sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Spunky Old Broads Day!
The celebration of spunky old broads was created as a month-long holiday by Dr. Gayle Carson, and the first day of the celebration has also become Spunky Old Broads Day. Carson, a coach and advisor to CEOs and entrepreneurial managers around the world, who focuses on helping older women in particular, thought that the words spunky, old, and broad all had negative connotations, and decided to put them together to create something positive, coming up with Spunky Old Broads (SOBs). The day and month celebrate women 50 and older who don't want to get old quietly, and "who are interested in living a regret-free life." She chose February, as that is her birth month.
SU News
Monday Musings: National Signing Day Preview (SI; McAllister)
National Signing Day is Wednesday. Here is the latest on Syracuse targets leading into the big day.
JAKOB BRADFORD - JUCO OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Virginia Tech extended an offer to Bradford on Sunday, giving Syracuse its first power five competition for the talented offensive lineman. Bradford had been in communication with the Hokies for a while, but they finally offered on Sunday. He plans to have a more thorough conversation with the Virginia Tech staff on Monday, which could go a long way in determining where he signs on Wednesday. Bradford was offered by Syracuse more than two weeks ago, and the Orange staff had made him a big priority. Despite not having an offensive line coach at the moment, head coach Dino Babers has assured Bradford that he is still needed and that they will bring in a quality coach to fill the staff void. This is one to monitor over the next couple of days, as the Tech offer brings a bit more drama to Wednesday's decision.
CHASE SIMMONS - DEFENSIVE END
Simmons is currently committed to Coastal Carolina, but Syracuse offered a little over a week ago. Syracuse has been recruiting Simmons behind the scenes for a while, and the offer signals their belief that they have a legitimate shot to flip the North Myrtle Beach High standout. Simmons committed to Coastal Carolina in November, but did not sign during the early period. He has spoken with several power five schools since that early period, including Tennessee, South Carolina, Michigan State and others. Syracuse is the only program to offer thus far. Assuming that does not change, this will be a decision between a longer relationship or power five football. Another scenario to watch is South Carolina coming in with a last minute offer. Given that they are the home state school, that would be a game changer.
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In Senior Bowl, Ifeatu Melifonwu records 2 pass breakups, 3 tackles (DO; Smith)
Ifeatu Melifonwu suited up for American Team in the 2021 Senior Bowl on Saturday afternoon in Mobile, Alabama. The former SU defensive back registered three tackles and two pass breakups while his team fell to the National Team, 27-24.
In the first quarter, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound Melifonwu had tight man coverage on former Louisville WR Dez Fitzpatrick, jarring the ball loose on a back shoulder pass from former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger. The incompletion was one of two the DB forced Saturday.
Various NFL Draft projections have shown Melifonwu as being drafted sometime between the end of the first round and the later stages of the third round. The Massachusetts native reportedly impressed scouts and reporters during his Senior Bowl practice week. His former teammate in the SU secondary, Andre Cisco, has been projected similarly. ESPN currently has Cisco as the third best safety in the draft and the 64th ranked player overall.
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Orange Watch: 2021 Syracuse football schedule features two Friday night games - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)
In order to get back to some sort of semblance of the alternating home/away game format for each Atlantic Division team, Syracuse will host Boston College and Wake Forest for a third straight year, and play at Louisville for the third consecutive season.
The non-conference Liberty home game was moved to a Friday night (September 24), joining the Clemson game also to be played on a Friday night (October 15) in the Dome. We all know what happened he last time the teams met on a Friday night in Syracuse (Oct. 17, 2017), a stunning 27-24 upset victory for the Orange, a rare Tigers regular season conference defeat.
The ‘Cuse travels to face Virginia Tech for the first time as an ACC member. SU last played in Blacksburg, Va. in 2003.
Syracuse opens up on the road against a MAC opponent (Ohio) for the first time since playing at Western Michigan in 2018, and the other non-league games are against Big 10 opponent Rutgers and FCS member Albany.
Here is the complete schedule:
- September 4, at Ohio
- September 11, RUTGERS
- September 18, ALBANY
- September 24, LIBERTY (Friday)
- October 2, at Florida State
- October 9, WAKE FOREST
- October 15, CLEMSON (Friday)
- October 23, at Virginia Tech
- October 30, BOSTON COLLEGE
- November 6, (No Game)
- November 13, at Louisville
- November 20, at North Carolina State
- November 27, PITTSBURGH
Syracuse Football: 3 Reasons To Be Excited for the 2020 Orange - Stadium (watchstadium.com)
Syracuse Football: 3 Reasons To Be Excited for the 2020 Orange
Check out some of the top reasons why Orange fans are excited about the 2020 season.
David Teel: Authentic, unassuming John Swofford exits as ACC commissioner (journalnow.com; Teel)
As the 2019 Final Four convened in Minneapolis, ACC commissioner John Swofford was at the peak of his influence in the college sports enterprise.
The conference was three months removed from Clemson’s second national football championship in three years. Virginia was poised to win the league’s third NCAA basketball title in five seasons, and the ACC Network was preparing for an August launch.
On the eve of Virginia's championship game versus Texas Tech, and with so much to celebrate, Swofford and his wife, Nora, joined friends and colleagues for dinner at a downtown restaurant. My wife, our daughter and I also were waiting for a table.
Swofford strolled over, and and before I could finish with introductions, he was crouched low, talking to 7-year-old Laura and accepting her hug as if she were his own.
The moment embodies John Swofford.
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Defensive back transfer Jarques McClellion excited to suit up for FSU (tomahawknation.com; Cox)
There wasn’t much time for defensive back Jarques McClellion to debate options once he opted for the NCAA transfer portal. The former Arkansas Razorback heard from Florida State head coach Mike Norvell in a matter of hours after he entered his name.
“He called and said he wanted me to join the family. I felt special. I was still shocked in the moment,” said McClellion.
From there, it was a simple decision for the Florida native, American Heritage product, and most importantly, lifelong Florida State fan. Moments after receiving the scholarship offer to return to his home state, McClellion called his mom and simply told her, “I’m going to be a Seminole.”
“Being a Seminole has been in my family and in my bloodline,” McClellion said. “Since day 1 when I was a baby, I wanted to play for Florida State… I make sure I keep track of Florida State, just because I am already a fan of them.”
For a young Seminole team that struggled at times during a 3-6 season in 2020, McClellion will bring some much-needed experience to the defensive backfield. In two seasons at Arkansas, he appeared in 23 games and started all 12 contests his sophomore year in 2019.
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2020 FB Grades - USA Today (RX; HM)
2020 FB Grades - USA Today
From USA Today final grades for 2020 college football teams, here are their season grades for the 15 ACC teams...The ACC grades:
| grade | team |
| A- | Clemson Tigers |
| NC State Wolfpack | |
| UNC Tar Heels | |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | |
| B+ | Boston College Eagles |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | |
| B | Miami Hurricanes |
| B- | Pitt Panthers |
| Virginia Cavaliers | |
| C- | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets |
| Virginia Tech Hokies | |
| D+ | Florida State Seminoles |
| Louisville Cardinals | |
| D | Duke Blue Devils |
| F | Syracuse Orange |
Keep in mind that these grades are, in part, based on whether teams lived up to their potential. That explains how 4-5 Wake Forest can get a B+ while 5-6 Virginia Tech got a C- (well, that and the fact that the Hokies lost to the Deacs head-to-head).
I support the decision not to give any A's - after all, those four A- teams all lost their last game.
All that said, only one team failed: Syracuse
2021 Schedule Analysis - Crossovers (RX; HM)
2021 Schedule Analysis - Crossovers
You guys know I get to some of this analysis as quickly as I can, but inevitably sometimes some other website beats me to the punch. AthlonSports analyzed the 2021 ACC football schedule a number of different ways. One of them was by cross-division opponents. This is what they discovered...Atlantic Division Crossover Opponents
Boston College: Virginia Tech, at Georgia TechClemson: Georgia Tech, at Pitt
Florida State: at North Carolina, Miami
Louisville: Virginia, at Duke
NC State: at Miami, North Carolina
Syracuse: at Virginia Tech, Pitt
Wake Forest: at Virginia, Duke
Toughest Crossovers (on paper): NC State/Florida State (tie)
Easiest Crossovers (on paper): Louisville/Wake Forest (tie)
Coastal Division Crossover Opponents
Duke: at Wake Forest, LouisvilleGeorgia Tech: at Clemson, Boston College
Miami: NC State, at Florida State
North Carolina: Florida State, NC State
Pitt: Clemson, at Syracuse
Virginia: Wake Forest, at Louisville
Virginia Tech: Syracuse, at Boston College
Toughest Crossovers (on paper): Georgia Tech (and it's not close)
Easiest Crossovers (on paper): Virginia Tech (but it's close)
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2021 Schedule Analysis - Easy and Tough Starts and Finishes (RX; HM)
2021 Schedule Analysis - Easy and Tough Starts and Finishes
The beginning of the season sets the tone. Start 3-0 and you'll probably be ranked; start 0-3 and you may not be able to overcome it.
Easiest Starts (first three games):
- Boston College: Colgate, at UMass, at Temple
- Wake Forest: Old Dominion, Norfolk St, Florida State
- Syracuse: at Ohio, Rutgers, Albany
Toughest Starts (first three games):
- Miami: vs Alabama, App State, Michigan State
- Virginia Tech: UNC, MTSU, at W. Virginia
- Clemson: vs Georgia, SC State, Georgia Tech
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Staples: Welcome to the ACC, Jim Phillips. Now, go get Notre Dame ... (theathletic.com; $; Staples)
To: Jim Phillips
From: Your pals at the ACC schools
Re: First Day!
Dear Jim,
Welcome, Commissioner! That sure has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? We hope you like the gift basket. When you use the Bojangles gift cards, we recommend the cajun filet biscuit. We also guessed your size in the Sperry Top-Siders. Wear those if you want to blend in while in Clemson or Charlottesville or Chapel Hill. We’re so glad to have you here! Pay no attention to what Jim Boeheim has to say about Greensboro. You’re going to love it.
But before you start spending those gift cards, we need to get down to business. We hired you away from Northwestern to run the conference, and that’s a big job. But to be perfectly honest, we had an even bigger task in mind for you. And frankly, if you don’t accomplish it, your tenure might be pretty boring.
The ACC’s TV contract with Disney/ESPN runs through the end of the 2035-36 school year. By the time that thing ends in June 2036, you’re going to be past retirement age. Considering that deal has us fairly far behind the Big Ten and SEC already and considering those leagues are about to cash in on new deals in the next few years, we need you to complete a Hail Mary of sorts to help our programs remain competitive.
We need you to talk Notre Dame into joining the conference in football.
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Other
Winter storm warnings expanded in Upstate NY: 8-12” of snow possible (PS; $; Coin)
Winter storm warnings expanded in Upstate NY: 8-12” of snow possible - syracuse.com
Winter storm warnings have been expanded across much of Upstate New York as a powerful coastal storm could bring heavy snow on its own -- and deliver a parting gift of lake effect snow in some areas.
Eight to 12 inches of snow is expected through Wednesday from the Finger Lakes to Albany, with heavier snow in the eastern Southern Tier and the Hudson Valley. Areas of the Catskills could see 2 feet of snow as the storm churns up the coast.
The weather service calls this a “long-duration event,” with snow starting today and lasting in some areas into Wednesday. Light snow is expected most of the day today, with the most intense snowfall starting overnight and lasting through Tuesday afternoon.
Northwest winds will pick up on Tuesday, creating blowing snow and poor visibility.
“Travel could be very difficult,” the weather service said. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commutes today.”
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