sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Festivus!
Festivus is a holiday that shuns the commercialism and pressures of the Christmas season, and takes place on December 23 each year. It was invented by writer Daniel O'Keefe, and originally celebrated by his family. The holiday permeated American culture after O'Keefe's son, Dan O'Keefe, wrote the holiday into an episode of Seinfeld titled "The Strike," which was first broadcasted on December 18, 1997. In the episode, the holiday was created by George Costanza's father Frank, and was celebrated at Frank and Estelle Costanza's house, with the attendance of Kramer, Jerry, Elaine, George, George's boss Kruger, and two men that Cramer invited that Elaine had been trying to avoid.
SU News
Syracuse football signs transfer wide receiver from SEC school (report) (PS; Carlson)
South Carolina transfer wide receiver Tyshawn Russell has signed with Syracuse football, according to a report by the recruiting website On3.com.
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Russell did not see the field for the Gamecocks this season. He caught five passes for 81 yards as a true freshman in 2023. He initially went to South Carolina as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2023.
Russell has three years of college eligibility remaining.
https://247sports.com/college/syracuse/article/iowa-kicker-tripp-woody-commits-syracuse-242436519/ (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse football has landed a kicker out of the transfer portal. Former Iowa kicker Tripp Woody has committed to the Orange. He has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting this season with the Hawkeyes. Woody played his high school ball at Charlotte Christian in North Carolina.
The Orange struggled mightily on special teams last season, though it did get better for the last half of the year. Starting kicker Brady Denaburg lost his job after missed kicks early in the season. He is transferring to Minnesota. Jadyn Oh took over kicking duties for a few games before missing two kicks over two games against NC State and Pittsburgh. He finished the season 2-5 with a long of 32 yards. That is when Syracuse turned to Jackson Kennedy.
Kennedy, who transferred from Cornell during the previous offseason, went 7-9 on field goals with a long of 44 yards. The inconsistency and loss of Denaburg meant additional talent was needed. Syracuse gets that with the addition of Tripp Woody.
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5 Transfer Portal Landing Spots for Eric O'Neill Include Rutgers, Syracuse (CFN; Fragoza)
Eric O’Neill spent his first three collegiate seasons at the FCS level with the LIU Sharks. After just one year with the James Madison Dukes, he’s entered the transfer portal for a shot at yet another increase in competition.
College Football Network’s Transfer Portal Tracker follows along with all the movement from the transfer portal, including portal entrants, commitments, decommitments, and more, from all your favorite schools.
Where Will Eric O’Neill Transfer?
The redshirt junior announced his decision on X Dec. 20, just two days after the Dukes defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 27-17 in the Boca Raton Bowl.In his lone season at James, O’Neill earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors and a second-team All-American nod from CFN after generating 52 total tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 13 sacks, and a pick-six.
The 6’3″, 250-pound EDGE has experience on the interior and even said teams wanted to convert him to DT when he entered the portal last year.
Yet, O’Neill proved his worth off the edge and is ready to continue his linear progression at the Power Four level in 2025. So, which teams make the best landing spots?
Syracuse Orange
The Syracuse Orange showed interest during O’Neill’s high school recruitment, even hosting him for a junior day visit in 2020. There’s an entirely new coaching staff in place now, but if Year 1 of the Fran Brown era is any indication, that’s a positive.Brown has embraced the transfer portal and even enjoyed recent success along the edge with Fadil Diggs.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
If playing close to home is the Staten Island product’s primary objective, it doesn’t get much closer than the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.Although the program is searching for a new defensive coordinator, with Joe Harasymiak becoming the UMass Minutemen’s next head coach, Greg Schiano is one of the best defensive minds in the country and should be able to maximize O’Neill’s versatility.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Bill Belichick picking up a small-school DL transfer? Yeah, it’s certainly in the cards. North Carolina’s newest head coach has already dipped into the transfer portal, even earning commitments from several players at the Group of Five level and lower. Want to earn an opportunity in the NFL? Play for arguably the greatest coach in NFL history....
Rickie Collins will LIKELY Start for Syracuse Football *if* Kyle McCord Can't Comeback (youtube; podcast; Lokced on Syracuse)
Syracuse Orange Football has found a potential starting quarterback in the transfer portal, LSU Tigers' Rickie Collins, according to Syracuse.com's Brent Axe. Collins is 6'2" 205lb, has three years of eligibility, and has good athleticism for Fran Brown's squad. Collins was the third-string QB behind Garrett Nussmeier and AJ Swann at LSU. Collins will compete with 2024 three-star Syracuse commit Jakhari Williams for the starting spot. Luke Carney and Rich Belin are waiting in the wings as 2025 recruits.
Jackson Holzer reacts to Syracuse's new QB edition on this edition of the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
Episode 511- Syracuse Basketball/Football: Fireside Chat 3! (youtube; podcast; Cuse Militia)
What's up Cuse Nation?!?! we are back here with you and we can endure the pain together. Portal update and the state of Syracuse basketball!
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Syracuse University on Instagram: "Record-breaking stats, a new head coach and a @holidaybowl game. @thecoachfranbrown said it best - “Syracuse is back” Read why we love @cusefootball at the link in bio "
5,475 likes, 11 comments - syracuseu on December 22, 2024: "Record-breaking stats, a new head coach and a @holidaybowl game. @thecoachfranbrown said it best - “Syracuse is back” Read why we love @cusefootball at the link in bio ".
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399K views · 3.3K reactions | BEST 9U QB IN THE NATION HIS NAME IS SPEEDY AND IS STRAIGHT OUT OF SYRACUSE NY WITH CUSE United Inc. | By Youth football extreme tv | Facebook
BEST 9U QB IN THE NATION HIS NAME IS SPEEDY AND IS STRAIGHT OUT OF SYRACUSE NY WITH CUSE United Inc.
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ACC News
Michigan State football lands commitment from top rated ACC offensive lineman (usatoday.com; Linsner)
Michigan State football is going into the holiday dead period with a massive recruiting victory. The Spartans have earned the commitment of offensive lineman Matt Gulbin, a transfer from Wake Forest.
Gulbin, a native of Wilton, Connecticut, he has spent the last four years with the Demon Deacons, being a starter the past two years. He is one of the highest graded players in the portal via PFF, grading out at 72.0 in run blocking, 78.5 in pass blocking and 72.9 overall.
An ACC all-conference honorable mention in 2024, it is virtually a guarantee that Gulbin will slot in as a starter for the Spartans at either left guard or center. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
FSU Lands Big Transfer Pickup (theclemsonsider.com; Oliver)
One of Clemson’s ACC foes landed a big pickup out of the transfer portal on Sunday.
Former Southern Cal wide receiver Duce Robinson is headed to Florida State.
Robinson is regarded as one of the top receivers and top overall players in the portal.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound sophomore will have two years of eligibility left.
FSU announced the signing of Robinson on Sunday.
“I’m excited to welcome Duce Robinson into the Nole family,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said in a statement. “He is one of the most unique and explosive playmakers in the country. Duce brings tremendous versatility with where he can align, as well as the ability to stretch the field at his size. This creates opportunities for incredible matchup problems for opposing defenses. We hit a home run, bringing a young man who was born to be a Nole back home.”
In 23 games across his two seasons at Southern Cal (2023-24), Robinson recorded 39 receptions for 747 yards and seven touchdowns. The Phoenix, Ariz., native had 23 catches for 396 yards and five touchdowns with the Trojans this season.
Robinson, a two-sport athlete who also played baseball at Southern Cal, was a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and was ranked as the nation’s No. 17 overall prospect in his class per the 247Sports Composite.
Robinson is a FSU legacy, as his father, Dominic Robinson, played football for the Seminoles from 2001-2004. Like Duce, Dominic was a two-sport star coming out of high school as a five-star football recruit who was also drafted by the Minnesota Twins.
Duce figures to be a major weapon for new Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who transferred to FSU after two seasons at Boston College.
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The ACC Goes 0-2 in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Ludwig)
The ACC didn’t do itself many favors in terms of garnering national respect in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Clemson and SMU, who played in the ACC championship game a couple of weeks ago, earned the 11 and 12 seeds in the College Football Playoff, respectively. And they both went down in the first round.
The pair were outscored 76-34 in the process.
SMU fell to Penn State, 38-10, in State College, Pa. It was a disasterclass for starting quarterback Kevin Jennings, who turned the ball over three times against the Nittany Lions.
SMU mustered just 253 yards and committed more than its fair share of miscues and mistakes in a tough loss in front of 106,000. Jennings threw two pick-sixes in the first half, and the Nittany Lions didn’t need to do much offensively throughout the later stages of the game to pull away.
Clemson fell to Texas, 38-24, in Austin, Tx. The Longhorns took an early 21-7 lead, and while the Tigers clawed back to a one-score deficit in the second half, it was too little, too late.
Clemson struck first against Texas, but the Tigers’ run defense was gashed to the tune of nearly 300 yards — at just over six yards per carry.
The ACC hasn’t had a national champion since Clemson won the CFP in 2018-19. There have been two ACC national champions in the CFP era, and the Tigers won both. Florida State, in the inaugural CFP in 2014-15, is the only other ACC school to qualify.
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https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...ayoff-first-round-everyones-saying-same-thing (athlonsports.com; Phelps)
The first round of the new 12-team College Football Playoff certainly didn't go the ACC's way.
In the first playoff game on Saturday, the ACC runners-up, the 11th-seeded SMU Mustangs, were blasted by the sixth-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions, 38-10. It was ugly from the get-go for SMU, which fell behind 28-0 in the first half. Quarterback Kevin Jennings didn't do the Mustangs any favors, throwing three interceptions.
The second matchup on Saturday was more of the same for the conference. The ACC champions, the 12th-seeded Clemson Tigers, were outmatched by the fifth-seeded Texas Longhorns, 38-24.
Since 2020, every New Year's Six bowl game or playoff game the ACC has been a part of has ended in a double-digit loss. The New Year's Six nickname was used to collectively describe the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Peach Bowl in the era before the playoffs rearranged the bowl schedule. The closest outcome was the 2021 Orange Bowl when the Pittsburgh Panthers fell to the Michigan State Spartans, 31-21.
Even the most recent ACC dynasty, Clemson, has endured a downfall over the past few years. When facing top-tier programs in the SEC this season, the Tigers were swept 3-0.
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2024 ACC Bowl Schedule Analysis (RX; HM)
2024 ACC Bowl Schedule Analysis
ACC Bowls
13 teams, plus Notre Dame, are participating in postseason football this season. Four teams - Cal, Notre Dame, SMU and Clemson - have already played. Notre Dame will play again, but there remain 9 teams yet to play. Let's take a moment to look at how the games are distributed in time and [tv network] space...Time Slots
Weekday Mid-Day
- 2:00 pm 12/26 - Pitt - GameAbove Sports Bowl
- 3:30 pm 12/27 - Ga Tech - Birmingham Bowl
- 2:00 pm 12/31 - Louisville - Sun Bowl
Weekday Prime Time
- 9:00 pm 12/18 - Cal - LA Bowl [done]
- 8:00 pm 12/20 - Notre Dame - CFP 1st round [done]
- 8:00 pm 12/27 - Syracuse - Holiday Bowl
- 7:30 pm 1/2 - Duke - Gator Bowl
- 7:30 pm 1/3 - Va Tech - Duke's Mayo Bowl
Weekend
- 12:00 pm 12/21 - SMU - CFP 1st round [done]
- 4:00 pm 12/21 - Clemson - CFP 1st round [done]
- 11:00 am 12/28 - UNC - Fenway Bowl
- 12:00 pm 12/28 - BC - Pinstripe Bowl
- 3:30 pm 12/28 - Miami - Pop-Tarts Bowl
- 5:45 pm 12/28 - NC State - Military Bowl
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What other ways can we analyze these bowl games? How about...
TV networks
ESPN
- UNLV vs Cal, Wed., Dec. 18, 9:00 pm [done]
- Pitt vs Toledo, Thu., Dec. 26, 2:00 pm
- Ga Tech vs Vanderbilt, Fri., Dec. 27, 3:30 pm
- UConn vs N. Carolina, Sat., Dec. 28, 11:00 am
- E. Carolina vs NC State, Sat., Dec. 28, 5:45 pm
- Notre Dame vs Georgia, Wed., Jan. 1, 8:45 pm [Sugar Bowl, CFP]
- Duke vs Ole Miss, Thu., Jan. 2, 7:30 pm
- Minnesota vs Va Tech, Fri., Jan. 3, 7:30 pm
TNT
- Penn State vs SMU, Sat., Dec. 21, noon [done]
- Texas vs Clemson, Sat., Dec. 21, 4:00 pm [done]
ABC
- Notre Dame vs Indiana, Fri., Dec. 20, 8:00 pm
- Boston College vs Nebraska, Sat., Dec. 28, noon
- Iowa State vs Miami, Sat., Dec. 28, 3:30 pm
Fox
- Syracuse vs Washington St, Fri., Dec. 27, 8:00 pm
CBS
- Louisville vs Washington, Tue., Dec. 31, 2:00 pm
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Biggest Losers 2024 Dec 21 (RX; HM)
Biggest Losers 2024 Dec 21
When you team loses, aren't you glad to know someone else lost even worse than your guys did?
Going into the first round of playoff games, conventional wisdom (i.e. ESPN) said that the most competitive game would be Tennessee vs Ohio State, and that both of the ACC teams would get blown out. In fact, some fans of 3-loss SEC schools complained that Indiana didn't deserve to be in the field after the Hoosiers lost by 10 points Friday night. Well, sad to say, SMU did get blown out Saturday, and Clemson played a competitive game but lost by 2 touchdowns... then Tennessee played Ohio State.
| Loser | Winner | score | MoV | bar chart |
| #11 SMU | #6 Penn State | 10-38 | 28 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| #9 Tennessee | #8 Ohio State | 17-42 | 25 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| #12 Clemson | #5 Texas | 24-38 | 14 | XXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| #10 Indiana | #7 Notre Dame | 17-27 | 10 | XXXXXXXXXX |
Furthermore, while seeding dictated the other visitors should all lose, Tennessee was only one seed below Ohio State. Tennessee was the highest seed to lose, and they lost to the lowest seed. On paper it should've been a close game... unless the Volunteers were overrated, that is.
Clearly the biggest losers were not Indiana, Clemson, or even SMU, but Tennessee along with all those smug "we're better than you" SEC fans who thought that a 3-loss team from their league was better than a 2-loss team from any other.
But then, you didn't need me to tell you those guys are losers, did you?
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Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku Wins Ted Hendricks Award (theacc.com)
Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku was named the winner of the 2024 Ted Hendricks Award, which honors the most exceptional defensive end in college football.
The senior defensive end earned Consensus First-Team All-American honors, making him the 13th Consensus All-American in Boston College history and the first since 2013. Ezeiurku received first-team recognition from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Associated Press (AP), and The Sporting News. In addition, he was selected as a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Ezeiruaku was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the First-Team All-ACC. He was a semifinalist for several prestigious awards, including the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Additionally, he received the Bulger Lowe Award from the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and the Season Gold Helmet Award from the New England Football Writers.
Ezeiruaku led all of FBS in sacks per game at 1.38 and was tops in the country in total sacks in the regular season with 16.5, which tied the BC single-season record. He posted at least one sack in eight games and two or more in six games.
He also led the Eagles with 80 tackles on the season. His 20.5 tackles-for-loss were a team-high and ranked second in FBS. Ezeiruaku added three forced fumbles and 15 quarterback hurries.
The 2024 Hendricks Award trophy presentation will take place early in the year 2025 (time and place to be announced).
Other
From left, Brian and Jeff Hanlon owners of Slate Hill Constructors in Warners. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.comdennis nett | dnett@syracuse.com
Local contractor booted from I-81 project will get another shot at the work (PS; Breidenbach)
A Warners construction company that won, then lost a $251 million contract on a section of the Interstate 81 project will get another chance to win back the work.
The state comptroller’s office on Friday rejected the state’s award to another company and ordered the state Department of Transportation to start over with bids for the fifth of eight contracts on I-81 in Syracuse.
That means SRV Constructors, and others, can submit new bids.
Slate Hill Constructors, of Warners, and two other partners had combined to create SRV Constructors.
Slate Hill Constructors, owned by Jeff and Brian Hanlon, is the only local general contractor to submit a bid on any of the five contracts the state has put out so far on the biggest project in DOT history.
In July, the partnership won a $251 million bid to build the next stretch of I-81, from the southern interchange with Interstate 481 to the elevated viaduct that will be torn down.
In August, the state revoked the contract, saying the partners had not acted in good faith to hire enough minority subcontractors to meet the state’s goal of 9%. The state said the company had missed a deadline to show it had met the goal within 5 days of the award.
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Drunk driver drove down dead-end street into Onondaga Creek in Syracuse, police say (PS; Stuckey)
A 34-year-old drunk driver crashed his truck through a fence and into Onondaga Creek in Syracuse, where it became partially submerged early Friday morning, police said.
Around 1:13 a.m. Friday, Syracuse police officers responding to a call for a crash found a white GMC Sierra in the creek near Crescent Avenue, a dead-end street, police said.
The driver, Anthony Swain, and his passenger got out of the truck before police arrived, police said.
Swain was charged with driving while intoxicated and issued a ticket for speeding, they said.
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