The Confidential

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02 Jun 2013
4 Comments

New Confidential Feature: Weekly ACC Updates!

The Atlantic Coast Confidential understands that not everyone wants to be an official “follower,” which entitles you to receive an email every time there is a new blog entry.

As such, the Confidential is creating a mailing list for semi-followers, who will receive a weekly email with links to all of the various blog entries of the past week.  This is a happy medium.  Actually, some of our existing followers may want to sign-up anyway, just to make sure that they did not miss a great blog post.

If you are interested in signing up, please do so in the upper, right-hand corner of this page: http://www.mysharedpage.com/acc-sports-weekly.  You’ll have to confirm the sign-up.  Check your SPAM folder if you do not receive promptly.

Of course, if you ever want to be removed from the list [i.e. if your team joins the Big 10 (sad emoticon) or gets the Temple treatment (smiley face)], just send an email to afc44enterprises@yahoo.com.

Interestingly, for this post, we thought it would be neat to note the most popular blog entries from the past week:

This satirical post dominated the readership this past week.  Correspondent: Matt Caffrey

A general criticism of the entire Rutgers, athletic director issue.  Not a banner week for Rutgers.

The third most popular blog entry of the week was this tongue-in-cheek look at the American’s new logo.

Thanks to everyone who helped make these, and other blog entries, popular on the Internet.

GO ACC!

 

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Weekly Updates and tagged , , , ,
02 Jun 2013
4 Comments

Defending Boston College

The recent records speak for themselves.  The Boston College Eagles have been terrible lately.  But ACC fans should not necessarily conclude that Boston College is not carrying its weight.  In fact, Boston College has more than carried its weight since joining the ACC 10 years ago.

First, the ugly.  The last few seasons for Boston College have been terrible.  Charles Barkley-esque “turrible.”  Just look at these recent records:

  • 2012-2013 Basketball: 16-17
  • 2012 Football: 2-10
  • 2011-2012 Basketball: 9-22
  • 2011 Football: 4-8

You do not need a calculator to understand that the Eagles have been awful.

But let’s not get carried away with Boston College’s recent woes.  Did you know:

  • Boston College has a winning record in football every year from 1999 to 2010?
  • From 2001 to 2007, Boston College’s basketball team finished in first place in the ACC and Big East three times, and never finished below 5th place in either conference?
  • That, as we recently noted, Boston College had the fifth best record of all ACC teams this past decade.
  • That, as we also recently noted, Boston College had the sixth best football record of all ACC teams this past decade.
  • Therefore, overall, Boston College has been the 5th best program in the ACC since joining, trailing only Florida State, Virginia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina in revenue sports performance.
  • Boston College has appeared in more ACC football championship games (2), than Miami, NC State, UNC, Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, and Maryland combined (1).

So, while Boston College has fallen on hard times, just think of where they were before this recent sports drought?  In addition to opening up the Boston market to the ACC, the Eagles have more than held their own in the ACC.  And all of this while on an extreme geographic island without traditional rivals (like Syracuse and Pitt).

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Football and tagged , , , , , ,
29 May 2013
9 Comments

The Rutgers Dumpster Fire Continues Unabated…

The Confidential is about the ACC.  The ACC is in competition with the Big 10.  Rutgers is now part of the Big 10.  So we are justified at laughing at the follies of the Big 10 and Rutgers.   But, even if we were not justified, schadenfreude is our weakness.  We have made fun of Rutgers (a fine University, we must note) in the past and we will continue to do so.  Heck, we’ll defend Rutgers, where appropriate.  For today, let’s all take a moment to roast some marshmallows over  the Rutgers’ dumpster fire.

Rutgers A.D.

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
26 May 2013
6 Comments

Capital One Cup Standings Update

What is the goal of an athletic director at one of the schools in the top several conferences?  Is it to win national championships in the revenue sports?  Is it to make consistently good showings in the revenue sports?  Or is it to have a broad array of athletes participating in non-revenue sports?  Well, the Big 10 folks like to talk about how it is the latter.  So what if they are not winning national championships, they are offering teams in skee-ball and hula hoops.  And all that leads to success in the Capital One Cup.

Or does it?

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in Opinion, Rankings, Results and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
23 May 2013
4 Comments

More New Bowls Coming to NCAA Football

It has recently been reported that the Detroit Lions, having mastered the art of running a successful professional football team, are going to sponsor a bowl game in the ultimate holiday destination of Detroit, Michigan.  As a resident of the Detroit metropolitan area, I can make say that without it being offensive, fyi.  In any event, this new Detroit Lions Rust Bowl, or whatever it will be called, has opened the floodgates to numerous new bowls being contemplated/rumored, within even more atypical partners, such as:

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in Bowls, Football, Sarcasm, Satire and tagged , , ,
21 May 2013
1 Comment

ACC & The Olympics

You were probably expecting an article about how the ACC teams do in the non-revenue/Olympic sports.  After all, we devoted several posts to performance in the revenue sports.  See here, here, and here.  No, this article is much more simple.

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Predictions and tagged , , , , , ,
20 May 2013
7 Comments

Revenue Sports Decade in Review

Last week, we analyzed the last decade of ACC performances in football and basketball.  There were some surprises.  For example, Boston College in football and Florida State in basketball.  But what does it mean overall?  How about a ranking of the performances of all schools in both sports?  Here you go.

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 May 2013
16 Comments

ACC Should Add Johns Hopkins for Lacrosse

The Blue Ribbon panel appointed by Johns Hopkins University to evaluate the pros and cons of joining a conference for lacrosse as an associate member has issued its report.  The report recommends pursuing a conference affiliation.  The Confidential believes that the ACC should add Johns Hopkins as an associate member for lacrosse only.

First, the ACC needs a sixth team.  Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia, and it was going to be Maryland.  The loss of Maryland means the loss of the 6th program.

Second, in Johns Hopkins, the ACC gets a huge name in lacrosse, as well as solidifying the Maryland region.  The rivalries are there.

Third, this would be the premier conference in the history of… ever.  Imagine if Alabama, LSU, Florida, and Georgia left the SEC and joined a conference with Florida State and Miami.  Regional and dominant!   Or a basketball conference with Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Michigan State.  You get the picture.  If you are going six, go all the way.

Fourth, Johns Hopkins has a TV deal with ESPNU that it wants to keep.  The ACC’s rights are owned by–wait for it–ESPN.  This part of it works.  How would Johns Hopkins mesh with the Big Ten Network?  Not as easily.

Fifth, Notre Dame set the precedent here with a partial membership.  Not really breaking any new ground.  And other conferences have allowed members for just one sport under similar arrangements.

Finally, the Big 10 wants them too.  Perhaps.  Maybe.  Why be in a conference with Rutgers lacrosse, when you can be in a conference with 5 of the biggest names in, well, ever.  Johns Hopkins looks a lot more like Duke and Syracuse and Notre Dame, than it does a boring flagship state university with 50,000 members.

So there it is.  Everything works for this.  We just need the ACC to beat the Big 10 to the punch.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Lacrosse, Recruiting and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 May 2013
1 Comment

Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams Stock Falling

Few questioned the decision by Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams to forego his last two years of college basketball and enter the NBA draft.  After all, NBA draftniks had been drooling and fawning over MCW for the entire season.  The phrase “certain lottery pick” is enough to convince the Confidential that any player should turn pro.  But this one is getting ugly.

The good news for MCW is that Chad Ford has stated to Syracuse.com that scouts either “love” or “hate” MCW.  So some scouts still love him.  But others hate him?  That seems harsh… presumably they just dislike his game.  But that is bad news.

Even worse is this quote from Ford:

“I know his agent thinks that I’m insane to have him, I think right now, I have him projected outside the lottery,” Ford said. “I think Dallas is a very good possibility for him at 13 and Sacramento is a good possibility for him if Anthony Bennett is off the board. Other than that, I just haven’t identified the other teams where I think he is a fit and they’re high on him.”

The good news for MCW is that he is still likely to be a first-round pick and get guaranteed money.  If so, the decision to go pro was unquestionably a sound move.  If the flaws in his game were not corrected next year, that extra year of college would be wasted.

But it is still a shame to see someone leave school when the “potential” outweighs the “actual.”  If only the NBA and college basketball could work together to allow kids a chance to continue to develop their game in college, without making that a risky proposition from a business sense.

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Draft, Syracuse correspondent and tagged , , , , , ,

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