The Confidential just spent 1,000 words explaining that Syracuse deserved to be 25-0. They most certainly did–even with their flaws. But those flaws came out in full force in a loss to Boston College last night. And now Syracuse most certainly deserves to be 25-1. Only the specifics of that “1” are such that there is significant cause for concern. And perhaps even relief. Here is why.
So this past week was a bit of a downer for the Pack following the rout loss at UNC. It might have been OK if it were even close, but the Pack was trounced in the first half and while the second was better, let’s face it, the Heels really didn’t have to try anymore.
Just as an exercise in getting our collective minds off that game, let’s take a look at the remaining schedule and make some predictions: Read more…
An interesting point was made by acaffrey in the comments section of his recent article regarding potential division realignment in the ACC and the ramifications of moving to a schedule with 10 conference games.
The schools that pack their stadiums need 6 or 7 home games a year.
Coincidentally, I started compiling the attendance data for ACC home games just before the end of the regular season but never got around to completing a full post. So, it was a good reminder and a perfect opportunity to look deeper at which schools can boast the best attendance. Read more…
The Confidential has been saying for weeks now that the ACC had a great chance of getting 11 bowl-eligible teams and detailed the scenarios needed to make it happen. I’m very proud to report that the scenarios we projected occurred almost exactly to plan.
The good news is that, thanks to Syracuse’s win over Boston College to close out their regular season, the Orange are now 6-6 and are bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. Furthermore, the ACC can now boast that they have 11 teams that are eligible for post-season play. That’s a record for the Conference and matches the SEC’s best.
The bad news is that thanks to Clemson’s complete meltdown on National TV against their in-state rivals, the ACC is likely to only have 1 representative in the BCS. Granted that one representative will likely be Florida State in the National Championship Game, but losing out on a 2nd BCS team not only means lost revenue (approx. $18M) but also makes it more difficult to find bowl sites for the remaining 9 bowl eligible teams.
Worst of all, that means that there is a good chance that at least one bowl-eligible team from a Power Conference will not be invited to a bowl game this year. Currently Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina are all on the bubble. Read more…
The Confidential acknowledges that Pitt/Miami have already squared off, but there is little argument that the game did not feature a rivalry at the same level as most of the games this week. Still, Miami’s win kept them alive in the battle to reach the ACC Championship game. But the main event is today’s slate of games. Let’s take a closer look.
Week 13 ended in the ACC and the bowl picture is one-step closer to being finalized. As this blog has been projecting for the past few weeks, the ACC is still on track to place 11 teams in post season play. Read more…
Last week, we looked at some of the scenarios that could play out to get 11 ACC teams in postseason play. And so far, the plan is coming to fruition.
With week 12 in the books, two more teams have clinched bowl eligibility bringing the total number of teams that will go bowling up to 8, with three more that are still fighting for the requisite six wins. Read more…
With 3 weeks remaining in the regular season, the ACC bowl picture is starting to take shape. Six teams have already secured their positions in post season (Florida State, Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech, Duke, and Georgia Tech).
Unfortunately for some, their hopes of post season play are gone (Virginia), while North Carolina St. and Wake Forest are not eliminated but have uphill challenges to get to eligibility.
For the rest of the conference however, there is still a lot of promise. In fact, depending on how things shake out down the stretch, the ACC could potentially send 11 teams Bowl Games.
Read more…
If you doubt whether ACC football can be huge, the moments prior to kickoff of Clemson-Florida State should quickly disabuse you of that. What a great job by the Clemson athletic department and fans to make the scene truly memorable. Unfortunately, Clemson did not follow through on the field. But let’s take a look across the ACC.
Well, another interesting week in the Atlantic Coast Conference comes and goes. The team that needed to win the most to help the conference’s standing–Clemson–pulled off the win. Narrowly. But let’s take a look across the ACC.
The Confidential 