The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

13 Nov 2015

The Collision of Syracuse Basketball and Syracuse Football

“The Syracuse football team is the one that needs to pull upsets to get back to prominence, while the Syracuse basketball team–despite sanctions–will continue to try to avoid same. That has been the case for many years now. So it is nothing new. As the two sports collide every fall, the different trajectories could not contrast more.”

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only
12 Nov 2015

ACC Roundtable of the Confidential Correspondents: Week 10/11

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 19) and the Week that will be (Week 11) 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 10?

  • HHuntley (NC State): This was really an encouraging win. It was the first game without either of the top 2 running backs, and the running game survived. Defense rebounded nicely from the week before.11
  • Lenville (Louisville): The Cards turned in their first complete game & got above .500 for the first time this season. The offense racked over 500 yards through the air & on the ground while the defense held Syracuse to 17 points. The Cards opponents have now committed over 50 turnovers in the last 22 games.
  • Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): That the Syracuse defense continues to be unable to do ANYTHING well.  It is like a chess game between a grand master and a novice.  Another QB coming off the bench to have a career day. 
2. What are you looking to see out of your school in Week 11?
  • HHuntley (NC State): Oh boy, not really for this one. NC State hasn’t had great luck playing in Tallahassee recently, and FSU is going to be coming off a tough loss against Clemson. I guess I’m looking to keep it close…
  • Lenville (Louisville): Will Bolin remain as the starter at quarterback & can the Cards put together another complete game. The Cardinals lost at Virginia last season & will look to get their first victory against their cross division rival to become bowl eligible.
  • Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): This week’s game will have little to do with Scott Shafer’s tenure.   If he wins the last two games, he will likely be back in 2016.  However, will the team respond with the type of performance that they had against LSU?   Will Shafer play to win, rather than his usual “play not to lose”?  I thought he turned the corner with the LSU game and had finally realized this.  Instead, he has regressed miserably.  If the game is still a game after halftime, that will be a baby step.

3. Who impressed you the most in the ACC in Week 10?

  • HHuntley (NC State): UNC looked better than ever in a dominant win over Duke. Does this say more about UNC or Duke? I’m temped to say it’s how good UNC can be, but both teams have had a rollercoaster of a year.
  • Lenville (Louisville): North Carolina is looking good & put together another dominant performance. FSU also gave Clemson a better game than what I was expecting.
  • Commander (Syracuse): How about Miami getting to bowl eligibility?  The ACC could benefit with UNC beating Miami this week, but Miami could win out and have a 10-3 season with a bowl victory.  The loss to Cincinnati stings more than the loss to Clemson.  That is the type of game that Miami HAS TO win 100% of the time.  In any event, if Miami can finish by winning 2 of its last 3, that would make it an 8-4 team heading into the bowls.
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): Chaos reigned supreme this week atop the polls, so my vote right now would be: Clemson, Ohio State, the Big 12 winner, and Notre Dame. I would choose Notre Dame over Alabama because Notre Dame has a better loss right now than Alabama.
  • Lenville (Louisville): 1 Clemson 2 Ohio St 3 Alabama 4 Oklahoma St. The Buckeyes have a chance to jump Clemson for the top spot with Michigan St & other quality opponents coming up on their schedule, including a possibly undefeated Iowa team in the B1G championship game. Oklahoma St should be in after their dominating performance against TCU. Alabama is looking like the best team in the country since their loss but they shouldn’t be any higher than #3, they have quality wins that other undefeated teams just don’t have. I would put Notre Dame, Baylor & Stanford as the next three.
  • Commander (Syracuse): Season ends today & season’s end: 1. Clemson, 2. Ohio State, 3. LSU, and 4. Baylor.   Alabama, Notre Dame, and Stanford are all in mix obviously.

What do you think?  How would you answer these questions?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, ACC Roundtable, Football, FSU Correspondent, Louisville Correspondent, Opinion, Syracuse correspondent, UNC Correspondent and tagged , , , ,
10 Nov 2015

More on Scott Shafer and the Great Guy Narrative

“Do as I say, not as I do,” the Scott Shafer era.

Stephen Bailey ‏@Stephen_Bailey1 2h2 hours ago

Syracuse will not make its QBs available for interview tonight to avoid giving Clemson an advantage in its preparation.
6 retweets 8 likes
The Confidential ‏@acconfi 37m37 minutes ago

@Stephen_Bailey1 @ClemsonTigerNet not very gentlemanly

Like
1
Brannon Shea

10:51 AM – 10 Nov 2015 · Details

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only
09 Nov 2015
18 Comments

Confidential Fantasy Football Game: Week 11 Entry Page

Even if you missed out on Weeks 1 through 10, the Confidential’s Fantasy Football Game is still joinable in Week 11.  You can certainly be a spoiler.  As those who entered know, the game is free and simple… just pick your team.  See rules.  Here is the recap of Week 10 and the standings.  To enter, just comment with your entry for Week 10.

RETURNING ENTRANTS, PLEASE KINDLY POST BOTH LAST WEEK’S ROSTER AND YOUR ROSTER FOR THIS WEEK!  IT WILL BE GREATLY HELPFUL!

ENTRY DEADLINE 7:29 P.M. on THURSDAY NOV 12, 2015!

Good luck to all!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC Fantasy Football, Preview and tagged , , , ,
09 Nov 2015
2 Comments

ACC Fantasy Football: Week 10 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 10–individual team results are located here in the comments section.  In any event, here is the week 10 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):

Josh V = 153.1 pts

MSU = 140.4 pts

Chrislords = 139.9 pts

LD = 139.0 pts

Lenville = 124.6 points

ACwolfpacker = 117.2 pts

Brian = 103.2 pts

Commander = 92.6 pts

HHuntley = 69.6 pts

STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 9:

  1. Accwolfpacker  7-2-1 (15 pts–in a hypothetical 2 pts per win, 1 pt per tie format))
  2. LenvilleCards 6-2-2 (14 pts)
  3. Commander 6-4; LD  6-4 & MSU Bulldog 6-4 (10 pts)
  4. Brian 3-5-2 (8 pts)
  5. HHuntley17   3-6-1 (7 pts)
  6. Josh V  2-5-3 (7 pts)
  7. Chrislords  2-8 (4 pts)

Commander screwed himself again without a QB, but it likely would not have made a difference.  How about Josh V and Chrislords playing the spoiler super effectively, with Lenville narrowing the ACCWoldpacker lead down to a win/tie differential?  3-way tie for 3rd place… with three weeks left!

GREAT JOB BY EVERYONE!   On to Week 11….

Posted by acaffrey in ACC Fantasy Football, Results and tagged , , , ,
09 Nov 2015
2 Comments

Confidential Survivor League Update Week 10

The Confidential runs two fantasy football leagues each year… an individual player league (see here) and a double-elimination survivor league.  We are down to 19 teams, as Duke nipped another team.  In fact, there are only 5 entrants with no losses now.  This week resets the eliminations but requires the selection of two teams:

o User Name Wk4 Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9
1 4 TIME CHAMPS GT DUKE NCST LOU FSU ND VIRG UNC CLEM MIA
2 BCEAGLE74 WF BC NCST ND FSU DUKE UNC LOU CLEM MIA
3 INTOTHEME WF BC VIRG LOU FSU DUKE CLEM UNC ND NCST
4 SUATO92 SYR BC WF ND FSU DUKE UNC LOU CLEM MIA
5 UOFL223 GT SYR NCST LOU FSU DUKE UNC PITT CLEM MIA
6 ACAFFREY NCST BC VIRG LOU FSU DUKE UNC SYR CLEM ND
7 ANDR00MAJ WF BC VIRG NCST DUKE SYR UNC LOU ND MIA
8 CLEMSON82 SYR DUKE VIRG NCST FSU BC UNC PITT LOU ND
9 HHUNTLEY17 BC VTC VIRG UNC FSU DUKE CLEM LOU GT ND
10 HOOPULLED MIA VTC VIRG UNC FSU ND CLEM LOU PITT NCST
11 JFLIPPEN BC NCST VIRG LOU FSU DUKE UNC CLEM GT MIA
12 LD17 SYR BC VIRG LOU FSU DUKE UNC NCST GT MIA
13 LENVILLECARDS WF DUKE VIRG UNC VTC ND CLEM LOU FSU NCST
14 MADCADDIES6 GT BC VIRG ND FSU PITT UNC LOU DUKE CLEM
15 MSU_DAWGS02 WF PITT VIRG UNC FSU DUKE CLEM LOU GT MIA
16 RIGHT PROFILE WF BC UNC LOU FSU DUKE VIRG PITT GT MIA
17 SNATCH ADAMS PITT NCST SYR VTC FSU ND CLEM DUKE LOU UNC
18 TWOHOOS WF BC VIRG LOU GT DUKE UNC NCST FSU ND
19 WAHOO 88 SYR BC VIRG UNC GT DUKE CLEM NCST FSU MIA
Posted by acaffrey in ACC only and tagged , , ,
04 Nov 2015

Comparing G-Rob, Marrone, and Shafer…

For whatever its worth… comparing the last 3 Syracuse football coaches by games against teams with a certain record.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only
03 Nov 2015
2 Comments

ACC Suspends Refs for Violating Pro-Duke Agenda!

(Coach K’s Lap ACC Headquarters): To the surprise of anyone who has ever watched a Duke University game in any sport, the referees at the end of Saturday’s Duke-Miami football game inexplicably made several decisions that failed to benefit Duke.  What is not surprising–of course–is that Atlantic Coast Conference has acted quickly by  suspending those referees.

There are a number of Internet sources that have attempted to document the pro-Duke agenda:

And that is just from the first two pages of one Internet search.  Admittedly, unless you are a Duke fan, you have always suspected that Duke got favorable calls.  In any event, who can forget Jim Boeheim losing his suit coat over the conclusion to a Duke-Syracuse game?

Well, if you had any doubts, the ACC has acted swiftly in suspending the referees from the Duke-Miami game for two weeks.  ACC commissioner John Swofford had this to say:

The Atlantic Coast Conference prides itself on academics, athletics, and ensuring that Duke University receive as many favorable calls and outcomes as possible.  The referees in the Duke-Miami game flawlessly implemented that agenda in the final minutes of the game with a variety of calls against Miami, but then inexcusably failed to do so on the final play.  To the extent that this group believed, erroneously, that Duke must be given an even playing field in football, they have been disabused of such a notion and punished appropriately.

As it stands now, the scoreboard for pro-Duke and anti-Duke officiating outcome resides squarely at 62-1.  The ACC’s ruling will certainly have a chilling impact on calls against Duke for the foreseeable future, so look for that margin to increase.

Posted by acaffrey in Sarcasm, Satire and tagged , , ,
03 Nov 2015

ACC Roundtable of the Confidential Correspondents: Week 9/10

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 9) and the Week that will be (Week 10) 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 9?

  • HHuntley (NC State): All in all, I think NC State played well against Clemson. Without Matt Dayes in the second half, I think losing was inevitable. I’m proud of the effort and not really upset with the result.
  • Lenville (Louisville):The Cards won the turnover battle with 4 interceptions. The secondary displayed poor tackling technique but the front 7 played strong throughout the game. Young has emerged as a threat from this group. The offense found some success through the air while the ground game sputtered along.
  • Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): Florida State sat Cook and Golson, yet turned in one of their better performances offensively against an ACC foe.  What is notable is that Syracuse continues to be outmatched by ranked opponents under Scott Shafer.  Moreover, when the wheels fall off, they rarely get put back on.  That being said, there were a few Syracuse players that, despite their youth, belonged on that field with FSU.  The problem is that FSU’ young defense will mature along with Syracuse’s young offense.  Until Syracuse can field a FBS-level defense, Syracuse will not be able to win consistently.
2. What are you looking to see out of your school in Week 10?
  • HHuntley (NC State): NC State has never won when playing at Boston College. That’s a really bad streak that needs to be broken. Also, being bowl eligible wouldn’t hurt.
  • Lenville (Louisville): Still waiting for the offense to come alive. Can the defense contain Dungey? It will be nice to see Syracuse back in Papa Johns Cardinals Stadium.
  • Commander/ACaffrey (Syracuse): Louisville has struggled offensively, but will they find a way to dominate a Syracuse defense that has not stopped anyone other than Rhode Island?   Probably.  Will the Syracuse offense do more against a Louisville defense than other foes have?  Probably not.  But that is why they play the games.

3. Who impressed you the most in the ACC in Week 9?

  • HHuntley (NC State): In all the Miami/Duke chaos, I think Virginia’s win over GT was a big story. UVA really needed that win, but Georgia Tech couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.
  • Lenville (Louisville): There was plenty of controversy surrounding the finish of the Duke v Miami game but I was more surprised by Virginia getting the win over Georgia Tech. Beamer announcing his retirement at the end of the season also caught me by surprise. He is a living legend & among the all time greats, while it will be sad to see him go I believe it is time. Hopefully VT can find someone who will continue his legacy of excellence.
  • Commander (Syracuse): Jimbo Fisher.  Is there a coach at any elite-level program that carries himself with more class?  He sat Winston before the Clemson game last year.  Urban Meyer would have buried his head in the sand for a week.  Against Syracuse, Fisher played without Golson or Cook, but just went with it in stride.  The offense sputtered for two series, but then went to Plan B–attacking a weak Syracuse secondary.  Many coaching staffs would spend an entire half trying to establish the run or whatever their Plan A was.  Fisher and his staff adjusted quickly and dominated.  Then, after passing for 300 yards in the first half, Fisher took the air out of the ball to coach to a victory.  Despite losing to Georgia Tech, he did not run up the score.  When he went to his 3rd string QB for some first-game action, he allowed a few screen passes to let the kid get some passing experience… without running up the score.  Just a good, smart coach.
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): Ohio State, Baylor, Clemson, and LSU. I actually feel somewhat confident saying this could be my first accurate prediction.
  • Lenville (Louisville): Clemson, LSU, Michigan St & Baylor. Ohio St & TCU are right at the doorstep. Not much changed this week but next weekend will showcase some CFP showdowns like Clemson v FSU & LSU v Alabama. The committee will finally let their voices be heard starting this Tuesday.
  • Commander (Syracuse): Season ends today & season’s end: 1. LSU, 2. Clemson, 3. Ohio State, 4. TCU.  LSU and Clemson get tough matchups–lose and drop out–perhaps permanently.  Unfortunately for the ACC, a 12-1 FSU might be on the outside as well–a loss to Georgia Tech will do that.

What do you think?  How would you answer these questions?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, ACC Roundtable, Football, FSU Correspondent, Louisville Correspondent, Opinion, Syracuse correspondent, UNC Correspondent and tagged , , , ,
02 Nov 2015
21 Comments

Confidential Fantasy Football Game: Week 10 Entry Page

Even if you missed out on Weeks 1 through 9, the Confidential’s Fantasy Football Game is still joinable in Week 10.  You can certainly be a spoiler.  As those who entered know, the game is free and simple… just pick your team.  See rules.  Here is the recap of Week 9 and the standings.  To enter, just comment with your entry for Week 10.

RETURNING ENTRANTS, 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 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2015!

Good luck to all!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC Fantasy Football, Preview and tagged , , , ,

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