sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Mint Julep Day!
Made with mint leaves, bourbon, sugar, and water, and traditionally served with shaved ice in a silver or pewter cup, the mint julep is the classic Southern drink. The mint is usually slightly "bruised" to bring its flavors out in the drink, and spearmint is the mint of choice in the South. The mint julep has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1983, but it has been imbibed there since long before that. While mint juleps may have been drunk earlier this month during that event, we drink them again today on National Mint Julep Day!
The roots of the mint julep lie with julab, an Arabic drink, made with rose petals and water. In the Mediterranean region, mint leaves took the place of rose petals and the mint julep came to be. It was first mentioned in print in 1803, as a "dram of spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virigians in the morning." According to lore, Henry Clay introduced the drink to Washington, D.C., in 1850 at the Round Robin Bar in the Willard Hotel, where it caught on and spread around the city. The bar claims his recipe is the one they use today. Senators aren't the only politicians who've had a fondness for the drink. Presidents Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt both were known to drink it. Roosevelt mixed his mint juleps with rye whiskey instead of bourbon and enjoyed them with his cabinet members following tennis matches.
SU News
Grace Raynor "The 315" 5-29-24 (247sports.com; radio; The 315)
College Football recruiting writer for The Athletic, Grace Raynor, joins Brian to discuss how much Fran Brown’s recruiting success has turned into a national story in college football, the state of the ACC and more.
(youtube; podcast; 365 Sports)
Don McPherson, College Football Hall of Fame (Class of '08) joins 365 Sports to discuss his thoughts on the changing landscape of college football, his thoughts on NIL in the college game, what are the challenges Title 9 brings as generated revenue boosts, and more.
Syracuse football: potential fixes for future non-conference scheduling (TNIAAM; Ostrowski)
The Syracuse Orange and new head coach Fran Brown have a special season in front of them. Optimism for the program threatens to blow open the new Dome roof, as it and other renovations, including the center-hung scoreboard and complete seating overhaul, have transformed the 44-year-old facility into a modern venue fit for hosting exciting football.
Fans should have every reason to come to more games, especially if 2024 pans out as many are expecting. The issue is in future scheduling - while 'Cuse will host seven Dome games this fall, they are only expected to have six true home games each of the following three seasons:
2025
- 08/30 - vs Tennessee (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA)
- 09/06 - vs UConn
- 09/13 - vs Colgate
- 09/27 - vs Army*
- TBA - at Notre Dame
- 09/05 - vs New Hampshire
- 09/26 - at Army*
- 10/03 - at UConn
- TBA - at Notre Dame
- 09/04 - at Penn State
- 11/06 - at UConn
Syracuse has unfortunately gotten into a situation no Power 4 school should ever want by being too reactive instead of proactive with their scheduling. Even recently, SU has resorted to an extended series with UConn, essentially trading two Dome games for three on the road. There aren't many options left to fix this, but that's better than zero.
One road lies with the ongoing Army and UMass rescheduling. With the former dropping the independent label this fall, and the later joining suit in 2025, there are other programs who have to come up with alternate arrangements. The other is to scour for teams who haven’t finished scheduling that far out yet.
A few remaining possibilities are:
- A one-off, or start of a two-for-one, with Liberty in 2026 (Ed. Note - please not this again)
- A one-off with Western Kentucky in 2026 or 2027
- A UNLV return trip in 2026 or 2027
- Several Sun Belt teams including Georgia State, Marshall, and Old Dominion
- An extra ACC opponent treated as a non-conference game
One could open up naturally depending on what happens with the Notre Dame - ACC series. With Cal, Stanford, and SMU joining the conference, the three will soon be worked into the agreement to play five football games against the Fighting Irish each season through 2037.
While in the Pac-12, Stanford had an annual matchup with Notre Dame, and it's set to continue this fall with their transition to the ACC. Perhaps the two sides would agree to keep it on the calendar permanently.
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Syracuse Football: Analyst is 'high' on 'Cuse, dishes on floor, ceiling in 2024 term (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse football fans are pumped for the start of the Fran Brown era, as the team's first-year head coach and his roster will begin their 2024 season on August 31 at home in a non-conference battle with Ohio.
Since he officially took over the program in early December of last year, Brown and his top-flight staff have injected a buzz into the 'Cuse, as they've recruited at a high level across various cycles to date.
The Orange's 2024 class at the high school level is in the top 40 nationally, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, while the Syracuse football 2024 cycle via the transfer portal is currently in the top 10 overall on the On3 Web site.
Now, as we've discussed many times in recent months, stellar recruiting is one thing, but we'll have to see how that translates on the field when games are played. Still, while some national observers view the 'Cuse as potentially a middle-of-the-pack group in the Atlantic Coast Conference this coming campaign, other pundits do believe that the Orange has the ability to surprise folks in 2024.
A top analyst dishes on his floor and ceiling for Syracuse football in the upcoming term.
Recently, ESPN and ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones chatted with Andy Staples of On3 regarding the 'Cuse, and some highlights of that conversation were relayed in a piece by On3 national writer Kaiden Smith.
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Syracuse football scores top 7 of 3-star athlete, but Florida State has analyst buzz (itlh; Adler)
Max Redmon, a 2025 three-star athlete/safety from Florida, has named a top seven that includes Syracuse football.
In recent days, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Redmon said via his X page that his top seven consists of the Orange, Penn State, USF, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana and Louisville.
Redmon is a standout rising senior at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Fla.
As I've noted in several recent columns, 'Cuse head coach Fran Brown and his staff have continued to focus their recruiting efforts on the Northeast corridor, while also hitting numerous other states hard, such as Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia and Texas, among others.
In late January of this year, Redmon said on his X page that he picked up a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff. Per recruiting services, he holds around 20 high-major offers from schools such as Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, UCF, USF and West Virginia, among others.
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Would Utah Joining The ACC Help Syracuse? (orangefizz.net; Gotkin)
As I said last week, every time I sit down to write I feel the need to start with saying *COLLEGE SPORTS ARE WEIRD NOW AND MAKE NO SENSE*. Today that streak continues as conference realignment as reentered the conversation. News broke a few days ago that Utah is interested in joining the ACC. Yes, you read that right. Utah is interested in joining the Atlantic Coast Conference. With Cal and Stanford joining the conference this year, it wouldn’t be too crazy now but five years ago anyone would say that is the craziest thing ever. But now, we have to just throw away any geographical concerns and look at the sports and brands.
Utah joining the ACC would be a massive win for everyone involved. The three teams that are joining the conference this year aren’t heavy hitters in football to say the least. Cal, Stanford, and SMU aren’t teams that have been nationally relevant recently and surely don’t scare anyone. Yes, they are good academic schools in big markets, but on the field they don’t add too much. Utah on the other hand has been a force to be reckoned with in the PAC-12 recently. The Utes have made it to the top-10 in the AP poll in each of the last three seasons. Utah has been ranked at some point in each of the last 10 years. The only team in the ACC that can say either of those things is Clemson.
The ACC bringing in Utah would also move the conference up in the ladder of conference rankings. The Big-10 and SEC are without a doubt the top two conferences. The Big-12 and ACC are battling for third and so far the Big-12 seems to be winning the fight. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah all are joining the Big-12 this year from the Pac-12. Those schools all have better football and basketball teams than Cal and Stanford. Utah fits the ACC’s academic prowess the most and is arguably the best athletically out of any of those schools so them joining the Atlantic Coast would be a big deal.
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ACC News
The ACC's Highest Rated Running Backs in 2024 | ACC Football (youtube; podcast; 365 Sports)
David Smoak, Paul Catalina, and Craig Smoak discuss their thoughts on the highest rated running backs in the ACC in the 2024 season, what surprised them about the running back list, and more.
ACC Power Rankings: Under 100 days until first games of 2024, where do all 17 teams stand? (PS; $; Leiker)
Spring football is a month in the rearview, and the start of the 2024 college football season is now less than 100 days away.
The ACC adds three teams this fall, adopting Stanford and Cal from the Pac-12 and giving SMU a chance at Power 4 stardom from the American Athletic Conference.
The additions broaden the conference to 17 teams competing for its title.
It’s a year of expansion because the College Football Playoff widens, too. The CFP will include 12 teams this year: the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams per the CFP Top 25.
That creates a chance for multiple ACC teams to compete for the National Championship after the conference was shut out of the four-team playoff last year with Florida State’s exclusion.
A lot of moves were made this offseason — new coaches, new players — across the conference.
These are rankings of where we think ACC programs stand entering the season, not a projected order of finish.
1. Florida State
Final ‘23 Ranking: 1Record: 13-1, 8-0
Yes, Florida State is still in the ACC (for now) and still at the top (also for now).
The Seminoles look to recreate the successes of the past two seasons, and, if they can, shouldn’t have to worry about being left out of the College Football Playoff in its new expanded format.
Mike Norvell reloaded his team with talent from the transfer portal, including former Clemson-turned-Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagaleilei to replace Jordan Travis and defensive lineman Marvin Jones Jr. stepping in for Jared Verse.
2. N.C. State
Final ‘23 Ranking: 3Record: 9-4, 6-2
N.C. State had a rocky start to conference play in the 2023 season, went under the radar in a sense for a bit and then emerged having had a successful year.
Maybe the Wolfpack’s biggest problem last season was that it didn’t have a consistent QB. Brennan Armstrong’s return to Robert Anae’s offense didn’t go as hoped, and then MJ Morris played a few games only to pull himself in the beginning of November for a redshirt.
N.C. State will try the veteran transfer QB route again this year, as Grayson McCall joins from Coastal Carolina. He’s near the top of expected ACC starting QBs by his overall offensive grade last season (79.9%) by Pro Football Focus.
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10. Syracuse
Final ‘23 Ranking: 11
Record: 6-7, 2-6
There’s a lot of excitement around Syracuse entering this fall, and rightly so. Fran Brown has navigated his first six months helming the program with seeming ease, and players flashed promising early chemistry in spring ball.
How that will translate to game play remains to be seen and is the big reason the Orange don’t rank higher here considering the talent and production it returns and adds.
Even Brown himself has ranked his team a 5/10 exiting spring. He knows there are still things they’ll need to work out, questions that need to be answered. It’s expected.
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Louisville Football w/Jeff Brohm UNDERRATED as an ACC contender? l College Football Podcast (youtube; podcast; Locked on College Football)
Louisville had an outstanding season last year in Jeff Brohm's first at the helm, and he's reloaded in a big way going into year 2. The Cardinals can absolutley compete in the ACC with a roster--and a QB--that might be even better than a season ago. How does their schedule shake out to try and reach 10 wins again?
How will Cal fare in the ACC? | Cal Golden Bears Football (youtube; podcast; The Crowded Booth)
Bryce Koon and the crew recap the latest news surrounding California football, including the best and worst-case scenarios in 2024.
Utah, the ACC, and Realignment 2024 May 29 (RX; HM)
Utah, the ACC, and Realignment 2024 May 29
Here are some comments from a Utah fan, a Cincinnati fan, an Illinois fan, and a Kansas fan...
First, regarding Utah and future ACC expansion:
From the CSNBBS thread "ACC Jim Phillips & ESPN Look-In", user "jrj84105", a self-professed Utah Utes fan:
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Will CFP Autobids let bad teams in? (RX; HM)
Will CFP Autobids let bad teams in?
We looked at this question once before with the thought of an 8-team playoff with 5 auto-bids, but now the conference landscape has changed so much that we need to examine this question again...
Under the 12-team or 14-team playoff plans (each with top 5 conference champions guaranteed a spot), what are the lowest-ranked teams that would get in?
Which would be the lowest-ranked teams to get autobids (according to the flawed CFP rankings, of course)? That depends on the automatic qualifier rules being used. Here are the three models being considered for AQs:
Top 5 Conference Champs (5 autobids)
- 2014 #20 Boise State (G5)
- 2015 #18 Houston (G5)
- 2016 #15 W. Michigan (G5)
- 2017 none; top 12 only
- 2018 none; top 12 only
- 2019 #17 Memphis (G5)
- 2020 none; top 12 only
- 2021 #23 Louisiana (G5)
- 2022 #16 Tulane (G5)
- 2023 #14 Arizona (XII), #23 Liberty (G5)
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Factoids 2024 May 29 (RX; HM)
Factoids 2024 May 29
From NYTimes: TV Schedules will look different in 2024!
The TV networks will release college football schedules for Weeks 1-3 this Thursday (tomorrow), but it will look a lot different from years past:
- SEC will be showcased on ABC, including SEC afternoon/prime-time double-headers in each of the first three weeks.
- CBS will air its first full-season Big Ten schedule in the SEC’s former window; first pick of games will rotate among Fox (Noon ET most weeks), CBS (3:30 p.m. ET) and NBC (7:30 p.m. ET).
- No more Pac-12, which will be most noticeable “After Dark”.
- Pac-2 games will be on CW, along with some ACC games
- Some playoff games (there are now 11 instead of 3!) will be on TNT
ACC football best fit for every team in conference realignment in the Big Ten and SEC (usatoday.com; Turri)
College football’s conference realignment is one of the most interesting conversations in sports right now as changes happen fast, and more changes are expected to come sooner rather than later.
Highlighted when the Florida State Seminoles sued the ACC, a move toward realignment was underscored when the Clemson Tigers followed suit. The ACC’s top two programs in lawsuits with the conference could be very telling of the direction in which the ACC is going. There are no guarantees, but it seems the conference is getting closer and closer to suffering from realignment.
With this in mind, we looked at every college football program in the ACC and where (with a bit of if) they would end up between the Big Ten and the ACC.
Clemson Tigers
Best fit: SEC
If conference realignment took the ACC by storm, there’s no doubt that the Tigers would end up in the SEC. It’s a perfect fit for both Clemson and the SEC as each would increase in value with the addition of the Tigers to the conference. Clemson also has a long history with multiple SEC programs, meaning built-in rivalries are ready to go.
Florida State Seminoles
Best fit: SEC
If you couldn’t tell, the Seminoles want out of the ACC. Like Clemson, the Seminoles are an ideal fit for the SEC. Another top-tie program in the south that can elevate the prestige of the conference as well as themselves. It just makes sense.
Miami Hurricanes
Best fit: Big Ten
If conference realignment does hit the ACC hard, something has to give. The Hurricanes are another program that could fit right into the SEC, but there are only so many teams that can join a conference. I believe Miami would slip into the Big Ten, which would be an awesome snag for the conference.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Best fit: SEC
Though it may not seem so, the Tar Heels are one of the top teams conferences will go after if the ACC goes under. The basketball program is as good as it comes, and the football program has a lot of potential. The SEC could tap into that football potential.
Duke Blue Devils
Best fit: Big Ten
It kills me to say, but the Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry would be separated by conference. I don’t see a world where the Blue Devils end up in the SEC, but I could see the Big Ten jumping all over, adding a program like Duke that has a basketball program that good.
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REPORT: Utah LEAVING Expansion Big 12 to Join ACC for FREE On Technicality Currently in Discussion (youtube; podcast; Locked on Big 12)
REPORT: Utah LEAVING Expansion Big 12 to Join ACC for FREE On Technicality Currently in Discussion
Other
A supreme pizza at Liberty Pizza. Liberty is located inside the Gulf gas station on Route 11 in North Syracuse. It's the 21st stop on the CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
CNY Pizza Tour, stop #21: Eat here and get gas. Seriously! (PS; $; Miller)
Yes, you read that headline correctly. And no, it’s not fake news. The line of cars turning into the Gulf gas station on Route 11 proves it.
Some of the motorists blocking traffic are waiting for the cheap gasoline. Some are waiting to order cheap, but tasty, food from Liberty Pizza. Some of us are waiting for both.
Amandeeb Singh leased the north corner of this filling station three years ago. He had just moved here from New York City, where he spent years cooking pizza.
“He learned from the best, and he taught us how to make the best New York pizza up here,” said his brother, Preet. “I take it you’ve heard of us.”
No, Preet, I was unfamiliar with Liberty until retired Syracuse talk-radio host Jim Reith insisted I add this to the list of stops on my CNY Pizza Tour. “You’re not going to believe how good this pizza is,” Jim said. “And it’s in a (bleep) gas station.”
I took his word for it and met him here, the 21st pizzeria of my gastronomic journey.
Let’s fill our tank and our belly ...
Address: 200 S. Main St. (Route 11), North Syracuse, 315-452-0011
Do they deliver: Yes, and you can order online here. You can make it a real party because their printed menu says “beer & cigarettes delivered with food order.”
What I ate: An extra-large pizza named after this restaurant-inside-a-gas-station, the Liberty Pizza.
Why this pizza? Preet Singh, the owner’s brother was running the shop on Friday afternoon, and he said the Liberty showcases all that is good here. You get the local sausage, the fresh-cut vegetables, the homemade sauce on top of the crust he mixed himself.
RATINGS (out of 5)
Crust: 3/5. This was, without a doubt, the thinnest crust I’ve bit into this year. The center was about ⅛ of an inch, and the edge was just shy of an inch. It’s a basic crust that’s made every day and separated into premeasured discs. With each order, Preet or another employee dips a ball of dough into fine cornmeal and gives it a good stretch before twirling it a few times.
After 15 minutes at 500 degrees, the crust does all it can do to support the toppings. That’s a big ask for something this thin. The Liberty is basically a supreme pizza with all the meats and vegetables you can pile on top. You may want to ask for a fork and extra napkins.
The edge is nicely crispy once you get there, but everything in front is soft.
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National labor unions are targeting Micron’s Central NY project to organize the chip industry (PS; $; Coin)
Labor unions are zeroing in on Micron Technology’s planned chipmaking plant in Central New York in hopes of organizing the semiconductor industry, long considered hostile to unions.
A labor agreement with Micron could set a precedent for other semiconductor companies that are opening new plants in the U.S. thanks to the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act. The projects announced by companies from New York to Arizona could create more than 70,000 new U.S. manufacturing jobs in an industry that has little union representation.
Micron has agreed to meet with the industrial division of the Communications Workers of America to discuss a “labor peace agreement,” which means Micron would allow employees at the proposed manufacturing complex in the town of Clay to vote on forming and joining unions.
“Our discussion with Micron will be focused on negotiating a written agreement that gives workers a clear and fair path to union representation,” said Carl Kennebrew, president of IUE-CWA. “More broadly, we’re hopeful that our upcoming talks with Micron will set a precedent for companies bidding for funding.”
National organizers are starting with Micron because New York state is labor-friendly and the state has kicked in billions in potential taxpayer subsidies, said Eric Romann, Northeast coordinator for Jobs to Move America.
“We’re kind of mapping where we think we can have the greatest leverage,” Romann said. “The relationships that we build with community stakeholders provide an opportunity for us to make a more meaningful intervention in New York state.”
Jobs to Move America plans to hire a local representative in Central New York, Romann said, and will lobby for a binding community benefits agreement between Micron and local governments.
None of the other big chipmaking companies that have received CHIPS grants so far have unions, Kennebrew said, and Micron is the only one so far willing to talk to the communication workers union.
Micron has already signed an agreement to use union construction labor to build the massive complex in the town of Clay, and says it’s open to efforts to unionize its factory workers.
“Micron respects the rights of workers to form and join trade unions of their own choosing, to bargain collectively and to peacefully assemble as permitted under applicable local law,” the company said in a statement.
Micron has also agreed to provide a child care center for employees and work to hire more women and minorities.
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