sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Taking place in the dead of winter, when food for squirrels and other animals can be scarce, Squirrel Appreciation Day acknowledges the role of squirrels in nature and encourages people to put out nuts, seeds, or other food for them. It was created in 2001 by Christy Hargrove, now Christy McKeown, who at the time was a freshman at UNC-Asheville, a wildlife rehabilitator affiliated with the Western North Carolina Nature Center, and runner of the now-defunct Squirrels R Us website. She wrote that people could simply "celebrate by putting out extra food for the squirrels."
Squirrels gather food for the winter during the fall. They plant nuts and seeds, even aerating lawns in the process. As winter drags on, they may find that the food they stored earlier is not enough, or that food that is found around them is limited. They likely could use an extra treat today. Squirrels are often known to be a nuisance when looking for food. They are aggressive at bird feeders, often tipping them over and spilling seeds, and are also known to destroy pumpkins on porches and dig up flower bulbs. Giving them food as a gift means there's a better chance the birds can eat in peace and your flowers will come up in the spring.
SU News
A new approach for SU football in 2020: No expectations (PS; Mink)
The message, time-stamped at 6 p.m. on Jan. 20, was disseminated an hour later, marking a turning of the page for the Syracuse football program.
Tommy DeVito has something to say.
About setting the agenda for the 2020 season.
About taking a final glance at the past and taking a new approach in the year ahead to ensure there is no repeat of last year’s 5-7 season.
The fourth-year junior endured a challenging year in his first as the team’s starting quarterback.
He was the most-sacked quarterback in the country.
He battled through pain much of the season and did not finish it healthy.
He surfaced Monday night, in the fourth week of January, to issue a memorandum.
“2020 Season,” DeVito posted to his social media accounts.
“The 2019 season was not what we envisioned as a team; we did not reach our goals, and we hit rock bottom. This off-season is about growth and development. 2020, there will be no hype. There will be no talk about Syracuse Football. There will be no expectations, but for us to lose. The only people that know what we have is us. The 2020 Syracuse Football Team. No more talking... Beware of the quiet man. New Year, New Team, One Dream.”
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Syracuse Football: Alton Robinson can end 1st round drought in 2020 NFL Draft (itlh; Esden Jr)
Former Syracuse football stud Alton Robinson has a chance to end the drought in the 2020 NFL Draft. Here are all the details and his latest draft stock.
In the rich history of Syracuse football, 21 players (including the supplemental draft) have been lucky enough to hear their names called in the first round of the NFL draft.
Although the last time an Orange star was selected in round one was over seven years ago (Justin Pugh, 19th overall, 2013).
If that drought is going to end in the 2020 NFL Draft, Syracuse’s best chance is defensive lineman Alton Robinson.
In the latest ‘big boards’ from The Draft Network panel the opinions vary on Robinson:
Joe Marino: 73rd
Trevor Sikkema: 76th
Jonah Tuls: 80th
Jordan Reid: 83rd
Kyle Crabbs: 90th
Benjamin Solak: 92nd
Although the consensus says that Alton Robinson is a top-100 player on every board among The Draft Network’s experts.
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Interview with Notre Dame Legend Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, Part 2 (slapthesign.com; Leniart)
I had the honor of speaking with Notre Dame legend and College Football Hall of Famer Raghib “Rocket” Ismail about growing up playing football, being recruited by Lou Holtz, and choosing Notre Dame. Rocket is partnering with Panini America and hosted some events in New Orleans for the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
This was a two-part interview with Notre Dame legend Raghib “Rocket” Ismail. If you missed part one, you can find that article right here.
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The summer before my junior year of high school, I went to a Syracuse football camp. My brothers and I went up to Syracuse, New York. They held this football camp at the Carrier Dome, which was like one of the wonders of the world to me when I was younger. It was like, “Wow. Indoor football on a college campus. This is amazing.”
There was about 300 guys there, and we were running 40s. Up until that time, I had only run a 4.7 timed, which was my freshman year of high school. Everybody said that was fast, so I thought I was fast. We get started and it was just like a herd of children running 40s, getting timed, running 40s, getting timed.
So I run my 40 and coach Randy Edsall and coach Ivan Fears were the two timers. I ran my 40 and I came back to get my time from them. They both had their mouths open and they were looking at their stopwatches and then looking at each other. They were like, “Well, what did you get? No, what did you get?” Then they looked at each other and then looked at me and said, “Hey. Can you run that again?”
I was like, “Oh. OK.” So I walked back down to the starting line and another coach asked me what my time was. Because we were supposed to get our times from the timers and then give it to the starter so they could record it. I said, “No, they told me I have to run it again.”
I get down in my stance. Bam. I run it again. This time they (the coaches) all went and congregated with each other, and then they went over to the stands where all the high school coaches were. And I wasn’t sure if something was wrong. They told me to just go back down to the start. So I went back to the start. The coach asked me again, “What time did you get?” I said, “They didn’t tell me.”
Then it was like an audible wave. About 40 yards from where we were standing was where they were. The stands were to our right, and in the stands are all the high school coaches and some college coaches as well. We heard a murmur, and then it just grew into this uproar. It started on the end, and it was like *whispers* *louder whispers* *louder talking* “4.3. What? 4.3. HE RAN A 4.3!”
Everyone. The whole stands. I say the whole stands, that might have been 50 people. But, it was such a big deal. Everybody was like, “Oh my god.” It would be the equivalent of a high schooler running closer to 4.1 now. It was unheard of. Like”4.3. What the heck?” I remember Mr. Dwyer and coach Gorham were like, “OK. We have to go.”
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Final Grades For Every College Football Team, Conference: How Did Everyone Do In 2019? (CFN; Fiutak)
ACC Team Season Grades: Atlantic
ACC Season Grade: C-
Clemson was fantastic. It was national championship-good, it proved once again that it’s among college football’s greatest powerhouses, and … that was it. No one other than North Carolina gave the ACC champ any sort of a game. In the end, only one team finished ranked in either of the main top 25 polls.
Louisville came up with a big season, North Carolina bounced back, and Virginia got to the ACC Championship, but it was all relative in a conference full of mediocrity. Syracuse, NC State and Duke were massive disappointments, Florida State and Miami were stunning duds, and the bowl season didn’t help the overall cause.
Boston College Season Grade: B-
2019 Record: 6-7
CFN 2019 Prediction: 7-5
CFN Preseason Ranking: 54
CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 68
CFN 2019 Season Ranking: 84
It wasn’t a totally awful season – the team went bowling – but head coach Steve Addazio was canned, QB Anthony Brown was hurt, and the team lost three of its final four games. The Eagles were supposed to be average, and that’s exactly what they turned out to be.
Clemson Season Grade: A+
2019 Record: 14-1
CFN 2019 Prediction: 11-1
CFN Preseason Ranking: 2
CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 2
CFN 2019 Season Ranking: 3
It’s disappointing when the bar is set at National Championship or Bust, but Clemson got through the regular season unscathed, won another ACC title, beat a fantastic Ohio State team in the College Football Playoff, and battled well in the national title game. So the Tigers lost to LSU – it was a special season by any reasonable standards.
Florida State Season Grade: C-
2019 Record: 6-7
CFN 2019 Prediction: 7-5
CFN Preseason Ranking: 36
CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 57
CFN 2019 Season Ranking: 78
It started strange – a supposedly dehydrated team lost to Boise State – a 4-5 start was enough to fire Willie Taggart with a month to go, and the campaign closed out with a second losing season in a row thanks to a six-turnover day in the Sun Bowl loss to Arizona State. This was hardly the next-step-forward season FSU fans were expecting and hoping for.
Louisville Season Grade: A
2019 Record: 8-5
CFN 2019 Prediction: 4-8
CFN Preseason Ranking: 58
CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 36
CFN 2019 Season Ranking: 37
It was supposed to take a little while for Scott Satterfield to build things back up. So much for that. In his first year, Satterfield made Louisville a factor again, taking the team to an eight-win season, a bowl game, a bowl win, and all with a fun and exciting offensive and team that brings hope for what’s to come. The year went beyond even the loftiest of expectations.
NC State Season Grade: D
2019 Record: 4-8
CFN 2019 Prediction: 7-5
CFN Preseason Ranking: 40
CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 79
CFN 2019 Season Ranking: 112
Yeeeeeeuck. Head coach Dave Doeren supposedly had the program to a level where it didn’t need to totally rebuild. In a down year in the ACC, the Wolfpack won just four games, out its last six, and only came up with one ACC win. The hope is for this to be a step back to take a giant leap forward, but 2019 wasn’t any fun.
Syracuse Season Grade: C-
2019 Record: 5-7
CFN 2019 Prediction: 7-5
CFN Preseason Ranking: 25
CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 80
CFN 2019 Season Ranking: 79
There are two ways to look at this. The season was half empty – this was a preseason top 25 team coming off a fantastic year. The momentum was all there to do something great, and the campaign was a dud. The season was half full – the team was only two wins worse than originally expected and it didn’t quit, winning two of its last three games. Even so, after the great 2018, the air went out of the balloon.
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Conference Breakdown: Looking at the ACC heading into 2020 (247sports.com; Hummer)
The ACC belongs to Clemson entering 2020. With the Tigers owning five straight conference championships, there’s no question about that.
Clemson will be the heavy favorite as the ACC’s other traditional powers (Florida State, Miami) have major questions. Overall, the ACC was the worst Power Five conference in 2019 by a significant margin. But North Carolina and Louisville give the league a few intriguing risers.
This is a look back at how the ACC fared this past season, while spinning things forward to 2020 for each member of the conference. For reference, the 2019 assessment is split into three categories: Exceeded Expectations, Met Expectations, Below Expectations.
Clemson (14-1): Met Expectations
Clemson won 14 straight games and reached the national championship for the fourth time in five seasons. That’s a success, title or not. Not that there isn’t a bit of a what-if factor with the season. The Tigers would’ve transformed from dynastic to historic with a third title in four years.
2020 Outlook: The Tigers again have a national title-worthy roster. It starts with the best quarterback prospect in the country, Trevor Lawrence, and flows all the way to the Tigers’ incoming No. 1 overall class. Are there things not to like? Yes. Clemson is losing four offensive line starters and one of the most impactful defenders in the country (Isaiah Simmons). But the Tigers will be far better along the defensive line: Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, Bryan Bresee and several other elite talents is a scary combination. That depth should allow defensive coordinator Brent Venables to switch back to his preferred four-down look up front. Throw in skill players like Travis Etienne, Justyn Ross and Amari Rodgers and the Tigers should be just fine. The Tigers are the safest possible bet to reach the playoff nationally given their talent level and path.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 1 nationally, No. 1 in ACC
Louisville (8-5): Exceeded Expectations
Scott Satterfield established himself as one of the nation’s top head coaches during his tenure at Appalachian State. He just wasn’t talked about much. The world knows now that he's at Louisville. Satterfield inherited a 2-10 football team rocked by internal strife. No matter. Satterfield helped the Cardinals quadruple their win total in Year 1.
2020 Outlook: Louisville has a chance to be even better. Micale Cunningham had a strong first season as starting quarterback (2,065 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs | 497 yards rushing, 5 TDs) and pairs with Javian Hawkins (1,525 yards, 9 TDs), one of the most dynamic running backs in college football. Overall, the Cardinals project to bring back 15 starters with the biggest loss being star left tackle Mekhi Becton. The 2020 schedule isn’t doing Louisville any favors, however. The Cardinals play Kentucky and travel to Notre Dame and Clemson.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 40 nationally, No. 6 in ACC
Wake Forest (8-5): Exceeded Expectations
The Demon Deacons weren’t winning the ACC Atlantic with Clemson prowling atop the standings. But they did win eight games for only the eighth time in program history. That gives Dave Clawson two eight-win seasons in the last three years.
2020 Outlook: Much of the focus of Wake Forest’s offseason will likely surround losing Jamie Newman to the transfer portal. But the Demon Deacons will be fine at quarterback with 2018 starter Sam Hartman moving back to the top of the depth chart. The problem will be the lack of experienced skill talent around him. The Demon Deacons graduate two of their top three receivers, starting tight end and both of their starting tackles. On the other hand, the return of star receiver Sage Surratt (66 catches, 1,001 yards) is a huge boon. Losses are much less heavy on the defensive side, where nine year-end starters project to return.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 58 nationally, No. 11 in ACC
Florida State (6-7): Below Expectations
Florida State technically improved in 2019. But only technically. The Seminoles still posted the second losing season at the program since 1976. There’s a reason why Willie Taggart lost his job.
2020 Outlook: Better. It has to be, right? The Seminoles made a smart, sensible hire with Mike Norvell, who has everything you want in a high-level Power Five head coach. The first thing Norvell must do is figure out quarterback and offensive line. Will James Blackman or Jordan Travis start or will it be one of the Seminoles’ intriguing true freshmen? The offensive line was abhorrent in 2019. But some young pieces like Dontae Lucas provide hope for the future. FIU grad transfer Devontay Taylor should lock down one of the tackle spots. Defense should be a strength. Marvin Wilson will be one of the best interior defenders in the country and most of the defense returns around him. The schedule isn’t doing FSU any favors. Florida State plays Florida, West Virginia and Boise State in its non-conference slate.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 21 nationally, No. 4 in ACC
Boston College (6-7): Below Expectations
You could argue the Eagles met expectations by reaching a bowl and finishing at .500 or better for the sixth time in seven seasons. The administration disagrees. Boston College fired Steve Addazio despite clinching bowl eligibility, a signal to the rest of the ACC that mediocrity is no longer acceptable in Chestnut Hill.
2020 Outlook: The Eagles are going to look much different. It’s too bad NFL-bound AJ Dillon worked in relative anonymity throughout his career. The 6-foot, 250-pound freak was truly a joy to watch the last three seasons. Throw in the loss of three-year starting quarterback Anthony Brown and leading receiver Kobay White, and new head coach Jeff Hafley is contending with a lot of unproven options on offense. The defense will have a bit more stability with eight returning starters, including star linebacker Max Richardson (107 tackles, 14 TFL). The non-conference schedule presents a reasonable path for the Eagles, who face Holy Cross, Ohio, Kansas and Purdue.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 64 nationally, No. 13 in ACC
Syracuse (5-7): Below Expectations
Few teams had a more drastic fall than the Orange. Syracuse dropped from 10 to five wins, failing to create any momentum coming off a fantastic 2018 effort. The worst part is just how the Orange were from contention. They lost by a combined 57 points to Clemson and Louisville, the top two teams from the Atlantic.
2020 Outlook: Tommy DeVito is back under center after an OK debut season as the starter. He threw for 2,360 yards and carries a four-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. But DeVito also averaged just seven yards an attempt. Dino Babers brought in another member of the veer-and-shoot tree, Sterlin Gilbert, as offensive coordinator. I’d expect an offense that returns eight starters to at worst marginally improve in 2020. The defense will also see a needed change at coordinator after finishing 94th nationally in yards allowed per play. Babers tabbed San Diego State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett in the same role. Arnett, alongside his mentor Rocky Long, has consistently produced some of college football’s top defenses. He’ll have to work with just a handful or returning starters in Year 1. Syracuse can get off to a quick start with Rutgers, Colgate, Western Michigan and Liberty on the docket in the non-conference schedule.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 59 nationally, No. 12 in ACC
NC State (4-8): Below Expectations
Things took a drastic turn for the worst in Year 7 for Dave Doeren. The Wolfpack had progressively improved during Doeren’s tenure, peaking at nine wins in 2017 and 2018. That progress came to a screeching halt in 2019 as the Wolfpack struggled at quarterback.
2020 Expectations: NC State’s defense improved from 87th nationally to 59th nationally in yards allowed per play. But that didn’t stop Doeren from changing most of his defensive staff. The Wolfpack have some intriguing pieces to build around on that side of the ball, including Payton Wilson (69 tackles, 5 TFL) and Alim McNeill (7.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks). What NC State lacks is a quarterback. Devin Leary and Bailey Hockman each earned extended reps last season and Matt McKay has transferred from the program. None of them averaged better than 6.1 yards per attempt, which could leave a window open for redshirt freshman Ty Evans or true freshman Ben Finley -- an early enrollee and younger brother of Ryan Finley -- to compete for the job. The Wolfpack have a running game to build around thanks to rising sophomore Zonovan Knight (745 yards, 5 TDs), but they will only go as far as their quarterback play takes them. The dropoff from Ryan Finley in 2018 (3,928 yards, 25 TDs, 8.1 YPA, 67.4 CMP%) to everyone else this season (2,749 yards, 14 TDs, 10 INTs, 5.9 YPA, 52.7 CMP%) was extreme.
Recruiting Ranking: No. 43 nationally, No. 8 in ACC
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Clemson Football: 5 Reasons Travis Etienne made the right decision (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)
for gbo
Clemson football RB Travis Etienne announced that he’d be returning to school for his senior season, to the surprise of many nationally.
The Clemson football program received a final year commitment from a 10-star recruit when RB Travis Etienne announced that he’d be returning for his senior season.
Etienne, who has won the ACC Player of the Year Award the past two seasons, finished his junior year as the program’s all-time leader in rushing yards and also broke the ACC’s record for career touchdowns and rushing touchdowns.
Though many national analysts believe Etienne should’ve forgone his final year with the Clemson football program in favor of the NFL Draft, here are five reasons he made the right decision.
5. One more chance
We’re going to start with talking about his aspirations at the collegiate level.
People downgrade these things because they want to believe that an athlete only cares about himself, but Travis Etienne has proven to be a team player over the course of his career and he definitely has goals for the Clemson football team heading into his senior season.
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ACC alumni in CFB150 Best Players (RX; HM)
ACC alumni in CFB150 Best Players
From ESPN's "The 150 greatest players in college football's 150-year history", here are the 34 ACC-related players (click the link to read about the other 116):
1. Jim Brown (RB, Syracuse, 1954-56)
Rushing yards: 2,091 | TDs: 26 | Interceptions by: 8
Brown was the greatest all-around athlete in Syracuse history -- and perhaps in all of collegiate sports. While Brown is best known as the running back who launched the legend of jersey No. 44, he earned 10 varsity letters in four sports at Syracuse -- basketball, football, lacrosse and track. Brown did it all on the football field, too. He led the nation in kickoff return average in 1955 and rushing TDs in 1956, when he became Syracuse's first unanimous All-American and led the Orange to the Cotton Bowl. He was also the Orange's place-kicker and scored 43 points -- on six touchdowns and seven extra points -- in a 61-7 decision over Colgate in 1956.
12. Hugh Green (DE, Pitt, 1977-80)
Sacks: 49 | Tackles: 441
Pittsburgh coach Jackie Sherrill once said Green had only one speed: full speed. "He's so reckless and so quick," Sherrill told Sports Illustrated. "Nobody in college football can block him." Green was a three-time first-team All-American. In 1980, he won the Maxwell Award as the country's best player, won the Lombardi Award as the best lineman and won the Walter Camp as the nation's most outstanding player. He finished second to South Carolina's George Rogers in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior, the highest-ever finish by a full-time defensive player. The Panthers went 39-8-1 during Green's four seasons, when he started every contest but one.
15. Ernie Davis (RB, Syracuse, 1959-61)
Rushing yards: 2,386 | Yards per rush: 6.6 | Touchdowns: 35
Two years after Jim Brown graduated, Syracuse gave Davis the No. 44 jersey. The 6-2, 210-pound halfback filled Brown's jersey -- and his shoes. Davis led Syracuse to the 1959 national championship, almost single-handedly beating Texas 23-14 in the Cotton Bowl. Davis scored two touchdowns, intercepted a pass to set up the other one, and scored two 2-point conversions. He left Syracuse with the school rushing and scoring records, as well as the 1961 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first African-American to win it. He would be gone two years later, dying from leukemia.
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Content Multipliers in the SEC and ACC (RX; HM)
Content Multipliers in the SEC and ACC
Sometimes you hear the term "content multipliers" tossed about when someone is trying to explain why the SEC (and Big Ten) gets more TV revenue than the ACC does. Content multipliers have to do with matchups. Some teams are naturally good TV draws by themselves, but when you pair them with another team the ratings either go up or not depending on whether it's a good multiplier.
An example of this would be NC State, which is not a great draw in itself, but people will tune in to watch them play Florida State or UNC (by contrast, few people tune in to watch FSU vs. BC or UNC vs. Duke).
For this analysis I left out all non-conference games. As a general rule, P5-vs-P5 non-conference games do well on television, but that doesn't tell us how well the conferences themselves are constructed.
To see which teams are good multipliers for other teams, you need to look at them in a 2X2 grid (see below). Rather than going to all the trouble of looking up TV ratings for each game, I've simply made this binary - either the matchup was selected by the network for national broadcast or it was not.
Of course the SEC has until now had its best games on CBS, while the ACC presumably has had its best on ABC. I say "presumably" because ABC and ESPN are both owned by Disney, and the Mouse can and does move the best games around a bit to drive cable subscriptions (meaning some of the best ACC matchups may end up on ESPN instead of ABC - but we'll ignore that possibility for now).
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Miami Lands Commitment From Star Graduate Transfer DE (thespun.com; Machlin)
It looks like D’Eriq King isn’t the only star taking his talents to South Beach via the transfer portal this offseason. After landing one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, the Miami Hurricanes have now landed one of the portal’s top pass rushers.
On Monday, Temple defensive end Quincy Roche announced that he is committing to Miami.
A grad transfer, Roche is immediately eligible for the ‘Canes.
Without further ado, I would like to proudly express my commitment to the University of Miami… I am ready to bring leadership, toughness and hardwork to the University of Miami football program as we push to win the ACC championship. #GoCanes #theU
Roche is coming off a stellar season for the Owls in which he recorded a career-high 13.0 sacks, 19.0 tackles for loss, five passes defended and 49 tackles.
In three years at Temple, Roche has 137 tackles, 39.5 tackles for loss, 26.0 sacks, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
— Q. (@Qr9____) January 20, 2020
Miami had a difficult season in 2019 under first-year head coach Manny Diaz. They went 6-7, losing the Independence Bowl, and finishing third in the ACC Coastal division.
One of the biggest issues the team had in 2019 was the quarterback position. But it appears that particular issue is being solved with the addition of D’Eriq King.
Now it looks like Diaz has suddenly seen his pass rush problem solved as well.
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College Football TV Ratings (sportsmediawatch.com)
TV ratings for Camping World Bowl way down without Syracuse...
College Football TV Ratings
The 2019 college football TV ratings page. Will be updated as the season progresses. Previous college football TV ratings: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012. Numbers obtained from network PR, ShowBuzz Daily, Sports Business Daily and Programming Insider.
Bowl season
| Date/time | Game | Net | Rtg. | +/- | Vwrs. | +/- |
| 1/13, 8:00p | LSU-CLEM National Championship | ESPN Megacast | 14.3 | +4% | 25.59M | +1% |
| 12/28, 8:00p | CLEM-OSU Fiesta Bowl (CFP semi) | ESPN Megacast | 11.1 | +12% | 21.15M | +11% |
| 12/28, 4:00p | LSU-OU Peach Bowl (CFP semi) | ESPN Megacast | 9.5 | +1% | 17.21M | +2% |
| 1/1, 5:00p | ORE-WISC Rose Bowl | ESPN ESPN2 | 8.7 | -2% | 16.30M | -3% |
| 1/1, 1:00p | ALA-MICH Citrus Bowl | ABC | 8.0 | +82% | 14.00M | +82% |
| 1/1, 8:30p | UGA-BYLR Sugar Bowl | ESPN ESPN2 | 5.7 | -22% | 10.22M | -23% |
| 12/28, Noon | PSU-MEM Cotton Bowl* | ESPN | 3.8 | -28% | 6.22M | -34% |
| 12/30, 8:00p | UF-UVA Orange Bowl* | ESPN | 3.5 | -44% | 6.07M | -48% |
| 12/31, 7:30p | TEX-UTA Alamo Bowl | ESPN | 3.1 | -3% | 5.61M | +1% |
| 12/27, 6:45p | OK ST-T A&M Texas Bowl | ESPN | 2.8 | +40% | 4.90M | +46% |
| 1/2, 7:00p | TENN-IND Gator Bowl | ESPN | 2.6 | -4% | 4.32M | -16% |
| 12/28, Noon | ND-IA ST Camping World Bowl | ABC | 2.65 | -5% | 4.17M | -14% |
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ACC Football was Awful in 2019, but it Will Improve Rapidly (shakinthesouthland.com; Kantor)
Although we may have tried several times throughout the year - remember when we insisted Wake Forest was actually really good - there is no defending the 2019 edition of the ACC. Clemson was the only great team and Virginia was the only other even good one. While the ACC is rarely the best conference in America, seldom is it anywhere close to as bad as it was this past season.
In 2016, it was the best conference and had Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Mitch Trubisky, Brad Kaaya, Daniel Jones, Ryan Finley, Eric Dungey, Jerod Evans, and Nate Peterman at QB. Since then, it has declined precipitously, most notably due to the rapid decline of Florida State and Louisville.
This year, Virginia Tech and Miami were expected to compete with Virginia for the Coastal crown while Syracuse was supposed to give Clemson a little resistance in the Atlantic division.
Virginia Tech managed to stay in the Coastal race, but more so due to Virginia slip ups than their own success. The Hokies started terribly with a loss to Boston College, seemed to get at least decent by season’s end, but then lost to Virginia and flopped against Kentucky in the Belk Bowl, erasing any notion of their being decent. Miami lost to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl to end with a losing record. Following the pitiful offensive performance, they dismissed OC Dan Enos and replaced him with Rhett Lashlee. Syracuse lost to Maryland by 43 en route to the most disappointing season in the ACC in which they missed a bowl game just a season after winning 10 games.
Across the rest of the ACC there were several more disappointments. Wake Forest, a team we loved to claim was actually good, looked solid early in the season, but collapsed at the end of the year, losing four of their final five games to finish 8-5. They lost to Michigan State in the Pinstripe Bowl.
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Murray's Mailbag: What to make of Nevada football's new defensive coordinator? (nevadasportsnet.com; Murray)
There were a lot of questions for this week's Monday Mailbag, so let's just get right to them. Thanks, as always, for the inquiries. We went 6,310 words this week. You almost killed me.
(Note: If you're not seeing the tweets, it's probably because you're not using Google Chrome. Use Google Chrome.)
Nevada has reportedly filled three of its five open assistant coaching positions with defensive coordinator Brian Ward, offensive line coach Bill Best and special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield (Nevada hasn't announced any of them officially). In terms of recruiting, it is interesting none of these coaches have experience west of Texas outside of Ward's two seasons at a community college in Arizona. But let's break down addition of Ward, whose hire was the "the most important decision that I’ve had to make since I’ve been coach here," according to Jay Norvell.
Ward had an up-and-down tenure at Syracuse, his last job as defensive coordinator. He followed Dino Babers there in 2016 and Syracuse gave up the most points in school history that season. In 2017, Ward was a midseason nominee for for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant coach in the nation, after Syracuse shocked Clemson midway through the year. But Syracuse lost its last five games, including allowing 162 points over the last three defeats (to Wake Forest, Boston College and Louisville). The 2018 campaign was a huge success as Syracuse finished 15th in the nation and finishing in the top 10 in the nation in turnovers gained (31), sacks (43) and third-down defense (28.6 percent). The Orange allowed 27 points per game, 64th in the nation. Then came this season, which saw Ward get fired after his unit allowed 58 points, 691 total yards and 496 rushing yards to a 6-7 Boston College team. It seemed like a quick trigger but Syracuse had allowed 41 points to Clemson, 58 to Boston College and 63 to a 3-9 Maryland team. Ward had an excellent one-year stint at Bowling Green in 2015, where he was a finalist for FootballScoop.com's linebackers coach of the year, and was the team's interim head coach for its bowl (a 58-27 loss to Georgia Southern).
Ward also has been an NIAA head coach, had some strong FCS defenses at Drake and worked under Craig Bohl at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. He ran a Tampa two scheme at Syracuse, which is a more old-fashioned defense that Brian Polian ran for four seasons at Nevada. That is pretty different than the Wolf Pack's 3-3-5 stack that was used the last three years under Jeff Casteel, but the Wolf Pack's defensive strength has been its front, so it should be able to move to a four-man line without issue. Learning a new defense, especially for the young linebackers, which Ward will coach, won't be easy. Linebackers are key in the Tampa 2 scheme, which has fallen out of favor in some regards.
Considering Nevada's salary restraints, landing somebody like Ward, who has had success at the Power 5 level is good. But it also comes with some red flags as "seven of the top eight offensive performances by an opponent allowed by the Orange defense in its history have come in the Ward era," according to Syracuse.com. In replacing Casteel, Norvell wanted somebody who would recruit more aggressively and play younger guys, so Ward is likely to do that.
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Austin’s (likely) Amazon warehouse would give Clay’s a run for its money (PS; McMahon)
Syracuse isn’t the only mid-sized American city slated to get an enormous warehouse that will likely end up being an Amazon distribution center.
Plans for a multimillion-square-foot facility were recently announced outside Austin, Texas. Local reports say the building will ultimately be used by Amazon.
The company is rapidly expanding its footprint around the country.
Yet few warehouses rival the plans for the ones planned for Clay, outside Syracuse, and Pflugerville, a suburb north of Austin. Developers for both projects say the floor space in each of the buildings will total about 3.8 million square feet. That would make the facilities tied for the second-largest warehouse in the world.
At the Clay building, those nearly 3.8 million square feet would be spread out among five floors, located on 111 acres of property. In Texas, the proposed facility would be four and half floors, situated on a 94-acre property.
Reporters pressed and pressed, but Trammell Crow executive wouldn't say who the big distribution center's tenant will be.
Aside from space, there are other similarities between the two projects.
Just as the Clay warehouse is being developed by a company other than Amazon, Trammell Crow, the Texas warehouse is under development by Seefried Industrial Properties. Both companies have ties to and a history of working with Amazon.
Both warehouses would be conveniently located in a suburb of a major city, less than one mile from a busy interstate. Each facility is expected to create a lot of jobs.
Both projects, in Texas and Central New York, recently cleared zoning hurdles with local municipalities.
Both are also cloaked in secrecy, with Amazon and government officials telling reporters any comment on the eventual tenants at the buildings would be “speculative" -- a term that might sound familiar to anyone following Amazon’s expansion.
