Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday - for Football | Syracusefan.com

Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday for Football

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No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to World Listening Day!


World Listening Day is an annual global event that was started in 2010 by the World Listening Project, a group "devoted to understanding the world and its natural environment, societies and cultures through practices of listening and field recording." The day celebrates the listening practices that occur around the world, as well as acoustic ecology—a discipline that studies the relationship between humans and the natural world in regards to sound.

Dozens of organizations and thousands of people have participated in the day, and each year there is a new theme and events that reflect that theme. People participate in the day by taking soundwalks, listening to field recordings, going to site-specific performances, going to other listening events and concerts focused on the theme, and going to talks and lectures regarding listening and acoustic ecology. The day takes place on the birthday of Raymond Murray Schafer, a Canadian composer and environmentalist who founded the study of acoustic ecology. He first began studies of it in the late 1960s at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.


SU News

Training Camp Position Preview: Offensive Line (SI; Gross)

Projected Starters


Matthew Bergeron (LT): Bergeron started all 12 games at left tackle in the 2021 season and 28 straight games over the past three. The Orange averages four yards per carry off his left tackle spot, good for the highest in the ACC according to ESPN Advanced Stats. If Bergeron continues his success, it could open up even more opportunities for the run game.

Kalan Ellis (LG): The Hawaiian played nine games with just five starts in his freshman campaign. At 6-6, 390 pounds, Ellis finds himself among the biggest linemen on a depth chart that already has much size and skill. The sophomore was slotted in at left guard with Chris Bleich out for the final four games of last season If Bleich is not 100% by the start of camp or cannot stay healthy, Ellis could move to right guard depending on how Dakota Davis is performing at tackle.

Carlos Vettorello (C): Vettorello played in the first eight games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury at Virginia Tech. Prior, Vettorello had been the starting center for every game in 2020 and three contests in his 2019. Although, even if he returns at full strength, the redshirt junior must show consistent protection to keep his job once the season begins.

Chris Bleich (RG): With the expectation of a starting spot, Bleich was a huge factor in successful run game throughout the first half of the season. The biggest question for Bleich is staying healthy. If he can stay in uniform, the 6-6, 335-pound redshirt junior should help the run game be a threat in the ACC.

Dakota Davis (RT): After missing the first two games of the season, Dakota Davis made nine starts in the final 10 games of the year. Davis’ return—and the weeks that followed—helped Sean Tucker lead all of college football in rushing years by week nine. His presence on the interior at 6-5, 325 pounds will be imperative in the continued success in blocking the run.

Depth

Josh Ilaoa: Ilaoa started in only one game last year against Pitt. The sophomore was the backup option at center for much of the season to Airon Servais but with a healthy Vettorello returning, it would take an injury or poor play for him to insert himself into a starting spot at center or guard.

Darius Tisdale: The 6-5, redshirt senior primarily spent time as a guard in the eight games he saw the field last season but missed four games with an injury after the win at Florida State. With the right side of the line potentially playing musical chairs in the beginning of the season, look for Tisdale to make spot starts at both right guard and tackle.

Jakob Bradford: The JUCO transfer saw the field in just two games during the 2021 season. At 6-5 with lateral speed and agility, Bradford should get his chance to play here and there. Could see some spot-starts on the right side.

Anthony Red: Red has not played much since becoming a part of the Orange. A couple of appearances against Ohio and UAlbany in September make up his Syracuse resume for now. But with line coach Mike Schmidt, Red can work his way into a backup option for Bergeron at left tackle.
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Feedback Friday: Who leads the Syracuse football defense in 2022 (TNIAAM; Wall)

This week we’re asking fans who will lead the Syracuse Orange defense in the 2022 season. Last week you told us that Garrett Shrader, Sean Tucker and Courtney Jackson would lead the Orange in passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and receiver touchdowns respectively. The only category that was close was receiving where Jackson edged out Damien Alford.

Now we turn to the other side of the ball. Which players will lead the Orange in sacks, tackles and interceptions in 2022?


Poll

Which player has the most sacks in 2022?

  • Caleb Okechukwu
  • Steve Linton
  • Stefon Thompson
  • Francois Nolton, Jr
VOTE view results

Poll

Which player has the most tackles in 2022

  • Mikel Jones
  • Marlowe Wax
  • Stefon Thompson
  • Eric Coley
  • Other
VOTE view results

Poll

Which player has the most interceptions in 2022?

  • Garrett Williams
  • Duce Chestnut
  • Jason Simmons
  • Mikel Jones
  • Other
VOTE view results
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Syracuse Football Preview: Strength of Schedule – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; admin)

Syracuse has a demanding schedule ahead of them in the ACC this year.

The Orange sit just outside of the top 25 toughest schedules in the FBS. Northwestern holds the preseason No. 25 spot, leaving SU with the 26th most difficult slate.

Let’s look at the Orange’s football schedule and a couple of crucial matchups.

WEEK 1: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS @ SYRACUSE ORANGE

The Orange open the season against the Louisville Cardinals on September 3rd. This game could define how the rest of the season goes, as the Cardinals’ preseason rating is well above average.

Louisville’s current preseason Football Power Index (FPI) is 7.2, putting the Kentucky team at an estimated No. 36 in the FBS. If you are unfamiliar with how FPI ratings work, I’ll quickly simplify it.

The FPI numbers indicate how many points a team should win or lose if they were playing an average team on a neutral field. In the Orange’s case, their preseason rating is 1.4, meaning they should beat a team like Tulane by at least one-and-a-half points in a neutral setting. Conversely, the Louisville Cardinals’ rating is 7.2. So, because both teams are above average, we can directly subtract the numbers for the difference. In this case, Louisville should beat the Orange by 6 points on a neutral field – 5.8 rounded up to the nearest half.

However, they are not playing at a neutral site; they will play in Syracuse. Because of home-field advantage, we have to give the Orange a few points. For SU and the JMA Wireless Dome, this comes to the average HFA number of 2.5.

Without factoring in other aspects, we should expect a betting line of -3.5 for Louisville. But the early Week 1 lines opened at a one-field-goal difference.

So, if Louisville wins outright, we will see them move up the FPI ratings and the power rankings. Heck, even if they keep it close and lose by just a field goal or less, it’s still a good sign for the Orange and the demanding schedule they are in for in 2022.



WEEK 4: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS @ SYRACUSE ORANGE

Another telling early-season game will take place when the Virginia Cavaliers travel to New York and face the Orange in Syracuse.

We haven’t found an early line for Week 4 at any Virginia sports betting sites or others yet, but let’s break it down and set our own line. Virginia is much closer in FPI rating than Louisville at 2.2. So, as long as the Orange doesn’t flop in the first three weeks of play, we can safely assume the sportsbooks will once again give Syracuse 3 points for home-field advantage. So we have 2.2 minus 1.4 plus 3. This number brings us to a theoretical 4-point spread. That said, I doubt they’ll open the line on a pushable number and probably reduce the opening line down to Syracuse -3.5 so that no matter which side you bet on, you either win or lose, not push.


THE SEASON AFTER WAGNER

Syracuse basically gets a rest during Week 5 when The Wagner Seahawks come to town. But after that, they face a slew of tough opponents. Starting with NC State:
  • NC State Wolfpack (FPI 9.6)
  • Clemson Tigers (FPI 22.8)
  • Notre Dame Fighting Irish (FPI 17.7)
  • Florida State Seminoles (FPI 8.5)
  • Wake Forest Demon Deacons (FPI 9.1)
Syracuse will face five tough teams in a row before they finally finish the regular season with the Boston College Eagles, who have the same preseason FPI as the Orange at 1.4. That said, this game won’t be a cakewalk as the Orange have to go to Boston. The one question mark already looming is how injury-laden Syracuse will be that late in the season?
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Athlon Sports: Garrett Shrader Not a Top 10 ACC QB – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Eads)

Popular college football magazine Athlon Sports recently released its list ranking the ACC’s starting quarterbacks from 1 to 14. The conference is loaded with intriguing talent behind center and is deep. Syracuse fans’ first inclination may have been to open this article and immediately scroll down to 14 to see the name in 12 pt. Times New Roman Font ‘Garrett Shrader.’

Well that’s not the case, but there isn’t much of a consolation in being ranked 11 instead of 14 because after the 5 slot, the rankings are pretty interchangeable. Here’s a look at the list:


1. SAM HARTMAN – WAKE FOREST

2. DEVIN LEARY – NC STATE

3. BRENNAN ARMSTRONG – VIRGINIA

4. TYLER VAN DYKE – MIAMI

5. MALIK CUNNINGHAM – LOUISVILLE

6. JORDAN TRAVIS – FLORIDA STATE

7. PHIL JURKOVEC – BOSTON COLLEGE

8. KEDON SLOVIS – PITTSBURGH

9. D.J. UIAGALELEI – CLEMSON

10. DRAKE MAYE – NORTH CAROLINA

11. GARRETT SHRADER – SYRACUSE

12. JEFF SIMS – GEORGIA TECH

13. GRANT WELLS – VIRGINIA TECH

14. RILEY LEONARD – DUKE

Eyeballing this list you may have gathered that Syracuse is set to see 8 of the top 10 signal callers on this list, yikes. To be behind the top 5 here is nothing to be upset about. Each of the top third or so quarterbacks has a future in professional football. Honestly, there’s an argument to be made for Shrader being in the top 10. UNC’s Drake Maye is was a national recruit last year, but has played sparingly at the collegiate level. That ranking is purely based on projection and not production.

Here’s what Athlon had to say regarding Shrader:


“Shrader took over the starting job in Week 4 last season and went on to be one of the most productive running signal-callers in the nation. He racked up 781 yards on the ground as well as 14 touchdowns — both good for second in school history among quarterbacks. Shrader’s combination of power and shiftiness proved to be a natural complement to All-American running back Sean Tucker. In the passing game, though, he completed 52.6% of his passes for 1,444 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.”
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Checking in on Syracuse football's 2022 NFL Players - The Juice Online (the juice; Sears)

As we eagerly await both the college and professional football seasons to begin, we thought it’d be fun to check in on former Orange players from 2020 onward (so no Chandler Jones or Justin Pugh updates) in the NFL and see where their journey has taken them.

Arizona Cardinals

Nolan Cooney-
One of the more inspiring stories to come through Syracuse over the years, Cooney battled and beat testicular cancer as a high schooler and established himself as the Orange’s starting punter in 2020 after serving as the placeholder on kickoffs and field goals for three years. He was the holder for the special teams unit that won kicker Andre Szmyt the Lou Groza award in 2019 and after signing with the New Orleans Saints as a UDFA in 2021, he’s currently the Cardinals second string punter and holder.

Buffalo Bills

Kingsley Jonathan-
One of Syracuse’s better pass rushers of the last few years, Jonathan racked up 101 tackles, 21.5 TFL’s, 15 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 56 games. He signed with the Bills in 2021 as a UDFA and as of now sits as the fourth string defensive end on the roster, likely soaking up knowledge from the Bills newly signed, future-Hall-of-Famer Von Miller.

Detroit Lions

Ifeatu Melifonwu-
A two-year starter for the Orange, Melifonwu tallied 88 tackles, 23 PBU’s and three interceptions in 29 games at cornerback. He made an AP All-ACC second team in his junior year and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, eventually being taken by the Lions in the third round, pick 101 overall. His rookie season didn’t have him on the field very much due to a quad injury, but in 242 snaps he logged three PBU’s and two fumble recoveries. Reports out of Lions camp is that Melifonwu will be getting some snaps at safety, so there may be a path for him to see the field a bit more in 2022.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Andre Cisco-
The best safety to wear Orange for the last two decades, Cisco was an absolute ball-hawk for Syracuse, leading the ACC in interceptions his first two years starting. He finished his career as the FBS active leader in picks with 13, as well as finishing tied for fourth on SU’s all-time interceptions list. In 24 games he had 136 tackles, 13 interceptions, 16 PBU’s, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He was taken as the first pick in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and received a shockingly low amount of playing time given how bad the Jags defense was, logging just 247 snaps and finishing with 22 tackles and two forced fumbles. The word is the new Jags coaching staff loves him and he’s got the starting free safety job locked up.
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DT & Coach Hicks Talk CNY, Syracuse Football, & College Realignment (youtube; WakeUpCallDT)

Our DT & Coach William Hicks bring you Wake Up Call with Dan Tortora LIVE from Mother's Cupboard Fish Fry & Diner on 3709 James St, Syracuse, New York, in this edition of our EXCLUSIVE Series “From Mother’s Cupboard to Table”, breaking bread with people in our community with Great Food & Great Discussion…

Lift_Life_008_71.jpg


Lift for Life is July 19 - Syracuse University Athletics (cuse.com)

The Syracuse Chapter of Uplifting Athletes is pleased to announce its annual Lift For Life to inspire and support the Rare Disease Community will take place on July 19.

The 2022 Syracuse Chapter Lift For Life will be a competition featuring a 225-pound bench press competition between the Orange offense and defense.

"Lift For Life is something that Syracuse has always looked forward to during the summer. It gives us another opportunity to compete, as well as using our platform as college athletes to help raise money for such a great cause," veteran Syracuse Chapter President and long snapper Aaron Bolinsky said. "We look forward to this year's Lift For Life to continue raising awareness for those people who are challenged every day by the rare diseases they have."

Fans, family and friends can choose to support either the offense or defense and pledge for the average number of bench press repetitions during the event. So choose one side of the ball and back that team by visiting pledgeit.org/syracuselift22 and pledging now! You can also make a flat donation to either team.

Proceeds from the 2022 Syracuse Chapter Lift For Life support Uplifting Athletes and its commitment to create Uplifting Leaders, fund Rare Disease Research, engage in Uplifting Experiences, and expand Rare Disease Awareness.


Lift For Life is the signature awareness and fundraising event for the Syracuse Chapter of Uplifting Athletes. Syracuse football is a part of a network of collegiate chapters led by student-athletes. Each chapter embraces the mission of Uplifting Athletes by using their platform to harness the power of sport to help build a community that invests in the lives of people impacted by rare diseases.
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Tucker tabbed to Sporting News preseason All-America team (PS; Leiker)

With Syracuse football’s first game of the season officially 50 days away, running back Sean Tucker has garnered his fourth preseason All-America nod.

Tucker was named a second team All-American by Sporting News. He has already been named to All-American teams by the Walter Camp Foundation, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. ESPN’s Mel Kiper also placed Tucker on his 2023 NFL Draft preseason positional rankings.

In 2021, Tucker had a breakout season that included setting Syracuse’s single-season rushing record at 1,449 yards. He became the first player in Orange history to have 100 or more rushing and receiving yards when SU beat University of Albany. The junior was the top offensive vote-getter in All-ACC voting last season and was a first-team selection.

Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson were Sporting News’ first-team running back selections. Central Michigan’s Lew Nichols accompanied Tucker on the second team.

Six ACC players in addition to Tucker were also selected: Louisville offensive lineman Caleb Chandler, Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs, Clemson defensive lineman Myles Murphy, Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey and Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson.


(youtube.com; video; DT and Will Hicks)

Our DT & Coach William Hicks bring you Wake Up Call with Dan Tortora LIVE from Mother's Cupboard Fish Fry & Diner on 3709 James St, Syracuse, New York, in this edition of our EXCLUSIVE Series “From Mother’s Cupboard to Table”, breaking bread with people in our community with Great Food & Great Discussion…

30 Minutes in Orange Nation 7-15 (ESPN; radio; Orange Nation)

On a Friday Fun Day, Steve and Paulie ponder SU’s desirability in Sports Illustrated’s ranking, and Kevin Wall from NunesMagician gives his thoughts on it and more. Plus, the guys hear from Jacob DeGrom after his start for the Syracuse Mets.

Five Boston College Storylines to Watch at ACC Media Days (SI; Black)

This week is the unofficial start of ACC football, as the media, coaches and select players head to Charlotte for the 2022 ACC Kickoff event. There will be a lot of interest this year in what commissioner Jim Phillips has to say about the state of his conference. For Boston College, they will be represented by head coach Jeff Hafley, quarterback Phil Jurkovec, defensive back Josh DeBerry and wide receiver Zay Flowers.

Here are five storylines to watch at the event that could be impactful for the Eagles

1. The Future of the Conference

Storylines at many conference kickoffs can be pretty generic and boilerplate for a typical year. This will not be the case at the '22 ACC Kickoff. All eyes are going to be on commissioner Phillips as he could give hints to the future of the conference. Going on the offensive and grabbing programs? Some sort of partnership to announce with the Pac-12? How about the state of negotiations with ESPN? Any hint at any of these would be huge news for the conference.

2. The Changing Landscape of College Football

Phillips may also address the aggressive additions by the Big Ten and SEC. Right now it looks like those two conferences have distanced themselves from everyone else. Hopefully the ACC commissioner addresses this. How does he see the future of college football? Will there be fundamental changes in the structure and set up not only of the conferences but of the college football playoffs as well?

3. Getting Rid of Divisions

Another big move by the conference this offseason was the removal of the Atlantic and Coastal divisions starting in 2023. In their place the conference put in a 3-5-5 model that would rotate five teams in each year, and give each team three permanent opponents on their schedule. Phillips may have some good insights on why this was instituted and what value it brings the conference moving forward. Jeff Hafley may also provide his insight and thoughts on how this will impact Boston College moving forward. And does he have any thoughts on getting teams like Duke, Georgia Tech, and others on the schedule more often, while having Clemson/FSU/Louisville less frequently?

4. The Offensive Line

One of the biggest question marks facing Boston College this year will be the completely new offensive line. The Eagles lost all five starters from last year, four to the NFL Draft, and one (Christian Mahogany) to a season ending knee injury. Four of the names expected to become starters are well known at this point: Jack Conley, Drew Kendall, Ozzy Trapilo & Finn Dirstine. But Mahogany's injury raises questions on who the fifth player is, and how the team's plan changed. Will Hafley give an update on some of the names to watch for? Will there be some insight given on how the line is looking, and how new offensive line coach Dave Deguglielmo is connecting with them? The line will be a storyline to watch all season, and it starts this week at ACC Kickoff.
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Former coach Danny Ford on what life in the SEC would look like for Clemson football (greenvilleonline.com; Keepfer)

Reports that have Clemson packing its bags and leaving the ACC for the SEC haven't been lost on former Clemson football coach Danny Ford.

So leave it to Ford to succinctly summarize what life in the SEC might be like for the Tigers.

“They wouldn’t automatically be picked to finish first every year,” Ford told the Greenville News.

Ford should know. He served as coach in both leagues – from 1978-89 at Clemson and from 1993-97 at Arkansas – enabling him to gain valuable insight into the teams, traditions and atmospheres in both leagues. He also played for legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama.
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Teel: Preseason all-conference ballot and predicted order of finish for QB-rich ACC (richmond.com; Teel)

Pittsburgh defeated Wake Forest in last year’s ACC football championship game. Months earlier, voting in the conference’s preseason poll, clairvoyant media picked the Panthers and Deacons fourth and fifth, respectively, in their divisions.
Pitt’s Jordan Addison, last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top receiver, did not make the preseason All-ACC team, while North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, the league’s preseason player of the year, was relegated to honorable mention come December.
The moral of the story: If you value financial security, do not, under any circumstances, use what follows to inform any, uh, speculative investments.

But with the ACC’s annual media days set for Wednesday and Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., it’s time to pick a preseason all-conference team and forecast the order of finish in the Atlantic and Coastal divisions.

Some nuggets to consider when the preseason poll is released:

  • Since the advent of division play in 2005, media have voted Virginia Tech lower than third in the Coastal only once. That was in 2016, when first-year coach Justin Fuente steered the Hokies, picked fourth in preseason, to the division title.
  • Tech has another first-year coach in Brent Pry and could well be voted fourth, or lower, in next week’s poll.
  • Reigning Coastal champion Pitt has never been pegged for better than third by the poll. If voters are wise, that will change.
  • Clemson or Florida State has been the Atlantic choice every summer, but will the understandable buzz around N.C. State snap that streak? The only time the Wolfpack finished atop the ACC’s preseason poll was decades before divisions, in 1979, which happens to coincide with their most recent league football championship.
The most-debated position on the preseason squad will be quarterback, with good reason.
Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong, Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, N.C. State’s Devin Leary and Virginia Tech’s Grant Wells, a Marshall transfer, give the ACC five of the 13 returning Bowl Subdivision players who averaged at least 270 passing yards last season.

And let’s not dismiss Louisville’s Malik Cunningham and Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec. Cunningham accounted for 39 touchdowns (19 passing and 20 rushing) last year, and Jurkovec averaged 255.8 passing yards in 2020 before missing much of last season with a hand/wrist injury.

So here’s my ballot:

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK:
Hartman (his team defeated Armstrong’s, Leary’s, Cunningham’s and Jurkovec’s in 2021). RUNNING BACK: Syracuse’s Sean Tucker and Boston College’s Pat Garwo. RECEIVER: Virginia’s Dontayvion Wicks, Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry and North Carolina’s Josh Downs. TIGHT END: Louisville’s Marshon Ford. TACKLE: Clemson’s Jordan McFadden and Pitt’s Carter Warren. GUARD: Louisville’s Caleb Chandler and Miami’s DJ Scaife. CENTER: N.C. State’s Grant Gibson. ALL-PURPOSE: Virginia’s Keytaon Thompson.

DEFENSE

END:
Clemson’s Myles Murphy and Pitt’s Habakkuk Baldonado. TACKLE: Clemson’s Tyler Davis and Pitt’s Calijah Kancey. LINEBACKER: N.C. State’s Drake Thomas, Syracuse’s Mikel Jones and Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah. CORNERBACK: Louisville’s Kei’Trel Clark and Boston College’s Josh DeBerry. SAFETY: N.C. State’s Tanner Ingle and Florida State’s Jammie Robinson.

SPECIAL TEAMS

RETURNER:
Duke’s Jaylen Stinson. PLACEKICKER: Clemson’s B.T. Potter. PUNTER: Miami’s Lou Hedley. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hartman.

Now for the predicted order of finish.

Given their respective starting quarterbacks and complementary personnel, N.C. State and Miami may, indeed, be the consensus choices to clash in the ACC championship game.

But I’m picking Clemson and Pitt.

The Tigers fielded their worst offense in 11 years last season and still only lost two conference games: 27-21 in double-overtime at N.C. State and 27-17 at eventual league champ Pitt.

The hunch here is that either incumbent DJ Uiagalelei or freshman Cade Klubnik will elevate the team’s quarterback play and that the defense, even with veteran coordinator Brent Venables’ departure to become Oklahoma’s head coach, will dominate.

No program has finished atop the Coastal Division in consecutive seasons since Virginia Tech in 2010 and ’11, but even with Addison’s abrupt transfer to Southern California, the Panthers return eight players who made first-, second or third-team all-conference last season, plus five who made honorable mention.

ATLANTIC: Clemson, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College, Syracuse.

COASTAL: Pitt, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke.

ACC CHAMPION: Clemson.
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Virginia Tech, others should merge into 'Best of Rest' conference: Mailbag (theathetic.com; $; Bitters)

The ACC Kickoff (a.k.a media days) is next week, so we’ll naturally get to a bit more football talk. But for now, realignment is ruling the day.

(Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Wouldn’t it be in the best interest of most ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 schools to plan ahead for the end of the ACC’s grant of rights and begin thinking about a “best of the rest” conference? One that would trim the dead wood from all three groups and leave us with 16-20 very good brands? Why should large public schools like Clemson or even Virginia Tech keep subsidizing small private schools (or even some public ones) that will never really support football? Why not leave Duke, Kansas and Cal-Berkeley behind instead of expanding any one of the three conferences and having extra mouths to feed? — Robert H.

You’re right. And it’s time to think outside the box, because the Big Ten and SEC aren’t messing around. And because pretty much any school left in the Pac-12, Big 12 and ACC would jump at an invitation to the Big Ten or SEC if an opportunity presented itself, we’ve got a ticking clock we’re working with. So let’s have some fun before the next big realignment raid comes down and throw up a Hail Mary of an idea.

I like the idea of a Best of the Rest Conference (the BRC, we’ll call it), and since we’re getting wild with our brainstorming here, let’s steal a promotion/relegation idea from the European soccer leagues. Combine the remaining teams from the Pac-12 (10 of them), Big 12 (12) and ACC (14) into one 36-team confederation and have four different divisions based on performance. (As for Notre Dame? Go cram it with walnuts, Irish. You’re throwing off our very tidy numbers.)

The best nine teams are in the top tier. They play the other eight teams during the regular season and get a bigger cut of the TV pie as a result, with the same setup and a cascading effect for lesser payouts in the lower tiers. You want to reward football success? Let’s tie a piece of the revenue to actual on-field results, force teams to invest in the sport and stop some of these schools from freeloading.

At the end of the year, the bottom three teams in the standings from each tier move down a level, while the top three teams move up. Let the cream rise to the top and be rewarded for doing so. The top two teams in each of the standings play for a tier championship at the end of the year, primarily for the TV inventory, but also because people like playing for trophies.

If you want to guarantee you play your rivals every year, you’ve got four nonconference games at your disposal. Use them wisely and maybe don’t feel the need to schedule out matchups 20 years in advance. Just do it every offseason. (Basketball does and it works out fine.) And if there’s no room for all the teams you want to play, maybe they aren’t as big of rivals as you think.

As a baseline to start, we’ll go on overall records over the last four years to set the groupings (an admittedly crude way to do it, since not all season-long schedules are created equal, but I digress. Perhaps the first year is a random draw, with results deciding the performance-based tier setup in Year 2):


Tier 1 (Premier Tier)

Clemson
Cincinnati
UCF
Oregon
Utah
BYU
Oklahoma State
Baylor
Pitt

Tier 2 (Champions Tier)

NC State
Wake Forest
Iowa State
Washington
Washington State
Arizona State
Houston
Virginia
Miami

Tier 3 (Blue-Ribbon Tier)

West Virginia
Kansas State
Boston College
Virginia Tech
California
TCU
North Carolina
Stanford
Syracuse
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BOZICH | 5 Louisville football questions for ACC Kickoff Media Days (wdrb.com; Bozich)

The countdown to the 2022 college football season has cracked an essential yard marker:

Conference football media days.

The Big 12 opened the party this week. That's why you saw so many tweets with Mike Gundy chirping about Oklahoma and Texas.

The Atlantic Coast (in Charlotte, starting Wednesday) and Southeastern (Atlanta, beginning Monday) conferences take it up a notch next week.

Who wants to wait until next week for ACC Kickoff?

Not me. Here are 5 questions (and answers) about the University of Louisville and ACC football as media day approaches.

1. Where will the Cards be picked in the ACC Atlantic Division?

Sixth — with an outside chance of fifth.

An early check of the available national forecasts reveals votes for the Cards to finish sixth from the Lindy's and Athlon yearbooks, ahead of sagging Syracuse.

ProFootballFocus bumps the Cards up a notch, ahead of the Orange and Boston College, in fifth place, just behind Florida State.

Phil Steele entices U of L fans to purchase his mammoth yearbook by placing Louisville in a tie for third with Wake Forest, behind Clemson and North Carolina State.

Being picked sixth or even fifth won't make Louisville fans rush to Cardinal Stadium for the home opener against Florida State Sept. 16.

But being picked sixth is not a terrible thing. It sets up the Cards to overachieve. Underselling your team is never a bad thing. I remember Bobby Petrino's last appearance at ACC Media Days when he pushed the silly narrative that Louisville's offense would be better without Lamar Jackson.

2. Who will be picked to finished second behind Clemson?

North Carolina State.

Dave Doeren has done solid work in Raleigh. The Wolfpack are the pick to finish second in all four publications that I checked.

In fact, Athlon ranks N.C State No. 12 in the nation, ahead of Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Penn State.

You can also find the Wolfpack in the Top 25 at PFF (No. 24), Lindy's (No. 15) and Phil Steele. (No. 13). Impressive.


If Louisville intends to play in a bowl game this season, I'd recommend the Cards get to six victories before their 3-game finishing kick of at Clemson, N.C. at Cardinal Stadium and at Kentucky.

3. Who will be the ACC preseason player of the year?


What if I told you that ProFootballFocus ranked Louisville ace Malik Cunningham the 14th best quarterback in America?

What if I also told you that Cunningham was only the sixth highest ranked quarterback in the ACC?

I believe I sense a storyline here: It will be the Year of the Quarterback in the ACC.

Sam Hartman of Wake Forest appears to be the most acclaimed QB in the group. He threw 39 touchdown passes last season, although his completion percentage was less than 59 percent. PFF ranked Hartman No. 5 in the nation, behind Bryce Young of Alabama; Caleb Williams of USC; Spencer Rattler of South Carolina and CJ Stroud of Ohio State.

Who are the other ACC quarterbacks ranked ahead of Cunningham?

Brennan Armstrong of Virginia (No. 7); Kedon Slovis of Pitt (No. 9); Tyler Van Dyke of Miami (No. 10) and Devin Leary of N.C. State (No. 12).

4. Which coach is on the Hot Seat?

Dennis Dodds of CBSSports.com files a Hot Seat list every season and has a solid understanding of the national scene. His pick is Dino Babers of Syracuse, the coach Louisville will face in its season opener in New York Sept. 3.
...


College football: FSU's future is clouded by bad moves in the past | David Whitley (gatorsports.com; Whitley)

William Shakespeare probably did not give much thought to SEC football. He did come up with a handy term to describe teams that are itching to join the league.

Hoist with his own petard.

It means you’ve been done in by your own scheme, and it expressly applies to Florida State. The overhaul of college football has left the Seminoles stuck in a rickety league they’re desperate to escape.

The fact that they can’t is a long tale of decisions that have blown up in a lot of faces. It’s one most people in Gainesville doubtless enjoy reading, but they should try to put the hostility aside and think back to the glory days of the rivalry.

Spurrier vs. Bowden. The Choke at Doak. The 1997 Sugar Bowl.

Great teams made for indelible memories. But the way things are heading, FSU may always be a shadow of its old self.

Gator fans, doesn’t that bother you?

OK, dumb question.

What's next for Florida State and SEC?

UF fans feel like they’re on Noah’s Ark and FSU’s waving for help in the rising floodwater. In case you’re not up on the particulars, the SEC and Big Ten have divided and conquered college football.

They might invite a few more schools to join. Or they might not.

That’s a topic of endless speculation. The one certainty is their TV deals will soon pay members $80 million to $100 million a year. ACC teams are looking at maybe $50 million.
...


A Pac-12-ACC merger has its flaws, but it remains an option (coloradobuffaloeswire.usatoday.com; Carlough)

With their upcoming move to the Big Ten, USC and UCLA have received ample amounts of criticism regarding their complete lack of care for the student-athlete experience. Balancing academics and athletics is difficult enough, but throw in a routine of five-plus hour plane trips to the East Coast and you’re more of a traveler than a student.

Regardless, money seems to be winning and the Pac-12 could now be forced to take similar measures to stay alive. One potential option is a merger with the ACC. The Colorado Buffaloes, at least, would have a competitive advantage over the Pac-12’s remaining West Coast teams based on their location. Yet for those near the Pacific, this solution is far from perfect, even if it means keeping the Pac-12 “alive.”

Pat Rooney of Buffzone gave his thoughts on the Pac-12 merging with the ACC:


Perhaps more out-of-the-box than other solutions, but merging the west coast with the east coast again would allow the Pac-12 to keep pace with the SEC and Big Ten. The ACC also features larger TV markets than the Big 12 but, like the Pac-12, its football brand for any school not named Clemson has lagged in recent seasons. Travel would be more demanding, but at least CU is better situated for regular east coast trips than the bulk of its Pac-12 brethren. The unfortunate reality is that survival for the Pac-12 might require a coast-to-coast footprint, regardless of the scheduling demands that puts on most non-football sports.
...

COLUMN: NC State football’s conference future without the ACC (technicianonline.com; Pyrtle)

With rampant conference realignment, the college football world is more chaotic than ever. With the fate of ACC football hanging in the balance, NC State may find itself in a new conference altogether before too long.

While the ACC could restructure to fill spots left by schools that leave for greener pastures, the conference could fold entirely when it comes to football and leave the Wolfpack looking for a new conference. Let’s take a look at a few examples of future conferences that could form with NC State football in the mix.

Ellie Bruno, Design Editor

The Tobacco Belt Conference

  1. Appalachian State Mountaineers
  2. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
  3. East Carolina Pirates
  4. Duke Blue Devils
  5. Liberty Flames
  6. NC State Wolfpack
  7. UNC Tar Heels
  8. Virginia Cavaliers
  9. Virginia Tech Hokies
  10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
As the name implies, the TBC centers around Tobacco Road. The quartet of NC State, UNC, Duke and Wake Forest form the backbone of this conference with Virginia and Virginia Tech thrown in for good measure, but the Tobacco Belt Conference is not just ACC 2.0.

For starters, Clemson is noticeably absent in a conference formed exclusively from schools in the Carolinas and Virginia, but this is by necessity. The Tigers leaving for the SEC is probably the most likely event to cause the collapse of the ACC in the first place. Clemson would have no reason to abandon the nation’s most famous football conference for an upstart league like the TBC, so NC State would have to compete with what remains.

Thankfully for Wolfpack fans, there’s plenty to be excited about in the TBC. Along with the Tobacco Road schools remaining together, State gets four new formidable opponents in its conference schedule.

East Carolina jumps in and sparks a revival of its rivalry with NC State as the Pack and Pirates go head to head every year. Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina also bring plenty of competition, trading in their sun belts for tobacco ones. The Mountaineers and Chanticleers have each boasted meteoric success over the past few years, so a conference upgrade heightens the competition between them and the traditional ACC schools.

Finally, the formerly independent Liberty Flames come in and add more fuel to the fire, rounding out a 10-team conference that promises fierce competition both on the gridiron and between the fan bases.

Ellie Bruno, Design Editor
The Mountains to Sea Conference

  1. Appalachian State Mountaineers
  2. East Carolina Pirates
  3. Duke Blue Devils
  4. NC State Wolfpack
  5. UNC Tar Heels
  6. UNC-Charlotte 49ers
  7. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The MSC is a little more literal with its criteria, bringing together every Division I football program in North Carolina. While it’s not as big and loud as the TBC, the Mountain to Sea Conference turns up the heat by stoking competition on the recruiting trail as well as on the field.

With every college football team in North Carolina competing in the same conference, in-state recruiting becomes a bloodbath. Once North Carolinian recruits start deciding to stay closer to home, prompting MSC schools to convince prospects to come to their program over “those schmucks on the other side of the state.”

Much like in barbecue, the rivalry of eastern NC versus western NC turns competition in the MSC up to 11.

Ellie Bruno, Design Editor

The Actually On The Atlantic Coast Conference

  1. Boston College Eagles
  2. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
  3. East Carolina Pirates
  4. Duke Blue Devils
  5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
  6. Maryland Terrapins
  7. NC State Wolfpack
  8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
  9. UNC Tar Heels
  10. Virginia Cavaliers
  11. Virginia Tech Hokies
  12. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Much like the TBC, the Actually On The Atlantic Coast Conference consists primarily of traditional ACC schools. What makes the AOTACC different from its predecessor is its commitment to regional integrity by bringing in teams that are actually on the Atlantic Coast.

As the name suggests, the AOTACC forms around schools that are geographically on the Atlantic Coast or at least teams of a major school in a state that is. This explains why a team like the Yellow Jackets who call Atlanta home get the green light to join the AOTACC.
...


WOLFPACK FOOTBALL REVIEW WITH JOE GIGLIO (youtube; video; Joe Giglio the yellow pencil man)

For this episode, we finish our conversation with Joe Giglio from "The OG" on 99.9 The Fan! During this episode we discuss if the NC State Football Season hype is real, along with finishing our conversation from Part 1 about Conference Expansion!

2022 Cable Network Subscribers (RX; HM)

2022 Cable Network Subscribers

Finally, we have something tangible:
Paid subscribers (via earnings reports/S&P Kagan):

78m - TNT/USA
75.7m - ESPN
75.6 - ESPN2
74.58m - Netflix(US/Can)
72.2 - FS1
62.6m - CBSSN
54.9m -- ESPNU
51.2m -- SECN
50.7m -- FS2
48.1m -- BTN
42m -- ACCN
22.3m -- ESPN+
9m -- Peacock
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) July 15, 2022
It's a little lower than I expected, but that just means there's a lot of potential growth.
...


OT: Best College Towns (2022) (RX; HM)

OT: Best College Towns (2022)

Ok, this is what we reallywant to know about in the off-season!

Five ACC college towns made the top 25:
7. Chapel Hill, NC
12. Pittsburgh, PA
15. Blacksburg, VA
16. Charlottesville, VA
18. Tallahassee, FL

It's a decent list, I suppose. Except for Pittsburgh, it seems to favor smaller cities. Four of this five are ACC Coastal Division schools (boy, won't it be nice when we can't say that any more!). Tallahassee isn't just the home of Florida State University, it's also the state capitol. I'm not sure what Charlottesville is doing there; Clemson, SC is more deserving (and you can make arguments for Miami, Atlanta, Raleigh, Louisville, and Syracuse - but not Durham; as far as I can tell, Durham's only attraction is Duke Gardens).
...


Ramblin' About GT Football (RX; HM)

Ramblin' About GT Football

This is a little something for you long-suffering Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket fans who might be down about the fact that Geoff Collins can't fill out a "Top 10 wins" tweet yet. Check this out:

SEC football championships over the years...

SEC conference championships timeline!

Data from @collegefb_ref https://t.co/kca0nAYfU0 pic.twitter.com/v1uqTwBStV
— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) July 15, 2022
Georgia Tech left the SEC in 1964, but won 5 conference championships in 32 years.
That's more than Kentucky, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt - combined.
In fact, prior to the Jackets' exit, Alabama won 6.5 SEC titles (including 1964) to 5 for the Ramblin' Wreck; since GT left the SEC, the Tide have won it 20 times. Coincidence? I think not!
...


TV Value vs Viewers, 2015-21 (RX; HM)

TV Value vs Viewers, 2015-21

GUEST ARTICLE

A reader named Brian Jordan wrote in last week with a guest article which I'm just getting around to publishing (my apologies, Brian - it's been a busy week!):

Your recent posts on viewers and valuations got me thinking about how well the two datasets you posted correlate with one another. The obvious caveat is that for viewership it's just one year of data and it's average viewership (so one game against another very popular team like Ohio St or Michigan could skew the data). And I'm not sure what the valuation data is based on.
But by plotting one against the other you get a sense for where each school falls relative to the others. The black line is the average and the grey area is a larger average band to give a sense of which schools are the biggest outliers. Universities above the black line are undervalued relative to their viewers and schools below the black line are overvalued. The further the university is from the black line the more over- or undervalued it is. Schools falling outside of the grey area are significantly over- or undervalued.
I didn't bother looking for 2020 data.
WVU is the most undervalued...
Clemson, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Baylor should also be worth more based on their viewership...
Georgia Tech is the primary outlier that's overvalued.
When Brian looked at just 2021 data, Virginia Tech and Arizona State were both overvalued, too - although looking at all of the data brings those two back into the "grey area".
Here are the charts and the spreadsheet.

Value-vs-Viewers.png

...


It this how realignment ends? (RX; HM)

It this how realignment ends?

Here's a table showing the final(?) configuration - IF the rumored realignment moves turn out to be true.
Big TenSECACC/B12/P12
Ohio StAlabamaWake Forest
MichiganGeorgiaN.C. State
Michigan StOle MissLouisville
Penn StArkansasBoston College
MarylandTexas A&MSyracuse
RutgersMiss StPittsburgh
IndianaAuburnMiami (FL)
IowaLSUVirginia Tech
MinnesotaKentuckyGeorgia Tech
PurdueTennesseeDuke
WisconsinS. CarolinaOklahoma St
IllinoisMissouriBaylor
NebraskaFloridaIowa St
NorthwesternVanderbiltKansas St
USCTexasWest Virginia
UCLAOklahomaTexas Tech
Notre DameClemsonTCU
StanfordN. CarolinaKansas
OregonFlorida StWashington St
WashingtonVirginiaOregon St
California
Utah
Arizona St
Colorado
Arizona
...

Other

DDMN26J2LRHDVBHWEARV3P4YOY.jpg

Many of the 178 steps from Euclid Avenue to Westminster Park are chipped and crumbling. The brick ramps between sets of stairs are jumbled, creating a hazard for runners and walkers.


Syracuse’s iconic staircase needs a $1.2 million fixup. How much do we love it? (PS; $; Breidenbach)

The 178 steps from Euclid Avenue to one of the highest drumlins in Syracuse are often called the “thousand steps” because that’s what it feels like to climb them. They could soon earn a new nickname: “The $1 million staircase.”

The concrete and brick steps near Westcott Street were built almost 100 years ago, leading to an old sheep pasture with a spectacular view of the city. They are the stuff of legend, heavily used by neighborhood walkers and a destination for all manner of runners, ruck sackers, college athletes and anyone seeking a challenge.

Now, the steps are crumbling. Some steps are missing chunks of concrete the shape of a half moon, a hole where a shoe should go. More than two inches of concrete have chipped away in some spots. Twisted historic bricks look as if they are reaching up to trip people.

For some, the disrepair only adds to the challenge – like climbing a rocky peak in the Adirondacks. Others see a lawsuit waiting to happen.

The Euclid steps have been loved to death.

Pouring life back into them will likely cost more than $1 million. And every time people start imagining what the project could become, the price tag goes even higher.
...
 

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Pitt as a city has some nice history but its not a college town by any means. Boston is great to go to for a game as well but its not a college town except for a couple streets near harvard.
 

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