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The Louisville, Memphis State, and Cincinnati rivalries have spanned many decades and almost as many conferences. These rivalries, that are underappreciated nationally, hold a special place in the heart s of these three universities and fan bases. It is truly a love/hate relationship; we love to hate each other.
It’s been almost a month since the Confidential looked at the current Tar Heel basketball team and not a lot has changed-
We still have no idea who this team is, or what they’re capable of.
If Florida State, Ohio State, and Auburn all win, there will be a lot of debate as to which two teams should play in the National Championship game. If you read the Big 10 fans’ comments, there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding the “system”–especially ESPN–being anti-Big 10 and pro-SEC. All one can say is… what goes around, comes around.
There are now a clear #1 and #2 in the ACC right now, then it gets crazy. Anyway, here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 13. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
With just a few weeks, the ACC picture is starting to take shape. A few teams are out of the bowl picture. Several are locked-in. But how do they rank? Here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 12. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This week, we’ll start with team number #1 and work our way down to #10–where it gets murkier.
There are now a clear #1 and #2 in the ACC right now, as all five voting correspondents this week went with FSU and Clemson. But what about the other slots? Amazingly, Syracuse won on the road, but was dropped from its tie–as the Pitt win over ND propelled them up the voting charts. Anyway, here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 11. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
Duke’s basketball history is not unlike Notre Dame’s football history–so many names. Only the names are clustered into the past 30 or so years, reflecting the glory days of Duke hoops. So picking the 4th is a challenge.
With so many names to choose from, it is hard to choose one. Johnny Dawkins put up incredible points, all before the 3-point shot. Shane Battier was the ultimate glue guy and winner. Grant Hill was a dominant small forward. JJ Reddick was a scorer deluxe, who turned into a great all-around player.
But the Confidential is going to go with Bobby Hurley. Here is why:
Hurley now continues the Duke tradition as a head coach for Buffalo. He is one of many Coach K products to elevate to that level, joining Dawkins, Tommy Amaker, Mike Brey, and others.
So, with all due respect to the other great players at Duke, the final Duke Mount Rushmore is: Coach K, Christian Laettner, Art Heyman, and Bobby Hurley.
Other Mount Rushmores:
For more on the Duke decisions, see the original discussion…
Well, Florida State-Miami was interesting for a while. But there is a clear #1 in the ACC right now: the Seminoles. Here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 10. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
The Confidential is not a source for book reviews or history lessons. And we are not about to get preachy. But there was an interesting story in Deadspin about the history of a Syracuse-Maryland game in 1937. See article: Deadspin.
The 20-word summary: In 1937, Syracuse had to bench its quarterback, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, on a road trip to Maryland because he was not from India (as claimed), but an African-American. This did not sit well with segregationists. With Syracuse traveling to Maryland this Saturday, it is interesting to read how much times have changed. Now, before casting a stone at Maryland, just remember that the NFL was not desegregated yet at that point either. Times have changed in more places than just Maryland. Society has come a long way.
And while one does not ordinarily think of Syracuse University as a racial trailblazer, it does bear mention that there were few African-American quarterbacks even as late as the Donovan McNabb era. For every Warren Moon or Tony Rice, there were numerous other kids forced into different positions based solely on race. Guys like Don McPherson, Marvin Graves, and Donovan McNabb were given the chance to fulfill their dreams of playing quarterback by Syracuse. Under their leadership, Syracuse football was a consistent bowl team from 1987 to 1998. And it was part of a change for college football.
In fact, just look at the ACC Standings:
| ATLANTIC | CONF | OVERALL |
| Florida State | 6-0 | 8-0 |
| Clemson | 6-1 | 8-1 |
| Syracuse | 2-2 | 4-4 |
| Boston College | 2-3 | 4-4 |
| Wake Forest | 2-4 | 4-5 |
| Maryland | 1-3 | 5-3 |
| North Carolina State | 0-5 | 3-5 |
| COASTAL | CONF | OVERALL |
| Miami (FL) | 3-1 | 7-1 |
| Georgia Tech | 5-2 | 6-3 |
| Virginia Tech | 3-2 | 6-3 |
| Duke | 2-2 | 6-2 |
| Pittsburgh | 2-3 | 4-4 |
| North Carolina | 2-3 | 3-5 |
| Virginia | 0-5 | 2-7 |
There are seven teams with conference records at .500 or better. Want to know what they all have in common? They all have African-American starting quarterbacks: Florida State (Jameis Winston), Clemson (Tajh Boyd), Virginia Tech (Logan Thomas), Miami (Stephen Morris), Georgia Tech (Vad Lee), Duke (Anthony Boone), and Terrel Hunt (Syracuse). Needless to say, things have changed considerably between 1999 and 2013, much less 1937 and 2013.
The economy may have been better in the 1950s. The world might have been more sociable and interactive, and less Facebooky and Twittery, in the 1980s. But some things are better today. While we often lament the days of yore–remember, we have made a lot of progress as a society just to get to a point where teams will finally play the QB that gives them the best chance of winning, without regard to the color of his skin.
So much for October, it is now November and the Florida State-Clemson game of the week is a distant memory, as Florida State-Miami will be the contest everyone is still talking about. With two 7-0 teams, it certainly should be. Someone gets a huge strength of schedule boost with win. Even the standings are starting to settle in the top 6. We’ll see who is #1 next week. Here is the Confidential Correspondents Football top 10 Poll for Week 9. Remember, we include Notre Dame and Louisville. This year, we’ll start with team number 10 and work our way to #1.
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