As the final hours of 2013 tick down, the Confidential wants to take the time to thank its many readers and followers. So… THANK YOU! Let’s hope 2014 is even better for the ACC, the Confidential, and their fans!
What were the most popular articles of 2013? Here you go:
Dear Santa,
As much as it pains me to say, please disregard my previous letter asking for $1,000,000 and Luke Kuechly to be my boyfriend; instead I’d like to make a more selfless request.
This Christmas, I’d like it if you and your elves could conjure up a Clemson win this post season. It would really mean a lot to me, my family, and the rest of the Clemson faithful. I’m sure you’ve gotten plenty of letters from Buckeye fans, Gamecock fans, and Jesse Palmer, asking for a Clemson loss, but I really hope you’ll consider my request. Here are some cold hard facts as to why you should give me what I want grant my wish:
1. I’ve been good this year—I graduated and became a proud Clemson alumni, joined IPTAY to show my support for Clemson athletes, and I continue to pay my student loans on time (Joy to the World!)
2. It’s Tajh Boyd’s last game—Tajh has been a true blessing to the Clemson program and I’d really hate to see him go out on a sour note. Breaking all kinds of ACC and school records, he will go down as one of, if not the best quarterback in Clemson history. This win could be the cherry on top to an already outstanding career.
3. You look really good in Orange—Look! Seriously, you’re killin’ it.
4. Last time Clemson played Ohio State we didn’t punch anyone—this is a no brainer. Last time we played the Buckeyes it was 1978. Their coach literally grabbed Clemson middle linebacker, Charlie Bauman, and punched him through the facemask after he caught an interception. Shouldn’t they be punished? 36 years later. Sure the coach was fired, but I still feel like the whole team hasn’t fully felt those repercussions.
5. Finally, Clemson doesn’t just need this win, the entire ACC needs it—please consider this selfless request not only on the behalf of my Clemson Tigers, but on the rest of the ACC as well. Try as we might to become a strong football conference, it just hasn’t happened yet. With a Clemson win, you’d be showing the nation that the ACC can produce teams that win…even without that SEC speed.
Merry Christmas and I’ll be looking for you on Santa tracker.
Sincerely,
Mary Stewart Bailey
P.S. If you’re feeling extra jolly, I won’t turn away a million dollar stocking stuffer.
As this college football season comes to a close, so does the Bowl Championship Series (thank goodness, bring on the playoffs). In the final season of BCS bowl games, the Clemson Tigers will make the trek down to Miami to play in the Discover Orange Bowl, their second trip in three years. The Tigers are looking to prove the naysayer’s wrong with a win against the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 3, 2014. The theme of this year’s Orange Bowl is one of redemption.
Well, another football season is behind us. The regular season, anyway. There is a lot to decide yet regarding bowl games and such. But, alas, it is time for the final regular season Confidential Correspondents ACC football poll. For fun, let’s take a quick look at the Week 1 poll results:
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.
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.
Thanksgiving is almost here and most people are busy thinking about the massive amounts of turkey they will be eating come Thursday. Clemson fans on the other hand, have one thing on the mind. Chicken. Garnet and Black chicken. Every year with Thanksgiving comes the Clemson Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks* rivalry game, and every year, we are thankful.
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…
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.
The Confidential 