The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the month “September, 2012”

09 Sep 2012

ACC Football Week 2 Recap

Well, with Week 2 in the books, here is how it all went down in ACC-land:

GOOD NEWS:

The ACC elite beat up on lesser opponents handily.  There were no Arkansas-like upsets.  Florida State defeated Savannah State before the mercy rule kicked in, 55-0.  Georgia Tech destroyed Presbyterian, 59-3.  Virginia Tech took care of Austin Peay, 42-7.  Does the Confidential even need links to these games?  Just go here.

Don’t look past the fact that Boston College won convincingly, defeating Maine 34-3.  Maine usually gives FBS schools fits, as further confirmed by leading after the first quarter 3-0.  But BC did what it needed to do.

Clemson looked the part in defeating a decent Ball State squad, 52-27.  So now Clemson sits at 2-0.  Oh and they get Sammy Watkins back next week too.

ACC>Big East.  Nobody is claiming that UConn/Temple are LSU/Alabama, but two underwhelming ACC schools with a host of their own problems rolled into the home stadiums of two 1-0 Big East schools and pulled out victories.  North Carolina State rebounded nicely from its Tennessee loss by defeating a UConn team that has an outstanding defense, 10-7.  And how about Maryland getting to 2-0 by defeating Temple 36-27.  After last week’s offensive debacle against William & Mary, putting up 36 points on Temple is not too shabby.

Tough call here, but let’s put the Syracuse loss to USC in the “good news” department.  Losing 42-29 to a team with more offensive talent than several NFL rosters is nothing to be ashamed about.  In fact, despite being 0-2, Syracuse seems to be ready to return to college football relevance.  They MUST win the next two games though.

THE OK NEWS:

Virginia beat Penn State 17-16, which is a heck of lot better than losing to the undermanned Nittany Lions.  But this is not your grandfather’s Penn State team.  Frankly, this is not even your 2011 Miss America’s Penn State team.  And it’s hard to get too excited about a win over a team that misses an extra point and four field goals, including a 42-yarder.  With Penn State’s best players scattered throughout the country, Virginia did not look too good.

While the Confidential is proud to have picked Wake Forest to beat North Carolina, this still means that North Carolina lost.  Wake Forest showed little in their 28-27 victory to suggest that they can repeat last year’s upset of Florida State next week.  Still, 2-0 is better than the alternatives.

THE BAD NEWS:

The ACC had two games where it traveled to ranked, out-of-conference opponents.  The results were tough to swallow.  Miami completely imploded against Kansas State in the Little Apple, losing by an embarrassing score of 52-13.  Nothing good to take from this game.  And Stanford walloped Duke, 50-13.  Nobody expected Duke to win, but there was hope that this would be a competitive game.  Instead, the two ACC games featuring road games against ranked opponents resulted in a combined 104-26 trouncing.

Meanwhile, the ACC can pretend to ignore Pitt this year, but the Panthers are 0-2 and looking fairly inept in the process after losing to Cincinnati on Thursday, 34-10.  If you watched the game, you saw a coaching staff that appears overmatched.  At the very least, all of these coaching changes have Pitt a step behind its opponents.

On to Week #3…

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
08 Sep 2012

Al Pacino to Play JoePa In Movie? The Confidential Predicts the Rest of the Cast…

Word on the Interwebs is that Al Pacino is attached to play Joe Paterno in a movie based on Joe Posnanski’s biography Paterno.  Ok, so be it.  But the Confidential cannot help wonder who will play all the other major players in the Penn State scandal.  Here are the Confidential’s recommendations.

To make life easier, we’ll borrow from the SI.com article listing the key individuals involved with the scandal:

JERRY SANDUSKY:

Jerry Sandusky

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

It’s hard to argue with the great work that William Shatner has done with the Priceline.com commercials.

FORMER PENN STATE PRESIDENT, GRAHAM SPANIER:
Graham Spanier

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

How about Sir Ian McKellan… from Gandalf to Graham.  Just needs to lose the hat and perhaps darken the hair a bit.  Child’s play for Hollywood makeup artists.

Ian McKellen Picture

LOUIS FREEH, AUTHOR OF THE FREEH REPORT THAT LED TO NCAA SANCTIONS:

Louis Freeh

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

Sydney Pollack was made for this role.

Sydney Pollack Picture

But with his unfortunate passing, we’ll go with someone a little more Italian-American, Armand Assante.  He will probably have a nice watch, which is essential for the role.

 

TIM CURLEY, FORMER PENN STATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR:

Tim Curley

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

Victor Garber, best known as Agent Jack Bristow on Alias.  Of course, he was also in Titanic–which had a more successful ending than Paterno’s career.   All he needs is some glasses.

Victor Garber Picture

GARY SCHULTZ, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE:

Gary Schultz

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

Jeffrey Jones, best known as Principal Rooney from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

We also might have considered John Banner, who played Sergeant Schultz on Hogan’s Heroes.  But he passed away 30 years ago.  Oh well.

MIKE MCQUEARY, ASSISTANT COACH/EYEWITNESS:

Mike McQueary

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

Crap, they don’t hire red-headed actors anymore.  Ron Howard ruined it for everyone.  By default, the Confidential will go with some guy named Damian Lewis that most of you have probably heard of.

 

SUE PATERNO, FIRST LADY OF PENN STATE FOOTBALL:

Sue Paterno

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

Talia Shire.  She was the wife in Rocky.  She was the sister in The Godfather.  I think she is required to be the wife in any movies regarding Italian-Americans.  She’s probably too young, but so is Al Pacino.  Whatever.  Not the Confidential’s problem.

NCAA PRESIDENT MARK EMMERT:

THE CONFIDENTIAL RECOMMENDS:

Jon Voight.  C’mon, he can pull it off.

 

What do you think?  Any better suggestions???

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Non-Serious, Sarcasm, Scandal and tagged , , , ,
06 Sep 2012
2 Comments

ACC Football Predictions for Week 2

The Confidential’s football predictions for this week’s games featuring ACC teams.

Last week was a bit tough… only 8-4.  And with all the ACC-FCS games, that’s not even good.  Although the Confidential did predict the Pitt game to be a two touchdown affair.  On to week 2:

September 6, 2012

Pitt (0-1) @ Cincinnati (0-0), 8:00 p.m.   This is an absolute disaster to predict.  A lot of improvement can happen between Week 1 and Week 2.  Meanwhile, Cincy has to go through its Week 1 jitters.  Can Ohio be responsible for three defeats of Pennsylvania teams (Youngstown St. and Ohio)?  The Confidential says “yes.”  Prediction: Cincinnati: 27, Pitt 17.

September 8, 2012

North Carolina State (0-1) @ UConn (1-0), noon.  Credit NC State for playing a tough couple of opening season games.  But a win would be nice too.  UConn supposedly has an outstanding defense.  Edge to the home team.  Prediction: UConn 17, NC State 13.

Maryland (1-0) @ Temple (1-0), noon.  Sheesh… there is an article about Temple not “looking ahead” to its game against Penn State.  Wow, how far has Maryland fallen?  Not that Penn State has not fallen even farther.  Temple’s schedule is breaking pretty well.  Prediction: Temple 24, Maryland 10.

Penn State (0-1) @ Virginia (1-0), noon.  Penn State has fallen, but Virginia is a program on the rise.  Perhaps the Nittany Lions just need to get out on the road?  Nah.  Prediction: Virginia 28, Penn State 13.

Miami (1-0) @ # 21 Kansas State (1-0), noon.  Is Miami back?  This game will tell the world quite a bit.  The Confidential believes that Miami is the better team and will pull it out.  Prediction: Miami 30, Kansas State 27.

Ball State (1-0) @ #12 Clemson (1-0), 12:30 p.m.  Clemson looked very good against Auburn.  Ball State is a good team, but not as good as Auburn.  Clemson wins its home opener.  Prediction: Clemson 41, Ball State 28.

Maine (0-0) @ Boston College (1-0), 1:00 p.m.  Boston College better be very careful, as Maine always plays well on the FBS stage.  An upset here should shock nobody.  Prediction: Boston College 27, Maine 19.

Austin Peay (0-1) @ #15 Virginia Tech (1-0), 1:30 p.m.  Virginia Tech has been upset early before.  Still, it’s not happening this week.  Prediction: Va Tech 44, Austin Peay 10.

North Carolina (1-0) @ Wake Forest (1-0), 3:00 p.m.  The only ACC game of the week features two in-state rivals.  North Carolina looked great in destroying Elon, Wake Forest looked poor in barely beating Liberty.  Naturally, this means that North Carolina must win, right?  Wrong.  Prediction: Wake Forest 28, North Carolina 20.

Syracuse (0-1) @ #2 U.S.C. (1-0), 3:30 p.m.  Coming off a win over Hawaii, and with Syracuse already saddled with a loss, it’s easy to predict a USC win.  Still… this is one game that has some upset potential.  It really does.  No balls to predict it… but do not discount an upset.  Prediction: USC 37, Syracuse 23.

Savannah State (0-1) @ #6 Florida State (1-0), 6:00 p.m.  You probably read that Savannah State struggled a bit against Oklahoma State, losing 84-0.  It will be better this week, but not by much.  Prediction: Florida State 59, Savannah State: 7.

Presbyterian (1-0) @ Georgia Tech (0-1), 7:00 p.m.  Well, only one of these two teams has a win.  Neither of these teams will have two wins next week.  Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, Presbyterian 10.

Duke (1-0) @ #25 Stanford (1-0), 10:30 p.m.  Duke looked OK in its opener, while Stanford survived Game 1 of the post-Andrew Luck era.  Duke will not handle the road trip well.  Prediction: Stanford 38, Duke 23.

The Confidential apologizes in advance for not picking your team.  There is also a lot of chalk here.  However, predictions are made to be accurate, not controversial.  Feel free to share why we are wrong. 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
05 Sep 2012

The Confidential’s College Football Top 25 & Bottom 4: Week 2

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Football, as well as the Bottom 4 BCS-level teams.  Here is the Week 2 version, with analysis of the top 15 and bottom 4:

  1. USC (1-0): Hawaii is not a horrible team, most likely.  But USC handled them pretty well.  Next up: Syracuse.
  2. Alabama (1-0): A lot of the nation thinks that Alabama is #1.  The beat down of Michigan IS a compelling argument.  Next up: Western Kentucky
  3. Florida State (1-0): The Seminoles already lost a player for the season–a good one in Brandon Jenkins.  His replacement will get a tune-up against Savannah State this week.  Next up: Savannah State.
  4. LSU (1-0):  The Tigers had no trouble with North Texas winning 41-14.   The Pacific Northwest visits the next two weeks with Washington and Idaho making the trip in.  Next up: Washington.
  5. Oklahoma (1-0): The Sooners took care of UTEP, 24-7.  Not exactly an offensive masterpiece.  Next up: Florida A&M.
  6. Michigan State (1-0): Hey, Sparty beat giant-killer Boise State.  Not everyone can say that in a given year.  Next up: Central Michigan
  7. Clemson (1-0): Clemson erased the sour memory of the Orange Bowl by defeating Auburn without Sammy Watkins.  Not too shabby.  Next up: Ball State.
  8. Oregon (1-0): Offense clicked against Arkansas State, as well it should.  Allowing 34 points though?  Next up: Fresno State.
  9. West Virginia (1-0): Defeated in-state rival Marshall, 69-34.  It was quiet an offensive show for the new member of the Big XII.  Look out Oklahoma.  Next up: James Madison.
  10. Georgia (1-0): The Nation will learn a lot about Georgia this week, as it opens up SEC play against newcomer Missouri.  The defeat of Buffalo was… meh.  Next up: Missouri.
  11. Arkansas (1-0): The Razorbacks looked OK defeating overmatched Jacksonville State.  More creampuffs ahead thsi week.  Next up: Louisiana-Monroe.
  12. South Carolina (1-0): Win over Vandy was nice.  The game itself was not so impressive, nor was the officiating that helped the Gamecocks considerably.  Next up: East Carolina.
  13. Wisconsin (1-0): Lackluster performance against Northern Iowa, winning 26-21.  Bigger test this week against Oregon State, especially on the road.  Next up: Oregon State.
  14. Virginia Tech (1-0): On the one hand, the Hokies barely beat Georgia Tech.  On the other hand, how many top 15 teams played a team that good week 1?  Next up: Austin Peay
  15. Michigan (0-1): Michigan looked bad enough to drop out of the top 15.  But Alabama might be just that good.  Next up: Air Force.
  16. Texas (1-0).  Next up: New Mexico.
  17. Ohio State (1-0).  Next up: Central Florida.
  18. Nebraska (1-0).  Next up: UCLA
  19. Louisville (1-0).  Next up: Missouri State.
  20. TCU (1-0).  Next up: Grambling State.
  21. Stanford (1-0).  Next up: Duke.
  22. Notre Dame (1-0).  Next up: Purdue.
  23. Kansas State (1-0).  Next up: Miami.
  24. Florida (1-0).  Next up: Texas A&M.
  25. Oklahoma State (1-0).  Look, you hang 84 points on an FCS school, you are classless.  Enjoy #25.  Next up: Arizona.

* * *

121.  Maryland (1-0).  While losing is worse than winning, beating an FCS team 7-6 is really not something to be proud of.  Yikes.

122. Colorado (0-1).  Remember when the Buffaloes were awesome?  Yeah, neither does the Confidential.  Another win for Colorado State.

123.  Penn State (0-1).  As bad as things are, losing to Ohio has to be a disappointment.  Who knew Temple was the dominant team in Pennsylvania?

124.  Pittsburgh (0-1).  Losing to an FCS team is bad.  Losing at home is worse.  Losing by 14?  Ugh.

So there it is.  If you do not like it… sorry.  But feel free to share your reasons why…

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,
04 Sep 2012
1 Comment

North Carolina Academic Issues: No Punishment Looming For Now

Previously, the Confidential observed that North Carolina’s academic “scandal” seemed highly overblown.  Then, the Confidential had some fun at North Carolina’s expense.  But now it looks like North Carolina has a good chance of being cleared of any wrongdoing.  Indeed, it issued a statement yesterday indicating that the university and the NCAA did not find any violations.  This means no punishment is currently looming for North Carolina.

The key parts of the statement are as follows:

The University first notified the NCAA that it had identified potential academic issues involving student-athletes in African and Afro-American Studies courses on August 24, 2011.  We asked the NCAA to join us in our investigation of these issues, and they agreed to do that. A member of the NCAA enforcement staff traveled to Chapel Hill several times in the fall of 2011 and participated throughout the investigation.

* * *

Based on the joint review, UNC and the NCAA staff concluded there were no violations of current NCAA rules or student-athlete eligibility issues related to courses in African and Afro-American Studies. As a result, the NCAA did not add any allegations or include this issue during the University’s appearance in October 2011 before the Committee on Infractions.

* * *

On Aug. 23, 2012, University Counsel Leslie Strohm and Senior Associate Dean Jonathan Hartlyn provided an update to the enforcement staff.  The NCAA staff reaffirmed to University officials that no NCAA rules appeared to have been broken.

The boldface was added by the Confidential.  The import is that the NCAA will not be punishing North Carolina.

Yet.  Indeed, the statement concludes that North Carolina will keep the NCAA informed as developments warrant.  So, if anything new develops, the Tar Heels may yet run into trouble.

But, for now, Tar Heels fans can rest easily.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Scandal and tagged , ,
04 Sep 2012

ACC Football Rankings: September 4, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  With only only one week of games played, this is how we rank the ACC football schools as of September 4, 2012:

1.  Clemson (1-0)–Clemson had the toughest opponent of Week 1 (Auburn) and still won.  Not sure that Florida State will wait long to  surge past, but Clemson gets the nod for Week 1.

2. Florida State (1-0)–Hey, a 69-3 drubbing of Murray State could be worse.  See the bottom part of the standings.

3. Virginia Tech (1-0)–An important 20-17 win over Georgia Tech in overtime gets the Hokies off to a good start.

4. Georgia Tech (0-1)–Despite stumbling to Virginia Tech on the road, the Yellow Jackets get the nod over Miami and Virginia due to the opponent.

5. Miami (1-0)–Miami went on the road to B.C. and avenged last year’s loss.  32 points was a lot to give up, but the offense looked good.

6. Virginia (1-0)–Richmond is a tough FCS foe, but Virginia handled them appropriately.  Started strong and ended strong, en route to a 41-16 win.

7. North Carolina (1-0)–Well, that was a great way to start the Fedora era–a 62-0 drubbing of Elon.  Not sure we learned much about UNC though.

8. Syracuse (0-1)–If you watched the game, Syracuse dominated a very good Northwestern team.  Silly special teams mistakes made this game close enough for Northwestern to pull it out.

9. Duke (1-0)–Duke looked pretty good in beating a game Florida International team, 46-26.  This was not a squeaker.

10. North Carolina State (0-1)–No shame in losing to an improving Tennessee at a neutral site.  It would have been a great win to take the next step though.

11.  Wake Forest (1-0)–Looked pretty vulnerable in barely beating Liberty, 20-17.  Unlike Maryland, will give Wake the benefit of the doubt that this was just opening week jitters.

12.  Boston College (0-1)–Unfortunately, B.C.’s opening week draw of Miami was too much.  They kept it close but that’s little consolation.

13. Maryland (1-0)–A 7-6 win over William & Mary is not exactly inspiring.  Especially when that TD comes in the 4th quarter.

14. Pitt (0-1)–You lost to an FCS team, you go to the bottom.  You lose at home, but 10+ points to an FCS team?  Wow.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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