sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to World Pasta Day!
Pasta is made with flour, salt, water, and eggs. It comes in many shapes, like ribbons, cords, and tubes, and can be prepared in myriad ways, with different cooking techniques and in many recipes. It can be tossed with butter, cheese, seasonings, and sauces of tomato, seafood, and cream. Some pasta may be stuffed with meat, cheese, or spinach. Pasta is used in dishes like spaghetti, fettuccine Alfredo, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and penne and pesto, and in soups and casseroles.
SU News
Derek McDonald leads Syracuse in pressuring the QB. Why does PFF grade him so low? (DO; O'Brien)
Derek McDonald said he isn’t familiar with Pro Football Focus, a sports analytics company that gives performance grades to professional and college football players. McDonald, Syracuse’s starting weakside linebacker, said he doesn’t completely understand PFF’s grades.
“I don’t look at that stuff too much,” McDonald said. “I think it’s kind of weird how they take metrics and stuff like that. It doesn’t really make too much sense sometimes.”
After redshirting in 2021 and serving as a backup in 2022, McDonald emerged as a starter for SU this season. According to PFF, McDonald leads the Orange in quarterback pressures through seven games with 17. Yet, PFF lists him at a 56.4 overall defensive grade, which is one of the worst marks among qualified defenders (at least 20% of snaps) on Syracuse.
McDonald admitted he needs to work on getting to the quarterback more often. But, the grade is a stark difference between the value McDonald’s teammates and past coaches have placed on the linebacker.
British football fan Neil Hornsby launched Pro Football Focus in 2007, giving grades for every player in each specific aspect of the game. In 2014, NBC sports commentator and former NFL player Cris Collinsworth bought a majority interest in the service, constantly referencing it on Sunday Night Football.
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Game Preview: Virginia Tech Hosts Run-Heavy Syracuse (virginiatech.sportswar.com; Cunningham)
- Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse: Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) from Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va.
- Betting line: VT -2.5
- Roster cards: Click here
- Virginia Tech game notes: Click here
- Blacksburg weather: Click here
- Gameday information: Click here
There are big stakes for both sides, who are both coming off open weeks. The Orange desperately needs a conference victory after getting throttled by North Carolina (40-7) and Florida State (41-3) in consecutive weeks. When the two sides kick off on Thursday, it’ll have been almost five weeks since ‘Cuse last won a game, which came vs. Army on Sept. 23.
On the other side, the Hokies have momentum. After a 1-3 start, they’ve won two of their last three games with a 22-point defeat in Tallahassee and, amazingly, control their own destiny on the league. They’re in a tie for fourth right now with Duke.
Though Syracuse is above .500 overall, given the ACC record, this could almost be considered a must-win for Virginia Tech. A victory here would do wonders, vaulting the team into a three-way tie for second in the conference with Louisville (who Tech plays next on Saturday, Nov. 4) and North Carolina.
Moreover, it would put Tech at an even 4-4 with four games remaining. Two wins in the final stretch of @Louisville, @Boston College, NC State and @Virginia — the latter three squads are a combined 4-6 in the ACC, 10-11 overall — is doable, but three is asking a lot.
Dino Babers is in his eighth season at Syracuse and is 40-52 (18-42 ACC). He led the program to a bowl twice in his previous seven seasons (2018 and 2022). A win in Blacksburg would leave ‘Cuse a win away from bowl eligibility with Boston College, Pitt, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest remaining.
The Orange has won four of the last five games in the series dating back to 2001. Two of those wins (2001, 2021) came in Lane Stadium while the Hokies lost a triple-overtime thriller in the then-Carrier Dome in 2002 (50-42 — Bryan Randall threw for 504 yards and five touchdowns, four to Ernest Wilford in the loss) and faltered in a 2016 road trip as the No. 17 team in the nation.
Babers and Brent Pry are very familiar with each other, though Thursday will be just their second time on opposite sidelines. The first instance was Aug. 31, 2002, when Pry was in his first-ever game as a defensive coordinator at Louisiana and Babers was a second-year offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. The No. 23 Aggies beat the Ragin’ Cajuns 31-7 that day, but with 12 combined turnovers, it was an extremely chaotic a football game.
Syracuse Quarterback Garrett Shrader
One of the veteran quarterbacks of the ACC, Garrett Shrader (6-4, 225, Sr.) is in his third season with the Orange. He’s on his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons, having worked with Sterlin Gilbert (2021), Robert Anae (2022) and now Jason Beck. Beck was his quarterbacks coach last season after joining ‘Cuse from Virginia with Anae in December 2021....
What you need to know about SU football's Week 9 opponent: The Virginia Tech Hokies (cnycentral.com; Hodges)
Now that Syracuse football is through their bye week here's a question for you. Did you catch your breath? Did you get the chance to sit down and reflect on where you stand as a fan? Did you set realistic expectations for the rest of the 2023 season?
If you direct (most) of those questions towards SU football you hope the answer to them is a resounding, 'yes'. Then again, given recent history that may not matter but this week will go a long way to telling those of us who root for and/or cover this team how far they can, and potentially will go.
The best part is, we'll know before the weekend even begins.
Yes, you're reading that right. Syracuse football is headed to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on a Virginia Tech team in the midst of a turnaround. As I've said before, do not look at the record. Yes, on paper the Hokies are 3-4 but did you know they have already equaled their win total from last year?
Did you know the SU does not have an advantage coming off of their bye week? The Hokies were on theirs as well this past week and unlike the Cuse are coming off of a win.
Did you know that Lane Stadium is a hard place for any visiting team to play in? I would bet you did, and aside from 'Enter Sandman' here's what you need to know about the Virginia Tech Hokies.
The big question surrounding the Hokies is who will finish out this season behind center. If you haven't paid attention to this team (which I know most, if not all of you haven't) you'd know that the starter going into the season was senior signal caller Grant Wells. He was injured late in Tech's Week 2 loss to Purdue.
Enter the sophomore Kyron Drones who has served as a true dual threat quarterback. In his five starts this season he's thrown six touchdowns to just one interception. That one interception was in his first start. Drones has become a more efficient passer as the season has progressed, and if you combine that with how much he runs the ball (17.4 CAR for 65.8 YPG) he's a weapon the Orange defense won't be able to ignore.
Neither will the skill position group. Most notably the depth of pass catcher coming out of the backfield and on the outside. In total five Hokies are averaging more than ten yards per reception so far in 2023 with the number one option coming in the form of Jaylin Lane who leads the Hokies in receptions, yards and touchdown receptions.
Meantime the running game is efficient enough, with a pair of running backs averaging just less than four yards per carry.
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Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse (247sports.com; Bowman)
It’s been a while since Virginia Tech fans felt a twinge of optimism this late in the season.
Last season, the Hokies were 2-5 at this point. In 2021, they were the same 3-4 but in the midst of a three-game home losing streak. In 2020, Tech was 4-3 but had just lost to Liberty, a loss that would start a four-game losing streak.
You’d have to go back to 2019, when the Hokies were 5-2 overall and coming off a six-overtime win over North Carolina, and that level of optimism was much more than a twinge.
After starting 1-3, Tech has won two out of three with convincing wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse and a decent effort at Florida State. And, let me talk to you, nothing in Blacksburg brings optimism like a Thursday night football game. So yeah, this one feels a little different. And that’s a good thing.
Let’s dive in.
Big Picture View
I wrote this a couple of weeks ago in the preview for the Wake Forest game, but I’ll repeat it here. This is a big game for Virginia Tech. That feels a little odd to say for a 3-4 team, but it’s true for two reasons.
- Getting back to .500 overall would feel like a serious accomplishment after the 1-3 start.
- It would set up a clear path to bowl eligibility — win two out of four games in November.
For Syracuse, this is a get-the-wheels-back-on-the-tracks game. They got off to a 4-0 start with wins over Colgate (FCS), Western Michigan (No. 114 in FEI, No. 127 in SP+), Purdue (No. 57 in FEI, No. 76 in SP+), and Army (No. 105 in FEI, No. 107 in SP+).
They’ve since lost three games to three top-25 teams — Clemson (No. 23 in FEI, No. 19 in SP+), North Carolina (No. 21 in FEI, No. 22 in SP+), and Florida State (No. 5 in FEI, No. 11 in SP+).
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30 Minutes in Orange Nation 10-24-23 (ESPN; radio; Orange Nation)
Steve & Paulie started things out recapping the last few weeks for Syracuse football. They discussed the difficulty of the stretch and the Thursday matchup against VT. Next, the two talked about the news of one former SUMBB member being nominated for an award. Finally, Jordan joined the program for Today’s Business, where he went over much of today’s sports news.
(youtube; podcast; Cuse Militia)
What's up Cuse Nation?!?! I think we all needed that little break but we are all ready for some more Syracuse football! Can they bounce back? Will they bounce back? We will see as Va Tech hosts the Orange this Thursday @ 7:30pm. We'll let you know what we think and give you our always accurate picks!
Syracuse Football: Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse prediction, odds, spread and over/under for college football week 9 (itlh; Adler)
After a much-needed bye week to rest and regroup, Syracuse football returns to the gridiron this Thursday evening, as the Orange travels to Virginia Tech amid a three-game setback streak for the ‘Cuse.
In recent weeks, the Orange has gotten thoroughly outplayed in losses to Clemson at home, as well as North Carolina and Florida State on the road. To be fair, that was a brutal three-contest stretch for Syracuse football, and I’m hoping that the Orange coaching staff and roster have put those results in the rear-view mirror.
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5 Things to Know: Syracuse at Virginia Tech - Syracuse University Athletics (cuse.com)
Syracuse hits the road to Virginia Tech on Thursday for a matchup of old BIG EAST rivals in Blacksburg. Here's five things to know about the matchup.
1. Orange and Hokies Always Excite
Syracuse and Virginia Tech will meet for the 20th time on Thursday, with Syracuse owning an 11-8 advantage in the all-time series. The games have typically provided some excitement for all who watch.
Most recently, Syracuse came from two scores down in the final six minutes, overtaking the Hokies with 19 seconds remaining in 2021. The teams last meeting prior to that delivered the first signature win of the Dino Babers era, upsetting the then-ranked Hokies 31-17 in 2016.
Most of the matchups came as annual opponents on the BIG EAST slate though. Prior to the 2016 matchup, the teams hadn't played since 2003, a lopsided Hokies win. The series delivered some memorable moments in their old conference as well though. Syracuse won a triple overtime game against Virginia Tech in 2002. Most fans will of course remember the McNabb to Brominski tight end throwback as time expired in 1998.
There was of course the Dwight Freeney vs. Michael Vick game of 2000 as well. Ultimately an eight point Hokie win, Freeney – the soon-to-be College Football Hall of Fame inductee, who will be back on campus next week for the Boston College game to celebrate the occasion at halftime – set the program single-game record with 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss for 40 yards.
If history repeats itself, Thursday's game will be another close affair. Five of the last eight games have been decided by one possession, including three in the final minute of regulation or overtime.
2. Hostile Environments
Virginia Tech is closing in on a sellout of Lane Stadium in what should be another hostile environment for the Orange. Every Syracuse opponent this season – Purdue, North Carolina and Florida State – to date has had a capacity crowd when 'Cuse has come to town.
This matchup closes a three-game, four-week road trip, which is the nation's third-longest stretch (34 days) between home games. Only Coastal Carolina (37) and Arkansas (35) feature longer stretches this season.
3. Bye, Bye, Bye
Syracuse is looking to duplicate last season's success off the open week, when the team took down then No. 15 NC State.
Since 2009, Syracuse is 12-9 when it has an additional week of preparation, including an 8-8 mark in regular-season games. The other five contests have come in bowl games, where 'Cuse has a 5-1 mark in that stretch.
Head coach Dino Babers is 3-3 in his last six games with additional time to prepare.
4. Thursday Night Lights
Syracuse will play its first Thursday night regular season game since the Orange traveled to NC State in 2019. Last year's Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl was also played on a Thursday.
'Cuse owns a 17-8 record in weekday contests since beating Kansas State in the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl and has won seven of their last 12 weekday games.
5. We're Comin' Home
Thursday's game will conclude a stretch where the Orange spent the entire month of October outside of the JMA Wireless Dome – the first stretch where the team didn't host a home game in an in-season calendar month since 2008.
Tickets are available at Cuse.com/Tickets for both remaining games in the JMA Dome, plus the Orange's game against Pitt at Yankee Stadium, where the teams will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first football game played at the stadium.
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Virginia Tech/Syracuse Preview: TSL Podcast 322 (youtube; podcast; TSL)
Virginia Tech hosts Syracuse this Thursday inside Lane Stadium. The Tech Sideline crew shares their thoughts on how the Hokies can earn their fourth win of the season. Time Stamps: 00:21 -- Tech Sideline Podcast Intro 3:25 -- Can the Hokies Make the ACC Championship? 8:45 -- Why did the Hokies not sell out Lane Stadium? 11:00 -- Syracuse's Recent Blunders 12:42 -- "GADSDEN IS NOT A TIGHTEND" - Andy Bitter 15:14 -- Syracuse Run Game 17:55 -- Garrett Schrader Break Down 22:00 -- LeQuint Allen Break down 24:55 -- The Future of Dino Babers 31:34 -- The History between VT and SU 45:37 -- SU's 3-3-5 Defense 48:58 -- Recipe for a Hokie Win 51:50 -- Buy or Sell 1:03:50 -- Final Thoughts and What's Coming up on TSL 1:08:42 -- Outro TechSideline.com has been covering Virginia Tech football, basketball and recruiting since 1996 and is the premier independent publication covering Virginia Tech Athletics.
Syracuse football: Dino Babers’s Virginia Tech Week Updates (TNIAAM; Ostrowski)
Syracuse Orange football returns this week as SU travels to Lane Stadium to face Virginia Tech. That means we’re back to hearing from Dino Babers every Monday. Here’s the latest:
Injury Report
We all hoped that Syracuse would heal up a bit during their bye week, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. OL Kalan Ellis and WR Trebor Pena have both been ruled out for this week, per Babers. Ellis has missed every game this season except for Clemson, while Pena only briefly appeared against Army. Both still have their redshirt available, and at this point, it would make sense to hold them both out one more game beyond this if it means preserving an extra year of eligibility.WR Isaiah Jones is “slowly getting better” but it doesn’t sound like he’s in the best position to make an offensive impact this week. Meanwhile, OL Joe More remains part of the twos on the depth chart - he’s played just 29 snaps in three games.
Unleashing Allen
LeQuint Allen spoke about having a “dog mentality” back when he first committed to SU. Even after all the challenges he’s faced over the last year, Allen has kept that mindset and emerged as a serious threat in the Orange backfield. He’s picked up at least 100 total yards in four of seven games and in addition to being the bell-cow back, also leads the Orange with 23 receptions....
Stats, Sack Artists and Saviors: Emptying the Notebook Pre-Syracuse (thekeyplay; $; Marcolini)
I love a bye week, because it gives me the chance to put fully formed opinions around the things I usually just yell at the family and friends in my Hokie text threads.
But now, as the Hokies get set to claw their way back to .500 against a reeling Syracuse team in Lane Stadium on a Thursday night, there's no time like the present to look at Brent Pry's...potentially improved???...Tech squad and wonder a few things out loud.
Bhayshul Tuten is the toughest Hokie to tackle since...
...Ryan Williams?
The NC A&T transfer has forced 34 missed tackles on the year. For reference, during Khalil Herbert's sublime 2020 campaign, Herbert forced 42 missed tackles in 10 games. Tuten might get to 42 after the Syracuse game.
Per PFF, 34 forced missed tackles is the most by anyone in the ACC and tied for 10th most in all of college football, putting him in the league of guys like Wisconsin's Braelon Allen, Notre Dame's Audric Estime and Kentucky tank Ray Davis.
Every year come draft season, there's always a group of players that college fans who actually watch games value more than either the NFL people or "Draft Twitter" do. Whenever he enters the conversation, Tuten will be one of those prospects for me.
His value can't be explained by stats or PFF grades. The offensive line can't block, yet for some inexplicable reason Tyler Bowen kept running Tuten into the back of a guard who had been pushed 2 yards into the backfield. 360 yards on a 3.9 YPC average isn't impressive, same with his six total TDs.
But after watching a pupu platter of pretty mid backs for 11 of the last 13 years — basically the stretch between David Wilson and now, with one Herbert-sized reprieve — I almost forgot how important a game-breaking running back can be. It's almost like having a great three-point shooter in basketball. There are days when they nail seven threes (just like there are days where Tuten will put up 100 total yards and two scores). But even when they're not hitting, the mere threat of their existence creates a sort of gravitational pull on the defense.
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Glory Days College Football 1959 Syracuse vs 1945 Army (boardgamegeek.com)
Glory Days College Football 1959 Syracuse vs 1945 Army
Glory Days College Football 1959 Syracuse vs 1945 Army
This is a playthrough of Glory Days College Football from Sideline Strategy Games.
youtu.be
The 1923 Syracuse University football team posted an 8-1 record, with seven shutouts. Courtesy of University Archives, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries.
A Century-Old Rivalry Returns to Yankee Stadium - Syracuse.edu (syracuse.edu)
When the Syracuse University football team meets the University of Pittsburgh in Yankee Stadium on Nov. 11, the clash between the longtime rivals will mark the 100th anniversary of when they played the first collegiate football game at the original Yankee Stadium.
The Orange hammered out a 3-0 victory over the Panthers on Oct. 20, 1923, before a crowd of 25,000. This year’s game marks the 79th meeting between the two Atlantic Coast Conference teams, which have played every season since 1955. They’d first squared off on the gridiron in 1916. In 1923, Syracuse was seeking its first victory over Pitt since 1919, and the Orange squad was formidable: It entered the game undefeated (3-0), outscoring opponents 117-3, en route to an 8-1 season highlighted by seven shutouts.
Here’s a look at how that game unfolded a century ago:
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Syracuse football: Duke’s Mayo Bowl O’Meter update coming off the bye week (TNIAAM; Chiappone)
The Syracuse Orange football team handled business against #ByeWeekU and are hoping the quick break is enough to regain some confidence for the rest of this season.After a tough fall stretch, Syracuse is now 4-3 following a great 4-0 start after dropping games at home to Clemson and on the road against Florida State and North Carolina. Syracuse will look to avoid the 0-4 hole versus conference opponents Thursday night against the Virginia Tech Hokies, setting up Syracuse’s path of needing two more wins at least in five games.
But fear not, because our Duke’s Mayo Bowl O’Meter continues to hold strong in the optimism even after this ugly October. All of Syracuse’s opponents moving forward stand between two and four wins, and the Orange will have some solid chances to earn their way to a bowl game and a Duke’s Mayo shower for coach Dino Babers.
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ACC News
Friedlander: My midseason ACC 'Dudes Who Deserve Better' team - Saturday Road (saturdayroad.com; Friedlander)
Ask anyone who plays college football why they do it and virtually all will tell you it’s because they love the game.
And they’re telling the truth.
Still, there’s something to be said for the benefits that come with name, image and likeness earnings and the personal glory that comes with scoring touchdowns and playing for a winning team.
Some are blessed with more of those opportunities than others.
This list of “dudes who deserve better” is a tribute to the many talented ACC players who are having great seasons despite limiting circumstances. And those whose limiting circumstances are preventing them from having great seasons.
Most play for teams with at least 2 losses.
These 10, in no particular order, are the kind whose efforts each Saturday often go unnoticed. But when you do notice, the reaction is usually the same. You shake your head and say to yourself: “Man, that dude deserves better.”
Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech DE
Unless you’re a fan of the Hokies or the Florida Gators, or you’re really into deep cuts, you’ve probably never heard of Antwaun Powell-Ryland. That’s because he plays far off the grid for a team that is struggling to gain bowl eligibility rather than battling for a conference championship.But the Florida transfer is quietly putting together an All-ACC season in his first year in Blacksburg.
Powell-Ryland has recorded 7 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles – ranking 2nd in the league in all 3 categories. He has been a driving force in a steady improvement that has seen Tech win 2 of its past 3 games to get to within 1 victory of the .500 mark and within 3 of postseason eligibility with 5 games remaining.
Ryan O’Keefe, Boston College WR
A transfer from Central Florida, O’Keefe was brought in by coach Jeff Hafley to help replace 1st-round NFL Draft pick Zay Flowers. And he was well on his way to doing that after catching 21 passes in his first 4 games with the Eagles – including 6 for 64 yards against Florida State and 5 for 86 and a touchdown the following week against Louisville.But early in the 3rd quarter against Virginia on Sept. 30, he was involved in a helmet-to-helmet collision with defensive back Malcolm Greene, suffering a neck injury. He was immobilized on the field and taken to the hospital. Though he was released a few days later, O’Keefe has yet to return to the field.
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JHowell's Picks 2023 Week 9 (RX; HM)
JHowell's Picks 2023 Week 9
JHowell.net has posted projections for Week #8 of the 2023 season. Below are JHowell's ACC football game projections through the games of 10-21-23 (including future ACC teams), followed by some commentary of my own; let's see if his computer can pick the "dogs"...
Thursday, October 26, 2023
#63-Syracuse (-1) @ #82-Virginia Tech (TP=49 Odds=.516)Saturday, October 28, 2023
#5-Florida State (-19.5) @ #72-Wake Forest (TP=53 Odds=.799)#9-Notre Dame (-22.5) vs. #93-Pittsburgh (TP=51 Odds=.842)
#10-Washington (-27) @ #118-Stanford (TP=58 Odds=.856)
#21-North Carolina (-12.5) @ #79-Georgia Tech (TP=58 Odds=.686)
#22-Louisville (-5) vs. #30-Duke (TP=49 Odds=.586)
#28-Southern California (-13) @ #87-California (TP=68 Odds=.666)
#32-Miami (Florida) (-16) vs. #95-Virginia (TP=56 Odds=.743)
#35-Clemson (-2.5) @ #61-N.C. State (TP=47 Odds=.551)
#42-Southern Methodist (-14) vs. #101-Tulsa (TP=54 Odds=.719)
#70-Boston College (-18.5) vs. #128-Connecticut (TP=55 Odds=.775)
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2024 ACC and US Population Centers (RX; HM)
2024 ACC and US Population Centers
Here's a map of the USA with the most populous counties in red and the approximate location of ACC member schools overlaid:
.png "US Population Centers + ACC 2024")
By the start of the 2024-25 football season, the ACC plans to have schools in the following population centers:
- San Francisco/Berkey/San Jose, CA (Cal, Stanford)
- Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (Southern Methodist)
- Miami, FL (U of Miami)
- Atlanta, GA (Georgia Tech)
- Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC (NC State, Duke, UNC)
- Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point, NC (Wake Forest)
- Louisville, KY (U of Louisville)
- Pittsburgh, PA (U of Pittsburgh)
- Syracuse/Rochester, NY (Syracuse U)
- Boston, MA (Boston College)
- Florida State (Tallahassee, FL)
- Clemson (Clemson, SC)
- Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
- U of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
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TV, Radio, and Announcers 2023 Week 9 (RX; HM)
Upcoming ACC Football Schedule
THURSDAY, OCT. 26th
Syracuse at Virginia Tech 7:30 p.m., ESPN
SiriusXM App/Web: 133, 134, 193, 194 955 or 956Series: Syracuse leads series, 11-8; Last meeting: Syracuse, 41-36 (2021)
ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Dan Mullen (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
SATURDAY, OCT. 28th
No. 4 Florida State at Wake Forest Noon, ABC
SiriusXM App/Web: 137, 138, 193, 194 955 or 956Series: Florida State leads series, 30-9-1; Last meeting: Wake Forest, 31-21 (2022)
ABC: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
UConn at Boston College Noon, ACCN
SiriusXM App/Web: 389 or 390 979 or 980Series: Boston College leads series, 12-1-2; Last meeting: UConn, 13-3 (2022)
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Sherree Burruss (sideline)
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Conference Name Game 2023 (RX; HM)
Conference Name Game 2023
We commented on how mismatched the names of the power conferences were back in 2016... little did we know how bad they would get! These major college sports conferences have such misleading names, it makes you wonder if anyone ever studied geography... or mathematics!
In this updated post, we'll take a look at what's wrong with the current P5 names, as well as give some suggestions for better names ('cause that' just what we do here at ACCFootballRx!). First up...
SEC (Southeastern Conference).
When you have teams in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas, isn't it a misnomer to call it the Southeastern Conference? I mean, weren't Texas, Texas A&M and Arkansas once members of the South West Conference?Better Name: Southern Conference. Yeah, they'd have to buy the rights to the name from their former conference (at least for most of the teams it was once their home), but they're more than just Southeastern now.
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Banter: Boston College Football is Putting the Pieces Together (bcinterruption.com; podcast; Flannery)
Curtis: Well that’s good for three wins in a row! BC looks like they’ve figured a lot of things out and have started rolling. What impressed you the most about what they did against Georgia Tech?
Arthur: Major League II tells us this is a winning streak. Apparently it has happened before. I’ll start. Holy cow Thomas Castellanos. He had an absolute mammoth of a day.
Curtis: When TC took that 4th & 1 all the way to the house from like 40 yards out, I lost my mind. He’s obviously been a really special player for them and the single biggest reason that they’ve been able to string these wins together.
Arthur: Credit to the OL on that play too, that hole gave him the space.
Kieran: It was a huge day running the ball for both quarterbacks. Haynes King actually out-rushed Thomas Castellanos, which I didn’t see coming. Credit to BC’s offensive line, because both Castellanos and Robichaux had big days and good lanes to run in. The defense also played well against an underrated Yellow Jackets offense.
Curran: Castellanos and the offensive line give the BC offense a chance on any day. Great to see Robichaux with some big chunk plays too. To me though, the most encouraging aspect of the game was the secondary’s performance. They sucked against Louisville and in general have been probably our weakest unit. But against one of the more prolific passing offenses in the ACC, Elijah Jones and Amari Jackson played pretty well. They benefitted from a couple drops when they got beat, but in general I thought they looked great in consistently making GT’s receivers uncomfortable.
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COLUMN: Don’t look now, but NC State football has a path to make the ACC Championship (technicianonline.com; Ellis)
This past Saturday proved that just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, college football throws a curveball at you. And believe it or not, despite all of the ups and downs thus far, NC State football now has an outside chance to make a run for the ACC Championship game in Charlotte.
Going into Saturday, it looked like it was almost a foregone conclusion that Florida State and North Carolina were on a collision course for the title game. While that may still be the case for the No. 4 Seminoles after toppling Duke, the same can’t be said for UNC-Chapel Hill following its stunning upset loss to Virginia at home.
Carolina’s loss opens the door for a number of teams to crash the party in the Queen City, and yes, one of them is the Wolfpack.
Right now, the Pack sits with a 1-2 ACC record in a tie for ninth place in the conference, which will send the top two teams to the championship in the first season since the Atlantic and Coastal divisions were scrapped. That may seem meager at first glance, but when looking at the schedule and the rest of the standings, a championship run doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
For now, let’s assume that NC State has to win all five of its remaining games to make it to Charlotte, which, in order, are home vs. Clemson, home vs. Miami, at Wake Forest, at Virginia Tech and home vs. UNC.
Granted, none of those will be easy games, and the Pack could just as easily lose the rest of its games as it could win them. However, there isn’t any game left on the schedule that one could definitively say the red-and-white doesn’t have a chance, and for the sake of this article, let’s say that NC State does somehow win out to get to 6-2 in conference play.
As it stands, there are currently eight teams in the ACC other than the Pack that have either one or two conference losses: Louisville (3-1), UNC (3-1), Duke (2-1), Virginia Tech (2-1), Boston College (2-2), Georgia Tech (2-2), Miami (1-2) and Virginia (1-2). Clemson, Wake Forest, Pitt and Syracuse round out the standings with three losses apiece and are all but eliminated from contending for the championship at this point.
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Clemson hires prominent media consultant to further explore ACC status, conference options (cbssports.com; Dodd)
Clemson has hired noted sports media consultant Chris Bevilacqua to further explore its conference alignment options, CBS Sports has learned. While the move doesn't indicate an imminent move out of the ACC for Clemson, the hiring of Bevilacqua is seen as a significant development.
The 60-year-old innovator has been at the cutting edge of valuing conferences and schools both with networks for media rights conversations and within leagues during ongoing realignment proceedings.
Bevilacqua was brought on board by Clemson approximately six months ago, which appears to align with Florida State's public complaints about the ACC and league revenue distribution. Clemson, Miami and North Carolina are among ACC schools with similar concerns, though none have been as outspoken with their complaints.
Bevilacqua has been a leading expert assisting schools and conferences througout the realignment process. He founded CSTV, which eventually became CBS Sports Network. In addition, he helped launch the Mountain West Network and Pac-12 Networks.
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WATCH: Dabo Swinney previews ACC matchup with NC State (tigernet.com; videos; Crumpton)
Dabo Swinney previews NC State, next step for Clemson, Cade Klubnik
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Dabo Swinney confident in a "good nucleus" for Clemson football
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Report: ACC Informed Pitt Christian Veilleux’s Slide Spotted Correctly (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Ludwig)
According to a report from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Jerry DiPaola, the ACC informed Pitt that Christian Veilleux’s controversial slide was ruled correctly by officials.
I don’t know if the slide needs to be rehashed again at this point, but of course, it was a pivotal moment in the Pitt-Wake Forest matchup.
Veilleux took off on a 3rd-and-8 with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter, forced out of the pocket and running toward the sideline. He slid down across the line to gain to pick up the first down and keep the clock moving. Pretty much game over.
Well, not so fast.
The officials convened and decided that Veilleux started his slide short of the line to gain and as such, he was short of the line to gain. It resulted in a 4th-and-1 on the Pitt 16.
Caleb Junko punted the ball away, a poor 32-yard boot, to boot, and Wake Forest needed to drive just 52 yards to walk off with a win. Santino Marucci, in his first career start, hit tight end Cameron Hite six plays later for a 15-yard game-winning touchdown with seven seconds left.
“I definitely felt like I had it, gonna have to watch the film, but it’s a tough one,” Veilleux said after the loss. “Just gonna have to get over it and move on. I’ll see the film, and then I’ll truly have a piece of mind.
“I just know the rule, when you start the slide that’s when they down you, so maybe I started early. To me, it felt like I had the sticks. But then again, I’ll watch the film then I’ll know.”
Considering the history of slides between Pitt and Wake Forest, there were plenty of people who brought up Kenny Pickett’s fake slide in the 2021 ACC championship game, but Veilleux wasn’t trying to fake a slide.
He was trying to convert a first down and stay in bounds to keep the game clock moving. But when it comes to sliding, it’s a subject call determined by where the official believes a quarterback — or any offensive player — begins his slide. The officials, in this case, decided that it was short of the line to gain.
No matter the ruling, Pat Narduzzi believes that the slide rule should be reviewed.
“First of all, the slide rule is to protect the quarterback,” Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Protect the quarterback who’s trying to help himself. It’s not for an official to determine when he started his slide and all that stuff and wouldn’t it have been nice if the official went and looked at the little TV there and goes, ‘Okay, let’s be sensible here.’ The kid was being smart, he wanted to stay in bounds, so I give him that. I wish he’d have taken two more steps or whatever, but it is what it is … To me, it’s still a first down.”
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'That's not our standard': Pitt works to reclaim defensive dominance up front (P-G; Carter)
Pitt’s defense still ranks in the bottom half of the ACC, having surrendered 24.6 points per game (10th) across their 2-5 record to start the season. While the Panthers lead the ACC with 22 sacks, they are far behind their normal pace, as they have finished as one of the top three sack producing teams in the country for four straight seasons, and only rank 15th after seven games.
Add in the fact that Pitt’s run defense ranks sixth in the ACC, where it’s ranked as the conference’s top defense against the run for four consecutive seasons, and Pitt’s defensive front hasn’t been at the high standard that’s been set in recent years of the Pat Narduzzi era. Part of that standard is thanks to defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, who joined Pitt’s staff in 2017.
Partridge spoke after Pitt’s Tuesday morning practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex about the issues that have plagued the Panthers’ defensive front.
“If you really evaluate what plays are creating challenges for us, it’s plays on the edge,” Partridge said. “In the interior, we’ve been solid. We’re sixth in the league right now and that’s not our standard. We want to get back to first in the league. Teams have done some things to put stress on the edges. That’s where we have to get things cleaned up right now.”
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ACC Football Power Rankings - Week 8 (backingthepack.com)
1. Florida State (last week: 38-20 W vs Duke)
The Seminoles have been the top team for a while here, but they are clearly #1 now. At 5-0 in ACC play, FSU really only needs to win two of their next three to secure a spot in the ACC title game since Duke plays both UNC and Louisville and since VT is clearly not going to run the ACC table from here. FSU is playing for a national title at this point.
2. Duke (last week: 20-38 L @ Duke)
You really have to feel for Duke. They lost that Notre Dame game with or without the injury to Riley Leonard, but the Blue Devils were up 20-17 on FSU when Leonard reinjured his ankle. They should have kicked the FG on that drive to go up by 6, but clearly the offense was done after Leonard went down which allowed the Seminoles to turn a 3-point deficit into an 18-point victory. Even without Leonard, Duke’s defense is good enough to win them games, but the offense will have to figure out how to consistently move the ball with Henry Belin IV under center if Leonard is going to miss significant time. Duke can still make the ACC title game to force a rematch with FSU.
3. Miami (last week: 28-20 W vs Clemson)
It’s long drop from #2 to #3 on this list; the ACC right now is FSU and Duke and then everyone else lagging far behind. The Hurricanes are a wet coaching brain fart away from still being in contention for the ACC title game. They kept what little hope they have of that alive by taking down Clemson in double overtime. Up next is a home tilt against Virginia.
4. Clemson (last week: 20-28 L @ Miami)
The Tigers are now 2-3 in the ACC, their most conference losses since the 2010 team went 4-4 during Dabo’s 2nd full season at the helm. If not for horrendous turnovers, Clemson is 7-0 right now and we’re all lamenting about how the machine keeps running. A date in Raleigh is on the books next before facing off against Notre Dame in Death Valley.
5. Louisville (last week: Bye)
As big a drop as there is from 2 to 3, there’s probably an equal drop from 4 to 5 here. Since they were on a bye, I’ll rank Louisville on their total body of work so far this year... although outside of the win over Notre Dame, it’s really not that impressive, but the Cardinals get Duke this weekend to help change that.
6. Virginia Tech (last week: Bye)
Is VT the 6th best team in the ACC? Not a chance, but they’ve won two of their last three with the loss being at FSU. Placed here for now because I didn’t feel like going with 10-team tie for 5th place.
7. Virginia (last week: 31-27 W @ North Carolina)
Well done, Wahoos. Well done. Virginia overcame a couple dreadful red zone turnovers to top the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, quickly putting a turd in UNC’s undefeated punch bowl. The Cavaliers held UNC to just 4-of-15 combined on 3rd and 4th downs in the game to come up with the big stops it needed when it needed them. I wouldn’t expect Virginia to win many more games this year, but this was a huge win for Tony Elliott’s program - and one the coaching staff badly needed.
8. Boston College (last week: 38-23 W @ Georgia Tech)
So this Eagles team is going to go bowling. With three straight wins and games remaining against UConn, Syracuse, VT, and Pitt, there are definitely two wins remaining on the schedule. Considering where BC was after their loss at Louisville - or, heck, even after their wins over Virginia and Army - that didn’t seem possible. This was the first BC win this year where they had a postgame win expectancy hit 60% or greater (it was 89%).
9. NC State (last week: Bye)
Call this a speculative ranking because, 1) Duke’s defense is really good, and 2) NC State’s offense is probably somewhere in between what they showed against Marshall and Duke. NC State’s defense is good enough that a consistent 25-point effort from the offense will lead to more wins than losses.
10. Georgia Tech (last week: 23-38 L vs Boston College)
The Yellow Jackets continued their streak of alternating wins and losses by the week. So that’s good news for them coming off a loss. Next up is a home game against UNC. Giving up 563 yards to Boston College is not a good good sign. The Jackets need much better play from QB Haynes King. The Texas A&M transfer has been downright awful over the last two weeks, completing less than 46% of his passes while tossing five interceptions and just two TDs. He has rushed 20 times for 196 yards and a pair of TDs in that span, though, so he’s at least being productive.
11. Wake Forest (last week: 21-17 W vs Pittsburgh)
Wake probably shouldn’t have won that game. Actually, they absolutely should not have won that game. On a 3rd & 9 with 55 seconds left in the game, Pitt QB Christian Veilleux ran for a first down and then immediately slid to keep the clock running... except the side judge said he began his slide a yard shy of the first down marker, which was a garbage and incorrect call. Credit to Wake for making the most of that opportunity to drive for the winning score with just a matter of seconds remaining, but still. The Deacs have a brutal closing kick to the season with FSU, Duke, and Notre Dame still to go.
12. Pittsburgh (last week: 17-21 L @ Wake Forest)
The good news: Pitt topped 400 yards against an FBS opponent for the first time this year, and topped 300 yards for just the second time. The bad news: that still only resulted in 17 points on the board. The Panthers still should have won the game against the Deacs, but they also had a 32 yard punt and then gave up a 48-yard TD drive in 33 seconds with the game on the line. The other bad news: Like Wake, Pitt still has FSU, Duke, and Notre Dame to go, with the Irish up first.
13. Syracuse (last week: Bye)
The lone remaining 0-fer team in ACC play, the Orange head to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech next. If Syracuse used the bye week well, they could easily go on a 5-0 finishing kick to the season to end up as a 9-win team with a winning ACC mark. For now, they’ll slot here.
14. North Carolina (last week: 27-31 L vs Virginia)
Top 10 teams simply don’t lose home games against programs that haven’t beat an FBS team in 365 days. It used to be called “Clemsoning”, but should it be “Heeling” now? I did laugh at UNC going for it on a 4th & 12 from the Virginia 20 while down 4 with 3:12 remaining and all three timeouts left. Had they kicked the FG to cut it to a 1-point game there, they likely win. Instead, we all get to laugh. The Tar Heel defense that has lived on turnovers (tied for 8th in turnover margin but 66th in total defense) got a couple huge ones, but ultimately wasn’t able to force enough. Next up is a trip to Atlanta to play GT.
ACC Power Rankings: Week 9 (stateoftheu.com; Picaro)
After losing two straight games, the Miami Hurricanes football team entered their week eight game ready to face Clemson without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. After losing their last four against the Tigers, the Hurricanes ended their losing streak with a win in double overtime.
With two of the top three teams in the conference losing games, the ACC Championship game is still open with Florida State being the only undefeated team.
1. Florida State Seminoles (7-0)
Week Eight Result: Win over Duke, 38-20After trailing by 10 points early in the second quarter, Florida State once again took control and won easily. The Seminoles scored 21 fourth-quarter points to pick up their seventh win of the season and continued their undefeated campaign.
Their next two games are on the road against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, two very winnable games.
2. Louisville Cardinals (6-1)
Week Eight Result: Bye WeekOn a bye week, Louisville moves up in the power rankings due to two teams ahead of them losing. They get Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech all at home for their next three games.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1)
Week Eight Result: Loss to Virginia, 31-27It seemed as if North Carolina was also going to have a chance at an undefeated regular season after a big win over Miami. But a tough second half had the Tar Heels lose in an upset to Virginia.
The Cavaliers outscored North Carolina 17-3 in the final 19 minutes of the game to seal the upset.
4. Duke Blue Devils (5-2)
Week Eight Result: Loss to Florida State, 38-20At two different points in the first half, Duke led Florida State by 10 points. But the Blue Devils were unable to hold on to their lead and were outscored 31-3 after Duke returned an interception for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
The Blue Devils have two road games against ranked opponents over the next three games for a tough stretch.
5. Miami Hurricanes (5-2)
Week Eight Result: Win over Clemson, 28-20Entering a game against Clemson, there were a lot of reasons why the Hurricanes could have lost. Starting a true freshman at quarterback in his first meaningful game action. On a two-game losing streak. Lost their last four games to Clemson.
But Emory Williams and the Hurricanes were able to take advantage of bad redone play from the Tigers and pick up the first ACC win of the season for Miami.
A home game against Virginia this week allows the Hurricanes to stack some conference wins before a tough stretch later in the season.
6. Clemson Tigers (4-3)
Week Eight Result: Loss to Miami, 28-20 (OT)Dabo Swinney and Clemson dropped another ACC game in large part due to struggles in the red zone. The Tigers are now in a position to lose four games for the first time since 2011.
7. NC State Wolfpack (4-3)
Week Eight Result: Bye WeekAfter losing to Duke without their starting quarterback, NC State was on a bye week. They now face Clemson and Miami at home for the next two games.
8. Syracuse Orange (4-3)
Week Eight Result: Bye WeekAfter winning their first four games, Syracuse has lost their last three games. After a bye week, the Orange will take on Virginia Tech with the chance to lose their fourth in a row.
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https://www.si.com/college/louisville/football/acc-power-rankings-2023-week-nine (SI; McGavic)
The battle for the Atlantic Coast Conference certainly got a lot more interesting this past weekend.
With losses by both Duke and North Carolina, the ACC now features four one-loss teams in conference play. Florida State is still very much on track to get to Charlotte, but that second spot is now officially up for grabs.
FSU, UNC, Duke and Louisville are certainly the frontrunners, but a handful of teams beyond this quartet are making moves. Boston College and Miami are certainly two-loss teams to monitor, and Virginia Tech - who also has just one loss in ACC play - is starting to play better football.
So where do things currently stand in the conference following eight weeks of football? Check out our week nine ACC power rankings below:
1. Florida State Seminoles
Record: 7-0, 5-0 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 1
Week 8 Result: W, 38-20 vs. Duke
On one hand, Florida State has made it a habit of having to rally from behind at times this season. On the other, they were able to finish strong again, thanks to another fantastic game from QB Jordan Travis. Some of it might have had to do with Duke's Riley Leonard having to exit the game, but still, the Seminoles are clearly the team to beat.
2. Louisville Cardinals
Record: 6-1, 3-1 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 4
Week 8 Result: Bye Week
And just like that, Louisville is back in the ACC title hunt with losses by Duke and UNC. This weekend's bout with the Blue Devils could have season-long ramifications.
3. Duke Blue Devils
Record: 5-2, 2-1 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 3
Week 8 Result: L, 38-20 at Florida State
One can't help but wonder what happens in the game against FSU if QB Riley Leonard doesn't re-aggravate his ankle injury. Sure, he himself wasn't very efficient, but Duke as a whole was able to move the ball. Their defense also seemed to get worn out towards the end, too. Now the Blue Devils have to hope that Leonard doesn't miss even more time.
4. North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: 6-1, 3-1 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 2
Week 8 Result: L, 31-27 vs. Virginia
My goodness, UNC. You're starting to build up steam as a legitimate threat for the ACC crown with a Heisman Trophy contender in QB Drake Maye, and you lose as a three-score favorite to the worst team in the league? At home? Not only did Maye disappoint, UNC's at-times suspect defense came back to bite them.
5. Miami Hurricanes
Record: 5-2, 1-2 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 6
Week 8 Result: W, 28-20 (2OT) vs. Clemson
Not having QB Tyler Van Dyke against one of the more talented defenses in the ACC is certainly an uphill climb, but Miami backup Emory Williams certainly turned it on in the fourth quarter and OT. Not to mention that Rueben Bain and the Canes defense was very efficient. It wasn't pretty, but it snapped an ACC home losing streak.
6. Clemson Tigers
Record: 4-3, 2-3 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 5
Week 8 Result: L, 28-20 (2OT) at Miami
If Dabo Swinney wanted to lighten the Clemson bandwagon, he sure is doing a good job of it. A stymied ground game, a fourth quarter defensive collapse, and a truly baffling goal line call in double overtime to lose the game aren't doing him or the Tigers any favors. Clemson is staring a 7-5 record right in the face.
7. NC State Wolfpack
Record: 4-3, 1-2 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 8
Week 8 Result: Bye Week
NC State has a great opportunity coming up against Clemson to potentially get their season back on track. Will they capitalize?
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
Record: 3-4, 2-1 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 1
Week 8 Result: Bye Week
Virginia Tech is a definitely a team to watch out for down the stretch, and hosting a reeling Syracuse this weekend will certainly help them generate even more momentum.
9. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Record: 3-4, 2-2 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 7
Week 8 Result: L, 38-23 vs. Boston College
Maybe demoting their defensive coordinator wasn't the answer to their recent struggles on that side of the ball. Georgia Tech was absolutely gashed on the ground by Boston College. Add in three interceptions by Haynes King, including a pick six, and you have the recipe for a loss. The Yellow Jackets have been the epitome of inconsistency this season.
10. Syracuse Orange
Record: 4-3, 0-3 ACCLast Week's Ranking: No. 10
Week 8 Result: Bye Week
Sure, their last three games have come against three of the most talented teams in the ACC. but things are starting to spiral for Syracuse. They better watch out against a Virginia Tech team that is on the rise.
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ACC Power Rankings: Week Eight (tarheelblog.com; Ferenchick)
So, that wasn’t the most fun of weekends from the North Carolina perspective. UNC saw their undefeated season end at the hands of an otherwise struggling Virginia team. While that loss doesn’t end all the hopes for this season, it was a pretty big blow, at least morale-wise.
That wasn’t the only game that caused a bit of a shakeup in the ACC. With the dust now settled on last week, let’s take a look at how the conference is shaping up in this week’s power rankings.
1. Florida State (7-0, 5-0 ACC)
Last Week: beat Duke 38-20
It looked iffy for a bit, but FSU came on strong to beat a good Duke team by multiple scores. That was more than enough to keep them at the top of the power rankings.
This Week: Saturday at Wake Forest
2. Duke (5-2, 2-1 ACC)
Last Week: lost to Florida State 38-20The Blue Devils may have more losses than a couple teams below them, but both came against good competition and both were tight when they had quarterback Riley Leonard available. However, Leonard suffered an injury in the third quarter of their loss to FSU, and it remains to be seen what will happen with him moving forward.
This Week: Saturday at Louisville
3. Louisville (6-1, 3-1 ACC)
Last Week: ByeAfter a bad loss to Pitt, the Cardinals had the weekend off, allowing them to rise a bit amongst the chaos.
This Week: Saturday vs. Duke
4. North Carolina (6-1, 3-1 ACC)
Last Week: lost to Virginia 31-27Look, the Heels still have some pretty good wins, but losing to arguably the worst team in the conference has to drop you some.
This Week: Saturday at Georgia Tech
5. Miami (5-2, 1-2 ACC)
Last Week: beat ClemsonThe Hurricanes responded from the tumultuous last couple weeks with a much needed — for their sake — win over Clemson. The victory also took them off a tie at the bottom of the ACC standings.
This Week: Saturday vs. Virginia
6. Clemson (4-3, 2-3 ACC)
Last Week: lost to Miami 28-20None of their losses are to truly bad teams, but whew boy, Tigers, what are you doing? This is the first time they’ve had three conference losses in a season since 2010, which was Dabo Swinney’s second full year as head coach.
This Week: Saturday at NC State
7. NC State (4-3, 1-2 ACC)
Last Week: ByeAfter getting the weekend off, NC State will return to the field this week, facing down a decently tough schedule the rest of the way.
This Week: Saturday vs. Clemson
8. Syracuse (4-3, 0-3 ACC)
Last Week: ByeThanks to results this past week, the Orange are now the only winless team in conference play. That being said, they’ve faced a fairly tough slate so far, and the rest of their schedule is winnable, if they can get out of their funk.
This Week: Thursday vs. Virginia Tech
9. Boston College (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
Last Week: beat Georgia Tech 38-23After losing to Northern Illinois and playing FCS Holy Cross close in their opening games, it looked like BC might be the worst team in the conference. However, the Eagles are now on a three-game win streak, are above .500, and have a bit of a pathway to a bowl appearance.
This Week: Saturday vs. UConn
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ACC Power Rankings: #4 FSU Survives, #17 UNC falls (saturdayblitz.com; Pryor)
Syracuse 14. LOL
Here are the ACC Power Rankings after week 8:
Almost heard you saying
You were finally free
What was always missing for you, babe
You found it in me
But you can’t get to Heaven
Half off the ground
Everybody knows
Almost doesn’t count
Almost Doesn’t Count by Brandy
Welcome back to ACC Power Rankings headquarters on the corner of Tobacco Road and the future site of the David Cutcliffe Memorial Trophy. There’s an old saying, “almost counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” This weekend, the Tar Heels learned an important lesson: If you want to be a player, win your clunkers.
Florida State and Miami won their clunkers. However, Miami did not win its clunker last week against Georgia Tech. The Seminoles are the conference’s last hope for the College Football Playoff.
Speaking of the ACC and the CFP, are we looking at the demise of the Clemson dynasty in real time? Garrett Riley is not working as offensive coordinator, and coach William Christoper Swinney refuses to use the transfer portal. We see the results of his hubris.
This week’s Don’t Look Now goes to the Boston College Eagles. The Fighting Jeff Hafleys are two wins from the postseason. There are two (or more) wins left on their schedule.
So, to rivalries that really ain’t, bowls of textiles, and electric domes that might need to pay the power bill, here are the ACC Power Rankings after week 8.
14. Syracuse Orange (0-3, 4-3):
The Orange is a walking mash unit. Orande Gadsen and Trebor Pena, their two best receivers, are out. Gadsen is out for the season. Quarterback Garrett Schrader has nowhere to throw the football. Umari Hatcher and Damien Alford are playing better. Are their two wins left on the schedule? Maybe, if they can score more than eight points in ACC play.13. Virginia Cavaliers (1-2, 2-5):
The Cavaliers got its first ACC win of the season in a 31-27 stunner over UNC. Virginia is the worst running team in the conference, but they found a way to rush for 228 yards. Quarterback Tony Muskett was solid, throwing for 209 yards and a touchdown. We’ll see if Tony Elliot and the V-Men have another upset in them this year.12. Pittsburgh Panthers (1-3, 2-5):
The appropriate phrase for what’s upcoming for the Panthers is “out of the frying pan, into the fire.” After losing a winnable game against Wake Forest — Pitt outgained Wake — they get back-to-back games against #14 Notre Dame and #4 Florida State. This season is not going the way head coach Pat Narduzzi envisioned. I wonder if Narduzzi has Mark Whipple’s phone number.11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-3, 4-3):
Speaking of those Demon Deacons, head coach Dave Clawson and his staff are not having the season they envisioned. One of the downsides of being a developmental program is depth. When players get hurt, you rarely have playable backups. It remains to be seen if Mitch Griffis will be healthy against #4 FSU. It will be a long November in Winston-Salem if he can’t go....
Ohio State-Penn State Is Most-Watched Week 8 College Football Game On Fox; CBS Scores Season Best With Tennessee-Alabama (deadline.com; Campione)
Fox is the big winner for Week 8 of College Football.
The network’s broadcast of Saturday’s Ohio State vs. Penn State matchup drew 9.96M viewers, which is Fox’s seventh most-watched regular season College Football game in history. It’s also now the third most-watched game of the season, as well as the fifth game this season to crack 9M viewers.
That was by far the most-watched game of the week, with Tennessee-Alabama coming in at No. 2 with an average of 8M viewers. Still, that’s CBS‘ top game of the season, though it is down from the viewership for last year’s matchup between the two teams.
The audience was halved for the third place game, which was Duke vs. FSU. The Seminoles’ 38-20 win brought in about 4M viewers for ABC.
Rounding out the top five were Michigan-Michigan State with 3.73M viewers, and Utah-USC with 3.23M.
The CW is also claiming a win after its telecast of the Virginia vs. North Carolina game on Saturday. The ACC football matchup averaged 788,000 viewers, making it not only the network’s most-watched ACC game to date but also the best Saturday night ever since The CW began national programming in October 2021. The game peaked around 9:45 pm ET with 1.3M viewers.
As always, several networks are not Nielsen-rated, meaning their audiences aren’t reported week-over-week. Those include the SEC Network, ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, and the Pac-12 Network. ESPN+ and Peacock are also not Nielsen-rated for live programming.
Other
Derrick Carr, project partner at Onondaga Community College, stands in Micron Technology's exhibit in the Museum of Science and Technology, in Syracuse. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
One haircut at a time, Micron and OCC reach out to Syracuse’s Black and Latino communities (PS; Coin)
Derrick Carr says his barber knows more about him than his doctor does.
“We have hourlong conversations,” said Carr, the new project partner director at at Onondaga Community College.
That’s why Carr and Micron Technology are gathering together owners of barbershops and salons on Monday, to help them spread the news to their clients about the once-in-a-lifetime chance to work for one of the world’s biggest semiconductor companies. Stylists and barbers spend a lot of time in one-on-one conversations, and they tend to be focal points of social interaction in Black and Latino communities.
“I’ve worked with barbershops, stylists and other community organizations that are purveyors of culture and wisdom and history, in particular, in communities of color,” said Robert Simmons, Micron’s head of social impact and STEM programs. “They interact with all sorts of different people.”
The goal is to let people know about the potential for jobs at Micron and its suppliers, and OCC’s programs that will help people land one of those jobs.
Micron plans to build a massive semiconductor factory in the town of Clay. The company says it will have 9,000 employees by the time it completes all four fabrication plants, or fabs, in 2043. The first fab is set to open by the end of the decade.
Building a workforce skilled enough to build the highly specialized fabs, and then to operate and oversee the mind-bogglingly complex machines that will produce the chips, is a major challenge in Central New York. Micron has also pledged to hire people from lower-income areas and “historically disadvantaged populations.”
The barbershop and stylist event is one small step in Micron’s stated goal of reaching out to, and hiring from, underserved communities. The goal, organizers say, is to get barbers and stylists to talk up Micron during those extended, close interactions while washing and cutting hair.
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Onondaga County’s newest craft brewery opens this weekend. ‘Why don’t we do this for real?’ (PS; Cazentre)
Kateri Hassler and her husband, Laford, met over a beer and, she says, “we built our whole relationship, more or less, over beer.”
Now they’re opening a brewery, with Kateri as owner/manager and Laford as the principal brewer.
Van Hassler Brewing is scheduled to open Saturday at 8045 Oswego Road (Route 57) in Clay, just a bit north of the Shops at Seneca Mall. (Van Hassler is a mash-up of Kateri’s birth name, Van Damme, and her married name, Hassler).
It will have about half a dozen beers on tap, in a brewery / tasting room that most recently was home to Cholita’s Peruvian Chicken, and before that was an Arby’s.
Beer will be the focus, Hassler said, although plans for the future include adding food and outdoor seating for next summer. For now, the tasting room will be the only outlet, although it’s possible Van Hassler will try to serve bars and restaurants in the future.
And all the beer for now is draft, with the possibility of cans or crowlers (large format cans sealed to take home) also in the future, Hassler said.
“We really just want to get established now, build our customer base and provide a new place for people to come by and have some beers,” she said. “All that other stuff (food, distribution etc.) will come down the road.”
The range of beers made by the Hasslers includes everything from IPAs and sours, to Belgian- and English-style ales, wheat beers and lagers.
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