sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to World Croc Day!
World Croc Day is "a global awareness campaign to highlight the plight of endangered crocodiles and alligators around the world." Crocodiles and alligators are celebrated and there is hope the day will encourage people to get involved in helping them. World Croc Day was organized by the Crocodile Research Coalition in conjunction with the Belize Zoo. During past celebrations, events have been held at the zoo and the day has been marked around the world.
While the holiday takes on the name of crocodiles, it is for alligators as well. This makes sense, as the animals are similar in a number of ways. They both are large reptiles from the order Crocodilia that have short legs, powerful tails, long snouts, and bony-plated backs. But they have differences, too, and there are ways to tell them apart. One of the most notable differences is their snouts: alligators have broad and rounded U-shaped ones, while those of crocodiles are narrow and pointed like a V. When alligators have their mouths shut, their bottom teeth can't be seen. But when crocodiles close their mouths, some of their bottom teeth are visible. There tends to be a color difference between the two reptiles. Alligators are gray or black, while crocodiles tend to look more olive, gray-green, or tan. Crocodiles usually live near saltwater, while alligators make their homes near freshwater. Lastly, crocodiles are more aggressive than alligators—and more likely to attack humans. Alligators usually don't attack humans unless they feel threatened.
SU News
Quante Gillians commits to Syracuse football (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse football has been active in New York state in the 2025 recruiting cycle and has added another in Rochester (NY) Aquinas athlete Quante Gillians. Gillians plays multiple positions at the high school level but is being recruited as a defensive end by Syracuse. The 6-3.5, 278 pounder picked the Orange over offers from Boston College, Michigan State, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, SMU and West Virginia. Gillians officially visited Syracuse last weekend and was fresh off an official visit to Pittsburgh this weekend when he made his announcement. A visit to Michigan State scheduled for next weekend has been cancelled.
The offer from Syracuse was extended in late May after some coaches went to watch Gillians work out. It was an offer he was waiting on.
"He's been waiting for it," Aquinas head coach and former Syracuse wide receiver Moe Jackson said. "It was the offer that he wanted. Of course we're going to do our thing and choose the best fit for him, but he was very excited about Syracuse being interested in him and offering him the opportunity to play here. Very excited."
What is Syracuse getting in Gillians? Coach Jackson says a quality person off the field and an extremely talented player on the field.
"First I'll start with the kind of kid he is," Jackson said. "He is a well rounded, absolutely no problems with this kid. There are absolutely no red flags for Q. He is very, very passionate about the game. Maybe a little over passionate at times, but that's a good thing because he can generate an edge to his play on the field. He's a really good kid, honestly. I'm not just saying that because he's one of my guys. Q is a guy you don't have to worry about at home, worry about getting in trouble or making bad decisions. His head is on straight and I love that about him.
"As far as the kind of player he is, he's very passionate about the game. He's a student of the game. I'm learning that more and more about Q. He watches the game and he's in love with the game. He wants to be really good and he wants to win. He's very, very powerful. Q's a strong young man. Explosive. He's a listener. He learns fast and picks things up. He will help a division one program out once he gets the physical part behind him."
Gillians is the 22nd player to commit to Syracuse this cycle. He is rated a three star prospect and the fourth best player in New York.
Rochester DL commits to Syracuse football, was top uncommitted prospect in New York in 2025 (PS; $; Carlson)
Defensive lineman Quante Gillians, ranked the No. 6 prospect in New York by the 247 Sports composite rankings, committed to Syracuse on Sunday.
The Rochester-area product, who plays for Aquinas Institute, was the highest-ranked uncommitted prospect in New York before announcing his commitment to the Orange on social media.
Ranked as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247 Sports, Gillians’ 247 composite ranking places him as the No. 956 prospect in the country in the Class of 2025 and the No. 92 defensive line prospect.
Both 247 Sports and Rivals tab Gillians as the No. 4 prospect in New York in their site-specific rankings. He is listed by 247 Sports as 6-foot-4 and 278 pounds.
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Top Pitt 3-Star DL Target Chooses Syracuse Following Pitt Visit (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Ludwig)
It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for Pitt football on this Father’s Day afternoon.
Pitt added a commitment from hulking British offensive lineman Akram Elnagmi this morning, but it was downhill from there. Local target Bradley Gompers committed to Duke over a handful of schools, including the Panthers, and top defensive line target Quante Gillians committed to Syracuse over the Panthers.
Pitt football recruiting coverage sponsored by
RM LAW, P.C. is a boutique litigation law firm with a national practice dedicated to protecting shareholders’ interests and promoting improved corporate governance practices.
It appeared to come down to Pitt and Syracuse in the end.
Gillians — a 6-foot-5, 245-pound athlete from Aquinas Institute in Rochester, N.Y. — visited Boston College and Syracuse earlier this month and spent the weekend in Pittsburgh. But it appears the visit only cemented that the Orange were the top team in his recruiting chase.
He received his first collegiate offer from Pitt in January, and it’s a tough result for the coaching staff after putting a lot of time into his recruitment.
Pitt holds commitments from two defensive linemen in the class, three-star Trevor Sommers (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and three-star Julian Anderson (Orlando, Fla.), who committed last weekend following a successful official visit.
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Syracuse Lands Tight End Recruit, Steals Him From ACC Rival (orangefizz.net; Papillo)
The Atlantic Coast Conference continues to rise in terms of prestige, especially in the college football sphere. From the rise of Florida State last season to the boom in recruiting from teams like Miami and the ‘Cuse, the outlook appears to be more and more competitive heading into the 2024 season. But for Fran Brown and company, sometimes the best offense is a good defense. In this case, the Orange improved by snatching a player from a conference rival, but not in the way that you may think.
Last week, Syracuse football landed three-star recruit Wyatt Bowman, a tight end who played in high school at Georgetown Prep just outside of Washington D.C. The strange part though, Bowman was already committed as a five-star recruit to the University of North Carolina, except instead of football, it was for lacrosse.
Now I know what you’re thinking, why would anyone pass up an opportunity to be a top recruit in lacrosse? Well, for Bowman, his passion has always lied on the gridiron, according to 247 Sports.
“My whole life I’ve played both but I was really focused on lacrosse coming from a lacrosse powerhouse,” Bowman said. “Coming down here to Georgetown Prep really gave me an opportunity to play both and see what I can do… It was definitely a long, hard and thoughtful process. But I’m definitely extremely excited with the decision I made.”
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Syracuse Football Needs To Start Strong At Home (orangefizz.net; Horning)
In what could be one of the most pivotal seasons in recent Syracuse football history, the Orange need to start the year dominantly at home.
A lot will be revealed about this team early in the season, specifically because of the number of recruits and transfers, including Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord. Additionally, the early slate of home games will be crucial for SU.
Last season, the Orange won three of its first four games in the Dome. Syracuse dominated Colgate and Western Michigan in its first two home games, proceeded to defeat Army, but fell to Clemson in Central New York, rounding out their first four home contests.
Looking ahead to August and September, SU plays its first four games of the season at home. Besides facing weaker opponents early, this stretch could be the x-factor in shaping up the rest of the year for the Orange.
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Way-Too-Early Week Two Preview: Georgia Tech vs Syracuse (SI; Caudell)
Last season, Georgia Tech needed a victory over Syracuse to clinch their first bowl appearance in five seasons. The Orange were very shorthanded (especially at quarterback) and Georgia Tech would win the game 31-22.
While they may have just played, this Syracuse team is going to look much different than the version Georgia Tech saw in late November. Syracuse fired Dino Babers and hired Georgia secondary coach Fran Brown as the new head coach and he has overhauled this team and brought in a lot of new faces, similar to Dell McGee and Georgia State. This will be the second straight game where Georgia Tech is facing a brand new coach and this will be the first real test for Brown and his new-look team.
This is only the fourth meeting between the two schools since Syracuse joined the ACC and the Yellow Jackets hold a 4-1 lead in the all-time series.
Let's take a way-too-early look at how these teams will matchup on Sept. 7th.
Syracuse Offense vs Georgia Tech Defense
Jeff Nixon is the new offensive coordinator for the Orange and Syracuse is turning the keys over to former Ohio State starting quarterback Kyle McCord to try and turn the passing attack around. Though a lot of it had to do with injuries towards the end of the season, plus an early season-ending injury to star tight end Oronde Gadsden, the Syracuse passing game was ranked 114th in the country.
McCord was good, but not great for the Buckeyes as a starter and that is the standard in Columbus. McCord hit the transfer portal and ended up joining Brown and there is no doubt he will be the starter this season. He threw for 3, 174 yards last season, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. While the passing attack should be better, McCord does not have the proven playcaller like Ryan Day or the otherwordly talent at receiver that Ohio State had. He has a lot to prove this season, but he should be an upgrade.
The running game is going to be in good hands with LeQuint Allen leading the way. Allen went over 1,000 yards last season and should be the workhorse in the backfield. Look out for Washington transfer Will Nixon.
The wide receiver room is going to feature a lot of new faces. Gadsden II is back and should be an All-ACC selection should he be able to stay healthy, but who else will emerge for the Orange? Jackson Meeks and Zeed Haynes came over from Georgia with Brown and should get on the field. Other guys to watch are Colorado State transfer Justus Ross-Simmons, Trebor Pena, and Darrell Gill Jr.
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(youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
CBS Sports expert Tom Fornelli recently listed Syracuse Football as a sleeper to make the 2024 College Football Playoff. Fornelli cited how Coach Fran Brown upgraded from Garrett Shrader to now Kyle McCord at quarterback, a deeper receiver room with Zeed Haynes and Justus Ross-Simmons, and the return of Oronde Gadsden from injury. Plus, Tom believes the schedule is favorable for the Cuse.Jackson dives into why Syracuse Football can be a sleeper for the 2024 College Football Playoff.
TNIAAM Reacts: Syracuse fans expect a strong start from football in 2024 (TNIAAM; Wall)
We head into the summer months trying to gauge how Syracuse Orange fans are feeling about the 2024-25 athletic year. We’ll try and run some fan surveys to help the TNIAAM staff figure out where to focus some articles and to allow your voices to be heard.
Here are this week’s results. It seems that most of you want Adrian Autry to land one more center before next season. Autry has two scholarships open, so he could bring in another shooter as well. A shockingly low number of respondents wanted another Boeheim. Shameful.
So despite a little error in the choices for the second question, it’s clear that Orange fans expect Syracuse to get off to a fast start under Fran Brown. Fans of Ohio, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Holy Cross showed up to make their voices heard with this question, but they weren’t enough to keep this close.
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ACC News
Guest Post: Another ACC Motion to Dismiss (writeforcalifornia.com; Kranz)
Ed note: TwistNHook has been writing furiously to catch up on everything ahead of a hearing scheduled for this Tuesday. Will Florida State’s lawsuit be killed before it gets off the ground? Or will there be further delays, handing a victory to all of the lawyers and their billable hours? Stay tuned!
Hi, today, we are in the gorgeous state of Florida! We’ve got beaches, we’ve got everglades, we’ve got Motions To Dismiss. And today, that is what we are talking about, not the beaches, not the everglades, but the motions to dismiss. We’ve had so many motions to dismiss in 3 separate states. Tough to keep it all straight, I’m doing the best job I can.
Motion To Dismiss
Today, we are talking about the ACC’s Motion To Dismiss Florida State’s 2nd Amended Complaint. The ACC was successful in getting the 1st Amended Complaint dismissed and now they are trying again. If they are successful again, then FSU’s case could be over before it really even began.The ACC spends significant time talking about the various types of jurisdiction a Florida Court could have over a NC entity and why none of them are applicable. If FSU does not have the ability to sue the ACC in FL, then the Motion To Dismiss would be successful.
Citizenship
The first type is “diversity citizenship.” Here, FSU was arguing that the ACC is a citizen of FL, because it has two members (FSU/Miami). Thus, the lawsuit is appropriate. This appears to be federal law, which is inapplicable in a state court context. The ACC does not spend a lot of time analyzing this outside of just saying it is inapplicable.General Jurisdiction
Next, the ACC argues that FL lacks “general personal jurisdiction” over the ACC. This is a way for a FL plaintiff to bring a non FL citizen defendant into a FL court. The ACC argues that FSU must show that the ACC engaged in “substantial and not isolated activity” within Florida. This requires “continuous and systematic general business contact.”I personally believe that the ACC engaged in substantial business contact with FL, through their two members that are there. Also, bowls and their winter meetings, etc. The ACC disagrees with me. The ACC argues that they do not own or lease any real property in FL, file a FL tax return, have any phone or mailing information in FL, have any bank accounts in FL, and that any revenue from FL activities is minimal. I am not sure I agree with some of these items.
For example, it says that the ACC “does not regularly market products for sale in Florida.” If running commercials in the state of FL to convince people to watch ACC events consists of “market products for sale,” then I think the ACC does do that. I get that the ACC lawyers are doing what they can here and maybe the FL judge will buy it. I was surprised that he dismissed the first complaint, maybe he will do something similar here.
Specific Jurisdiction
The next issue that the ACC raises is “specific jurisdiction.” If the ACC is not a citizen of FL and FL lacks “general” jurisdiction over ACC, does it have “specific jurisdiction.” Specific jurisdiction is a two part analysis: first the Court has to determine if the facts support FL having jurisdiction and then, secondly, if there are sufficient minimum contacts by the ACC.The ACC argues that there are not sufficient facts here, because it does not carry on any business in FL. You know my thoughts on that above. What the ACC does argue, which could have legs, is that FSU failed to properly allege the business the ACC performs in FL. These types of motions are less about what the reality is and more what the complaint alleges. If the complaint does not properly allege the true facts then the motion can be successful even if reality is different than the motion. Usually the Court will give a plaintiff an opportunity to amend its complaint. However, FSU already got that. Would they get another?
Tortious Act
Next, the ACC discusses the argument that the ACC committed a tortious act within FL. Not clear what the tortious act is. According to the motion, the sole tortious act alleged to have occurred within the state of FL is service of the ACC lawsuit on FSU’s general counsel. This does not strike me as a tortious act....
Greg McElroy Names Under The Radar ACC Game With College Football Playoff Implications (starlocalmedia; McKinnell)
With the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, multiple games each week could have massive implications for the postseason.
On a recent episode of Always College Football, ESPN's Greg McElroy identified Week 5 games that could impact the College Football Playoff race. He noted that the biggest game of the week will be Georgia vs. Alabama but believes one ACC matchup could fly under the radar.
“Then, how about this one? Florida State on the road at SMU. SMU is dangerous now. If you look at SMU’s odds to win the ACC, they have the fifth shortest odds in the ACC,” McElroy said.
“I’ve already told you. We know Miami, we know Florida State, we know Clemson. The fact that SMU is only two spots back of those three teams in odds to win the league is pretty surprising. Their first year in the ACC and it might be a little bit of a unique road game there for Florida State when they go on the road to Dallas to take on the Mustangs.”
SMU has plenty of momentum after winning 11 games last season, the first 11-win season since 1982. Head coach Rhett Lashlee enters his third season and has his sights set on bringing a conference championship to Dallas.
The Mustangs won the AAC championship last season, their first conference title since 1984. Despite a bowl loss to Boston College, SMU transitions to the ACC with high expectations and many experts expect the program to immediately contend for a title next season.
Florida State enters the 2024 season looking to avenge its College Football Playoff snub. The Seminoles won the ACC championship but were excluded from the playoffs despite going undefeated. The season ended on a sour note as the Seminoles lost to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
SMU will host Florida State on Sep. 28 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. It will be the first meeting between the two programs, but it could have a massive impact on the ACC championship race and potentially the College Football Playoff.
Every Stadium in The 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference football (youtube; podcast; World Stadiums)
Every Stadium in The 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference football
ACC Football 2024: Must-Watch Offensive Stars (youtube; podcast; OurLads)
Welcome to our video, "ACC Football 2024: Must-Watch Offensive Stars," where we spotlight the standout players you need to keep an eye on this season. Join us on the Ourlads Scouting Show, hosted by Greg DePalma, with expert insights from Ourlads scouts Hayden Russell and David Syvertsen. We bring you an in-depth look at the top offensive talents in the ACC for 2024.
Will Clemson Win the ACC in 2024? (youtube; podcast; Clemson Football)
Will Clemson Win the ACC in 2024?
Top 5 Teams in the ACC This College Football Season (youtube; podcast; Aye Gee)
We have made it through CBB March Madness and the NCAA Tournament, college basketball and hoops discussion is officially over until next March, back to the cfb offseason as spring games go on, with various top 10 teams having their spring game, the nfl draft approaches, and as the spring transfer portal window re opens, we have previously discussed the top 10 college football biggest winners and losers of the transfer portal so far, coaches on the hot seat going into the 24 2025 season, top 10 offenses, quarterbacks, running backs, group of five g5 teams, teams that could make their first cfp college football playoff appearance, overrated teams, impact transfer qbs, top coaches, top coaches on the rise, most improved teams, heisman candidates, underrated coaches, how their transfer portal classes will impact the next cfb season in 2024, as well as the cfp and college football playoff race, which teams will be in my preseason way too early top 25 rankings, my aye Gee poll, conference power ranking and transfer portal rankings, already, so today we are taking a look at the top 5 college football teams from each and every fbs division 1 conference, ranked. Teams on this list, and discussed, could include any conference, group of 5 g5 or power 5 or 4 p4 p5, from any conference, whether its the AAC American, ACC, Big 12, Big Ten 10, SEC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Conference USA, or another, my list today includes west viriginia, kansas state, utah, oklahoma state, arizona, nc state, louisville, miami, clemson, florida state, memphis, tulane, utsa, east carolina, usf south florida, michigan, ohio state, oregon, penn state, iowa, alabama, georgia, texas, missouri, ole miss, liberty, texas state, james madison, appalachian state, boise state, unlv, western kentucky, jacksonville state, and more, be on the lookout for a potential tier list ranking coming soon this offseason. Who would be on your list? Let me know in the comment section.
Video: Pitt Football Shows Off Upgraded Locker Room and New Gear in POV Tour (BR; Rapp)
The Pittsburgh Panthers football team will be gearing up in style this season.
The program showed off the upgrades it made to its locker room in a video released on social media Friday, and the new digs are looking both clean and state-of-the-art:
The program will be hoping the product on the field receives a similar upgrade. The team went just 3-9 last year, its first losing season since 2017 and just its second under head coach Pat Narduzzi.
His Pitt teams have reached six bowl games in nine years, going 2-4 in those contests. The Panthers have won two Coastal Division crowns in the ACC under Narduzzi and one conference championship (2021).
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ACC rival considered front for Notre Dame football QB target (slapthesign.com; Vandervoort)
Remember back when Notre Dame football was the front-runner for 2026 quarterback Brady Hart? It would appear that the Irish are no longer in the running, though that’s hardly surprising.
After all, Marcus Freeman and company made it clear that one of the biggest factors in figuring out who would be their QB for the 2026 class was who would pull the trigger first. The man to the finish line turned out to be Noah Grubbs.
While Notre Dame football fans are understandably happy about landing Grubbs, it turns out that things could get real interesting when the 2026 signing day rolls around. It appears as though a bitter ACC rival could be the team that eventually lands Brady Hart.
Clemson set to land Notre Dame football recruiting castoff
According to On3, the Cocoa Florida quarterback prospect is now looking like he’s leaning towards the Clemson Tigers.
That would certainly be an interesting turn of events would it not? It would certainly open up the possibility of the two gunslingers eventually facing off against each other, if the schedules and their position battles fall just the right way.
Notre Dame and Clemson aren’t a rivalry on the level of the Irish and the USC Trojans. Or even on the level of ND and Michigan, even if that series is only sporadic these days.
But when it comes to the ACC slate the Golden Domers play every year, Clemon is right up there in rivalries simply because they’ve been one of the best programs in the conference.
Of course, things are far from finished for Hart. He’s got a busy summer ahead.
The 2026 four-star has already visited Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M this month as well as the Tigers. He is visiting Michigan on June 15-16, Ohio State on June 17 and Alabama on June 23. There is a chance he works a trip to Miami in there between Columbus and Tuscaloosa too.
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Links, News and Rumors 2024 June 14 (RX; HM)
Links, News and Rumors 2024 June 14
The AP Sports article "Historically Black Coconut Grove in Miami nurtured young athletes. Now that legacy is under threat" explains why the old Miami pipeline just isn't the same any more...
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From SportingNews: College Football's Seven Boom-or-Bust Teams in 2024
Here are their "boom-or-bust" teams, along with comments for the 3 ACC programs...
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Why Mike Leach Missed the Hall of Fame (RX; HM)
Why Mike Leach Missed the Hall of Fame
I saw this tweet the other day which explains why Mike Leach is not on the Hall of Fame ballot:
Is it a technicality? Sure. It's also a rule. Would they lift it for him? Maybe, but then maybe not. Could this situation have been avoided? Absolutely. To see how, let's look at Leach's head coaching career wins...
Career Wins & Losses
| Mike Leach Head Coaching Career | |||||
| Year | School | W-L | win% | cum W-L | cum W% |
| Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big XII) (2000–2009) | |||||
| 2000 | Texas Tech | 7-6 | 0.538 | 7-13 | 0.538 |
| 2001 | Texas Tech | 7-5 | 0.583 | 14-25 | 0.560 |
| 2002 | Texas Tech | 9-5 | 0.643 | 23-39 | 0.590 |
| 2003 | Texas Tech | 8-5 | 0.615 | 31-52 | 0.596 |
| 2004 | Texas Tech | 8-4 | 0.667 | 39-64 | 0.609 |
| 2005 | Texas Tech | 9-3 | 0.75 | 48-76 | 0.632 |
| 2006 | Texas Tech | 8-5 | 0.615 | 56-89 | 0.629 |
| 2007 | Texas Tech | 9-4 | 0.692 | 65-102 | 0.637 |
| 2008 | Texas Tech | 11-2 | 0.846 | 76-115 | 0.661 |
| 2009 | Texas Tech | 8-4 | 0.667 | 84-127 | 0.662 |
| Washington State Cougars (Pac-12) (2012–2019) | |||||
| 2012 | Wash. State | 3-9 | 0.250 | 87-139 | 0.626 |
| 2013 | Wash. State | 6-7 | 0.462 | 93-152 | 0.612 |
| 2014 | Wash. State | 3-9 | 0.250 | 96-164 | 0.585 |
| 2015 | Wash. State | 9-4 | 0.692 | 105-177 | 0.593 |
| 2016 | Wash. State | 8-5 | 0.615 | 113-190 | 0.595 |
| 2017 | Wash. State | 9-4 | 0.692 | 122-203 | 0.601 |
| 2018 | Wash. State | 11-2 | 0.846 | 133-216 | 0.616 |
| 2019 | Wash. State | 6-7 | 0.462 | 139-229 | 0.607 |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC) (2020–2022) | |||||
| 2020 | Miss. State | 4-7 | 0.364 | 143-240 | 0.596 |
| 2021 | Miss. State | 7-6 | 0.538 | 150-253 | 0.593 |
| 2022 | Miss. State | 8-4 | 0.667 | 158-265 | 0.596 |
| Year | School | W-L | win% | cum | cum% |
Analysis
As you can see, when Mike Leach left Texas Tech, his cumulative win% was 0.662. In fact, it was above 60% for his last six seasons there.His time at Washington State was a mixed bag. He went 12-25 in his first 3 seasons there, and as a result his career win% fell below .600. It took him three more seasons to climb back above 60%, but he finally did.
Then, Leach accepted the challenge and the money to coach in the SEC, at Mississippi State. Once again, his win% fell below .600, but this time there weren't enough seasons left to recover (nor is there any guarantee he would have succeeded there, anyway).
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ACC Team Colors 2024 (RX; HM)
ACC Team Colors 2024
[Updated 2024-06-15 with colors of 3 new schools]
Just a quick post for a June Saturday about... ACC team colors! Ever noticed how many ACC teams have similar colors to each other?
Once upon a time, the ACC had 14 teams, with a range of colors like this:
Here are all 18 ACC schools - even the non-football member!
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Should the Big 12 Take a Gamble by Selling Their Naming Rights? (heartlandcollegesports.com; Duke)
Three years ago, the Big 12 Conference was in trouble. The news broke that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the conference they had been in for nearly thirty years to head to the SEC.
All hell broke loose after that, because nobody knew what would happen to the Big 12. Would it fade away, or would the other four power conferences pick it apart? Nobody had an answer.
Eventually, commissioner Bob Bowlsby dusted himself off and added the four best five schools to the Big 12: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. That move helped stabilize the conference and was important to keeping it alive.
One short year later, in 2022, the Big 12 hired Brett Yormark as the new commissioner. While many people had questions about Yormark as a conference commissioner, one thing was for certain: he wasn’t afraid to think outside the box.
Within a few months on the job, Brett Yormark got a new TV deal for the Big 12 and even beat the Pac-12 to the punch. And within the next year (2023), he also moved to add Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Arizona State to the conference.
Here we are in 2024, and the Big 12 again is at a crossroads. The Pac-12 is gone, which means that there are only four power conferences left, and the Big 12 is one of them. However, the gap between the Big Ten/SEC and everyone else is growing by the minute.
TWO OPTIONS FOR THE BIG 12
Now, the Big 12 has two options. They can stay in the fight with the Big Ten and the SEC or watch from the front row along with the ACC. The Big 12 is now exploring selling their naming rights, which tells me that Brett Yormark isn’t ready to step out of the ring just yet.Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported that the conference could receive up to 50 million dollars annually, which would give each school around three million per year. Right now, it appears that Allstate is the leader, and the Big 12 could potentially become the “Allstate 12 Conference.”
McMurphy’s report came just hours after CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported that the Big 12 is considering becoming the first conference to explore private equity investment to help further ensure the league’s long-term financial security. In Dodd’s report, he says that a “possible cash infusion of $800 million to $1 billion” comes from a Luxembourg-based firm CVC Capital Partners. The firm would own a 15% to 20% stake in the league in exchange for this cash infusion.
Before people blame the Big 12 for doing this, I want to clarify one thing. This is NOT the Big 12’s fault. If you want to point the finger at someone, then point it at the Big Ten, the SEC, FOX, and ESPN. None of the four I just mentioned give one flying you-know-what about the future of the sport. Do you think Greg Sankey (the SEC commissioner) or Kevin Warren (former Big Ten commissioner) cared about the rest of college football when they were behind closed doors talking to the schools they were planning to add? They only cared about one thing: how much money they could stuff into their pockets.
The days of traditions and college football being a regional sport are behind us. The only thing that anyone cares about anymore is money. If some conferences have to die off for the greater good of the SEC and the Big Ten, guess what? They don’t care as long as they make their money.
Right now, the Big 12 has a loaded gun pointed at them, and they have to make a decision. This was by no means in the Big 12’s plan years ago. Having a gun pointed at you will make you do some things you aren’t comfortable with. It will make you do whatever you are willing to do to stay alive, and that is what the Big 12 is doing.
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Does the Big 12 Actually Want ACC Schools? (youtube; podcast;l Kurtz)
Shehan Jeyarajah from CBS Sports joins me to discuss the Big 12's future from a big picture perspective.
FSU vs ACC Lawsuit UPDATE - MORE SCHOOLS JOIN THE PARTY! (youtube; podcast; FSU Football)
FSU vs ACC Lawsuit UPDATE - MORE SCHOOLS JOIN THE PARTY!
Other
Could your shower water help heat Onondaga County’s aquarium? National Grid plans a new thing (PS; $; Knauss)
National Grid hopes to heat and cool Onondaga County’s new aquarium with a novel energy source: wastewater from the nearby county sewage plant.
If they pull it off, heat sent down the drain by showers, dishwashers, washing machines and other sources will provide indoor comfort and hot water at the county’s newest tourist attraction.
And National Grid’s project is not limited to the aquarium.
The utility plans an ambitious neighborhood network that would use wastewater to heat and cool the whole Inner Harbor area, where 14 new buildings are planned with hundreds of apartments plus offices and retail shops.
National Grid would be the first utility in the country to operate a thermal energy network based on recovering heat from wastewater, according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a national advocacy group.
The project is in the early stages, but the utility is already spending serious money on it.
National Grid has a go-ahead from state regulators to spend $6.7 million drawing up detailed engineering plans for the Inner Harbor network.
As those plans develop in the coming months, the utility will work on getting tentative commitments from its intended customers – Onondaga County’s aquarium and Cor Development, a private developer that controls 36 acres at the Inner Harbor.
Roughly a year from now, the state Public Service Commission will decide whether the project gets built. The cost is loosely estimated at $113 million.
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