Syracuse & Atlantis
“The keys to the game, as they almost always will be, are as follows: (a) shoot well; (b) avoid turnovers; (c) rebound competently; and (d) avoid foul trouble. You can lather, rinse, repeat, for that particularly set of keys.”
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Happy Thanksgiving ACC-Style!
Once again, it is Thanksgiving… so Happy Thanksgiving ACC-fans! May you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend! In honor of same, we are going to take a moment to guess what each ACC school is particularly thankful for on this 2015 edition of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Please feel free to share your opinions on Twitter or by commenting below:
BOSTON COLLEGE: Thankful to have the Northeast market cornered, blocking a school like UConn–who has much more basketball success and even a BCS-bowl appearance.
CLEMSON: Dabo Swinney. The guy has been a great coach, but primarily because he also changed the culture. Nobody sincerely speaks of Clemsoning anymore. You can credit Swinney for that. And the Tigers sit very well heading into its rivalry game with South Carolina.
DUKE: Coach K. Could there be any other answer? For the past 30 or so years, Coach K has kept Duke front and center in basketball. There are only so many coaching icons in the world… and Coach K is clearly one o them. While someone off the Coach K coaching tree will likely do well, it will certainly not be AS good. Be thankful.
FLORIDA STATE: Jameis Winston. Jimbo Fisher is one o the best coaches in football and, by all accounts, a good man. He led Florida State back to a championship, as well as a playoff appearance last year. However, as you can see this year, a football team is only as good as its QB play. Without Winston, Florida State has fallen back to the pack. The whole roster shares credit for the Championship, and Fisher certainly does, but do not discount the impact that Winston had on that season.
GEORGIA TECH: This is a tough one, as the Yellow Jackets revenue teams are having a tough year (football) and tough stretch (basketball) recently. Need some help!!!
LOUISVILLE: One word: Jurich. This man oversaw the Cardinals rise to being an ACC member and huge contributor. With top notch basketball and football, as well as the ability to bring in coaches, Louisville has a better athletic department overall than its in-state rival Kentucky.
MIAMI: Location, location, location. While the job that Jim Larranaga is doing is second fiddle to the football team’s ups and downs among alumni, the fact that Miami sits within one of the best recruiting spots in the country will ensure that coaches will want to flock there. Fans are nice, but talent wins games. Miami needs a coach who will take advantage of the location.
NORTH CAROLINA: The mercy of the NCAA. What Fedora is doing is amazing. What Roy Williams has going on in hoops is impressive. But North Carolina needs to be thankful for an NCAA that probably does not want to drop the hammer on the Tar Heels for its academic fraud issues. Maybe it is not mercy, but something more. But whatever it is, if the NCAA could do what it did to Penn State (rules be damned), it could do the same to North Carolina.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE: Like Georgia Tech, North Carolina State has been good, but not great. There is not an iconic coach to point to right now. But North Carolina State certainly does not embarrass itself. So let’s give the nod to the athletic department, who ensures that NC State gets 4 wins every year before hitting conference play. Too many other schools set their football team up for failure worrying about schedule strength. Save that concern for the big boys.
NOTRE DAME: Brian Kelly. But for history, Notre Dame would be just another program. There are much better football programs right now. But Notre Dame’s history still means something. Still, Brian Kelly has Notre Dame swaggering right now in a way that his recent predecessors have not been able to. The best recruiting classes are meaningless if you do not know how to use them. Kelly knows how to coach. And the Fighting Irish are in the playoff discussion because of it.
PITTSBURGH: Pat Narduzzi. The Panthers have had decent recruiting for several years now. Only Narduzzi has taken Pittsburgh above the Birmingham Bowl-esque heights. And in his first season. And without all-ACC RB James Conner. For all the talk of risky coaching changes and injuries, do not ignore what Narduzzi has done.
SYRACUSE: James Arthur Boeheim. While Don McPherson, Marvin Graves, and Donovan McNabb have given Syracuse fans much to cheer about football-wise during his tenure, and the Carrier Dome has been a source of pride for the school and locals, it is Boeheim that gives people outside of Syracuse a reason to talk about Syracuse. With a national championship, a few more final fours, and a long string of good-to-great seasons, things are always interesting when it comes to Syracuse hoops. Be thankful.
VIRGINIA: Thomas Jefferson. Why not? Ok, let’s go with Bennett. He has the hoops team playing very well… #1 seed well lately. It is hard to be great in football and basketball, so enjoy success wherever it comes.
VIRGINIA TECH: Frank Beamer. This man has run a good football team in the right way for a long, successful time. The Hokies will make a good hire. That man will have HUGE shoes to fill. And history says that most of the time, such shoes do not end up being filled.
WAKE FOREST: The ACC. If Wake Forest was not in the ACC right now, it would be well on the outside of the P5 conferences. And if things ever shake up, Wake Forest will certainly be low on the desire list for conferences. Be thankful for the ACC, Demon Deacons.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT ARE YOU MOST THANKFUL ABOUT FOR YOUR SCHOOL?
NCAA Vacating Wins is Absurd
What do fans of other schools think? Does vacating wins EVER make sense???
ACC Expansion Options
With 14 teams, there is still room to add 2 teams… the right “2 teams” into the Atlantic Coast Conference. This, of course, does not mean that expansion will be happening, much less any time soon. This post will merely explore the teams that are out there and inquire, of you, what you would prefer to see.
The elephant in the room is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish do not want to join a conference. We discussed yesterday that adding Navy/Notre Dame might be more palatable, as it would convert an OOC opponent into a conference opponent. But the reality is that Notre Dame simply does not want to join a conference until it absolutely has to. And many fans do not even deem being excluded from the playoffs such a circumstance.
Navy. While Navy has a good location, it is not a needle-mover revenue-wise outside of luring Notre Dame. Therefore, adding Navy only happens if Notre Dame comes with them. And who is to say that Navy even WANTS to be in a P5 conference?
West Virginia. The Mountaineers are sitting happily in the Big XII. That being said, adding West Virginia to the ACC would restore several rivalries, as well as some geographic common sense. The Big XII has a grant-of-rights, so this is not likely to happen anytime soon.
UConn. The Huskies are a basketball near-elite, even without Jim Calhoun and notwithstanding some tough years. They are eager to join. The problem is that they add little or nothing in football–the true revenue sport. They also add little or nothing on the TV revenue side of things, as Boston College/Syracuse cover the Northeast areas already. Unlike the above, they are certainly eager to join.
Cincinnati. Like UConn, Cincinnati is eager to join. The football has had more historical success and opens up a new market–even if a hugely distant second to Ohio State. Ohio is also a fertile recruiting ground. The hoops are not horrible. They have an NFL stadium nearby to use for the big games. Don’t rule it out.
Temple. With historically good hoops, and historically poor football, this seems unlikely. However, Philadelphia is a potential market to tap–even if Penn State and Pittsburgh generally dominate the state. Like Cincinnati, Temple would have access to an NFL stadium for big games. While the football team is perhaps most notable for being in the movie Unbreakable, they have had success with Golden and Ruhle. Never say never.
Texas. Ha ha ha. Just kidding. Although one might be able to convince Texas to accept a Notre Dame-esque 5-game schedule, it is difficult to envision Texas abandoning Texas Tech for such a membership. Unless the Big XII is going to die, which is unlikely at this point, Texas need not make a move.
East Carolina. The fifth North Carolina school finds itself in a similar boat as South Florida and Central Florida. Just not enough “market” addition to justify adding in a good football school regardless of on-field performance.
Memphis. The work done by the football team recently is notable, but the hoops has declined to offset any such gains. There is just not enough here to justify an addition.
And then, of course, there is the “do nothing” option. Why add any school and water down what is already there? If ND or Texas are available as permanent members…listen. But otherwise there is no need to make ANY move.
So here are the options… what do you think?
Roundtable of the Confidential’s ACC Correspondents: Week 12/13
Welcome to the ACC Roundtable of the ACC Correspondents! As is and will be the plan for the remainder of the football season, the Confidential correspondents will discuss the Week that was (Week 12) and the Week that will be (Week 13) for the ACC and their respective schools. Tell us what you think below.
1. What was most notable about your school’s performance in Week 12?
- HHuntley (NC State): State put together an adequate performance this weekend. Not great, but not bad.
- Kevin (Louisville): Most notable for UofL was holding PITT to only 3 second half points after helplessly coughing up 35 in the first half.
- Alwin (North Carolina): The resiliency and clutch performance in OT, even though it was brought on by not taking care of the ball. Oh, and the defense seemingly carried the offense until the end there. That was new.
- Lenville (Louisville): The Cards experienced a complete breakdown in the 2nd quarter at Pittsburgh. That was easily the ugliest quarter that I ever remember them playing as the Panthers were overwhelmingly dominant, putting 35 points on the scoreboard. The Cards needed a QB change & a 49 yard TD bomb to pull back within 42-24 at the half.
- Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): In a game that could have saved his job, Scott Shafer continued to be unduly risk averse, choosing a FG rather than going for the score on 4th and goal from the 1. Later, down 21-3, he would go for a two-point conversion. Not to be a hypocrite, but you have to know your football situation. Why eschew an easy 1 point to take an offensive play from the 3 yard line (net possible gain of 1 point), when you did not try to get extra points on an offensive play from the 1 yard line (net possible gain of 4). Plus, even if you fail on the 4th and 1, the other team STILL has to start from the line of scrimmage. Instead, he again showed that he lacked confidence in his offense to score from the 1 and in his defense to take advantage of an opponent starting at the 1. And in the end, the A.D. and fans lacked confidence in Shafer (who was fired).
2. What are you looking to see out of your school in Week 13?
- HHuntley (NC State): This is the big one. A chance to spoil a nearly spotless season for the rival…doesn’t get much better than this. It would be typical NC State to win this game when it makes no sense at all.
- Kevin (Louisville): This week I need to see a UofL team that can avoid long mental lapses and an offensive line that can create some resemblance of an average running game. Last, I want to see defensive backs who can prove they can actually tackle in space as they will get opportunities against Boom Williams and JoJo Kemp.
- Alwin (North Carolina): I’m really looking for a complete effort in enemy territory. It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be insane, and it’s going to be intense. We need to play our best game of the season Saturday for many reasons.
- Lenville (Louisville): Good effort & focus from start to finish. It’s the last game of the regular season & the Cards are still looking for a QB to step up & claim the position of full time starter. To prevent our in state rival from getting to 6 wins & bowl eligibility for the second straight year.
- Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): As bad a head coach as Shafer turned out to be, he was still a very good defensive coordinator and helped bring Syracuse back to respectability. He is also, by all accounts, a good man. I hope that he has a nice send off at the Dome this week with a supportive crowd and a victory.
3. Who impressed you the most in the ACC in Week 12?
- HHuntley (NC State): Boston College sure gave Notre Dame a scare. That’s the second time this season they’ve done this. If they were bowl eligible, they’d be scary.
- Kevin (Louisville): I was most impressed this week by North Carolina. They held off a very stingy VA Tech team in their house who had nothing to lose and looking for an upset.
- Alwin (North Carolina): Virginia Tech. I know that may be biased considering they pushed us to the brink in the beginning of the game it looked as if the emotion had been spent sending Coach Beamer off, but they never gave up.
- Lenville (Louisville):Pitts 2nd quarter performance against the Cardinals. The secondary was no match for Boyd & they took full advantage of it. The Cards were able to make some halftime adjustments & were able to make a comeback just to come up short.
- Commander (Syracuse): Miami keeps on winning. Is there any chance that their interim coach gets retained by the new staff? Recall that Urban Meyer kept Luke Fickell at Ohio State. It would not be unprecedented.
4. If the playoffs started today, who would you vote in? Who do you think will be there at season’s end?
- HHuntley (NC State): Clemson, Alabama, B1G champion, and Big 12 champion. Sorry Notre Dame, but getting a week off is going to cost you.
- Kevin (Louisville):I think the following will be in……Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
- Alwin (North Carolina): Clemson, Alabama, Iowa, and Oklahoma (for now)
- Lenville (Louisville):Today I would have 1 Clemson, 2 Alabama, 3 Iowa & 4 Notre Dame. My prediction for the final rankings are 1 Clemson, 2 Alabama, 3 Oklahoma & 4 Michigan State. Notre Dame could still be a factor in the final poll with a victory over Stanford.
- Commander (Syracuse): Season ends today & season’s end: 1. Clemson, 2. Alabama, 3. Notre Dame; 4. Iowa. By season’s end: 1. Alabama; 2. Clemson, 3. B1G Champion; 4. Notre Dame. If so, the Big XII would be left out again. Maybe time to go to 12 teams???
What do you think? How would you answer these questions?
Imagine the ACC with Notre Dame and Navy
Once upon a time, the Confidential tossed around the idea of Navy as a suitable replacement for Maryland location-wise and as a partner with Notre Dame as the 15th and 16th teams. Obviously, Notre Dame is not ready for a conference, but they might start inching closer if they are 11-1 and outside the playoffs. The loss of a 13th game hurt the Big XII last year and could hurt Notre Dame this year–even with a win over Stanford. While everyone thinks UConn as team #16, and the Confidential has always thought West Virginia made even better sense than UConn, Navy has its merits too.
Ranking the Potential Syracuse Coaching Hires
Early ranking of the potential Syracuse hires. How do YOU rank them? Let us know…
Who Should Be the Next Syracuse Football Coach?
Source: Who Should Be the Next Syracuse Football Coach?
Who knew that Syracuse would fire Shafer today? In any event, the discussion continues.
Confidential Fantasy Football Game: Week 13 Entry Page
There is a three-way tie for first place heading into this week! As those who entered know, the game is free and simple… just pick your team. See rules. Here is the recap of Week 12 the standings. To enter, just comment with your entry for Week 13.
PLEASE KINDLY POST BOTH LAST WEEK’S ROSTER AND YOUR ROSTER FOR THIS WEEK! IT WILL BE GREATLY HELPFUL!
ENTRY DEADLINE 11:59 A.M. on FRIDAY NOV 27, 2015!
Good luck to all!
ACC Fantasy Football: Week 12 Recap!
Thanks to all those who continue to participate in our weekly fantasy football league! It is a free game. There is a prize on a season-long basis. The rules are here. Feel free to enter the season-long game. These are the results from Week 12–individual team results are located here in the comments section. In any event, here is the week 12 recap:
As always, this is done by hand so the potential for error is there. It is final in 48 hours.
RESULTS
With 9 entries, 4 teams get wins (bold), 4 teams get losses, and 1 team gets a tie (italic):
MSU = 131.5 pts
Brian = 129.5 pts
Chrislords = 126.5 pts
Commander = 122.5 pts
ACwolfpacker = 114.4 pts
LD = 102.0 pts
Josh V = 101.3 pts
HHuntley = 90.9 pts
Lenville = 80.6 points
STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 12:
- Commander 8-4; MSU Bulldog 8-4 (16 pts)
- Accwolfpacker 7-3-2 (16 pts)
- LenvilleCards 6-4-2 (14 pts)
- LD 6-6 (12 pts)
- Brian 4-6-2 (10 pts)
- HHuntley17 4-7-1 (9 pts)
- Chrislords 4-8 (8 pts)
- Josh V 2-6-4 (8 pts)
Wow… three way tie for first place right now! And Commander/MSU edged ahead of ACCWolfpacker… the first time in a long time that there is a new #1. As a reminder, here are the tiebreakers:
The team with the best record after the week of November 28th is the winner. If there are ties, they will be resolved by which team had the most wins. Next, the team with the better record head-to-head all season. If there is still a tie, most points on the season. Beyond that, the prize is just split. The Confidential does not flip coins or penalty kicks or any other lame tiebreakers.
GREAT JOB BY EVERYONE! On to Week 13….
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