sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Daisy Day!
Today celebrates the daisy, also known as the common daisy, lawn daisy, or English daisy. In England it is commonly called a bruisewort, because the crushed leaves were traditionally used to soothe bruised skin. It is part of the Asteraceae family, a family with thousands of varieties. The name "daisy" is derived from an Old English word that means "day's eye," because the petals of daisies open at dawn and close at dusk. Daisies are native to western, central, and northern Europe, and are also now prevalent in the Americas and Australasia. Daisies are often found on lawns, and are considered to be an invasive species, but are also seen as being valuable for ground cover in some garden spaces. They are perennial flowers that usually bloom in early to midsummer. They have a long growing season, and in some places will even produce a few flowers in mild winters. Daisies are composite flowers; they have white petal-like ray florets that come out from the center, and yellow disk florets made of many small flowers that are clustered together in the center. Daisies symbolize purity, innocence, simplicity, virtue, and patience, and are seen as being the flower of children. They are commonly used to make garlands called daisy chains.
SU News
Monday Musings: Syracuse gets its QB (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse has dipped into Mississippi to pick up a quarterback in the 2020 class. Canton (MS) High quarterback Jacobian Morgan has committed to the Orange. He was on an official visit over the weekend and has committed to Syracuse as a result of the trip.
According to MaxPreps, Morgan was 183-296 (61.8%) passing for 2,487 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for for three scores. He has taken official visits to Jackson State and Hinds Community College per his Twitter account. He held offers from Jackson State and Austin Peay in addition to several junior college programs. Morgan is Syracuse's first quarterback commit in the 2020 class.
In addition to Morgan, Syracuse also hosted Texas quarterback prospect Dillon Markiewicz for an official visit recently. Syracuse needed at least one quarterback in the 2020 cycle, as they lost Clayton Welch from last year's roster. The only quarterback on the roster with playing experience outside of starter Tommy DeVito is Rex Culpepper. David Summers redshirted last season and will be entering his second year in the program. Adding at least one more capable arm to the quarterback room was critical, and Morgan now fills that role.
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BOZICH | Satterfield still bullish on Louisville football trajectory (wdrb.com; Bozich)
Beating Clemson was the task faced by Chris Mack’s University of Louisville basketball team at the KFC Yum! Center Saturday afternoon.
Beating Clemson is also the task faced by every football team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, including the U of L team led by Scott Satterfield.
Forty-five minutes before the basketball game, Satterfield answered questions about the Cardinals’ upcoming spring practice and the 2020 season.
Some highlights:
*About 50 prospects from the classes of 2021 and 2022 visited Louisville this weekend. Satterfield said the talent level of the prospects Louisville is recruiting this season is upgraded over the players the staff pursued a year ago.
“We’re in a much better place right now,” Satterfield said. “We’re not selling a dream. We’re not selling what’s going to happen.
“Here is what (did) happen.”
*Satterfield said that 14 of the 25 guys that Louisville signed in December have enrolled in classes and will participate in spring practice.
“They’re all together,” Satterfield said. “They’re all in their own group. We’ll be able to utilize those guys in the fall. They’ll be able to play for us.”
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Five Things I like about the 2020 ACC Football Schedule (scacchoops.com; JFann)
The 2020 ACC Football schedule was released a few days ago. As we do each year, we’re going to tell you what like about it, and later what we don’t like about the schedule.
Clemson vs Notre Dame – November 7, 2020
Last year ACC teams had very few marquee national OOC games during the regular season. Clemson at Notre Dame will qualify as one of the biggest games of the season. Clemson should be undefeated going into the game, and Notre Dame likely in the top 15. Clemson also has a BYE week prior to the game, which is good and leads me to the next thing I like about the schedule.
BYEs before Notre Dame
ACC teams play 6 games this year against Notre Dame, and 3 of the ACC teams (Duke, Clemson and Pitt) have BYE weeks against Notre Dame. Notre Dame is always going to be one of the top games of the year for an ACC team, but it is OOC. There is no reason to show any favoritism to the Irish. Schedule so the games gives the advantage to the ACC teams.
Virginia vs Georgia – September 7, 2020
While I do think the Hoos will be overmatched in this one, Labor Day night has always been a showcase game for an ACC team. I would prefer it is 2 ACC teams, but for a Virginia program starting to touch the surface of being really good – games like this are huge. If you are going to schedule up this much, at least make it the only game of the day when everyone is watching.
Louisville vs Clemson – September 12, 2020
The ACC is Clemson and everybody else. That said Louisville looks as equipped as anyone to finish as the ACC’s 2nd best team, and should be a top 25 caliber team next season. I like the position of this game in the 2nd week of the season. It’s a noteworthy ACC game early in the season especially if Louisville can get by NC State in week 1. The schedule really opens for the Cardinals after that, I can see them 9-1 or 8-2 before a game with Notre Dame in Week 11.
NC State vs Mississippi State – September 12, 2020
I’m not predicting a NC State win, but here’s what I like about this game with Mississippi State. It’s an SEC opponent, but a winnable one. If you want to play a SEC opponent, it doesn’t have to be Alabama, LSU, Auburn, etc all the time.
There are average to below average teams in the SEC that are suitable opponents. Let’s face it right now in the ACC only Clemson looks equipped to compete with a SEC power. Schedule to your level, and for an NC State program in rebuild mode, that’s their toughest OOC game. That’s smart scheduling.
If they win that game, they are probably going 4-0 OOC and just need to win a couple of more games to get bowl eligible.
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Florida State benefiting in many ways from ACC Network exposure (tallahassee.com; Weiler)
The coming months are going to be quite a time in Florida State athletics.
From Mike Martin Jr.'s first season atop the FSU baseball program to Lonni Alameda fielding another powerhouse softball team to a top-ranked track and field team, there's palpable buzz surrounding FSU athletics.
While the ACC Network may have been created behind the attention that ACC football and men's basketball demand, a nice side benefit is the exposure the network has provided for the less-publicized sports since its launch in August.
With a busy spring ahead, that may be no more evident than in the months to come.
"There's gonna be a lot. The schedule hasn't really come out yet for all of it, but between basketball for men and women's, baseball, softball, it's going to be heavily loaded on the network," Jason Dennard, FSU's Associate Athletics Director for New Revenue Generation and Marketing, told the Democrat.
"The commitment from ESPN and the ACC to feature all of the spring sports, you'll feel it pretty, pretty hard on there. You'll get a lot of Florida State home and away on the network."
Unfortunately, many FSU fans in Tallahassee are still without the ACC Network due to Comcast's holdout. The largest cable provider in the country with over 21 million subscribers has still not agreed to terms with ESPN and its parent company Disney to carry the network which launched in August. Comcast's deal with Disney doesn't expire for another two years.
That hasn't stopped the ACC Network's ambitious scheduling approach.
The television schedule for the upcoming softball and baseball seasons have not yet been released, but Dennard told the Democrat that approximately nine home FSU baseball games and at least eight home FSU softball games will be broadcast on the ACC Network or another linear network.
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Holliday: Where would the ACC be without Gene Corrigan? :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; Holliday)
Current Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford said it best: "Simply put, Gene was one of the most remarkable individuals and leaders I have ever known. His impact on college athletics was profound and immeasurable."
The ACC was at something of a crossroads when Gene Corrigan became commissioner on September 1, 1987 - though I don't think anyone knew it at the time. Football struggled, both at keeping pace with the other major conferences and at winning the hearts and minds of ACC media and fans. ACC teams in the 80s rarely made the Top 10 in the national rankings and the league typically got just two bowl bids. Basketball was king, even in football season. When Corrigan saw a two-page article in a major North Carolina daily newspaper on Dean Smith's new recruiting class two days before the start of football season, the new commissioner knew he had work to do.
Corrigan decided the fastest way to improve ACC football was to enhance ACC football. He immediately began seeking additional bowl opportunities for conference teams, at a time when the norm was just two teams making the post season. In 1989, Corrigan's third year as commissioner, four ACC teams played in bowls, just the second time in the league's 35 years that had happened. By 1990, the number had reached five. Georgia Tech, one of those five receiving bowl bids, won a share of the national championship.
Knowing the ACC needed to change the way football was covered by its local media and perceived by national media and fans, Corrigan made radical changes in the league's preseason football rouser, the ACC Kickoff. Instead of holding a one day event in the North Carolina Sandhills, Corrigan resolved to put the Kickoff in the finest resorts in the Atlantic Coast Conference footprint: The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, Wintergreen in Virginia, Kiawah outside Charleston, South Carolina, Lake Lanier near Atlanta, Pinehurst, and Homestead, also in Virginia. Additionally, Corrigan moved the event forward from early August to late July to put it well ahead of the start of fall practice. The Commissioner urged institutions to send, not just their head coaches, but also the assistant coaches. As a former assistant coach in several sports before he became an administrator, Corrigan understood how much these unsung staff members would appreciate a few days in a posh place.
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PFF's Way Too Early Top 25 (RX; HM)
PFF's Way Too Early Top 25
So after scolding some programs for overscheduling in a recent post, now I'm going to offer hope...
It's nice to see a pre-season ranking from someone who doesn't have a tv contract with any college football conference - they're just looking at it from a "next level" (NFL) point of view.
From PFF College: Way-too-early 2020 top 25 rankings (published 1/21/20).
quote:
So how to ACC programs rank on this list?
1. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
2. CLEMSON TIGERS
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence failed to show up when he was needed in the National Championship game — there’s no question about that. He still finished the year with an elite 91.0 PFF grade, topping his record-setting true freshman campaign in 2018 when he had a 90.7 grade. Even with producing one of the five best PFF grades we saw from a quarterback this season, Lawrence still had a lot of room for improvement. He got off to an incredibly slow start, ranking 48th among FBS quarterbacks in PFF grade through his first four games. Clearly, he came around and got back to elite form, adding value through the air and on the ground.
Travis Etienne is one of the rare running backs to bring a lot of value to their respective team — he improved his receiving immensely and produced the fourth most WAA for a non-quarterback this past season. As for the receivers, Lawrence will be losing the reliable Tee Higgins, who was the fifth highest-graded FBS receiver, to the NFL this past year, but he’ll still have one of the top returning receivers in Justyn Ross, who is one year removed from posting the second highest grade at his position as a true freshman. Losing Isaiah Simmons hurts, but the Tigers still bring back the second most WAA overall and fifth most when taking out quarterbacks.
3. GEORGIA BULLDOGS
4. OREGON DUCKS
5. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
6. LSU TIGERS
7. OKLAHOMA SOONERS
8. WASHINGTON HUSKIES
9. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
There’s still a lot of room for improvement for Irish quarterback Ian Book. The stat book will show he threw 34 touchdowns and just six interceptions, but it’s important to put these things into context. Against Power-5 competition, Book had just a 67.6 passing grade while producing 13 big-time throws and 13 turnover-worthy plays. Against non-Power-5 competition, Book had a 92.5 passing grade while producing nine big-time throws and one turnover-worthy play. His pocket presence is poor, but luckily he’ll be behind an offensive line that returns four starters who all are featured in the top 30 returning linemen. If Book progresses in 2020, the Irish can easily creep up the rankings. They’ll also have one of the best young defensive backs in Kyle Hamilton, who impressed in his true freshman campaign by producing an 89.8 coverage grade.
10. WISCONSIN BADGERS
11. MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
12. TEXAS LONGHORNS
13. IOWA STATE CYCLONES
14. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Sam Howell displayed an outrageous, rocket-launcher arm as a true freshman in 2019. He had the second most 20-plus yard touchdowns in the country —behind only Joe Burrow — and could complete passes as far as 40 yards downfield at a high level. Slot receiver Dazz Newsome was the recipient of these downfield targets and produced the second highest PFF grade on those from the slot. This offense is loaded with weapons all around Howell.
15. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Virginia Tech cornerbacks Caleb Farley and Jermaine Waller make their team's secondary one of the best in the country. Waller has a knack for the ball and was rarely beaten in tight coverage, allowing just two of 17 contested targets to be caught. Farley made one of the biggest jumps in PFF coverage grade from 2018 to 2019, improving from 59.3 to 90.3. The two are some of the top returning defensive backs in college football and lead the way to form the third-best unit returning in 2020:
16. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
17. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
18. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
The Louisville offense has become a menacing one to face. After ranking 121st in EPA per play in 2018, the Cardinals improved in that facet to 25th in 2019. Players such as wide receiver Tutu Atwell, quarterback Micale Cunningham and running backs Hassan Hall and Javian Hawkins were a big part of that.
19. FLORIDA GATORS
20. AUBURN TIGERS
21. APPALACHIAN STATE MOUNTAINEERS
22. MEMPHIS TIGERS
23. CINCINNATI BEARCATS
24. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
25. BOISE STATE BRONCOS
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The argument for LSU 2019 (RX; HM)
The argument for LSU 2019
Was this year's national champion the best ever? Many people think so. Here's one argument in their favor:
Now I must point out that the author of this infographic was inconsistent about his poll rankings. He used ranking at the time played - which we all know is pretty much meaningless except in cases of major injuries. The correct final rankings for LSU 2019 opponents should be:
Clemson #2
Georgia #4
Florida #6
Oklahoma #7
Alabama #8
Auburn #14
Texas #25
Not sure why he felt the need to overstate his case - this list is VERY impressive! Basically, they defeated 5 of the other 7 teams in the top 8, plus two more in the top 25.
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Foolish Scheduling 2020? (RX; HM)
Foolish Scheduling 2020?
Sometimes I wonder what were these Athletic Directors thinking when they scheduled some of these non-conference games. I mean, in my opinion, there are two kinds of games which I think ACC football teams would be wise to stop scheduling:
With those two rules of thumb in mind, let's take a look at...
2020 ACC Games which Shouldn't have been scheduled, but were
WEEK 1
North Carolina at UCF (R2)
Wake Forest at Old Dominion (R2)
Virginia vs. Georgia (Atlanta) (R1)
WEEK 2
North Carolina vs. Auburn (Atlanta) (R1)
Pitt at Marshall (R2)
WEEK 3
Florida State at Boise State (R2, technically)
NC State at Troy (R2)
Virginia Tech at Middle Tennessee State (R2)
WEEK 4
Syracuse at Western Michigan (R2)
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Boise State's Future In The Mountain West? | Bronco Nation News (bronconationnews.com; Lewis)
American Athletic Conferences Woes
Recently the Orlando Sentinel ran an article suggesting Boise State may be a good addition to the American Athletic Conference.
UConn will no longer be a part of the AAC. That leaves the conference with only 11 teams. The NCAA has given them special permission to have a play-off with only 11 teams. However, that provision is temporary and will expire in 2022.
The AAC desperately needs a school. This is not to say the AAC is knocking on the door of the Broncos.
Logistics
In logistical terms, there are a number of schools back east that make more sense. Such as schools from Conference USA or the Sun Belt. None have the clout of a Boise State, however few to none already exist in the AAC with Boise’s caliber or brand.
If Boise accepts an invitation to the AAC it would mean four or five games far far away. The closest competitor is Tulsa—1,500 miles.
Is Boise State interested in committing to any venture close to that? Let’s hope not. Although they did join the Big East (Big Least). That conference folded.
What’s In The Shifting Winds?
The AAC’s flagship teams appear as if they may soon be swallowed by the ACC and SEC. Rumors continue to swirl about UCF, Memphis, SMU, Cincinnati, and Houston being groomed and wooed to join the ACC, SEC, or Big 12.
Thus, it would not be surprising to see The Big 12 try to poach from the AAC but also attempt to raid the PAC 12’s refrigerator for Arizona and Arizona State. That might open a slot for Boise to move into the PAC.
The Big 12 and PAC are in a war against the Big 10, ACC, and SEC—and losing. TV revenue funnels east.
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Other
Wegmans eliminates plastic bags at checkout starting today (PS; Tampone)
A post-plastic bag world has arrived at Wegmans.
The chain announced earlier this month it would stop giving out single-use plastic bags at checkout on Jan. 27. That’s today.
Wegmans will also start charging 5 cents for paper bags starting today. The proceeds from paper bag sales will go to charity.
Wegmans made the moves ahead of New York’s statewide plastic bag ban, which goes into effect everywhere March 1.
Price Chopper and Tops have said they plan to make the switch that day. The two chains also plan to charge 5 cents a bag for paper.
The ban affects any business required to collect state sales taxes, including small businesses and other retailers.
Target has said it will eliminate plastic bags at checkout in New York on March 1. Plastic will disappear from all Gap brand stores, including Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, by or before that day, the company said.
Gap stores will also charge 5 cents for paper bags.
The companies have all been encouraging customers to switch to reusable bags.
The state's bag ban includes a provision allowing cities and counties to charge a mandatory 5-cent fee for paper bags, but few have moved to do so. Syracuse has not and neither has Onondaga County.
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