The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the category “Football”

04 May 2013
4 Comments

Weekend Topic: ACC Football Divisions

The folks over at Tomahawk Nation have a nice debate, albeit FSU-centric, as to how the ACC divisions should be reconfigured.  So let’s delve in and discuss.

Given that the current divisions are just a random collection of whatever that nobody could possibly remember, here are they are as of right now:

Atlantic: Florida State, Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest, Maryland (Louisville in 2014), Boston College, Syracuse

Coastal: Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh

The Confidential has previously advocated for a quasi-geographic breakdown of the teams.  John Cassillo over at atlanticcoastconvos proposed the same thing on the Tomahawk Nation blog (midway down):

Atlantic: Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College, Pitt, Maryland (Louisville)

Coastal: Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech

The teams are listed above/below a permanent crossover.

This is essentially the “Old ACC less Virginia.”  Or N/S, plus Miami and Louisville.  Miami works with the North.  Virginia?  Maybe, maybe not.  But they would play UNC every year.

But the FSU folks have an interesting suggestion or two, including a straight–let’s get a strong strength of schedule method proposed by SirChancelot:

Atlantic: Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami, Louisville, Pitt, Virginia

Coastal: Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, BC, Syracuse, and Georgia Tech

The logic being that the football schools can beat up on each other and establish a strength of schedule that matches up with the SEC.  And if the ACC-Championship Game is garbage, so what?  It always is anyway.  Better to have the 11-1 team get to 12-1 without hassle.  Frankly, the Confidential sees some logic in it, but questions the choice of schools.  How about this instead:

Atlantic: FSU, Miami, Va Tech, Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Louisville

Coastal, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Virginia

If anyone runs the table in the Atlantic, they should be sitting pretty from a strength-of-schedule standpoint.

Of course, if anyone runs the table in the ACC in any format, will they be excluded from a strength-of-schedule standpoint anyway?  That seems to be a fabricated issue.  It is not strength of schedule that harms the ACC schools, it is losing to teams that one should not lose to.

Moreover, playing all those games may help the strength of schedule, but wouldn’t it increase the chances of a bunch of 4-3 teams.

The Confidential’s perspective is that the ACC has a poor image because it is not top-heavy enough.  The B1G is Michigan and Ohio State usually.  The Big XII is Texas and Oklahoma usually.  The Pac-12 is USC or Oregon usually.  Exceptions happen obviously, but that is what we can expect.  The SEC is great because there are 5 teams that have the ability to run the table–and one or two of them usually do.  The ACC may have a couple of schools that “can,” but they always falter along the way to middling schools.  Bunching up the great teams is not going to help.  However, the idea of ignoring competitive balance has merit.  One can never get it straight anyway.

Otherwise, the suggestions over there involve a re-assortment of the current system.  Swap Miami for Florida State, or Clemson for Georgia Tech.

Nobody suggested this one… organize by number of words it takes to state the school:

Atlantic (1 word): Clemson, Miami, Pitt, Louisville, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse

Coastal (2 words): Georgia Tech, Florida State, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest

Actually, that is not bad competitive balance for football.  Hmmmm.

From the Confidential’s perspective, the priority of the conference should be as follows:

  1. Maximizing TV revenue–gotta keep up with the Joneses
  2. Maintaining traditional rivalries
  3. Easy of remembering divisions –nobody should have to look up who is in each division, whether an ACC fan or not
  4. Maximizing gate revenue–more $$$
  5. Competitive balance
  6. Ensuring high strength of schedule
  7. Other?

What do you think–what is THE most important thing that the ACC must consider if/when rearranging the divisions for football?   What is your proposal?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Football, Schedule and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
03 May 2013
12 Comments

ACC Bowls: The Future

ESPN.com has a fairly comprehensive look at the ACC bowl picture as it transitions from a 12-team conference to a 15-team conference (including Notre Dame).  The article notes the possibility that the “league might increase its bowl affiliations to nine or 10” and change some of the bowls.  So let’s take a closer look at some of the bowls being discusssed.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl.  As you know, this bowl game is played in New York City.  With the Big East transitioning to the American, the inclusion of the ACC in the Big East’s slot makes sense.  There is also scuttlebutt on the Internet about the B1G taking over for the Big XII with a bowl tie in for that game.  Such a decision makes complete sense.  Just look at the schools that could potentially face each other in that game:

  • B1G: Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland
  • ACC: Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh

All six schools have significant proximity to the NYC market.  Plus, one could envision these schools not being selected for better bowls.  And Penn State will be grappling with its sanctions.  There are numerous combinations of schools that would lead to interesting matchups.  It really is a slam dunk, no brainer, grand slam, whatever you want to call it for the bowl and both conferences.  And if Notre Dame is part of the mix?  Consider it done.

Gator Bowl.  Until 2009, this bowl game involved the ACC.  Seems like a natural fit given its location in Jacksonville and the ACC’s two Florida-based schools.  Not to mention Georgia Tech and Clemson being relatively close.

Belk Bowl.  This Charlotte-based bowl is currently an ACC-Big East event.  There is apparently talk of switching to an ACC-SEC matchup.  As with the Pinstripe Bowl, it is hard to disagree with that logic.  Again, look at the teams in the region:

  • ACC: North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, Louisville, Clemson
  • SEC: Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina

Once again, you have teams that are likely to qualify in the region.  Also, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, and the Mississippi schools are nearby.  Another nice fit.

In fact, between these three bowls alone, every single ACC team would have a regional bowl tie-in.

What do you think, are there are any other bowls that the ACC should try to get tie-ins with?

  •     

 

Posted by acaffrey in Bowls, Football and tagged , , ,
02 May 2013
3 Comments

ACC & 2014 NFL Draft

After a great 2013 NFL Draft weekend, it is time to start looking ahead to the 2014 NFL Draft.  At least that is the case if you are a draftnik like ESPN’s Todd McShay!  He already has a ranking of the top 32 NFL Draft prospects for 2014. 

There are a handful of guys with ACC ties on this preliminary list.  Obviously, much will change in the next 12 months.  But here are the guys with ACC ties getting love from McShay:

  • #2  Teddy Bridgewater QB  Louisville
  • #7  Louis Nix III  NT  Notre Dame
  • #8  Tajh Boyd  QB Clemson
  • #14  Timmy Jernigan  DT  Florida State
  • #18 Stephon Tuitt  DT  Notre Dame
  • #20 Jeremiah Attauchu WR Georgia Tech
  • #21  Sammy Watkins WR Clemson

So that is 4 guys playing in the ACC and 7 guys with ACC ties.  Not sure what anyone else thinks, but the ACC is claiming Notre Dame effective immediately.  So we will call it 6. 

As always, the  SEC is the dominant conference, with 14 guys on the list.  The Big 2/Little 12….err… B1G has 3–exclusively represented by Michigan and Ohio State.  The Big XII has two.  The Pac-12 actually finishes ahead of the Big XII and B1G with 5 guys on the list. 

What do you think?  Who is McShay leaving out from the ACC?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Draft, Football, Predictions, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
01 May 2013

Notes from Recent Preseason Polls

On Monday, I noticed two offseason polls of interest: the first one was a post Spring football poll for 2013 by ESPN’s  Mark Schlabach  and the second poll was for college basketball on CBS Sportsline.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each:

Football Top 25

ACC (3) 4. Louisville, 12. Clemson, 14. Florida State

Big 10 (5)

Big 12 (5)

SEC (6)

Pac 12 (4)

Notre Dame was ranked #10.

I’m excited about the GOR signed last week, but I’m embarrassed by the lack of solid football programs in the conference.  The potential is there-I’m speaking about Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, NC State-for the ACC to consistently have at least five teams in the Top 25.

Basketball Top 26

On the other hand, the new ACC received a ton of respect in the Sportline Poll.  Four ACC teams were ranked in the Top 11 and seven were ranked overall.

ACC (7) Louisville, Duke, UNC, Syracuse in Top 11

BIG 10 (5)

BIG 12 (1)

Pac 12 (2)

SEC (3)

Florida State and Louisville were the only ACC schools to appear in both (football and basketball) polls.  FSU will certainly move up in basketball if Andrew Wiggins picks the Seminoles in the next two weeks.

Strength in Basketball Helpful for ACC Network?

Most media pundits have pointed to the direct correlation between football performance and television money.  However, few mention the fact that conference network money is driven by “quality” inventory beyond football.  I believe the number of solid basketball programs with diehard fan bases will make the ACC Network viable for ESPN and profitable for all of the teams that recently made a commitment to the conference.  How many people are going to be watching the SEC network? (FYI: I will not watch.)  All of the notable football games are covered by the national networks.  Are people going to watch Alabama vs. Vanderbilt in basketball?  Meanwhile, the Big 10 has a similar advantage to the ACC with several viable non-football programs to provide year round inventory and interest.

Posted by wtnoleacc in ACC Network, Basketball, Football, FSU Correspondent, Rankings, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
01 May 2013
5 Comments

Syracuse is a “Football Factory”?

One of the Confidential’s favorite reads is the Tuesday Morning Quarterback by Gregg Easterbrook on ESPN.com.  Although harping on the same issues week after week can get tedious (we get it–coaches should not punt, blitz, pass, or switch jobs), there are usually some good nuggets scattered within the articles.  Interestingly, his post-draft article almost suggested that Syracuse is a “football factory.”

His specific quote was as follows:

The Bills’ new head coach, Doug Marrone, is coming from NCAA football to the NFL. He had a college-style draft — using his picks on a quarterback, two wide receivers, a speed linebacker, two defensive backs, a tight end. Marrone didn’t draft any linemen on either side of the ball, using all ammo for flashy guys. At a time when speed dominates Division I football, a head coach coming over from a football factory may obsess about getting flashy guys, while taking the line for granted. Taking the line for granted is a fatal error in the NFL.

It is certainly plausible that the sentence describing head coaches and flashy guys was not directly addressed to Marrone and Syracuse.  Still, it is kind of nice to even have some confusion as to whether someone meant that Syracuse was a football factory!

Although Syracuse had dark times during the G-Rob era (and by dark, we mean “bubonic plague” dark), Syracuse is a program that was above average from 1987 to 2001.  Well above average, actually.  Many players went from Syracuse to stardom in the NFL, including Rob Moore, Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison, and Dwight Freeney.  It would have been a plausible argument during the 2002 NFL Draft.

2013?  Not so much.  But it is nice to have the discussion.

What do you think?  Was Syracuse a football factory?  Ever?  Circa 2000?  Or does one have to go back to the 1960s to make that argument?  More importantly, what does the future hold for the Orange?

 

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion, Something Positive and tagged , ,
30 Apr 2013

Pittsburgh Removes Football Players From Program

This weekend’s NFL draft featured the selection of exactly ZERO players from Pittsburgh.  This is odd because Pitt usually had among the best recruiting classes in the Big East.  They are able to keep a lot of that great Pennsylvania talent to stay at home… but it rarely translates into wins.  And now the team is going backwards—having to dismiss two players and indefinitely suspend two others.

Head coach Paul Chryst did a nice job to keep the team bowl-eligible in 2012, after yet another coaching change.  One ugly part of the coaching job is discipline issues.  And it has reared its head in Pittsburgh lately.  As noted above, Chryst had to remove two players from the team permanently and indefinitely suspend a third:

Tight end Drew Carswell and defensive back Eric Williams, both juniors, have been removed from the team. Carswell, Williams and defensive tackle Khaynin Mosley-Smith were all suspended last week after police made a drug raid on their house.

Yikes.  Not a good thing when a drug raid occurs at the house of players.

And then, in a separate incident, Chryst gave the indefinite suspension penalty to yet another player–QB Tra’von Chapman.  Chapman was arrested in Ohio over the weekend for assault and something called “unlawful restraint.”  Whatever it is, it isn’t good.  ESPN had Chapman as the 20th best QB coming out of high school.

Pitt has had better football weekends, that’s for sure.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Scandal and tagged , , , , , ,
28 Apr 2013
4 Comments

FSU Sets School Record – Tops for NFL Draft

This is my first post for ACC Confidential as the new contributor for the Seminoles of Florida State. I grew up in the middle of Big 10 country (Indiana), but fell in love with all things FSU during my first game at the Doak. Im looking forward to a turn around in ACC football and total domination during the basketball season.

Let’s begin…

Florida State had 11 former players drafted in this week’s NFL draft setting an all-time school record and leading all teams. 2012 Champion Alabama had 9 players drafted. The Noles got off to a fast start with three players drafted in the first round on Thursday evening and another two in the early portion of the second round accounting for 5 of the first 42 picks.

Seminoles drafted in the Top 42 picks:
EJ Manual QB 16th (Bills)
Bjoern Werner DE 24th (Colts)
Xavier Rhodes CB 25th (Vikings)
Tank Carradine DE 40th (49ers)
Menelik Wilson OT 42nd (Raiders)

Obviously the cupboard was filled with talent for the Noles last year.

Jimbo and Quarterback U?

With the selection of EJ Manual in the first round of the draft, Jimbo Fisher has solidified his reputation for developing quarterback talent. Fisher has now coached three recent quarterbacks that were drafted in the first round. In addition to Manual, Christian Ponder (2011) and JaMarcus Russell (2007)-from Fisher’s days in LSU-were drafted in the first round.

Posted by wtnoleacc in ACC only, Draft, Football, FSU Correspondent and tagged , , , , ,
28 Apr 2013
4 Comments

ACC Draft Recap

Regardless of how well or poorly the ACC does in BCS games, the conference is putting people in the NFL.  Just take a look at all of the ACC players drafted this weekend.  So that you can keep tabs on your former favorites (or even enemies) as they take their talents to the NFL, here is the complete list:

Round 1:

  • Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina, Arizona Cardinals
  • EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State, Buffalo Bills
  • Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse, New York Giants.
  • Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State, Indianapolis Colts
  • Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State, Minnesota Vikings
  • DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson, Houston Texans
  • Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina, Denver Broncos

Round 2:

  • Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Manti Te’o, ILB, Notre Dame, San Diego Chargers
  • Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State, San Francisco 49ers
  • Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State, Oakland Raiders
  • David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State, Washington Redskins

Round 3:

  • Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State, Tampa Buccaneers
  • Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina, Houston Texans

Round 4:

  • Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse, New York Giants
  • Shamarko Thomas, SS, Syracuse, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Malliciah Goodman, DE, Clemson, Atlanta Falcons

Round 5:

  • Earl Wolff, SS, North Carolina State, Philadelphia Eagles
  • Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia, New York Jets
  • Jonathan Meeks, SS, Clemson, Buffalo Bills
  • Brandon McGee, CB, Miami (Fla.), St. Louis Rams
  • Chris Thompson, RB, Florida State, Washington Redskins
  • Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State, Washington Redskins

Round 6:

  • Corey Fuller, WR, Virginia Tech, Detroit Lions
  • Vinston Painter, OT, Virginia Tech, Denver Broncos
  • Jamoris Slaughter, SS, Notre Dame, Cleveland Browns
  • Dustin Hopkins, K, Florida State, Buffalo Bills
  • Nick Moody, OLB, Florida State, San Francisco 49ers
  • Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson, Arizona Cardinals
  • Mike James, RB, Miami (Fla.), Tampa Buccaneers
  • Theo Riddick, RB, Notre Dame, Detroit Lions
  • Kapron Lewis-Moore, DT, Notre Dame, Baltimore Ravens
  • Vince Williams, ILB, Florida State, Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 7:

  • Travis Bond, OG, North Carolina, Minnesota Vikings
  • Tommy Bohanon, FB, Wake Forest, New York Jets
  • Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland, Green Bay Packers (just in case you still care about the Terps)
  • Everett Dawkins, DT, Florida State, Minnesota Vikings
  • Zeke Motta, SS, Notre Dame, Atlanta Falcons
  • Sean Renfree, QB, Duke, Atlanta Falcons

Schools with nobody drafted: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Pittsburgh

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Draft, Football and tagged , , , , , , , ,
26 Apr 2013
1 Comment

ACC All Over the 1st Round of the 2013 NFL Draft

When previewing the NFL draft, it was noted that there were numerous players with ACC connections expected to be taken in the first round.  With the first round completed, the ACC more than held its own.

  • Jonathan Cooper, a guard from North Carolina, was taken by the Arizona Cardinals at pick #7
  • In one of the true draft surprises, the Buffalo Bills selected Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel with the 16th pick.
  • Syracuse’s Justin Pugh, an offensive lineman, was taken nineteenth by the New York Giants.
  • Tyler Eifert, a tight end from Notre Dame, was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals at pick #21.
  • The Indianapolis Colts selected Florida State defensive end, Bjoern Werner with the 24th pick.
  • In a mini-run on Florida State Seminoles, the Minnesota Vikings followed up by taking cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
  • The Houston Texans selected Clemson’s DeAndre Hopkins, a wide-receiver, with the 27th pick.
  • The 28th pick was North Carolina’s Sylvester Williams, a defensive tackle.

Thus, of 32 players taken, 25% have ties to the present or future of the ACC.  Even excluding Pugh and Eifert, the ACC contributed nearly 20% of the first round.  That is fine by any standard.

In case you were wondering, the SEC had 12 players drafted and the Pac-12 had 5 players drafted.  The Big XII had three players drafted.  Brigham Young, the AAC (Houston), the Mac (Central Michigan), and the Big 10 (Wisconsin) had one player drafted each.  There is no doubting the supremacy of the SEC, but the ACC has, once again, supplied players to the NFL disproportionate to its success on the field.

Notably, no players from Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Louisville, or Pittsburgh were selected in the first round either.  It is hard not to be excited about the potential for the new-look, newly-revenued ACC when it comes to football.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Draft, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
24 Apr 2013
3 Comments

College Football Playoff

The elite of college football will begin meeting soon to decide many important things, such as the name to give the soon-to-be here college football playoff.  ESPN sources are already revealing the name of this college football playoff.  The college football playoff will be called the College Football Playoff.

Hmmm….

Hopefully, the NCAA did not waste a lot of money to determine that the best way to name the college football playoff would be to simply use capital letters.  Of course, this is the same organization that has the following logos for teams:

Yes… capital letters mean a lot to the NCAA.

There is plenty more on the agenda though:

  • “Other items on the agenda this week include the naming of the first national title game site as well as the six bowls that will make up the semifinal rotation for the next 12 years.”  No word on whether “First National Title Game Site” will be the name for this first site.  We’ll see.
  • “Sources told ESPN the Fiesta, Cotton and Chick-fil-A bowls will join the Rose, Sugar and Orange bowls in the six-bowl semifinal rotation for college football’s new playoff.”
  • Arlington, Texas, specifically Cowboys Stadium, will be awarded the first national championship game on Jan. 12, 2015.
      Very interesting discussions will be held on determining who makes up the committee to determine which four teams make the playoffs.   If you think selection Sunday is a big deal, when 95% of the teams are beyond dispute, just imagine the furor that will be caused in determining which 4 of several possible candidates will make the playoffs.  There will be 1-loss teams excluded.  Yikes.  Witness protection program might be in order.

Speaking of the witness protection program… here is an amusing clip to finish the article, a favorite of the Confidential:

Posted by acaffrey in Football and tagged ,

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