryland) receive a whopping $54 million annual payment per school. ACC members average a little over $29M, though that number should bump up with the recent launch of the Disney-operated ACC Network.
As I’ve written, it could easily have happened had the June 1990 vote gone one more vote nay and Penn State was rejected at 6-4 rather than accepted at 7-3. Former ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan told me himself he would have then made it his mission to persuade his conference’s presidents to hustle PSU into the league.
For what it’s worth, I’m with you on locales. Not only would they be warmer and mostly more inviting, many would be drivable.
Regarding the Jordan Center’s upper-deck black curtain: the product on the floor is as entertaining as its been in years. Penn State has had successful teams on occasion, but not in my 30 years watching PSU basketball have I seen a team as potentially dynamic as this one. They can defend anybody in the league. And when they shoot it, they are really good.
And you’re right, the inordinate number of Saturday home tips (four, not counting the Iowa game at the Palestra), with which Penn State has almost never been so blessed, makes a world of difference in attendance, as long as the weather cooperates.
As for whether the BJC’s notoriously incompetent and independently run management can actually handle increased crowds, that’s a whole other matter. Not to mention, the synthetic Jock Jams atmosphere as annoying as any minor-league trashsport. Maybe when there’s actually something that encourages fans to come out and make their own noise, Sandy Barbour will step on the people who ‘ve been deafening everyone with that inane racket during the mostly barren Chambers era. We can hope.
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Other
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/...to-discuss-onondaga-lake-parkway-changes.html (PS; Weaver)
Village officials will hold a special meeting Monday about a state plan that would change Onondaga Lake Parkway.
The state’s plans call reducing much of the two-mile parkway from four lanes to two lanes. The Department of Transportation also plans to create a raised median to separate oncoming traffic.
The proposal will also make it easier for tall vehicles to turn around before approaching a railroad bridge with a low clearance, according to the DOT. The changes are meant to tackle long-term problems on the parkway, which has a fatality rate that’s 10 times higher than similar roads, according to the DOT.
Officials from the DOT will give a presentation at the Liverpool meeting on Monday.
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