sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Canada Day celebrates the country's movement to self-government. On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing Dominion of Great Britain, after the passage of the British North America Act. It also became a federation with four provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. These provinces were made from the British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada (previously Upper Canada and Lower Canada). The Act allowed for other provinces and territories to join the country in the future. Indeed, more land was added, and Canada now consists of ten provinces and three territories.
On June 20, 1868, the Governor General said the anniversary of Canada becoming a Dominion should be celebrated. It became a statutory holiday in 1879 and was known as Dominion Day at the time. The first official celebrations weren't held until 1917, on the Dominion's fiftieth anniversary. It began being celebrated more frequently after World War II, and even more so after the 100th anniversary in 1967. It began being called Canada Day by celebrants and has been officially known as Canada Day since 1983. This was stipulated by the Canada Act of 1982. Canada also became a fully independent country with this act, no longer being under the dominion of Great Britain.
SU News
Powell, a 3-star LB, will soon pick between SU, other schools: ‘I’m done waiting’ (PS; $; Mink)
A flurry of Syracuse football recruiting activity will coalesce around the Fourth of July weekend.
Three recruiting targets will announce their college decisions over the next four days, headlined by Henry Belin, SU’s top quarterback target for the 2022 recruiting class.
Belin, a three-star prospect out of Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, said he will announce his choice at 1 p.m. Thursday. Duke, Northwestern and Syracuse are his three listed finalists.
Mani Powell, a three-star linebacker from Ohio who released his top-six schools Monday night, is also ready to make a decision.
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3-Star DB Jeremiah Wilson Commits to SU – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Bainbridge)
Syracuse football broke out of a long commitment drought today with the addition of 3-star cornerback Jeremiah Wilson. Wilson is the fifth total commit in the class, and his decision comes just five days removed from his official visit.
WIlson is the second player from Florida in the class, and the first since fellow Floridian Belizaire Bassette (DL) chose the Orange back on March 27th. Bassette was the last commit for Dino Babers until today.
Wilson will graduate in 2022 out of Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida. During the recruiting process, Wilson received attention from Arizona and Colorado State, among others. His athleticism as a two-sport athlete (football and track) and versatility adds an intriguing element to defensive coordinator Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme. Per 247Sport’s Chris Riverso, Wilson (listed at 5’11, 173) has the capability to “fill any role” on White’s defense.
By the time Wilson arrives at Syracuse, he’ll likely enter a crowded DB room that includes (barring transfers) 2020 breakout star Garrett Williams and 2021 freshman Duce Chestnut. However, Wilson’s addition unquestionably gives that position group more depth and should invoke memories of Syracuse’s recently drafted trio of talented secondary members.
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The first point spread for Syracuse football’s 2021 season: A pick ‘em against Ohio (PS; $; Mink)
The first point spread for the 2021 Syracuse football season dropped Wednesday afternoon.
Syracuse opens the season Sept. 4 at Ohio, and oddsmaker BetOnline dubbed the game a pick ‘em, or, in layman’s terms, a toss up.
We’re not talking about the Buckeyes.
The lack of a point spread shows Syracuse, right now, is not favored to beat a team that plays in the Mid-American Conference. It comes on the heels of several sportsbooks setting the season win total for Syracuse at three games.
Ohio is led by former Nebraska coach Frank Solich, who has been at the helm of the program since 2005 and has consistently kept the Bobcats in contention for conference championships.
SU’s top QB recruit to decide Thursday; Orange among 3 finalists (PS; $; Mink)
Henry Belin, Syracuse’s top quarterback recruit in the 2022 class, will make a decision Thursday on where he intends to attend college.
Belin listed Syracuse among the three finalists under consideration. Duke and Northwestern are the others.
He wrote in a tweet he will make his decision public at 1 p.m.
Syracuse has been recruiting Belin the longest out of the three schools and was the first to offer. Duke offered June 3, and Northwestern offered last week.
Three recruiting analysts on 247Sports.com project Belin to pick Duke.
Belin, 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, is a good-sized prospect, a dual-threat quarterback out of Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx. He’s a three-star recruit and rated as the No. 5 player in New York.
Belin is coming off a four-game shortened season in the spring in which his team went 4-0.
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NCAA clears way for athlete compensation as state laws loom (PS; $; AP)
The NCAA Board of Directors approved one of the biggest changes in the history of college athletics Wednesday, clearing the way for nearly a half-million athletes to start earning money based on their fame and celebrity without fear of endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy of violating amateurism rules that have stood for decades.
The decision, expected for months as state after state passed laws intended to render NCAA rules moot on the topic, came on the eve of the market opening Thursday for athletes in a dozen states, including giants like Texas and Florida.
“This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.
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ACC strength of schedule rankings 2021: Clemson has a favorable path, Florida State draws a tough slate (cbssports.com; Patterson)
The strength of schedule across the ACC is anchored by a solid middle class that might fall below the fold when the preseason polls are released, yet still help give the entire league good standing among its peers in college football.
When judged across the entire FBS landscape, all 14 teams end up in the top half of the country in terms of strength of schedule ratings and rankings. In Bill Connelly's SP+ projections for 2021 over at ESPN, you can find 12 of the 14 teams inside the top 65. But since nine of those 12 teams fall between No. 35 (Virginia Tech) and No. 64 (Wake Forest), the ACC's strength might be overlooked or undersold on a national level since conversations are more often driven by a top-25 mindset. About half of the conference will rate out within a touchdown of each other on a neutral field, and I mention that to point out how fluid these strength of schedule rankings are (and will be) once you get outside of the top four.
But what ties the top four teams with the toughest slates in the ACC together? The presence of Clemson, North Carolina and Miami. While Miami is among those four and obviously can't play itself (more on that below), it has arguably the toughest nonconference game in the entire season with the opener against Alabama. So while the strength of the conference is a strong middle class with no bad teams and plenty of coin-flip games, the toughest schedules are the ones that include those few teams occupying the obvious top tier heading into the 2021 season.
ACC STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE RANKINGS
| 1 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets News, Scores, Status, Schedule - College Football Georgia Tech |
| Georgia Tech is going to be near the top of these rankings every single year. The Yellow Jackets' nonconference schedule is always going to conclude with Good Old Fashioned Hate against Georgia and the team's cross-division rival in ACC play is Clemson. In addition to those likely top-five opponents, Georgia Tech draws a Notre Dame game in South Bend, which combined with North Carolina and Miami gives the Yellow Jackets five opponents that all ranked in the top 15 of the CBS Sports post-spring top 25. What's really interesting here is that recruiting success under Geoff Collins suggests that Georgia Tech could be in a leap year in 2021, but the schedule leaves it where the team could be markedly better without seeing a major increase in regular-season wins. | |
| 2 | Florida State Seminoles News, Scores, Status, Schedule - College Football Florida St. |
| Like Georgia Tech, the Seminoles are going to have one of the tougher schedules in the conference thanks to not only the in-state rivalry against a quality SEC opponent but one of the more difficult cross-division pairings in Miami. The similarities continue with Notre Dame appearing on the schedule -- though the game is in Tallahassee in Week 1 instead of in South Bend in late November -- and a tough rotating opponent from the Coastal Division in North Carolina. The tiebreakers went to Georgia Tech because I've got Georgia a notch ahead of Florida and the Coastal Division slightly tougher than the Atlantic Division, but to me these are the two toughest schedules in the ACC. | |
| 3 | Miami (FL) Hurricanes News, Scores, Status, Schedule - College Football Miami (Fla.) |
| Opening the season with Alabama is the starting point for any discussion regarding Miami's schedule strength, but if you are going to play Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, I'd argue that this is the most ideal spot. It's going to be the first game of the season after a mass exodus of NFL talent, particularly on offense, and some of the most single-season turnover that Saban has seen on his coaching staff since arriving in Tuscaloosa. After Alabama, it gets no easier with one of the top teams in the Sun Belt (Appalachian State) and a competitive Power Five squad (Michigan State), but at least those games are at home, along with a tough rotating cross-division opponent in NC State. If Florida State were closer to where it wants to be and Michigan State was further along in its rebuilding process, Miami might have the toughest schedule in the ACC. Instead, it's one of the most dangerous because so many of these apparent wins against quality opponents could potentially flip the other way. | |
| 4 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/NCST/nc-state-wolfpack/ NC State |
| Coming off one of the most impressive seasons of the Dave Doeren era, NC State enters 2021 with expectations of another step forward thanks to its returning experience, but it has a schedule that ranks among the toughest in the ACC. Clemson is back on the slate with a return to division play and annual cross-division rival North Carolina is as strong as its been in decades. When you add in Miami as a rotating Coastal Division opponent, the Wolfpack are set to face the top three teams in the ACC as well as a tricky nonconference road game against Mississippi State. | |
| 5 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/LVILLE/louisville-cardinals/ Louisville |
| While the cross-division draw of Virginia and Duke is favorable, the Cardinals find themselves loaded up with a pair of quality nonconference opponents in addition to their own annual SEC in-state rivalry against Kentucky. The season opens on Monday night of Labor Day weekend with Ole Miss. After a recovery-and-reload opportunity against Eastern Kentucky, the home opener welcomes Gus Malzahn and UCF to Cardinals Stadium on the following Friday night. Throw in the annual division game against Clemson, and Louisville could probably be added to that conversation with Florida State and Georgia Tech as teams that may be improved from 2020 but won't see it show up in the win-loss record because of the strength of schedule. | |
| 6 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/UNC/north-carolina-tar-heels/ North Carolina |
| As long as Mack Brown and the Tar Heels can get in and out of Blacksburg with a Friday night win on the season's opening weekend, this team has a decent chance to be 5-0 heading into a four-week stretch that will determine whether North Carolina meets its expectations for ACC championship contention. First is a visit from Florida State as Brown looks for his first-ever coaching win against his alma mater, then one week later Miami comes to town looking to grab the driver's seat for the ACC Coastal Division. Then, after a week off, the toughest nonconference schedule creeps up in a Halloween weekend primetime showdown with Notre Dame in South Bend. It doesn't get much easier coming down the stretch with Wake Forest followed by a road game at Pitt on a short turnaround before the regular season finale against NC State in Raleigh. | |
| 7 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/VATECH/virginia-tech-hokies/ Virginia Tech |
| As one of the teams on Notre Dame's ACC flirtation rotation, the Hokies have at least one big headliner outside of division rivals North Carolina and Miami. How the rest of the nonconference schedule ranks depends on how you feel about Neal Brown's chances to take a step forward in Year 3 with West Virginia. I've got the border rivals rated about the same heading into the year and figure the Mountaineers could be favored thanks to home-field advantage, providing some strength to counterbalance a cross-division draw of Boston College and Syracuse. | |
| 8 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/WAKE/wake-forest-demon-deacons/ Wake Forest |
| It's going to confuse those unfamiliar with ACC scheduling in recent years, but the toughest opponent on Wake Forest's nonconference schedule is North Carolina. That's right, the in-state foes are set to play the second leg of a home-and-home nonconference series that was booked in 2015. The two games (in 2019 and 2021) are in place to give the two teams separated by about 90 minutes of interstate a chance to play between their cross-division conference games scheduled for 2015 and 2022. The actual Coastal Division draw for the Demon Deacons carries good opportunities with Virginia and Duke, but the presence of Clemson, NC State and a tough road trip to Army keep the strength of schedule respectable. | |
| 9 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/BC/boston-college-eagles/ Boston College |
| What's working in Boston College's favor is where some of the toughest games on the schedule will be played. The Power Five nonconference opponent Missouri, NC State, Florida State and Wake Forest are all coming to Chestnut Hill. The Eagles have to play Clemson on the road, but if you chalk that up as a (mostly) decided outcome, you'd rather have the coin-flip type games on your home turf. The rest of the road schedule includes UMass, Temple and Syracuse -- all games Boston College will likely be favored to win -- and key games against Louisville and Georgia Tech that are likely be the pivot points for the Eagles' regular-season win total. | |
| 10 | https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/teams/CUSE/syracuse-orange/ Syracuse |
| I could be wrong about this, but I think Liberty is the toughest nonconference foe on Syracuse's schedule, and the fact that the Orange have a couple teams behind them in this ranking speaks to the expectations for the Flames in 2021. Each ACC team plays at least one Power Five nonconference game, so the fact that Syracuse has Rutgers on the slate is favorable, but the cross-division draws are with Virginia Tech and Pitt. Florida State and NC State have the toughest Coastal draw with each getting Miami and North Carolina, but if you move down in the pecking order, the Hokies and Panthers both have good arguments as the next-best teams from that side of the standings. |
Clemson football: PFF has a Tiger at every position on All-ACC team (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)
The Clemson football team is considered the heavy favorite to win yet another ACC Championship during the 2021 season.
The Tigers are currently on a streak of six-straight in the conference and they’ve go on to compete in six-straight CFB Playoffs and have won two National Championships as a result.
As we head closer to the fall and the much-anticipated game against the Georgia Bulldogs, Pro Football Focus has released its preseason All-ACC team.
A Clemson football player is represented at every position on the PFF All-ACC team
Well, besides special teams.
PFF Offensive Preseason All-ACC Clemson football selections:
- QB DJ Uiagalelei (third-team)
- RB Lyn-J Dixon (second-team)
- WR Justyn Ross (first-team)
- WR Joseph Ngata (honorable mention)
- TE Davis Allen (third-team)
- OT Jordan McFadden (first-team)
- IOL Matt Bockhorst (honorable mention)
- IOL Will Putnam (honorable mention)
D.J. Uiagalelei, who only started two games last season, is already considered the third-team all-conference quarterback and we all know he could very well take the stride up the ladder before it’s all said and done this season.
PFF Defensive Preseason All-ACC Clemson football selections:
- IDL Bryan Bresee (first-team)
- IDL Tyler Davis (third-team)
- EDGE Myles Murphy (first-team)
- LB Baylon Spector (third-team)
- LB James Skalski (first-team)
- S Nolan Turner (first-team)
- CB Andrew Booth Jr. (first-team ‘Flex D’)
https://www.audacy.com/wfnz/podcast...roddy-jones-on-acc-football-outlook-507817380 (audacy.com; podcast; Mac Attack)
The guys welcome in Roddy Jones of the ACC Network to talk about the expectations for the Tar Heels and Wolfpack this season and tell you who some of the sleepers and underachievers may be this season in the conference. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ACC Network School Takeovers Begin July 2 - ESPN Press Room U.S. (espnpressroom.com; Ufnowski)
- Fifteen Days of Programming Highlighting Instant Classics and Memorable Performances from Every ACC Institution
Boston College kicks off the schedule July 2, followed by Clemson (July 3), Duke (July 5), Florida State (July 6), Georgia Tech (July 7), Louisville (July 8), Miami (July 9) Notre Dame (July 10), North Carolina (July 11), NC State (July 12), Pitt (July 13), Syracuse (July 14), Virginia (July 15), Virginia Tech (July 16) and Wake Forest (July 17). Institution-specific programming schedules and other details will be announced soon.
Additional Content Highlights
Authentic ACC, a series of original 30-minute specials produced by several ACC schools, will air throughout the two weeks of dedicated programming. These shows will highlight original content and storytelling unique to that institution.
ACC Traditions: Syracuse will premiere Wednesday, July 14 on ACCN. The half-hour program will cover a pair of legendary numbers for Syracuse: the No. 44 for football – worn by Orange football legends Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little – and the No. 22 for men’s lacrosse, started by one of the all-time greats Gary Gait. The show also details the success of the Syracuse men’s lacrosse program, as well as giving fans an all-access look at The Dome.
Follow ACCN on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – for additional coverage and complementary content throughout the 15 days of school takeovers.
Packer and Durham, ACCN’s morning show from 7-10 a.m. each weekday morning, will return on Monday, July 19.
2021 ACC Network School Takeover Schedule
July 2: Boston College
July 3: Clemson
July 5: Duke
July 6: Florida State
July 7: Georgia Tech
July 8: Louisville
July 9: Miami
July 10: Notre Dame
July 11: North Carolina
July 12: NC State
July 13: Pitt
July 14: Syracuse
July 15: Virginia
July 16: Virginia Tech
July 17: Wake Forest
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Former college football player says there's still work to be done with athlete-mental heal (cnycentral.com; Sladek)
A report released Tuesday by The Athletic on Syracuse women's basketball alleges a list of a problematic behaviors centered around 15-year head coach Quentin Hillsman. Pulling back the curtain on an SU team that’s seen 11 players transfer this off-season, more than any other D1 basketball program in the country.
Writers Chantel Jennings and Dana O'Neil say Hillsman’s actions led 5 players to seek therapy and 4 players experienced thoughts of self harm or suicide.
Baylor Barbee is a former college football WR for Baylor University. "Until you make athletes safe enough to tell you what’s really going on...nothing moves forward," said Barbee. "Let the athletes be a part of the solution."
Since his playing days, Barbee has become a strong advocate for mental health. Writing books, speaking, and running the mental health podcast "Shark Theory". Barbee said had a psychologist been offered to him in his playing days in the early 2000s, he doesn't think he would have taken advantage due to the stigma of therapy being 'weak'. Something that's not completely gone here in 2021. “We have to change the narrative of what "strength" is," says Barbee. "Strength is not keeping things to yourself. College athletes? They deal with a whole lot.”
Back in 2016, the NCAA shared guidance with colleges about mental health best practices encouraging athletic departments to hire psychologists.
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Other
The Dick's Sporting Goods store at Great Northern Plaza on Route 31 in Clay will open Wednesday, July 7, 2021. Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com
Dick’s Sporting Goods sets opening day for new store in Clay (see in-store coupon) (PS; $; Moriarty)
Dick’s Sporting Goods has set the opening day for its new store in Clay.
The store at Great Northern Plaza at 3965 Route 31 (the same plaza that contains a Wegmans supermarket) will hold a soft opening — or what Dick’s calls a “preview” — Wednesday, July 7. A grand opening will be Saturday, July 10.
With the opening of the new store, the Dick’s at the Great Northern Mall, just a mile east on Route 31, will close, leaving the struggling mall without an anchor.
What’s the difference between the soft opening and the grand opening?
Soft openings are like a trial run for retailers to give their staff a few days to prepare before facing the full rush of customers that sometimes occurs with a store’s grand opening. Lily Herring, a spokesperson for Dick’s, said anyone can shop and make purchases during the soft opening.
Starting with the grand opening on July 10 and continuing on Sunday, July 11, customers can get $10 off purchases of $25 or more with a coupon they can print out from Dick’s website. The coupon is only good on those two days and only at the Great Northern Plaza location.
The new store is in the former Value City Furniture location, between Wegmans and HomeGoods.
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