The Confidential

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Archive for the tag “Maryland”

22 Aug 2012

Around College Football

With the college football season only 8 days away, the Internet debates and discussions are really starting to heat up.  The Confidential notes that there are some great arguments being tossed around the blogosphere these days.  Please go check out these blogs.

First, Frank the Tank is always sharing something useful.  Today’s blog was about Notre Dame, everyone’s favorite punching bag.  Frank the Tank does a good job providing an objective analysis of Notre Dame and its position in college football.  The Confidential with paraphrase substantially, but the gist is that, even if you hate the Domers, you have to admit that they are doing nothing “wrong.”  They have a contract with NBC and a deal with the BCS that it deserves because that was given to them in arms-length negotiations.  If and when Notre Dame does not deserve these things, they will cease getting them.  So the haters should just go back to rooting for Notre Dame to lose and stop being bothered about Notre Dame’s perks.  The Confidential agrees (and not just because it wants to brown nose Notre Dame until it joins the ACC).

Second, ACC Football Rx has its preseason projections out.  At first, I thought there were a lot of ties for a sport that has an overtime.  But then I realized the formula being used.  Anyway, the website is projecting Florida State and Virginia Tech, which is incredibly hard NOT to do with most ACC seasons.  Anyway, check out the team-by-team analysis too.

Third, poor Maryland is trying to figure out how its angered the football gods, which is obvious given the # of injuries that have befallen the team.  The Friedgen Curse obviously.  As the Confidential commented over there, the football Gods LOVE mediocre coaches.  That is a blog discussion unto itself.

Finally, this an oldie, but a goodie.   A Northwestern blog, Sipping on Purple, had a great analysis of private schools and their football success.  It certainly demonstrates how Northwestern’s performance has been respectable on the field.  And off, unlike superior performing Miami and USC.  The blog does point out that Boston College has had a pretty nice performance run.  Of course, B.C. then went out and stunk up the joint last year.  So, so much for that.  But, with all the private schools in the ACC, this is a good read.

Enjoy!

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , ,
21 Aug 2012
2 Comments

Ranking the ACC Out-of-Conference Schedules

The 14 ACC schools certainly have different scheduling philosophies for out-of-conference games.  However, there is not one team that has a truly embarrassing slate, especially relative to the program at issue.  Here is the Confidential’s ranking of teams and the degree of difficulty for their OOC schedules:

Syracuse–USC and Missouri.  That alone puts them atop the list.  Add in Northwestern and Minnesota as two more BCS-level opponents.  Even Stony Brook is a high-level FCS opponent.  Syracuse gets the AC/DC Honorary “Big Balls” Award.

Miami–Kansas State, South Florida and Notre Dame are three high quality opponents.  Only Bethune-Cookman is a sure win.

Florida State–Florida and South Florida are very challenging opponents.  And FSU gets points for being willing to schedule West Virginia, even though that game was cancelled due to West Virginia fleeing the Big East.

Clemson–Auburn and South Carolina are two high-quality OOC opponents also.  Ball State may be tricky too.

Boston College: Notre Dame and Northwestern will be challenges.  Maine is good for an FCS program.  Army may or may not be good.

Virginia–Penn State was supposed to be the key game, but that is now weaker. TCU remains as a very tough opponent though.  Louisiana Tech and Richmond round out the schedule.

Pitt: Virginia Tech and Notre Dame are tough opponents.  Youngstown State and Gardner-Webb mean two FCS opponents.  Buffalo is not an overly difficult game for OOC #5.

Virginia Tech–returned to its Big East roots with games and Pitt and Cincinnati.  The other games are against Bowling Green and Austin Peay.  Meh.

Maryland–West Virginia and UConn, which gives Maryland the edge over NC State.  Temple is not a shabby third OOC game.  William and Mary round out the schedule.

North Carolina State–Tennessee and UConn will be OK opponents, but this is not the Tennessee of the 1990s and UConn did not exist back then.  South Alabama and Citadel are decent for their mid-major/FCS levels, respectively.

Georgia Tech–Georgia is always tough.  Brigham Young may or may not be a challenge, but Middle Tennessee State and Presbyterian are not going to be.

Wake Forest–Notre Dame will be tough, and you can never look past Vanderbilt.  Army and Liberty are also on the schedule.

Duke–Besides Stanford, the Blue Devils play a soft Florida International, Memphis, and North Carolina Central.

North Carolina–Louisville will be good, but Idaho, Elon, and East Carolina are underwhelming.  North Carolina gets the Beck Honorary “Loser” Award for 2012.  [And let’s not talk scandal either.]

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
20 Aug 2012

The Confidential ACC Football Rankings (Week # -1)

With the football season a mere two weeks away, the time has come for the Confidential’s Pre-Preseason Football Rankings.  As with last year, Syracuse and Pitt will be included in these rankings.  In any event, here they are:

  1. Florida State: Sooner or later, the King must be the King.  It has been a long time since the Seminoles were dominant.  Not sure it will happen this year, but they have the inside track for the ACC Championship.
  2. Virginia Tech:  While Miami and Florida State have been the ACC Kings, it is Virginia Tech that has carried the ACC most seasons since the realignment.  The Hokies slide above Clemson due to divisional differences.
  3. Clemson: The first thing Clemson needs to do is forget about the late-season collapse.  The second thing it needs to do is look at all the talent on both sides of the ball.  It’s going to be fun.  Don’t count the Tigers out.
  4. Virginia:  The Confidential likes what happened with Virginia last year and envisions the team building off that success.  It is amazing what a good coaching hire can do to rejuvenate a program.  That Penn State game looks a lot less daunting right now too.
  5. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack have a fairly talented crew returning.  The difficulty of the schedule is questionable.  Tennessee and UConn could go either way.
  6. Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets open the season with Virginia Tech.  If the Tech battle goes Ga Tech’s way, this #6 ranking will be low.
  7. North Carolina: The OOC game against Louisville will be tough, especially on the road.  But Elon, Idaho, and East Carolina is not too tough for the remainder of the slate.
  8. Pittsburgh: Every year, the Panthers seem ready to make a run.  Every year they do not.  So, it is #8 for Pitt until they capitalize on potential.
  9. Wake Forest: Not sure where Wake Forest is going with this OOC slate.  Anything from 1-3 to 3-1 is possible with Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Army, and Liberty.  Pencil in a win over Florida state though.
  10. Miami: A reasonably challenging OOC slate with USF, Notre Dame, and Kansas State.  But Miami gets North Carolina State, Florida State, and Virginia Tech at home.
  11. Syracuse: An insane OOC, with preseason #1 USC, Missouri, Northwestern, and even Minnesota.  Is any other team playing 4 BCS conference teams OOC?  Throw in 4 conference road games and the USC game being home but on a neutral site and this has the makings of a very difficult year.
  12. Boston College: Boston College rallied last year, showing some serious character.  This should pay off in 2013.  Just not quite bowl-ready though.
  13. Duke: Outside of Stanford, Duke’s OOC is very soft.  This #13 ranking may end up being a little low.  But Duke’s going to have to prove it on the field before the Confidential believes.
  14. Maryland: Well, it cannot get WORSE for Randy Edsall, can it?  A tough OOC slate with Temple, UConn, West Virginia and William & Mary?  That’s right… William AND Mary.

The Confidential predicts a Seminoles-Hokies battle for the ACC Championship, with the Seminoles showing the world that they are back.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 May 2012

2012 Lacrosse Bracket Released

The NCAA has released the bracket for this year’s lacrosse national championship. At 14-1, Loyola Maryland earned the #1 overall seed.  Perennial power Johns Hopkins is the #2 seed.   The ACC’s very own Duke is the #3 seed, while Notre Dame is the #4 seed.

All five ACC schools will be participants.  Syracuse had to win the Big East conference championship to qualify, but they did so.  But the Orange (9-7) were “rewarded” with a game against Duke (14-3).  The only ACC teams to have rematches in the tournament, Duke already defeated Syracuse earlier in the season, 12-10. The game will be played at noon on May 12, 2012, in Durham.

Virginia was given a #5 seed.  With such a hot start, it is disappointing for the Cavaliers to end up with only a 5 seed.  The Cavs (11-3) will play Princeton (11-4).   The game will be in Charlottesville on May 13, 2012, at 1:00 p.m.   Notre Dame is the top seed in the bracket.

North Carolina (11-5) is a #8 seed and landed an opening round matchup with Denver (8-6).  The game will be played at Chapel Hill on May 12, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.  Loyola is the top seed in the bracket.

Maryland (9-5) will travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to take on #7 seed and host, Lehigh (14-2).  The game will be played at 5:00 p.m. on May 12, 2012.  Johns Hopkins is the top seed in the bracket.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , ,
21 Apr 2012

2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Game Set

The Championship Game for the 2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship is now set.  Following Friday’s two semifinal games, Duke will be playing North Carolina for the Championship.

In the 2-3 game between North Carolina and Virginia, the Cavaliers continued their late season swoon by falling to the Tar Heels, 11-9.  The game was a see-saw affair for the first three quarters, as neither team was able to mount a lead of more than 1 goal.  However, once North Carolina got to a 7-6 lead, it never trailed again.    Attackman Marcus Holman was the leading goal scorer for North Carolina with three goals, while Joey Sankey added five points with two goals and three assists.  Steele Stanwick of Virginia scored 7 points to lead the Cavaliers.  For North Carolina, it was its first win over Virginia since 2004.

In the other semifinal game, red-hot Duke defeated suddenly surging Maryland 6-5.  The low scoring affair was close throughout.  Duke did have a 6-4 lead, before allowing Maryland to get within one goal.  And then Maryland had a few opportunities in the final minutes to tie, before ultimately falling short.  Duke’s Josh Dionne was a star for the Blue Devils with a hat trick.  In the end, Duke protects its number 1 seed and will move on to Sunday’s Championship game against rival North Carolina.

Championship Game details:  Duke v North Carolina.  3 p.m.  The game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN3.  Good luck to both teams.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , ,
20 Apr 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 8, April 20, 2012

The ACC Lacrosse season continues to progress…

News/Rankings:

The big news this week was Duke defeating Virginia 13-5.  Duke has been on a roll, so a win over Virginia would not have been entirely shocking.  But to win by 8 goals?  NOBODY saw that coming.

With all the losses, Loyola of Maryland and Massachusetts are atop the standings right now.  Both teams are undefeated.

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Duke at #5, with no first place votes.  Virginia is #6, Maryland is #8, North Carolina is #9, and Syracuse is #14.

In the USILA Coaches Poll, Virginia is #4 with 4 of the 0 first place votes.  Duke is #7, Maryland is #8, North Carolina is #9, and Syracuse is #15.

Recent Scores:

Tuesday, April 10, 2012:

Cornell 12-Syracuse 6, Recap

Friday, April 13, 2012:

Duke 13-Virginia 5, Recap

Saturday, April 14, 2012:

Syracuse 19-Rutgers 6, Recap

North Carolina 12-Hofstra 9, Recap

Maryland 9-Johns Hopkins 6, Recap

Tuesday, April 17, 2012:

Syracuse 13-Hobart 12, Recap

Upcoming Games:

The 2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament:

Friday, April 20, 2012 (semifinals)

#4 Maryland v #1 Duke, 5:00 p.m.

#3 North Carolina v #2 Virginia, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Championship, 3:00 p.m.

Other Games:

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Georgetown @ Syracuse, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Maryland @ Mount Saint Mary’s, 7:00 p.m.

 

Records:

Virginia 10-2 (2-1 in conference).

Duke 11-3 (2-1 in conference)

North Carolina 9-4 (1-2 in conference)

Maryland 7-3 (1-2 in conference)

Syracuse 7-5

 

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Duke (11-3).  After a tough start, Duke has rebounded and dominated Virginia.

2.  Virginia (10-2).  After a great start, Virginia is fading a bit.  Collapsed against Duke.

3.  North Carolina (9-4).  With a win over Maryland and more wins, North Carolina gets the edge.

4.  Maryland (7-3).  Maryland has an extra few games to show it deserves an upgrade.

5.  Syracuse (7-5).  Too many losses.  And not enough impressive wins.

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
08 Apr 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 7, April 8, 2012

The ACC Lacrosse season continues to progress…

News/Rankings:

The big news this week was North Carolina defeating John Hopkins 13-9, allowing Virginia to return to #1.

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Virginia #1, again–receiving 11 of the 20 first place votes.  Duke is #8 and North Carolina is #9.  Maryland is #12 and Syracuse has dropped all the way to #17.

In the USILA Coaches Poll, Virginia is #1 with 4 of the 10 first place votes.  The rest is the same as the Inside Lacrosse Poll, except that North Carolina and Syracuse are tied in their rankings.

Recent Scores:

Saturday, March 31, 2012:

Virginia 12-Maryland 8.  Recap.

Sunday, April 1, 2012:

Duke 12-Syracuse 10.  Recap.

North Carolina 13-Johns Hopkins 9.  Recap.

Friday, April 6, 2012:

Maryland 13-Navy 6.  Recap.

Saturday, April 7, 2012:

Virginia 15-North Carolina 10.  Recap.

Duke 11-Marist 10.  Recap.

Syracuse 10-Princeton 9.  Recap.

Upcoming Games:

Tuesday, April 10, 2012:

Syracuse @ Cornell, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 13, 2012:

Duke @ Virginia, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 14, 2012:

Rutgers @ Syracuse, 11:00 a.m.

Hofstra @ North Carolina, 1;30 p.m.

Maryland @ Johns Hopkins, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012:

Syracuse @ Hobart, 7:00 p.m.

Records:

Virginia 10-1 (2-0 in conference).

Duke 10-3 (1-1 in conference)

North Carolina 8-4 (1-2 in conference)

Maryland 6-3 (1-2 in conference)

Syracuse 5-4

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Virginia (10-1).  Rebounded nicely with wins over Maryland and North Carolina.

2.  Duke (10-3).  Duke just keeps on winning.  Took care of Syracuse and Marist.

3.  North Carolina (8-4).  With a win over Maryland and more wins, North Carolina gets the edge.

4.  Maryland (6-3).  See above.

5.  Syracuse (5-4).  Syracuse has not looked good when winning and played poorly in losing.

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
01 Apr 2012

Wisconsin: Home for Unhappy ACC Quarterbacks

It is confirmed.  The Wisconsin Badgers are not just willing to take unhappy ACC Quarterbacks, they roll out the red carpet.  Last year, Wisconsin provided a nice landing spot for former North Carolina State’s Russell Wilson.  Now former Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien will be transferring to Wisconsin.

In O’Brien, Wisconsin will get the 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year.  However, O’ Brien fell out of favor with new Maryland coach Randy Edsall.  He was already losing playing time before suffering a season-ending injury.

O’Brien apparently considered Vanderbilt and Mississippi.  But the lure of playing behind Wisconsin’s massive front line apparently was a selling point.  He had this to say: “You hear how big these guys are, but until you see them practice, it doesn’t do them justice.”  Frankly, that is a great reason for any quarterback to choose Wisconsin.  But it also does not hurt that Wilson meshed so well with the Badgers.

For Wisconsin, they will land a player with immense potential.  Again.  One wonders how they are capable of consistently landing these elite quarterbacks?  Perhaps they have a Craigslist ad, such as this:

Are you an ACC quarterback?  Does your current coach not treat you with the respect that you deserve?  Stop settling.  We can satisfy all your needs.  We have a high octane offense.  Massive offensive line to keep you safe.  Reasonable coaching staff.  As a Big 10 school, you’ll play the best of the best on the biggest stages.  If you’ve got the talent, we’ll take you to the next level.

Whatever Wisconsin is doing, it is working. Makes you wonder how Greg Paulus slipped by.

Now it is time for the ACC coaches to rally a bit and not be such easy targets.   If they guy is good enough to play at Wisconsin, maybe it’s you and your program.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , ,
31 Mar 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 6, March 31, 2012

The ACC Lacrosse season continues to progress…

News/Rankings:

The big news this week was former #1 Virginia losing to former #2 Johns Hopkins in overtime, 11-10.  Johns Hopkins used a 4-1 third quarter to pull ahead of Virginia.  And then John Ranagan scored the game-winning goal with five seconds remaining in the overtime period.  It was Virginia’s first loss in 14 home games.

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Virginia #2, no longer receiving any first place votes.  Duke is #8 and Maryland is #9.  North Carolina is #12 and Syracuse has dropped all the way to #14.

In the USILA Coaches Poll Virginia dropped all the way to #3.  The rest is the same as the Inside Lacrosse Poll, except that North Carolina is #11.

Recent Scores:

Saturday, March 24, 2012:

Duke 13, Georgetown 11.  Recap.

North Carolina 11, Maryland 10.  Recap.

Johns Hopkins 11, Virginia 10 (OT).  Recap.

Sunday, March 25, 2012:

Villanova 11, Syracuse 10.  Recap.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012:

Duke 9, Brown 8.  Recap.

Upcoming Games:

Saturday, March 31, 2012:

Virginia @ Maryland.  12:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 1, 2012:

Duke v Syracuse.  4:00 p.m.

North Carolina v Johns Hopkins.  6:30 p.m.

Friday, April 6, 2012:

Navy @ Maryland.  7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 7, 2012:

Virginia @ North Carolina.  1:00 p.m.

Marist @ Duke.  Time TBA.

Princeton @ Syracuse.  4:00 p.m.

Records:

Virginia 8-1 (0-0 in conference).

Maryland 5-2 (1-1 in conference)

Duke 8-3 (1-1 in conference)

North Carolina 7-3 (1-1 in conference)

Syracuse 6-3

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Virginia (8-1).  Losing to the #2 team in overtime is hardly worth dropping Virginia over.

2.  Duke (8-3).  Duke just keeps on winning.  They face a struggling Syracuse team on Sunday.

3.  North Carolina (7-3).  With a win over Maryland and more wins, North Carolina gets the edge.

4.  Maryland (5-2).  With a win over North Carolina, Maryland would be #2.  Instead?  #4.

5.  Syracuse (6-3).  Syracuse has not looked good when winning and played poorly in losing.

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
23 Mar 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 5, March 23, 2012

The ACC Lacross season is now one month old!

News/Rankings:

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Virginia #1, receiving 19 of the 22 first place votes.  Maryland is #7, Syracuse is #8, Duke is #11, and North Carolina is #14.

The USILA Coaches Poll also has Virginia #1, with all 12 first place votes.  Maryland is #6, Syracuse is #9, Duke is #10, and North Carolina is #15.

Recent Scores:

Saturday, March 10, 2012:

North Carolina 9, Princeton 8.  Details.

Loyola 13, Duke 8.  Details.

Maryland 17, Marist 4.  Details.

Virginia 9, Cornell 8 (OT).  Details.

Syracuse 9, St. John’s 8.  Details.

Monday, March 12, 2012:

Duke 11, Harvard 8.  Details.

Friday, March 16, 2012:

Duke 13, North Carolina 11.  Details.

Saturday, March 17, 2012:

Maryland 11, Villanova 5.  Details.

Virginia 11, Ohio State 9.  Details.

Johns Hopkins 11, Syracuse 7.  Details.

Sunday, March 18, 2012:

Duke 20, Dartmouth 9.  Details.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012:

North Carolina 13, Dartmouth 11.  Details.

Syracuse 10, Providence 6.  Details.

 

Upcoming Games:

Saturday, March 24, 2012:

Duke @ Georgetown, 12:00 p.m.

Maryland @ North Carolina, 12:00 p.m.

Johns Hopkins @ Virginia, 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 25, 2012:

Villanova @ Syracuse, 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012:

Brown @ Duke, 3:00 p.m.

 

Records:

Virginia 8-0 (0-0 in conference).

Maryland 5-1 (1-0 in conference)

Duke 6-3 (1-1 in conference)

North Carolina 6-3 (0-1 in conference)

Syracuse 4-2

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Virginia (8-0).  Virginia continues to dominate.

2.  Maryland (5-1).  Maryland still has the best conference record.  And second best overall record.

3.  Syracuse (4-2).  Syracuse’s two losses were to the #1 and #2 teams in the country, so they get a pass (for now).

4.  Duke (6-3).  Duke gets the edge with the head-to-head win.

5.  North Carolina (6-3).  See above.

 

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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