sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Why Rainforests?
Let’s start with the basics. Rainforests are a type of forest where rainfall is continuous and abundant all year round. Most of our planet’s rainforests are found in the tropics, but they can also be found in temperate zones. Although when we think of rainforests we generally imagine vast regions of land covered in dense vegetation, these ecosystems only cover around 6% of Earth’s surface. However, in such a small area they harbor a disproportionate amount of terrestrial species; around 50% of all terrestrial biodiversity is found in the world’s rainforests.
Not only do rainforests hold invaluable genetic resources and countless evolutionary marvels, but they are thought of as “living pharmacies”. Their great and mostly unknown diversity is an untapped resource for new medicines and therapies. This diversity is also the source of many products we use in our daily lives, like coffee, cacao, spices, common fruits and vegetables– and that’s just scratching the surface. Other products, like beef or the palm oil found in shampoo and many common hygiene and food products are directly related to rainforest deforestation worldwide.
SU News
Syracuse football LB target Zyian Moultrie-Goddard down to 2 schools with decision coming up (247sports.com; Bailey)
After wrapping up his official visit to Syracuse last weekend, Zyian Moultrie-Goddard is closing in on a commitment decision. The Class of 2023 linebacker from Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, N.Y., said in a message that he'll choose between the Orange and West Virginia on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The 6-foot, 240-pound Moultrie-Goddard is rated three stars by 247Sports and the No. 9 prospect from New York. He's taken three visits to Central New York this calendar year, previously stepping on campus for the program's junior day and spring game. He was offered by SU defensive pass game coordinator/safeties coach Nick Monroe in January 2020.
Arizona State, Tennessee and West Virginia have since extended scholarship opportunities to the New York Catholic High School Football League's AAA Defensive Player of the Year, headlining an offer list that also includes Army, Buffalo, UConn, Navy and Miami (OH), among others. Moultrie-Goddard said he's taken multiple visits to Morgantown as well.
Moultrie-Goddard racked up 131 tackles, including 23 for loss, in 12 games last fall, per MaxPreps.com, adding 4.5 sacks while chipping in 323 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on offense.
The Orange currently has three Class of 2023 prospects committed this cycle in quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who will take his official visit this upcoming weekend, as well as tight end David Clement, who was also on campus this past weekend, and defensive lineman Rashard Perry.
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Syracuse Football: Analysts predicting Orange for talented 2023 recruits (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse football is experiencing a busy month in June as far as official visits to the Hill by 2023 recruiting targets and commits.
And while some Syracuse football recruits in the rising-senior class have picked schools other than the Orange of late, the ‘Cuse does appear to be in a good position with several talented players in the 2023 cycle, according to some experts.
Per a review of the 247Sports Web site, and the On3 Web site, the Orange boasts solid analyst “buzz” for 2023 targets Zyian Moultrie-Goddard, Jalil Smith and Eric King.
Syracuse football could potentially add some new commits to its 2023 class soon.
While the ‘Cuse presently has three commits in its 2023 cycle, that number is likely to grow in the near future, assuming some recent projections from analysts hold true.
Moultrie-Goddard, a three-star linebacker, and edge Smith both recently took official visits to the Orange campus, while King, a three-star offensive lineman, is expected to travel to Central New York for a visit on June 24.
Brian Dohn, a well-known national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, has predicted that Syracuse football will land commitments from Moultrie-Goddard, Smith and King.
There is also one projection in the direction of the ‘Cuse for Moultrie-Goddard on . That recruiting service’s Web site also has at least three predictions for the Orange as it pertains to King’s recruitment.
Additionally, On3’s recruiting prediction machine gives Syracuse football a massive amount of speculative momentum in the recruiting processes of Moultrie-Goddard, Smith and King.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Moultrie-Goddard attends the Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, N.Y. He is one of the top prospects out of New York state in his class, according to 247Sports.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Smith, an underrated 2023 player in my opinion, attends Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. Finally, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound King is an excellent offensive lineman from the Saint Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City, N.J.
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David Clement Feels Comfortable on Syracuse Official Visit (SI; Brown)
Syracuse Football hosted Albany (NY) Christian Brothers Academy tight end David Clement over the weekend for an official visit. It was his third time on campus after coming to explore the football program first, and then returning for the academic aspect.
“I just wanted to make sure I had that feeling that I was comfortable there,” Clement said. “I wanted to be comfortable where I was, and that’s where I felt comfortable.”
Clement went into the official visit as a player who’s already committed to ‘Cuse. He committed back in late March.
The 6’6”, 265 pound tight end got a taste of what it will be like to be a part of the team through spending time with his mentor, Oronde Gadsden II, and some of the other players.
Gadsden is a wide receiver/tight end which Clement said was really appealing to him.
“Seeing something that I could possibly be doing, and talking to him about it, really helped,” Clement said.
Current players weren’t the only ones that had an impact on the new commit this weekend. One ‘Cuse football alum came back to train with the team and Clement said that really showed him the heart of this program.
“Seeing how they made it, but they still want to come back to Syracuse, showed me this family is forever,” Clement said. “It’s not just while you’re there.”
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Get to Know Your Orange Man: #57 OL, Dakota Davis (TNIAAM; Wall)
We continue our Syracuse Orange #BigManWeek Part Deux with a mainstay on the interior of the offensive line...
Name: Dakota Davis
Position: Offensive Line
Year: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 336 lbs
Hometown: Mount Airy, Md.
High School: Glenelg
2021 stats: Davis once again started the season on the sidelines due to injury. He came back to play in the final 10 games with 9 starts, giving him 24 career starts.
2022 projections: Davis goes into 2022 with a lot of experience and the hope that he can remain healthy. As Steve mentioned on this week’s podcast, could we see Davis push out to right tackle more often so the Orange have their best five offensive linemen on the field this fall? Davis was in that spot against Boston College when Sean Tucker ran for 201 yards.
How’d he get here?: Syracuse was the only Power Five school to extend an offer and Davis picked Syracuse over Holy Cross, Lehigh, Ohio, Old Dominion, and UConn.
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars from 247sports and ESPN and was a top 100 linemen according to both.
Money quote: In a piece about Syracuse’s potential pro prospects, here’s what Cam Mellor of Pro Football Network had to say about Dakota
Twitter feed: @dakotadavis56
Tweets of wonder: We don’t mind bringing back the 2010-11 Syracuse men’s basketball slogan
Interesting nugget o’interest: Glenelg is named after a town in Scotland and it’s population is roughly equal to Sean Tucker’s yards from scrimmage last season (1,751).
Let’s get a look at ya: We also don’t mind is this touchdown celebration is used again and again this Fall
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Get to Know Your Orange Man: #58, DL Denis Jaquez Jr. (TNIAAM; De Guzman)
Name: Denis Jaquez Jr.
Position: Defensive Line
Year: Freshman
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 229 lbs
Hometown: Richland, N.J.
High School: St Augustine Prep
2021 stats: Jaquez filled the stat sheet in his senior year of HS, recording 81 tackles, seven sacks, 18 TFLs, two forced fumbles and one interception.
2022 projections: Jaquez was decently rated coming out of high school, and he showed why by appearing with the second line during spring practice. With Tony White’s love for rotating his defensive line consistently, Jaquez could see the field a bit more than a true freshman might.
How’d he get here?: Jaquez was initially a Northwestern commit, but he decommitted days before Early National Signing Day. The Orange flipped him then.
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars all around.
Money quote: Duce Chestnut was basically Jaquez’s recruiter, as the two are former teammates and still friends. Chestnut sold the point early that true freshmen can play early.
Twitter feed: @jaquez_denis
Tweets of wonder: If you know me, I always love a chance to represent New Jersey.
Interesting nugget o’interest: When talking with Syracuse.com, Jaquez said one of the reasons why he switched to the Orange was a “positive impression of Syracuse’s off-campus housing compared to Northwestern.” So shout-out to South Campus and to Euclid Ave.
Let’s get a look at ya: More signing day tape.
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ACC football 2022 power rankings: Athlon Sports magazine predicts final standings (247sports.com; Howe)
The ACC saw a team other than Clemson win the conference title during the 2021 college football season, with Pitt taking down Wake Forest by a score of 45-21. The Panthers' title snapped Clemson's six-year streak dating back to 2015. Prior to that, Florida State won three titles in a row from 2012-14.
Entering the 2022 season, four new coaches have been hired at ACC programs. Miami Cristobal took over at Miami, Tony Elliott took over at Virginia, Brent Pry was hired at Virginia Tech and Mike Elko is the new head coach at Duke.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Athlon Sports projected the order of finish in both the Atlantic and Coastal divisions of the ACC. They also projected a record and conference record for each team.
Check out Athlon Sports' 2022 ACC projections below. The outlet projects Clemson to defeat Miami in the ACC Championship.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Clemson (12-1, 7-1)After a “down” year in which Clemson still won 10 games despite missing out on the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2014, the Tigers are poised to jump back onto the national stage — assuming quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei can bounce back. The defensive front seven is about as good as it gets in the sport, with plenty of experience and talent all over the place. Xavier Thomas and Myles Murphy are an elite edge-rushing duo, and Bryan Bresee is one of the best interior defensive linemen nationally. Trenton Simpson is an elite disruptor at linebacker, and he spearheads a veteran unit there. The secondary has to shore up some lost production, but the Tigers have recruited at an elite level there and should be OK.
2. NC STATE (10-2, 6-2)
NC State is one of the early favorites to take the ACC title — and is a dark horse competitor for the College Football Playoff — for good reason. The Wolfpack bring plenty back from a 2021 squad that just missed out on an ACC Championship berth with a 9-3 regular season record. The only large concern offensively is the fact that the Wolfpack lost a pair of leading rushers in Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. to the NFL. Finding someone to step up at left tackle to replace first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu presents a challenge, as well. The defense has tons of potential with veterans all over the place.3. WAKE FOREST (9-3, 5-3)
Unlike a lot of other teams in the conference, Wake Forest has the luxury of a superstar quarterback coming back for another year. Sam Hartman will helm the offense once more in 2022 after a spectacular breakout showing last season in which he threw for 4,228 yards, which ranked seventh nationally. Star wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson is off to the NFL, but Wake Forest already has his replacement in-house with A.T. Perry. Defensively, there are some concerns at linebacker and cornerback following key departures, and the Demon Deacons were not that great on that side of the ball last season anyway.4. FLORIDA STATE (7-5, 5-3)
Florida State closed the 2021 season on a bit of a hot streak, and carries that momentum into 2022 with plenty of impact players back. The major losses are leading rusher Jashaun Corbin and a pair of star edge rushers in Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas. As for Corbin, the Seminoles have potential breakout star Lawrance Toafili and four-star transfer Trey Benson to man the backfield, so they should be good there. Replacing the pass rush is a bit less cut and dry, but Albany edge transfer Jared Verse, who holds a 247Sports transfer grade of 93, is a great start.5. BOSTON COLLEGE (7-5, 4-4)
Boston College had the ACC’s worst offense in 2021, but that should change next season with a fully healthy Phil Jurkovec back at quarterback. His top two offensive targets return, but the offensive line is a big question mark. The Eagles return just one starter in the trenches, though that single starter just happens to be a reigning first-team All-ACC selection in Christian Mahogany. The defense should be in pretty good shape at every level, as leading sacker Marcus Valdez, leading tackler Kam Arnold and safety Jaiden Woodbey are all back.6. LOUISVILLE (6-6, 3-5)
Malik Cunningham is one of the nation’s most underrated quarterbacks. Given the rushing dimension of his playing abilities, he can affect a game all by himself. Fortunately, the Cardinals were able to replace most of their major losses via the transfer portal, surrounding Cunningham with some elite offensive talent. Tennessee running back transfer Tiyon Evans is a bowling ball of a runner if he is locked in. Louisville lost a pair of impact receivers in Jordan Watkins and Tyler Harrell to the transfer portal, but it used the portal to effectively scoop up some replacements. Central Arkansas wide receiver Tyler Hudson was named a 2021 FCS All-American, and he can replace Harrell’s big-play ability. The Cardinals also loaded up by adding six defensive back transfers.7. SYRACUSE (6-6, 3-5)
The Orange are in an excellent position when it comes to returning production. On offense, they bring back their leading passer in Garrett Shrader, who is also an excellent runner, their top rusher in Sean Tucker, who at 5-foot-10, 209 pounds is one of the ACC’s best options at the position, and their leading receiver in Courtney Jackson. On defense, Syracuse’s leading tackler in linebacker Mikel Jones and two of their top four leading sack producers in Stefon Thompson and Marlowe Wax are back. The secondary also has plenty of experience thanks to the return of freshman star Duce Chestnut and Garrett Williams.
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Louisville Football: 2022 Cardinals Season Preview and Prediction (athlonsports.com)
Don't be surprised if Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield starts the 2022 season on some of those ubiquitous Hot Seat lists.
After earning the ACC Coach of the Year award in 2019, Satterfield has suffered consecutive losing seasons. The Cards have lost three straight rivalry games to Kentucky by a combined 109 points. Recruiting sagged with a class that ranked outside the top 50. Staff turnover has been persistent. The Cards failed to sell out any games last season.
Speculation raged after last season that Satterfield would not return for Year 4. Less than a week after athletic director Vince Tyra announced that Satterfield would be back in 2022, Tyra resigned. So the head coach is working for a skeptical fan base without the protection of the AD and president who hired him.
Satterfield has promised to upgrade his offense with a solid collection of returning players. He has promised that Louisville will focus on throwing fewer shorter passes. He modernized the school's recruiting unit and went to work in the transfer portal. But the coach realizes he needs to deliver a winning season.
Previewing Louisville's Offense for 2022
When Malik Cunningham started at Louisville, his friend Lamar Jackson was finishing his final season as the Cards' quarterback. Cunningham returns for his fourth season as the team's starter following a season in which he fixed his turnover issues by throwing 19 touchdown passes with only six interceptions while displaying electrifying running ability. But as much as Satterfield likes that rushing dimension, he told Cunningham in spring ball to stay in the pocket and let more passing plays develop. The Cards cannot afford a serious injury to Cunningham, who played hurt part of last season.Jalen Mitchell emerged as the Cards' top running back, rolling for 722 yards, with only a single 100-yard game. Tiyon Evans transferred from Tennessee, where he averaged 6.5 yards per carry while gaining 525 yards.
Marshon Ford gives the Cards a solid hybrid weapon as a tight end/H-back. A former walk-on, Ford led Louisville in receiving with 49 catches for 550 yards.
Satterfield must rework the receiving group after the Cardinals' top two wideouts departed via the transfer portal and receivers coach Gunter Brewer left for Maryland.
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https://fifthquarter.net/acc/2022/06/21/2022-preseason-football-win-totals-acc-atlantic/ (fifthquarter.net; Olson)
Welcome to the first of several articles going over the preseason win totals for all 131 FBS teams.
Thanks to Playoff Predictors for being a free site that allows each and every game to get picked. To ensure that we didn’t just blindly choose overs or unders, all 131 teams had their schedules picked.
EXPLAINING THE MATH
All Power 5 win totals and odds are from June 13, so not all odds listed may be current. Group of 5 odds are not yet widely available at multiple sportsbooks, so those articles will get started whenever those odds are released, but the games have been picked.Where sportsbooks had differing win totals, the combination of odds with the lowest hold was kept, because sports bettors usually look for the lowest holds before looking at any prices or numbers.
For those unaware, the hold is however much over 100% each side of the bet adds up to. It’s how the sportsbooks win bettors’ money in the long run.
A lower hold is better for bettors. Anything below 2% is considered good, and a negative hold is great because it means the bet is skewed in the bettor’s favor.
Plus odds (+) means that betting $100 will profit that much. Minus odds (-) means that to profit $100, a bettor must wager that much.
The sportsbooks considered — due to having all, or very nearly all, of the Power 5 teams — were PointsBet, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Barstool.
Special thanks to Kelley Ford. We’ll be referencing some of his models that he’s posted to his Twitter (@KFordRatings).
We’re able to take the odds and turn it into expected return. Expected return means how much profit should be expected per $1 wagered if the models are correct.
By his own admission, they’re not perfect. And as the old saying goes, “all models are wrong, but some are useful.”
They’re an interesting piece of the puzzle worth considering, but do not take any of these opinions as gospel. It’s all in good fun and to acknowledge just how wrong we were at the end of the season.
Let’s begin with the ACC Atlantic:
BOSTON COLLEGE — OVER 6.5; CONFIDENCE: 2/10
DraftKings has the over at +120 and FanDuel has the under at -110, meaning there is a negative hold of -2.2%.According to Ford’s ratings, there is an 82% chance that the Eagles go under. This gives the under an expected return of $0.57 per $1 put on the under at FanDuel.
Games against Maine, Rutgers, Connecticut, Duke, and Syracuse should be wins.
Games against Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Louisville should be close.
Between winning the toss-ups of Florida State and Louisville, we think Boston College gets to seven wins — albeit with a low confidence rating of two.
NC STATE — OVER 8.5; CONFIDENCE: 3/10
DraftKings and PointsBet have the over at -145 and FanDuel has the under at +155. This means a negative hold of -1.6%.According to Ford ratings, the under has a 44% chance. Because of the way the odds are set up, this actually makes the under the more profitable bet, with an expected return of $0.12 for every $1 put on the under at FanDuel.
Eight games on the Wolfpack’s schedule look like probable wins. And there are no games that look like likely losses.
So, NC State needs to go just 1-3 against Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, or Wake Forest.
Because the odds are so slanted towards the over — almost 60% — we stuck with a low confidence of three. But NC State should comfortably get to nine or 10 wins.
CLEMSON — UNDER 10.5; CONFIDENCE: 4/10
Our first under for the ACC!DraftKings has the over at +110 while Barstool has the under at -125. This means the hold is 3.2%.
Ford’s ratings have the under with a 55% chance and an expected loss of $0.01 per $1 wagered on the under at Barstool. In other words, it looks like the books have set Clemson’s total as well as possible.
To go under, we just need to find two losses between Wake Forest, NC State, Notre Dame, or Miami.
We think it’s more likely that Clemson goes 10-2 than 11-1, and therefore we are going with the under.
FLORIDA STATE — UNDER 6.5; CONFIDENCE: 6/10
PointsBet has the over at +100, while Barstool has the under at +130. This gives us a negative hold of -6.5% — the lowest we were able to find to date.Ford’s ratings have the over at 71% with an expected return of $0.42 per $1 wagered on the over at PointsBet.
Florida State faces a tough schedule.
Duquesne, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse are likely wins. But are there four more?
Between LSU, Louisville, Boston College, Wake Forest, NC State, Clemson, Miami, Louisiana, and Florida, we keep getting 5-7 or 6-6.
Beating LSU on Sept. 4 will go a long way toward FSU getting to seven wins.
WAKE FOREST — OVER 8.5; CONFIDENCE: 7/10
Both FanDuel and PointsBet have the over at -110 while DraftKings has the under at +110. This gives us a hold of 0%.Ford’s ratings have the under at 75% with an expected return of $0.58 per $1 wagered on the under at DraftKings.
With the exception of USC, this is perhaps the most extreme example of us disagreeing with Mr. Ford’s ratings.
Except for NC State, Wake Forest’s toughest competition comes at home.
Clemson, Boston College, and North Carolina are all at home. Miami, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Virginia are nowhere to be found on the schedule.
Which four teams are good enough to where one would feel comfortable betting against Wake Forest’s 8.5 win total?
LOUISVILLE — UNDER 6.5; CONFIDENCE: 7/10
Louisville was tricky because one book had the Cardinals at 5.5. wins. One had them at six wins, and two had them at 6.5.The lines we took down were +105 for the over and -125 for the under — both from DraftKings. This means a 4.34% full hold.
Ford’s ratings have the over at 60% with an expected return of $0.23 per $1 wagered on the over at DraftKings.
Louisville should start 2-2 or 3-1, but Louisville isn’t getting to 7-5. James Madison is the only game after Week 4 that looks like it should be a win for the Cardinals.
UCF, Wake Forest, Clemson, NC State, and Kentucky are all teams that are better than Louisville.
That would mean Louisville would need to go perfect in the toss-up games against Florida State, Boston College, Virginia, and Pittsburgh. Unless, of course, it can steal a game against the five likely losses listed above and not lose to any of the likely wins. Feels unlikely.
SYRACUSE — UNDER 4.5; CONFIDENCE: 8/10
FanDuel has the over at +100 and Barstool has the under at -113. This means a 3.05% hold.Ford’s ratings have the over at 62% with an expected return of $0.24 per $1 wagered on the over at FanDuel.
It’s surprising that Ford’s models are so high on the Orange. Outside of Connecticut and Wagner, it’s hard to find a win on Syracuse’s schedule.
Trips to Clemson, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest are probably losses. The same is true for homes contests with NC State and Notre Dame.
We also don’t like its odds against Virginia, Boston College, Purdue, or Florida State.
Maybe if Syracuse can start hot and snag wins against Louisville and Purdue in the first three weeks of the season, it can hit the over.
Pitt football roster reset: Assessing the Panthers' depth after transfer portal activity (PG; McGonigal)
We’re one month away from ACC media days in Charlotte, N.C., which means August training camp isn’t that far out, either. Pitt players are currently going through on-campus workouts, putting in early preparations for their ACC title defense.
Since Pitt’s title-winning 2021 season started, the transfer portal has changed the makeup of the Panthers’ roster with 17 players transferring out and nine players transferring in. Two of those additions came in the last two weeks with Notre Dame running back C’Bo Flemister and Dartmouth quarterback Derek Kyler announcing their decisions.
As things stand, Pat Narduzzi and his staff have 84 scholarship players for next season, one shy of the NCAA’s 85-scholarship limit. Let’s take a look at the scholarship depth of each position — and where that 85th and final one might go.
Quarterback (4)
Returners: Nick Patti, Nate Yarnell
Transfer out: Davis Beville (Oklahoma), Joey Yellen (Hawaii)
Transfer in: Derek Kyler (Dartmouth), Kedon Slovis (USC)
Typically, you want at least four scholarship quarterbacks. So the addition of Kyler was necessary after Beville and Yellen saw the writing on the wall. Kyler, one of the most efficient passers in Ivy League history, has experience. But he also has only one year of eligibility available, giving Pitt flexibility looking ahead to the 2023 recruiting class. Kyler will compete for the third-string gig while Slovis and Patti battle for the top spot.
Running back (5)
Returners: Israel Abanikanda, Vincent Davis, Rodney Hammond, Daniel Carter
Transfer out: A.J. Davis (James Madison), Todd Sibley (Albany)
Transfer in: C’Bo Flemister (Notre Dame)
Flemister, who committed over the weekend, enters the fold two weeks after it became clear 2022 signee Jordaan Bailey would not be enrolling. Flemister, who averaged 4.28 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns on 110 attempts at Notre Dame, is a nice piece to have for an already loaded backfield. Frank Cignetti Jr. seems intent on making the running game more of a factor this year, and the extra manpower will help.
Wide receiver (8)
Returners: Jared Wayne, Jaylon Barden, Jaden Bradley, Myles Alston
Transfer out: Jordan Addison (USC), Shocky Jacques-Louis (Akron)
Transfer in: Konata Mumpfield (Akron), Jerrod “Bub” Means (Louisiana Tech)
Freshmen: Che Nwabuko, Addison Copeland
Aside from Wayne, Pitt’s second-leading receiver last year, the Panthers will be banking on potential without Addison. But make no mistake, there’s plenty of it. Mumpfield was a freshman All-American. Means originally signed with Tennessee out of high school and has impressed in summer 7-on-7s. Barden and Bradley showed flashes last year, and Nwabuko is an All-American sprinter who could pop at the next level.
Tight end (6)
Returners: Gavin Bartholomew, Jake Renda, Cole Mitchell, Kyi Wright
Transfer out: Kaymar Mimes (TBD)
Transfer in: Karter Johnson (TCU / JUCO), Dylan Deveney (Georgia Tech)
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Where College Football is Now and Where it Goes in the Future: Sun Belt (gobblercountry.com; Fahvaag)
The Final Review of Another Non-Championship Conference
We were fully aware of the chance that things would change in the middle of the series, and it looks like that impression has come true. The change isn’t in the configuration of the conferences circa 2023 and beyond, it’s more related to timing.That’s what the Sun Belt Conference seems to be throwing to us. Which means the Conference USA configuration is going to change, earlier than anticipated. And all of that is IF lawsuits, counter filings with settlement and potential court intervention don’t have effects one way or the other.
That will severely limit this trip through the final conference review in this series. The Sun Belt teams are all “step up” programs where successful coaches are poached up to FBS status. A prime example is the Napier move from G5 power Louisiana to Florida. Predictions for the Cajuns’ 2022 season get thrown out the window.
The Old Sun Belt was “Football” Small
Currently the Sun Belt Conference, as of 2021, consisted of 10 football teams in two divisions separated East and West. As the name suggests these are southeastern and central teams with the farthest west being the Texas State Bobcats in San Marcos, Texas. The conference is actually relatively new, and most of the teams that are currently playing and those anticipated are very similar in capabilities to Virginia Tech in the transitional Dooley and Beamer eras.There are ups and downs, but the reality is that the Sun Belt Conference is definitely a territorial mimic of the SEC with teams that are operating at a lower altitude of performance. That presents some serious problems in the growth and performance promise of the league.
As a serious point of interest, though, the conference started off as non-football in mid-1976. It has been sort of a revolving door, new member, ODU is actually returning to the fold for full membership. The “Affiliate” memberships are also flowing in as some surprising programs move their non-football sports to the Sun Belt. Kentucky and South Carolina are joining the non-revenue sport parade to the Belt, as well as West Virginia. This sort of half-in half-out configuration doesn’t tend to last long, however. We’ll see how those pressures and counter pressures push full participation somewhere, but it is interesting to see how the SEC programs navigate their way given the conference realignment scramble going on in the dominant money programs of football and men’s basketball.
It’s All About the Benjamins and Lawyers, Too
The current league configuration is moving quickly, though. It seems the hits to CUSA and the FCS CAA are about to happen as soon as the lawyers and the money men can work out a deal....
Other
Onondaga County's newest park is a 35-acre property at the southeastern end of Otisco Lake. The Finger Lakes Land Trust acquired the site in 2020. Bill Hecht photo.
Onondaga County’s newest park: 35 acres on eastern shore of Otisco Lake (PS; Knauss)
Onondaga County this month acquired a 35-acre waterfront property along Otisco Lake that has become the newest county park. Otisco Lake Park offers shoreline access, walking trails and a small parking area, County Executive Ryan McMahon announced today.
The park is at 1486 Otisco Valley Road, at the southeastern end of the lake. The county will make minimal changes to maintain the land as a natural setting, McMahon said.
The county acquired the land from the Finger Lakes Land Trust, a nonprofit land conservation group based in Ithaca. No money changed hands, but the county granted a permanent conservation easement to the land trust ensuring that the property remains undeveloped, according to real estate records.
Finger Lakes Land Trust purchased the property two years ago from a private estate for $450,000. The purchase was funded with help from a $407,500 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation under a program to improve water quality. The land trust planned at the time to turn the property over to the county.
In addition to providing public access for fishing and hiking, preserving the land will help maintain water quality in the lake, a source of public drinking water, McMahon said.
Otisco Lake, which is 5.4 miles long, is the easternmost Finger Lake.
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