sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Argyle Day!
Argyle—people seem to either love it or hate it. Argyle Day was created as a way for people to brighten up winter by wearing argyle, the more the better. Some people just wear argyle socks on the day, but some are known to wear argyle hats, sweaters, dresses, and pants as well.
Argyle is a diamond pattern with overlapping diagonal lines. The design came from the tartan of Clan Campbell, a clan from Argyll, a county that was in western Scotland. They used it in their kilts and plaids. By the seventeenth century, the Scottish were wearing "tartan hose," which look similar to the argyle socks of today.
SU News
Syracuse football: an early look at the 2025 defense and special teams by position (TNIAAM; Wall & Fowler)
In what was a year to remember for the Syracuse Orange offensively, it’s easy to forget the woes on defense and mishaps on special teams. SU finished the season among the bottom half of teams in the ACC in points allowed (29.2 PPG), yards allowed from scrimmage (377.5 yards), and takeaways (16) — against a schedule of opponents with a combined win percentage barely above .500. Oh, and the road doesn’t get any easier in 2025, especially without guys like Justin Barron, Marlowe Wax, Fadil Diggs, among others, leading the way.
Let’s look at what the Orange defense has to offer by position next season:
Defensive Line
Departing: Fadil Diggs (eligibility), Braylen Ingraham (eligibility), Michael Nwokocha (transfer)
Returning: Dion ‘Tank’ Wilson Jr., Isaiah Hastings, KingJoseph Edwards, Denis Jaquez Jr., Kevin Jobity Jr, Chase Simmons, Stan Modo, Xavier Miles, Maarad Watson, Rashard Perry, Grant Winter, Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff, and Clark Calloway
Incoming: Chris Thomas, Jr. (Transfer from Marshall), Haleem Muhammad (HS, three-star), EJ Thomas (HS, three-star), Nathan Nyandoro (HS, three-star), Elijah Crawford (HS, three-star), Nissi Ogbebor (HS, three-star)
Early Outlook: Losing Fadil Diggs to the NFL draft stings. A team-leading 7.5 sacks and 45 total tackles as an All-ACC honorable mention edge rusher, and just a real focal point on the defensive line for opposing teams to game plan around. But, that being said, Syracuse returns junior Denis Jaquez Jr. (third on the team in sacks, behind Diggs and Wax), 247Sports’ Midseason Freshman All-American Maarad Watson (2nd among defensive lineman in total tackles), redshirt junior Chase Simmons, and former-four star KingJoseph Edwards, who hopefully continues to develop after not seeing much playing time this season (seven total tackles and three sacks in three games). Plus, the Orange get some help from 6-6 329-pound Marshall transfer Chris Thomas Jr. —who finished his junior season with 43 total tackles, two pass deflections, and a sack— and incoming three-stars Nathan Nyandoro and Nissi Ogbebor (both 6-6 and more than 260-pounds). There’s some potential for this group, considering a lot of these guys are young and still developing, but after what SU’s DL produced in 2024 the bar is set pretty low in 2025.
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Syracuse QB Kyle McCord's 5 TD passes earn him a spot on AP's all-bowl team (bedford.com; Megargee)
The expansion of the College Football Playoff has led to an evolution in how The Associated Press puts together its all-bowl team.
It didn’t make much sense to measure players who competed in one bowl game against guys who were participating in as many as four playoff contests. So we’ve decided to put together two postseason all-star teams – one for those who competed in non-playoff bowl games and one for playoff participants. The former is below and the latter will be released after the Jan. 20 title game.
For the purposes of putting together this team, the offense includes two running backs, three wide receivers and an all-purpose player. Since some teams operate in a 4-3 defensive scheme and others use a 3-4, there is room for four defensive linemen as well as four linebackers.
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We went with five overall offensive linemen rather than specifying two tackles, two guards and one center. Our secondary also includes four general defensive backs rather than making sure we included two cornerbacks and two safeties.
The non-CFP AP All-Bowl team:
QB Kyle McCord, Syracuse
McCord threw five touchdown passes – tying a single-game school record – while going 24 of 34 for 453 yards with no interceptions as No. 22 Syracuse won a Holiday Bowl shootout 52-35 over Washington State. That capped a year in which McCord threw for 4,779 yards, breaking Deshaun Watson’s Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record.RB Dylan Edwards, Kansas State
Edwards ran for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries as Kansas State rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl. His 36-yard score put Kansas State ahead for good with 4:15 left. He also caught two passes for 27 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown.RB Rahjai Harris, East Carolina
Harris ran for 220 yards on 17 carries and put East Carolina ahead for good by producing an 86-yard breakaway with 1:33 remaining in East Carolina’s 26-21 Military Bowl triumph over N.C. State.WR Ja’Kobi Lane, Southern California
Lane caught seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns in Southern California’s 35-31 Las Vegas Bowl victory over Texas A&M.WR Junior Vandeross, Toledo
Vandeross had 12 receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown as Toledo outlasted Pitt 46-46 in a GameAbove Sports Bowl thriller that lasted a bowl-record six overtimes. His catch of a two-point conversion pass in the final overtime session provided the winning margin.WR Jeremiah Webb, South Alabama
Webb caught six passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns – a 52-yarder and a 45-yarder – in South Alabama’s 30-23 Salute to Veterans Bowl victory over Western Michigan.TE Harold Fannin, Bowling Green
Fannin’s the only player on this list whose team lost its bowl game. He had 17 catches for 213 yards – both records for a tight end in a Bowl Subdivision bowl game – and scored a touchdown as Bowling Green fell 38-31 to Arkansas State in the 68 Ventures Bowl.OL Quinn Carroll, Minnesota
Carroll typically has lined up at either guard or right tackle, but he stepped in for an injured Aireontae Ersery and played left tackle for the first time in his life at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Carroll’s smooth transition helped Minnesota beat Virginia Tech 24-10.OL J.C. Davis, Illinois
This left tackle didn’t allow any pressures and committed no penalties while facing a South Carolina defense that ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams in sacks per game. His performance helped No. 21 Illinois win 21-17 over No. 14 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.OL Cory Godinet, UTSA
Godinet didn’t allow a sack or a hit on his quarterback while helping UTSA gain 513 yards – 257 rushing and 256 passing – in a 44-15 Myrtle Beach Bowl blowout over Coastal Carolina.OL Bryce Lovett, Florida
Lovett had the best overall Pro Football Focus game rating among Florida’s starting offensive linemen for his performance in the 33-8 Gasparilla Bowl rout of Tulane. The Gators gained 529 total yards and had the ball for nearly 39 minutes.OL Pat McMurtrie, James Madison
McMurtrie capped a season in which he didn’t allow a single sack by helping James Madison beat Western Kentucky 27-17 in the Boca Raton Bowl. James Madison didn’t give up any sacks in the entire game.All-purpose Kevin Davis, Miami (Ohio)
Davis rushed for two touchdowns — including a 97-yarder — and also had an 81-yard kickoff return as Miami (Ohio) defeated Colorado State 43-17 in the Arizona Bowl. He totaled nine carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns plus two receptions for 16 yards.DL Fisher Camac, UNLV
Camac recorded three sacks and six tackles — four for loss — and forced a fumble and broke up a pass as No. 24 UNLV defeated Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl.DL Justin Reed, Navy
Reed brought down Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. on a two-point conversion attempt with six seconds left to preserve Navy’s 21-20 Armed Forces Bowl victory. Reed finished the game with four tackles and a sack.DL Ty Robinson, Nebraska
Robinson collected four tackles – 1 ½ for loss – a sack and a pass breakup while helping Nebraska limit Boston College to 47 yards rushing in the Cornhuskers’ 20-15 Pinstripe Bowl triumph. Robinson also entered the game at fullback and served as the lead blocker on Kwinten Ives’ 2-yard touchdown run.DL Pryce Yates, UConn
Yates recorded six tackles – three for loss – and a sack while helping UConn limit North Carolina to 206 total yards and no third-down conversions in the Huskies’ 27-14 Fenway Bowl victory.LB Chandler Martin, Memphis
Martin made 17 stops to tie a Memphis record for tackles in a bowl game as the 25th-ranked Tigers defeated West Virginia 42-37 in the Frisco Bowl.LB Red Murdock, Buffalo
Murdock scored on a 31-yard interception return, forced two fumbles and made 13 tackles – 2 ½ for loss – in Buffalo’s 26-7 Bahamas Bowl victory over Liberty.LB Nick Rinaldi, Vanderbilt
Rinaldi produced 10 tackles and two sacks as Vanderbilt defeated Georgia Tech 35-27 in the Birmingham Bowl.LB Charles Willekes, Arkansas State
Willekes made 11 tackles – one for loss – and broke up a pass while helping Arkansas State limit Bowling Green to 46 yards rushing on 24 carries in the 68 Ventures Bowl.DB Matthew Bailey, Illinois
Illinois’ scheme had Bailey playing all over the field in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, as he spent most of his time at safety but also played some slot corner and often lined up in the box or near the line of scrimmage. He responded by collecting 13 tackles in the victory over South Carolina.DB Aamir Hall, Michigan
Hall made nine tackles and a sack, forced a fumble and broke up a pass as Michigan won 19-13 over No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.DB Isaiah Hamilton, Ole Miss
Hamilton scored on a 50-yard interception return – the first pick-6 by an Ole Miss defender since A.J. Finley’s 52-yarder against Texas A&M in 2021 – as the Rebels trounced Duke 52-20 in the Gator Bowl. Hamilton was part of a stellar Ole Miss secondary that also included Trey Washington, who made 10 tackles.DB Jaylon Jimmerson, Sam Houston
Jimmerson picked off two passes and returned one of them for a 29-yard touchdown in Sam Houston’s 31-26 New Orleans Bowl win over Georgia Southern. He also had 10 tackles. He was the first defensive player since 2004 to get named the bowl’s most valuable player.K Blake Craig, Missouri
Craig made a tying 51-yard field goal with 10:10 left and a go-ahead, 56-yarder with 4:36 remaining as No. 23 Missouri edged Iowa 27-24 in the Music City Bowl. Craig’s two big kicks gave him the slight edge over Virginia Tech’s John Love, who made a 60-yard field goal in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.P Andrew Stokes, South Florida
Stokes averaged 50.5 yards on six punts as USF outlasted San Jose State 41-39 in a Hawaii Bowl that lasted five overtimes. Stokes posted the fourth-best, single-game average in school history and had a 72-yard punt that tied a program record.KR Zavion Thomas, LSU
Thomas scored on a 95-yard kickoff return in LSU’s 44-31 Texas Bowl victory over Baylor. He totaled 155 yards on four kickoff returns and also had a 17-yard punt return.PR Parker Kingston, BYU
Kingston reached the end zone on a 64-yard punt return as No. 17 BYU won 36-14 over No. 20 Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. Kingston totaled 105 yards on four punt returns.Will Kyle McCord Comeback to Syracuse Football if Granted a 5th Year? | Syracuse Orange Podcast (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Syracuse Orange Football Head Coach Fran Brown provided an update regarding the status of quarterback Kyle McCord. Coach Brown said yesterday that he thinks the NCAA will come to its decision on whether or not to grant McCord another year of eligibility this week. If McCord gets the approval from the NCAA, he'll get the choice to return to Syracuse or remain in the 2025 NFL Draft. If the appeal is denied, that'll most likely mean the end of McCord in Syracuse.
Jackson Holzer previews the NCAA's decision on McCord on this mini edition of the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
Syracuse football heavily in mix for 4-star DBs from Fla., one ranked No. 26 overall (itlh; Adler)
Given that Syracuse football first-year head coach Fran Brown was formerly the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia, it's no surprise that Brown and his top-flight staff are pursuing elite players in the secondary at the high school level and via the transfer portal.
Additionally, as I've noted in numerous columns lately, the Orange coaching staff is recruiting the talent-laden Sunshine State extremely hard in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 cycles. This brings me to the focus of this particular article.
Recently, national recruiting director Adam Gorney provided an update on various four-star players in 2026 and 2027, including two 'Cuse targets. They are 2026 four-star safety Ayden Pouncey and 2027 four-star cornerback Kenton Dopson III, both of whom hold Orange offers and have visited the Hill.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Pouncey is a standout junior at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Fla. He received a scholarship offer from Syracuse football coaches on May 6 of last year.
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Syracuse Orange: What the heck is up with the ACC in football and hoops? Just brutal. (itlh; Adler)
While I tend to revert to positivity over negativity, if I'm being honest, the Atlantic Coast Conference is in a rough spot, although Syracuse football certainly put forth a stellar 2024 season, going 10-3 overall and headed for a top-20 national finish.
Syracuse basketball, on the other hand, is struggling, to say the least. I voiced my frustration there in this column from Monday.
As the College Football Playoff ("CFP") heads toward its semifinal round later this week, the ACC in football laid a total egg during bowl season, going just 2-11 overall. The ACC's only two bowl triumphs came from Syracuse football, which beat Washington State in the Holiday Bowl late last month, and Louisville.
Look, I get that bowl games don't have the same cache as they once did, given the transfer portal's explosion, opt-opts, NIL and other factors, as my brother Chuck Fiello articulated in a recent piece.
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Shawn French | Podcast Host on Instagram: "From one store to building fitness spaces for colleges and high schools, it all started with a vision. ️♂️ @gordiegronk shares how his father, a former Syracuse football player, launched G&G Fitness 35 ye
1,489 likes, 87 comments - theshawnfrench on January 7, 2025: "From one store to building fitness spaces for colleges and high schools, it all started with a vision. ️♂️ @gordiegronk shares how his father, a former Syracuse football player, launched G&G Fitness 35 years ago to bring...
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ACC News
Former Pitt Linebacker Stays in ACC, Commits to Virginia Tech (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Breisinger)
Former Pitt linebacker Jordan Bass is returning to his home state after committing to another Atlantic Coast Conference program.
Bass — a 6-foot-4, 215-pound rising junior from Hampton, Va. — committed to Virginia Tech Tuesday evening, he announced on X.
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The Phoebus High School product entered the transfer portal after two seasons at Pitt and fielded offers from USC, Virginia Tech, NC State, Kansas, UNLV and Norfolk State before ultimately returning home to play for the Hokies.
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https://247sports.com/college/usc/l...ght-acc-failures-big-ten-victories-243652497/ (247sports.com; Bahns)
While the ultimate goal for most programs is to reach the College Football Playoff and contend for a national championship, Bowl Season still holds plenty of weight in determining the success of a given season. Some leagues fared far better than others in the 2024 postseason, with the ACC struggling the most of any conference in a massively disappointing run of bowl play. The Big Ten and SEC finished towards the top of the leaderboard and sent an additional bevy of teams to the playoff.
Even in an era where the CFP takes center stage and opt-outs plague numerous bowl games, there were a number of must-see moments in this postseason's non-New Year's Six contests. From a six-overtime thriller to the ever-popular Pop-Tarts Bowl, the 2024 season finales had a little bit of everything to offer.
Excluding playoff games, it became clear in Bowl Season how the conferences stacked up against each other and which teams took the postseason seriously or not.
Here are the final Bowl Season records for each conference, sorted by win percentage:
10. PAC-12 (0-1)
Winners: NoneLosers: Washington State
Washington State put up a valiant effort in the Holiday Bowl considering its extensive coaching staff departures and wave of transfer exits. Even without Jake Dickert on the sideline and top-ranked transfer John Mateer leading the offense, the Cougars racked up 21 points in the first quarter of a 52-35 loss to Syracuse. Zevi Eckhaus was fantastic in his starting debut at quarterback, racking up 363 yards and three touchdowns through the air plus an additional score on the ground, and wide receiver Kyle Williams put on a show when he accounted for just under half of that aerial yardage (172).
9. ACC (2-9)
Winners: Syracuse, Louisville
Losers: California, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Boston College, NC State, Duke, Virginia Tech
For a league battling to position itself next to the Big Ten and SEC as premier conferences, the ACC did nothing to help its cause in bowl season. In addition to Clemson's and SMU's first-round playoff losses, nine other teams stood on the losing side of their postseason games while only Syracuse and Louisville hoisted trophies. What's more, four of the defeats came against non-power opponents. Miami took heat for its Pop-Tarts Bowl loss after it campaigned heavily for a playoff berth and came up short of inclusion in the bracket, and Cam Ward was at the center of discussion after he opted out of the second half.
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Realignment vs Major Bowl History (RX; HM)
Realignment vs Major Bowl History
It's almost the off season (only 3 CFB games left!), and Tony Altimore is once again churning out infographics in the form of X posts. Today, we'll examine some of his recent posts on the subject of realignment as seen through major bowl wins by current conference members...
There's a lot of information in this tweet, but we're going to focus on one chart in particular:
This chart shows the impact of realignment on conference football pedigree as measured by current membership all-time major bowl wins.
For instance, who says ACC expansion hasn't been for football? Historical ACC teams won 19 major bowl games, with the 2 departed members (S. Carolina, Maryland) accounting for 2 of those. However, thanks to expansion, its new members have added an additional 98 major bowl wins, making it the clear #3 conference in this regard (based on current conference membership).
This also makes the ACC an interesting case study, which we'll swing back to in a moment...
| Realignment Impact | |||
| Conf. | #Hist. | #Lost | #Gained |
| Big Ten | 85 | 0 | +106 |
| SEC | 96 | 0 | +62 |
| ACC | 19 | -2 | +98 |
| Big XII | 122 | -105 | +43 |
| Pac-12 | 76 | -73 | +4 |
| Big East | 122 | -121 | +2 |
2025 ACC Pro Football HoF Finalists (RX; HM)
2025 ACC Pro Football HoF Finalists
From the official ACC release of Monday, January 6, 2024...
Three ACC Alumni Named Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (the.ACC.com) – Three of the 15 finalists in the Modern-Era Player category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 presented by Visual Edge hail from a current Atlantic Coast Conference school. The 2025 finalists include multi-time finalists Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, as well as first-time honoree Luke Kuechly.
- Torry Holt, Wide Receiver (NC State) - 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Luke Kuechly, Linebacker (Boston College) - 2012-19 Carolina Panthers
- Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver (Miami) - 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
Up to five modern-era players can be elected, and each must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent.
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Other
Upstate NY property sold for $4.1 million to The Wetland Trust
Scott Congel, son of the late mall developer Robert Congel, has sold the picturesque White Lake property in DeWitt to The Wetland Trust for $4.1 million.
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Son of Destiny USA developer sells picturesque White Lake site in DeWitt for millions (PS; $; Moriarty)
Scott Congel, the son of the late Destiny USA developer Robert Congel, has sold for $4.1 million the scenic White Lake property in DeWitt that was the focus of a yearslong legal battle with neighbors.
Congel sold the pristine 459-acre site to The Wetland Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of freshwater wetlands throughout New York, according to a deed filed in the Onondaga County Clerk’s office Dec. 6.
Though privately held, the heavily wooded property is popular for its miles of informal walking trails with views of White Lake. It serves as a buffer between the Jamesville Quarry to the south and the residential neighborhood along Woodchuck Hill Road to the north.
Homeowners on Woodchuck Hill Road sued Congel in the late 1990s over his plans to build homes for his family, including his father, on the lake.
Congel bought the property in 1997 from General Crushed Stone Co., then the owner of the Jamesville Quarry, for $300,000. When he proposed building homes on the property, four neighbors, including two doctors, sued to stop him.
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The 363-mile Erie Canal connected the Hudson River and Lake Erie which had far-reaching impact on both New York State and the United States (Erie Canal Museum Collection).Erie Canal Museum Collection
Erie Canal Museum commemorates 200 years of Erie Canal history (PS; Westerlund)
The Erie Canal Museum is commemorating the final year of the Erie Canal Bicentennial in 2025 and has an exciting year of programming on the horizon to explore the last 200 years of Erie Canal history and look towards the next 200 years.
Connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie, the 363-mile-long historic Erie Canal radically transformed the social and economic landscape of New York State. The Erie Canal Museum revealed last month that their guiding theme for 2025 will be titled “(Re)volutions.”
The Erie Canal story is one of both gradual and radical change, and the museum’s theme will examine both the revolutionary and evolutionary aspects of the Canal’s past present, and future.
“The opening of the Erie Canal 200 years ago was in many ways a revolutionary event,” says Derrick Pratt, the museum’s director of education. “It shaped our communities, the state, and nation in so many different ways, from opening up trade between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic to helping spark the abolition and women’s rights movements plus it lead to a lot of smaller developments that we take for granted or don’t hear much about today. We’re excited to be highlighting a lot of these transformations this year in our programs, and I’m especially excited for our lecture series, which is going to feature some top of the line historians, artists, and community leaders.”
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