sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Mimosa Day!
Equal parts orange juice and champagne, the mimosa is raised and toasted today. They are commonly served in champagne flutes, and any type of sparkling wine can be used if champagne isn't available. Mimosas were invented at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1925, by the head bartender, Frank Meier. Their name comes from the mimosa flower, a yellowish Australian shrub that was popular with French gardeners. They are a less alcoholic version of a Buck's Fizz, which was invented four years prior by Pat McGarry at Buck's Club in London. The Buck's Fizz is two parts champagne and one part orange juice. Early mimosa recipes included Grand Marnier—these drinks are now called Grand Mimosas. Mimosas that use mandarin orange juice are called puccinis. Mimosas are common brunch drinks, and are also popular on Easter, Mother's Day, at morning weddings, on cruises, and on first-class flights and train rides.
SU News
Checking the ACC's pulse and Syracuse's role in the league going forward with Andrew Carter of N&O (youtube; podcast; Axe)
On the latest episode of Syracuse Sports, Brent Axe is joined by Andrew Carter of the News & Observer to get the latest dish on what happened at the ACC's spring meetings?Where do the lawsuits stand with FSU and Clemson trying to break away from the league? What was the feel of the meeting? Was it awkward or was everyone conducting business as usual? What did ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips say and what was his tone this year? What did he mean by a "look-in" to the league's contract with ESPN? What is Syracuse's role in the league now and going forward to keep it together? Brent and Andrew discuss that and more.
ACC ponders how to boost football perceptions (PS; AP; Russo)
The College Football Playoff snub of unbeaten Florida State is still a fresh wound for the entire Atlantic Coast Conference.
“To me, there’s a lot of disrespect. I think we have a heck of a conference. I look at the quality of our ACC football that we play, I just don’t think it gets the respect it deserves. Period,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Tuesday at the league’s spring meetings.
On the agenda this week at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island is how to keep something similar from happening again in the expanded 12-team CFP, with the selection committee now responsible for divvying up seven at-large bids to go with the five highest ranked conference champions.
“Well, it’s a pretty fresh memory,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “And I think what we want to avoid is having a school ranked 13th that should have been 10th or 11th.”
Last season marked the third straight the ACC was left out of the CFP, but it was the most painful and controversial.
Unbeaten ACC champion Florida State was passed over after losing quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending leg injury late in the year, setting off a torrent of criticism from the conference about the selection process.
“What happened last year was tragic, and spoke volumes of the perception, I believe, of this league when it comes to football,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said.
Seminoles coach Mike Norvell echoed the sentiment of other coaches, saying the ACC needs to fight its perception problem.
“(We) have to continue to push the actual narrative or what needs to be the realistic narrative of how good this this league is,” he said.
Clawson said the conference office needs to provide more football-focused support.
“I think our marketing people do a great job, but a lot of our marketing involves the overall conference, and all the sports, and they’re all important. But football right now is the driver of revenue and (we need) to have a specific marketing plan for football,” he said.
On the field, Clawson said he thinks the key to landing at-large bids to the CFP will be having multiple teams at the top of the conference reach double-digit victories.
Southeastern Conference champion Alabama landed the fourth and final spot in the playoff last season, even though it had a loss to third-seeded Texas on its record, making Florida State the first Power Five champion with a perfect record to be left out of the CFP.
“What was our record against the SEC last year?” Narduzzi asked. The answer is 6-4 in the regular season. “So what are we talking about?”
Missing the CFP also further agitated already angsty Florida State supporters. Soon after the CFP slight, Florida State’s board sued the ACC over its exit fees and penalties, looking for a way out of the conference.
The ACC has fallen way behind the SEC and Big Ten in revenue generation. Florida State officials have said they expect the school to be at about a $40 million annual disadvantage compared to their peers in those conferences. And that was before the leagues agreed to a new CFP revenue distribution model could add another $8 million per year to the gap.
The revenue distribution model feeds into the perception issue.
“But I also think at some point in the College Football Playoff (contract) there is going to be a look-in and if we want that revenue distribution to change, we better have more teams in there,” Clawson said. “So how do we do that?”
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Syracuse staff to visit priority target Quentin Murphy this week (247sports.com; McAllister)
Class of 2025 Little Rock (AR) Parkview Magnet quarterback Quentin Murphy is one of the top signal callers in his cycle. He threw for 892 yards and 13 touchdowns during his junior season, adding 697 yards and six more touchdowns on the ground. The 6-1, 185 pounder holds offers form Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and others. Murphy plays quarterback in high school but has the versatility to project to multiple positions at the collegiate level.
Murphy told CuseNation.com that the entire Syracuse coaching staff is expected to visit him this week to watch him practice at Parkview Magnet. The Orange has prioritized Murphy in this class after extending an offer back in January, shortly after Fran Brown took over as head coach. Brown was recruiting Murphy at Georgia previously.
"Some time this week," Murphy said. "It means a lot. I'm pumped up."
He added he is unsure which day specifically they will be coming to his school. Murphy was previously committed to Ole Miss, but reopened his recruitment last summer.
Murphy has set a commitment date of May 31st. He visited Syracuse last month and has maintained constant contact with the Orange staff. The talented quarterback also put Syracuse in his top three back in March along with Arkansas and Georgia Tech.
After previously attending Joe T. Robinson High, Murphy announced this offseason he would transfer to Parkview Magnet for his senior season.
"First I want to thank God for the guidance He has given me and the ability to play this sport that I love," Murphy said in a social media post on January 3rd. "I want to thank all my teachers and staff who have helped me grow as a student. I want to thank the coaching staff and teammates from Robinson that has watched me grow over the years. I know y'all will have success and still have greatness in front of you.
"With that being said I will be transferring to Parkview High School for my senior year of high school. Thank you."
Syracuse Football: 4-star WR, a top-50 overall prospect who visited SU, names final 4 (itlh; Adler)
Ultra-talented wide receiver and return man Vernell Brown III from Florida, who had taken a trip to Syracuse football, is down to four finalists, according to social media posts.
The Orange, unfortunately, didn't make the cut. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Brown, a 2025 four-star prospect, will choose from a final four of Florida State, Miami, Florida and Ohio State. He's also locked in upcoming official visits to all of those schools.
Given that Brown hails from the Sunshine State, it's not a surprise that his final list includes the Seminoles, the Hurricanes and the Gators. Plus, as we've noted in the past, the Buckeyes have gotten some analyst buzz on recruiting Web sites for Brown, so Ohio State's inclusion makes sense.
In early March, Brown went on an unofficial visit to Syracuse football, which went well, according to a report from 247Sports at that time. Throughout his recruitment, Brown has picked up more than 40 offers, with the Orange staff offering him a scholarship in late January of this year.
Previously, Brown had a top 11 that included Syracuse football, but the 'Cuse is now out of contention as he released a final quartet of suitors. The rising senior at Jones High School in Orlando, Fla., is an elite player in the 2025 cycle, ranked as high as No. 46 overall by On3 and in the top 70 nationally, according to both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking.
Syracuse football missed on Vernell Brown III but has positive things going on with 2025 receivers.
When I wrote this column, the Orange had at least 19 verbal commitments in its 2025 class, a cycle that is ranked in the top 10 nationally by multiple recruiting services.
Among these 2025 pledges are several wide receivers, including three-star Darien Williams of the Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, three-star Terrell Wilfong of West Orange High School in West Orange, N.J., three-star Julian McFadden of La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pa., and three-star Daunte Bacheyie of the Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse.
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Syracuse Football: 'Cuse tight-end position group ranks in top 5 around the country (itlh; Adler)
The tight-end room for Syracuse football in the upcoming 2024 season appears loaded with depth, talent and versatility.
The Orange's roster for the next term includes numerous tight ends, both among returning players and within the team's 2024 recruiting class.
On3 national columnist Jesse Simonton recently unveiled his top-10 tight-end groups for the 2024 stanza, and the 'Cuse is highly placed.
Simonton ranks Syracuse football at No. 4 nationwide, trailing only No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan (the defending national champion) and No. 3 and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina.
That's some pretty select company for the Orange. Simonton, in his recent article, writes in part that Syracuse football has "assembled one of the more uniquely talented tight end rooms in 2024." I totally agree with Jesse here.
Syracuse football seems to have a stacked TE unit for the upcoming campaign.
In his piece, Simonton mentions three 'Cuse tight ends, and they are rising redshirt junior Oronde Gadsden II, rising redshirt junior Dan Villari and incoming freshman Jamie Tremble, a 2024 four-star recruit from Georgia.
The Orange got a huge boost when the 6-foot-5, 223-pound Gadsden, who missed most of the 2023 season due to an injury, decided to return to the Hill for another year. In 2022, Gadsden was named to the All-ACC first team after catching 61 passes for 969 yards and scored six touchdowns through the air.
A stanza ago, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Villari, a New York native, was certainly a 'Cuse fan favorite for what he did in several games leading the Syracuse football "Wildcat" offense. The former quarterback at Michigan, he transformed into a tight end in Central New York and in a win over Pittsburgh in New York City last November, he rushed 17 times for 154 yards and a touchdown.
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ACC News
Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, commissioner confident in direction of ACC football (ajc; Bishop)
Brent Key has been a part of the ACC as a player, an assistant coach and now a head coach. The future of the league is perhaps a bit more important to him than maybe to others.
He said Tuesday he continues to have confidence in that future.
“The conference commissioner (Jim Phillips) is doing everything in his power to put us in the same conversations as everyone else,” Key told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the second day of the ACC’s spring meetings.
Key played in an ACC that had only nine members — Tech, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Florida State and Maryland. His second season as coach at his alma mater will be in a conference that has expanded to 17 football teams.
What the ACC will look like in the years to come is anyone’s guess. Florida State (a member since 1991 and Tech’s season-opening opponent Aug. 24) and Clemson (a founding member in 1953) are litigating against the league in an effort to possibly leave the conference. It also was reported this week that there is some dissension among North Carolina (members since 1953) higher-ups as to whether the ACC is the right spot for the Tar Heels’ future.
Those issues, of course, bled into the discussions as football coaches, athletic directors and faculty representatives shuffled from meeting room to meeting room inside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Amelia Island. Key said debating the abstract was a bit of a theme during almost nine hours of meetings Tuesday, a few hours Monday afternoon and a brief session Wednesday morning.
“There’s hundreds (of topics) that we throw around,” Key said. “But there’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of things you talk about end up being hypothetical because of the unknown. Some questions you don’t know what the question is. Just trying to be proactive in some of the things that come about and that could be coming down the pike and being more solution-based.”
Phillips was active as well during the week’s meetings with coaches, athletic directors and administrators. He then took time Wednesday morning to brief reporters on the ideas he had heard, the topics he had stressed and the grievances he had absorbed. Among those grievances: The league’s football coaches clamored for better marketing strategies when it comes to their sport.
“And we’re going to get some outside help on that, too, from a communications standpoint,” Phillips said of strengthening the ACC football brand. “When you look at the coaches, the teams, the student-athletes, the student-athletes that are now playing in the NFL, it’s a really good conference. And we’ve performed at a good level as well.
“When I came here I got crucified because I said the future’s gonna be dictated by football. Just take a look at what we’re doing with success initiatives and the dollars, but to further that, to look at ACC Network, (the show) “The Huddle” that we have, the preseason venture that we’ve committed to, the two (recruiting) signing days, the spring games — if you look at the network, it’s dominated by football appearances. So the network piece of it and putting football up front from a television standpoint is one of many things that we’ve done in that sport. We’re gonna have to continue to do that. That’s where the revenue lies.”
Key played offensive line in the ACC at the end of the last century, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater and has been back on the sidelines inside Bobby Dodd Stadium since 2019, first as an assistant, then as an interim head coach and now as the head coach. He said the meetings, for him, provide an opportunity to learn about his conference peers and to represent Tech in the fullest.
“We got 17 different schools that are all different in the challenges that they cross every day, the different opportunities that present themselves,” Key said. “That’s our job, as coaches, is to present the challenges for what’s good, bad, ugly, right, wrong, different from our perspective and our football program — same for basketball, same for the athletic directors. Then we all come together and try to have solutions.”
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Syracuse athletics: the new NCAA normal is having a negative impact on some fans (TNIAAM; Wall)
Right now Syracuse Orange fans are dealing with the highs and lows of the new college athletics landscape.
On one hand, Fran Brown has used the transfer portal and NIL to reinvigorate the football program. On the other hand, Adrian Autry has watched five members of last year’s squad hit the transfer portal. If you read the comments here and elsewhere online, the word “loyalty” gets thrown around a lot, and many fans aren’t crazy about the major roster turnover.
Athletes having the ability to earn money (and change schools without penalty) is a good thing, but it also takes away something that appealed to college sports fans- watching athletes grow over a three to five year period. College sports has lost something which made it different than the pros. I understand that it’s a tough adjustment, but do the schools?
When you ask Syracuse fans to talk about their favorite players you get many responses which highlight the affinity that grows over time. We think about players like Hakim Warrick or Zaire Franklin who went from overshadowed recruits to professionals. We look at the legacies of Gerry McNamara and Eric Dungey, athletes who could win elections to be Mayor or Onondaga County because of what they did over four years in Orange.
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Pitt football fans, it’s time to take off those blue and gold glasses (johnnaranowski.wordpress.com)
Let’s get right to the facts shall we. If you are a Pitt football fan, age 40 or younger, Pitt has not finished in the top 10 at the end of any season nor won a major bowl game in your lifetime.
The last time Pitt finished a season ranked in the top 10 was 1982 and the last major bowl game Pitt won was the 1982 Sugar Bowl against Georgia.
After the 2022 football season on Pitt message boards, some Pitt fans went so far as to think Pitt was elite because they won 20 football games total in 2021 and 2022. Elite! Pitt fans need to take off those myopic blue and gold glasses and face reality.
When you haven’t finished in the top 10, nor won a major bowl game in more than 40 years, you are as far from elite as elite is to zyzzyva in the dictionary.
This is a list of some schools that have finished in the top 10 at a season’s end since Pitt last did in 1982: Air Force, Arizona (3x), Arizona State (2x), Arkansas, Baylor (2x), Boise State (4x), Boston College (2x), Brigham Young (3x), California (2x), Cincinnati (3x), Colorado (6x), East Carolina, Georgia Tech (2x), Houston, (2x), Illinois (2x), Iowa (7x), Iowa State, Kansas (2x), Kansas State (7x), Louisville (2x), Marshall, Michigan State (5x), Minnesota, Mississippi (3x), Mississippi State, Missouri (3x), North Carolina (2x), Northwestern (2x), Oklahoma State (3x), Oregon State, South Carolina (3x), SMU, Stanford (5x), Syracuse (2x), TCU (7x), Tulane, UCF (2x), UCLA (6x), Utah (4x), Virginia Tech (7x), Washington State (5x), and West Virginia (3x).
How many of those schools do you consider a football power? How many of those schools do you feel have a more successful football program than Pitt? Yet they all managed to finish at least once ranked in the top 10 since the last time Pitt did it, 41 years ago. Even the University of Nevada has finished ranked higher than Pitt in more than 40 years when they were ranked 11th in 2020.
Not enough evidence for you to re-evaluate how good Pitt’s football program is? Here is a list of some schools that have won a major bowl game since Pitt last won their major bowl game, the 1982 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia. Some of these football “powers” may surprise you: Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas (2x), Baylor, Boise State (3x), Boston College, Brigham Young, Colorado (3x), Georgia Tech, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State (2x), Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville (3x), Michigan State (4x), Mississippi (5x), Missouri (3x), Oklahoma State (2x), Oregon State, SMU, Stanford (3x), Syracuse, Texas A&M (4x), Tulane, UCF (2x), UCLA (5x), Utah (2x), Virginia Tech (2x), and West Virginia (3x).
Again, ask yourself, how many of those schools do you consider a football power? How many of those schools do you feel have a more successful football program than Pitt? Yet they all managed to win a major bowl game at least once, if not multiple times, since the last time Pitt won one 41 years ago. Puts Pitt’s football program in a better perspective, doesn’t it? It should.
Is it then any wonder why when there’s discussion of a future 28 or 32-team super league of college football, that Pitt is not listed as one of those schools?
Want more proof? Pitt has played in just three major bowl games since they last won a major bowl game. Those three bowl games were: the 1983 Cotton Bowl – a 7-3 loss to SMU; the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, a blowout 35-7 loss to Utah; and the December 2021 Peach Bowl – a 31-21 loss to Michigan State. That averages out to making a major bowl game appearance once every 13 years or so.
The last time Pitt football had a season that it didn’t lose three games was 1981. That was 42 seasons ago! FORTY-TWO! Only these P5 “football powers” have a longer streak of consecutive three-loss-or-more seasons than Pitt: Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. None of those schools is thought of as a football power. Pitt managed to keep that ignominious streak going after just week four in 2023.
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ACC commissioner Jim Phillips is holding out hope for a 'really good ending' despite league turmoil (ny1.com; AP)
With the future of the Atlantic Coast Conference in question, commissioner Jim Phillips expressed optimism Wednesday that the league can still be salvaged.
The path forward is unclear, but not without hope.
“You have to stay optimistic, and you work through these things,” Phillips said at the conclusion of the league’s annual spring meetings. “Again, I don’t know where it’s going to go, but I continue to remain optimistic. I continue to remain optimistic about our league.”
The ACC has experienced significant disruption in the past six months, most notably with Florida State and the league suing each other in December. Clemson followed suit, and North Carolina could be next.
“I always am optimistic about a really good ending on difficult situations, and I won’t ever change until somebody else tells me differently,” Phillips said. “Am I going to fight and protect the ACC? Absolutely. I have to do that; that’s my responsibility. The convergence is here, and we’ll see where it goes.”
The ACC’s TV contract leaves the conference lagging well behind the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten in annual revenue. Florida State officials have said the gap could grow to $40 million per year.
That gap could widen even further with a new revenue distribution model for the College Football Playoff, which increases the takeaway for all schools in the power conferences but leaves ACC schools roughly $8 million a year behind SEC and Big Ten schools.
Phillips said a formula based on CFP rankings over the first 10 years of the event was used to help determine revenue shares.
“I felt like I negotiated hard, just like every conference did, and we got to a place that at the end of the day, do you love it? You don’t love it, but it certainly was better than where we started and it’s more than we’ve ever had relative to CFP dollars,” he said. “But I, again, understand it causes even a greater gap.”
The ACC will add Stanford, California and SMU this summer, making it a 17-team, coast-to-coast football conference. The additions came despite objections from Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina.
Florida State and Clemson are both attempting to sue their way out of the ACC, challenging the conference’s exit fees and the contract that binds the schools together via a media rights deal with ESPN that runs through 2036.
Earlier this week, North Carolina trustees voiced their displeasure with ACC and the lack of action taken by athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
Florida State athletic director Michael Alford reiterated Tuesday the school has not given any formal notice to the ACC that it plans to exit the conference.
He said he addressed some of the chatter about Florida State’s unhappiness with the ACC with his colleagues, but the relationship remains solid and professional.
“We don’t really talk about all of the legal proceedings going on. We let the lawyers handle all that,” Alford said. “Right now we talk about scheduling. How we’re going to improve the conference. Move football along. We have not really addressed an exit strategy inside the room.
He added: “We’ve never come out and said, ‘We want to leave the conference.’”
The ACC is implementing a bonus system to reward schools that have football and basketball success to address some of the revenue concerns that Florida State and others have raised. Stanford, Cal and SMU all have agreed to receive a reduced distribution as they enter the ACC, with that extra money from the ESPN deal being directed to the bonus pool.
Alford said there has been no more discussion about alternative and unequal revenue distribution models.
“We’re still looking at the success initiatives,” Alford said.
HOUSE CASE
Phillips said the ACC presidential board will vote soon on whether to accept a potential settlement agreement in an antitrust case that will set a framework for revenue sharing with college athletes. The proposed settlement of House vs. the NCAA would allow schools to spend upward of $20 million per year on athlete compensation.
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UVA, NC State to play non-ACC home-and-home (ESPN; Hale)
ACC schools Virginia and NC State announced Wednesday they would play a home-and-home series in football that will not count as an official conference game.
The schools will play in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sept. 6, 2025, and in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2026.
This marks the second time in recent years that a pair of ACC rivals have scheduled a nonconference series. Wake Forest and North Carolina scheduled games in 2019 and 2021 to keep alive a longtime rivalry that had been off the regular league schedule following conference expansion.
Beginning in 2023, the ACC scrapped division play in an effort to have member schools play each other more frequently, but the league also expanded to 17 teams, adding SMU, Stanford and Cal, for the 2024 season.
Virginia and NC State have played each other 60 times since their first meeting in 1904, however the rivalry diminished in frequency beginning in 2005. They'd faced off just seven times since and weren't scheduled to play again until 2027.
While the SEC, which expanded to 16 teams starting this season, has toyed with the idea of moving from playing eight to nine conference games in the future, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, the chair of the ACC's coaches committee, said Tuesday the ACC had no intentions of changing its eight-game model.
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Phillips Speaks on Clemson, FSU Lawsuits (theclemsoninsider.com; Vandervort)
Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips says he is standing by every word he has said in previous settings regarding Florida State’s and Clemson’s pending lawsuits against the conference.
The Seminoles filed their lawsuit last December in hopes to get out of the league’s stringent exit fee and Grant of Rights (GOR) Agreement, while Clemson did the same on March 19. The ACC in turn countered sued, saying both are going against the GOR Agreement they agreed to back in 2016.
Both cases have already issued a ton of litigation and in all likelihood, more is to follow in the coming months.
“It is difficult. It is disruptive. It’s harmful, but that is the world we live in,” Phillips said to The Clemson Insider and several other media outlets Wednesday that covered the ACC’s Spring Meetings at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island. “They (FSU and Clemson) have the ability to do the things that they are doing. We will let the legal folks handle it because that is the right thing to do.”
Though Phillips claims the lawsuits have been disruptive, he even said that was not the case at the ACC’s Spring Meetings.
“It has not changed one iota about how we have interacted with them. How we have treated them and certainly how we treated the student-athlete, and it shouldn’t,” he said. “I think you have to be professional enough to understand these things happen. It warrants classy, professional treatment in return.”
FSU athletic director Michael Alford said he was not asked to leave the room at any time in the meetings. As for any chatter about FSU or Clemson wanting to leave the ACC, he said he addressed it with the room and with his colleagues, but other than that the discussions have been about scheduling, how to improve the conference and how they are going to keep investing and improving in football.
Will Clemson and FSU ultimately win their cases or settle with the ACC so they can explore other options? Time will tell. As for now, Phillips is not giving up on the hope that all parties can resolve their issues and continue to work together.
“You always stay optimistic. I think you have been around me enough, you always have to stay optimistic, and you work through these things,” Phillips said. “Again, I do not know where it is going to go, but I continue to remain optimistic. I continue to remain optimistic about our league.”
However, Clemson and Florida State do not seem as optimistic, especially the Seminoles.
“We are looking at two institutions that want success and see the changing environment in collegiate sports and want the programs to compete at the very top level,” he said. “Understand, us wanting to compete at that top level, we need to have our options available. I’m speaking really for Florida State that we need to have our options open.
“I’m assuming that Clemson is also looking at the same model that’s going on in the collegiate landscape and want their programs to compete at a national level, at an elite national level.”
Phillips wants that as well. However, his job is to fight and protect the ACC as a whole and do what he thinks is in the best interest of the conference.
“I am going to fight and protect the ACC? Absolutely, I have to do that, it is my responsibility,” he said.
What gives Phillips’ hope they could possibly get Clemson and Florida State back on board.
“When we get together and understand we have a chance to really put the support behind the student-athletes. And we are. We are addressing some of the financial pieces. Again, when you talk full distribution. You talk about success initiatives, and you talk about what we have done with the new schools, we have continued to try and close the gap.
“If we are chasing money, then we are chasing money. But I believe we are also trying to chase success. If it is just a money issue, no one can show me money equates success. Maybe you can show me some examples, but I can show you some examples also where schools have done really well on the national scene with less revenue.”
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Which ACC football program has the best winning percentage? (usatoday.com; McCarthy)
The ACC is home to some of the most iconic brands in college football in FSU and Miami, who have each produced some of the best teams in the history of the sport.
They both have one of the best winning percentages in college football and Clemson has shot up the rankings after their recent success under Dabo Sweeney. The conference is only going to get more interesting with the additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU. Stanford has had plenty of success historically and SMU is looking to show they belong among the top brands after joining a power conference.
After some down years, Mike Norvell has built FSU back into one of the best programs in the sport and they have won 10 or more games each of the last two seasons, including winning the ACC last season.
But where does FSU rank among ACC football’s top programs? Here is a ranking of every ACC football program based on all-time winning percentage, based on data from Winsipedia.com.
17 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Total games: 1,210Record: 492-685-33
Win percentage: .420
All-time rank: No. 122
16 SMU Mustangs
Total games: 1,157Record: 537-566-54
Win percentage: .487
All-time rank: No. 99
15 Duke Blue Devils
Total games: 1,124Record: 537-556-31
Win percentage: .492
All-time rank: No. 97
14 NC State Wolfpack
Total games: 1,295Record: 640-600-55
Win percentage: .515
All-time rank: No. 82
13 Virginia Cavaliers
Total games: 1,373Record: 685-640-48
Win percentage: .516
All-time rank: No. 81
12 Louisville Cardinals
Total games: 1,064Record: 550-497-17
Win percentage: .525
All-time rank: No. 73
11 California Golden Bears
Total games: 1,316Record: 694-571-51
Win percentage: .547
All-time rank: No. 62
10 North Carolina Tar Heels
Total games: 1,352Record: 729-569-54
Win percentage: .559
All-time rank: No. 53
9 Syracuse Orange
Total games: 1,369Record: 743-577-49
Win percentage: .561
All-time rank: No. 52
8 Boston College Eagles
Total games: 1,258Record: 698-523-37
Win percentage: .570
All-time rank: No. 44
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For Whom the Bell Tolls 2024 May 15 (RX; HM)
For Whom the Bell Tolls 2024 May 15
For those who think the SEC and Big Ten are going to raid the ACC into oblivion... which teams, exactly, do we think they are coming for?
ACC Football Brands
As much as it pains me to admit this, there are only 3 football programs in the ACC which are a proven threat to win the national championship in the BCS/CFP era (1998-present):- Clemson (2)
- Florida State (2)
- Miami (1)
Clemson and Florida State are also the biggest television draws in recent years. I suppose you could make an argument that the B1G and/or SEC would want all four of Clemson, FSU, Miami, and VT, but you could also argue they'd only want Clemson and FSU.
ACC Basketball Brands
During that same 25-year period (1998-2024), there have been 5 ACC basketball programs that have won at least one national title:- Duke (2001, 2010, 2015)
- Louisville (2013)
- N. Carolina (2005, 2009, 2017)
- Syracuse (2003)
- Virginia (2019)
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Spending by Sport, 2022-23 (RX; HM)
Spending by Sport, 2022-23
Taken as a group, how much are FBS schools spending on each of the major sports? From Tony Altimore:
Conclusions:
1. Given the fact that 80% of all revenue comes from football, you might think that most schools aren't investing wisely - and from a conference point-of-view, maybe they aren't. However, each school is independently pursuing championships - and if they can't realistically win one in football, the best strategy for them as individuals is to pursue a title in another sport... but that's not necessarily what's best for the conference as a whole.2. This, arguably, has lead to overspending by many schools in every sport except football. Well, at least they get a return on investment with basketball. Baseball earns something (not much), but the rest of these sports are essentially cost centers. These schools are essentially buying up the non-revenue sport trophies because they are cheap.
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Virginia football adds NC State and VMI to future non-conference schedules (streakinjgthelawn.com;] Kelleher)
On Wednesday morning, the Virginia Cavaliers announced the additions of NC State and VMI to their future Non-Conference schedule. Yes, that is correct.
Due to conference realignment and the NCAA coming up with weird rules that they think will benefit everyone (but they end up just confusing more people every day) we will now have to wrap our brains around UVA competing against another ACC opponent in 2025 and 2026 in which neither game will count towards the ACC standings.
The NC State games will be a home-and-home, with the ‘Hoos visiting Ralegh in 2025 and the Wolfpack coming to Charlottesville in 2026. Welcome to the new age of college athletics, where it is perfectly normal to play an in-conference opponent and everyone has to pretend that isn't the case.
Virginia’s non-conference schedule for 2026 is now complete. In 2026, the ‘Hoos non-conference home games include Delaware (9/26), Norfolk State (11/21), and NC State (TBD). A date in South Bend is also scheduled for 10/17 against Notre Dame.
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Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Says the ACC is Disrespected (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Ludwig)
The national perception of the ACC — in football and basketball — isn’t exactly a new topic, but it’s a topic that has once again arisen this week at the ACC spring meetings.
And of course, Pat Narduzzi isn’t afraid to make his voice heard.
In an article by Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, Narduzzi is one of a handful of ACC football coaches quoted speaking to the level of respect — or lack of respect — that the ACC has received in recent seasons.
“To me, there’s a lot of disrespect,” Narduzzi told Auerbach. “We have a heck of a conference. You know, I was in the Big Ten for eight years prior to coming here. I look at the quality of ACC football that we play. I just don’t think it gets the respect it deserves. Period.”
The ACC isn’t on the level of the SEC or the Big Ten, often grouped with the Big 12 when the Power Four is discussed, the outrage when the College Football Playoff committee snubbed an unbeaten, conference champion Florida State for a one-loss Alabama squad wasn’t limited to ACC fans.
Florida State losing handily to Georgia in the Orange Bowl is one thing, but the Seminoles being omitted — admittedly, with star quarterback Jordan Travis injured — sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the CFP.
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(youtube; podcast; Locked on Canes)
The Miami Hurricanes are taking a much more buttoned up approach to the ACC’s revenue crisis in comparison to Florida State and Clemson. The Seminoles and Tigers are suing the conference in an effort to break the Grant of Rights. North Carolina trustees have openly advocated for a move to the Power Two (Big Ten or SEC.) Should the Hurricanes be formulating their own escape plan, as ACC members are set to make at least $30 million less annually than members of the Big Ten and SEC?
Other
The gym at Upstate's new physical rehabilitation center in Clay.Courtesy of Upstate University Hospital
Upstate opening physical rehab center in northern suburbs ahead of anticipated growth from Micron (PS; $; Dowty)
Upstate University Hospital has opened new physical rehabilitation center near the busy Route 31 corridor as part of a planned expansion into the northern suburbs.
Upstate is hiring 40 new physicians and other staff for its newest Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation facility in the former Bryant & Stratton building, located at 8687 Carling Road.
It’s the first of what University Hospital’s CEO sees as a strategic expansion into the northern suburbs, where Micron Technology’s planned semiconductor fab is expected to fuel growth in coming years. Upstate plans to move other offices into the same building, but no firm plans have been made yet.
“With Clay and the northern suburbs growing and project to see significant growth in the coming years, we believe this location will serve our existing patients and new patients with the convenience of having our important services nearby,” Dr. Robert Corona said in a news release.
The building, located behind the commercial plazas along Route 31, has been vacant since 2020, when Bryant & Stratton moved its Liverpool campus to Route 57.
Upstate says that physical rehab is one of its most popular services, and the new 18,000-square-foot center is expected to draw 200 people a day. It will the Upstate’s eighth physical rehab center.
Among the offerings will be concussion management, physical, occupational and speech language therapy, as well as therapy for patients suffering from stroke, brain injury and other neurological disorders. The location includes a track lined with a range of exercise equipment.
Officials cut the ribbon on the new facility Tuesday morning.
Upstate isn’t the only Syracuse hospital planning an expansion into the northern suburbs. Crouse Health recently announced plans to open doctor’s offices in the former CXTec headquarters in Mattydale, repurposing a building that once housed the iconic Switz’s craft and variety store.
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