The Confidential

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Archive for the tag “Pittsburgh”

08 Jun 2013
1 Comment

ACC Football in the Pro Hall of Fame

If you are a fan of college football, then you are at least slightly interested in how players from your favorite school fare in the NFL.  Perhaps you are even a big fan of the NFL too.  Did you know which schools have placed the most players in the NFL Hall of Fame?

Here is the top 10 list, as per the best source we have–the NFL Hall of Fame itself:

  1. Southern California (11)
  2. Notre Dame (10)
  3. Ohio State (9)
  4. Michigan (8) & Pittsburgh (8)
  5. (tie)
  6. Alabama (7) & Syracuse (7)
  7. (tie)
  8. Illinois (6), Miami – Florida (6), Penn State (6), Oregon (6) and Minnesota (6)

That’s right.  Miami, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame.

Not Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.  You do not see the Big 10’s Wisconsin, Michigan State, Maryland, Rutgers, or Nebraska.  You do not see the SEC’s Florida, Auburn, Georgia, or L.S.U.  You do not even see the Big XII’s Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or even Texas.

Just recent additions to the ACC, courtesy of the now-destroyed Big East.

Recently, the ACC had a very good NFL draft in 2013.  Looking backward, who are the Hall of Famers, by school, from the ACC?  Here you go:

  • Boston College (2): Art Donovan, Ernie Stautner
  • Clemson (0)
  • Duke (3): Sonny Jurgensen , George McAfee , Clarence (Ace) Parker
  • Florida State (2): Fred Biletnikoff , Deion Sanders
  • Georgia Tech (2): Joe Guyon, Billy Shaw
  • Louisville (1): Johnny Unitas
  • Maryland (2): Stan Jones , Randy White
  • Miami (6): Ted Hendricks , Michael Irvin , Jim Kelly , Cortez Kennedy, Jim Otto , Warren Sapp
  • North Carolina (2): Chris Hanburger , Lawrence Taylor
  • North Carolina State (0)
  • Notre Dame (10): Nick Buoniconti , Dave Casper , George Connor, Paul Hornung , Earl (Curly) Lambeau , John (Blood) McNally, Wayne Millner , Joe Montana , Alan Page , George Trafton
  • Pittsburgh (8): Mike Ditka , Chris Doleman , Tony Dorsett , Russ Grimm , Rickey Jackson , Dan Marino , Curtis Martin , Joe Schmidt
  • Syracuse (7): Jim Brown , Larry Csonka , Al Davis, Floyd Little , John Mackey , Art Monk , Jim Ringo
  • Virginia (3): Bill Dudley , Henry Jordan , Ralph Wilson, Jr.
  • Virginia Tech (1): Bruce Smith
  • Wake Forest (1): Bill George

So there you have it.  The ACC has put quite a few people into the NFL Hall of Fame, led mostly by teams that are new to the ACC fold.

By the way, who has been to Canton?  Did you like the NFL Hall of Fame or find it disappointing?

     
Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Draft, Football, Opinion, Rankings, Results, Something Positive and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
21 May 2013
3 Comments

Detroit Lions adding a new bowl; ACC in the mix

It looks like the Big Ten Conference may finally get North Carolina and Virginia after all… but not as conference mates.

A few weeks back, The Confidential reviewed the future ACC bowl lineup. With four more teams entering the league, it was believed that the league might increase its bowl affiliations to nine or 10.

Brett McMurphy of ESPN is reporting that the Detroit Lions are looking to replace the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl after this season and operate a new bowl game at Ford Field starting in 2014.

The bowl will still feature a team from the Big Ten, but is expected to have an opponent from the ACC.

Read more…

Posted by Vinnie Saltine in Bowls, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
21 May 2013
6 Comments

ACC Baseball Tourney

The pools and games have been set for this years ACC Baseball Tournament.  With North Carolina being the top ranked team in the country almost the entire year and the ACC #1 conference RPI, this should be a very exciting tourney.

Pool A                                           Pool B
#1 North Carolina                     #2 Florida St
#4 NC State                                #3 Virginia
#5 Clemson                                #6 Virginia Tech
#8 Miami                                    #7 Georgia

Each team will play each other in their pool Here’s a look at the tournament schedule:

Read more…

Posted by lenvillecards in Baseball, Louisville Correspondent, Predictions, Schedule, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , ,
10 May 2013
4 Comments

Ranking the ACC-B1G Challenge Games

The ACC-B1G Challenge games were announced a few days ago.  After looking to see who your school played, the next thought was probably to check out whether any other games were intriguing.  And there are several.  So let’s just go ahead and rank them for interest.

Gold Medal Games:

1.  North Carolina @ Michigan State.  Tom Izzo v Roy Williams. That’s a lot of Final Four appearances.  MSU always reloads, and North Carolina never stays quiet for long.  This one should be a battle in Breslin.

2.  Michigan @ Duke.  Both teams had good seasons in 2012-2013, with Michigan exceeding expectations by making a run to the title game.  Both have a lot of production to replace.  Will be a great game though.

3.  Indiana @ Syracuse.  A rematch of a March Madness game that went for the Orange.  A lot of new faces in 2013-2014, but a lot of star power will be back and new to both campuses.

4.  Wisconsin @ Virginia.  The first one to 40 wins?  Don’t expect a lot of points in this one.  But this is still a darn good matchup.

Silver Medal Games:

5.  Notre Dame @ Iowa.  Any time ANY Fighting Irish team comes to town, it is a big deal.  A nice regional battle too.

6.  Penn State @ Pittsburgh.  A battle for Pennsylvania.  This one should be close too–Penn State has experience coming back.

7.  Miami @ Nebraska.  The Hurricanes invested in their program by hiring a dynamic coach.  Nebraska is investing in its facilities.  A better game on the gridiron, but one to keep an eye on anyway.

8.  Florida State @ Minnesota.  Both teams fell short of expectations last year.  A lot of new faces.

Bronze Medal Games:

9.  Northwestern @ North Carolina State.  This game might be underrated at #9.  But until the Wildcats make a Big Dance, it is hard to take them seriously on the hardcourt.

10. Illinois @ Georgia Tech.  Still waiting for that Georgia Tech team to turn the corner.  Illinois fans may feel the same way.

11.  Boston College @ Purdue.  Not exactly the old Patriots-Colts battles featuring Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  It is what it is.

12. Maryland @ Ohio State.  Big 10 fans will be rooting for Ohio State.  ACC fans will be rooting for Ohio State.  Not much of a “challenge.”

Participation Ribbons:

Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are left out of the challenge.  We’ll give them participation ribbons even though they are not, obviously, participating.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Opinion, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
08 May 2013
1 Comment

ACC-Big 10 Challenge Schedule

Listening to ESPN Radio on the way home from work and heard that the schedule for next season’s ACC-Big 10 Challenge had been released.

Here’s the lineup:

Tuesday, December 3

Florida State at Minnesota

Illinois at Georgia Tech

Indiana at Syracuse

Michigan at Duke

Notre Dame at Iowa

Penn State at Pittsburgh

Wednesday, December 4

Boston College at Purdue

Maryland at Ohio State

Miami, FL at Nebraska

North Carolina at Michigan State

Northwestern at North Carolina State

Wisconsin at Virginia

Admittedly NC State does not have the most attractive draw.  This is only right after the debacle of 2012/13; however I do believe the coming year will see a less star-laden but more focused Pack. Meaning, of course, this game is winnable, especially at Raleigh.

However there are some great matchups here.  Duke/Michigan and UNC/Michigan State, of course, but also the Battle of Pennsylvania, Pitt/Penn State; Syracuse/Indiana looks huge; and the first Challenge appearance of the Irish, Notre Dame/Iowa.

There is even a game in which I might end up rooting for the B1G team; er, go Buckeyes?

Posted by mikemab2000 in ACC only, Basketball, NC State Correspondent, Schedule, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
30 Apr 2013

Pittsburgh Removes Football Players From Program

This weekend’s NFL draft featured the selection of exactly ZERO players from Pittsburgh.  This is odd because Pitt usually had among the best recruiting classes in the Big East.  They are able to keep a lot of that great Pennsylvania talent to stay at home… but it rarely translates into wins.  And now the team is going backwards—having to dismiss two players and indefinitely suspend two others.

Head coach Paul Chryst did a nice job to keep the team bowl-eligible in 2012, after yet another coaching change.  One ugly part of the coaching job is discipline issues.  And it has reared its head in Pittsburgh lately.  As noted above, Chryst had to remove two players from the team permanently and indefinitely suspend a third:

Tight end Drew Carswell and defensive back Eric Williams, both juniors, have been removed from the team. Carswell, Williams and defensive tackle Khaynin Mosley-Smith were all suspended last week after police made a drug raid on their house.

Yikes.  Not a good thing when a drug raid occurs at the house of players.

And then, in a separate incident, Chryst gave the indefinite suspension penalty to yet another player–QB Tra’von Chapman.  Chapman was arrested in Ohio over the weekend for assault and something called “unlawful restraint.”  Whatever it is, it isn’t good.  ESPN had Chapman as the 20th best QB coming out of high school.

Pitt has had better football weekends, that’s for sure.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Scandal and tagged , , , , , ,
20 Apr 2013
3 Comments

Notre Dame’s ACC Football Schedule Announced

Several months ago, the ACC and Notre Dame announced a football partnership, with Notre Dame agreeing to play 5 games against ACC opponents each year.  With these games set to begin in 2014, the parties have now announced the games that will be played during the first three years.

Without further ado, here is the schedule for the first three years:

2014

Notre Dame at Florida State

Louisville at Notre Dame

North Carolina at Notre Dame

Notre Dame at Syracuse

Wake Forest at Notre Dame

2015

Boston College at Notre Dame

Notre Dame at Clemson

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

Notre Dame at Virginia

2016

Duke at Notre Dame

Miami at Notre Dame

Notre Dame at NC State

Notre Dame at Syracuse

Virginia Tech at Notre Dame

All those who thought Syracuse would be the team to get two games with Notre Dame in the first three-year period, raise your hands!  Of course, Syracuse had games slated for all three years, so it was a logical plan to keep in place.

Notably, Notre Dame visits three of the more football-oriented programs each year, with trips to Florida State, Clemson, and North Carolina State scheduled.  The following three years will involve travels to Louisville, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Miami.

On Thursday, Notre Dame announced an extension of its television deal with NBC.  The ten-year extension is reported to be worth $15 million a year.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Schedule and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
18 Apr 2013

NBA Draft & The ACC

The April 16, 2013, deadline has come and gone, meaning that anyone who decides to go pro between now and April 28, 2013, will make that decision as a point-of-no-return.  That will not stop folks from doing so, but the consequences will be a bit sharper.  At this point, those eligible for the NBA draft are what they are.  There are a number of ACC players that will be among the players drafted.  Who are they?

First of all, who are the early entries from ACC schools so far?  CBS Sportsline has a nice list going.  Here are the players from the ACC schools on the list:

  • Steven Adams, Pitt
  • Lorenzo Brown, NC State
  • Reggie Bullock, North Carolina
  • Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse
  • Gorgui Dieng, Louisville
  • Alex Len, Maryland
  • CJ Leslie, NC State

Second, where will these kids go?  Well, here is where Chad Ford slots these guys, and other ACC draft-eligibles, in terms of overall NBA talent:

  • Len, #8
  • Carter-Williams, #10
  • Dieng, #17
  • Mason Plumlee, Duke, #18
  • Adams, #26
  • Brown, #42
  • Bullock, #45
  • Russ Smith, Louisville, #53
  • Leslie, #61
  • James Southerland, Syracuse, #81
  • Richard Howell, NC State, #82
  • Ryan Kelly, Duke, #88
  • Michael Snaer, Florida State, #92

A few other players to note.  These guys are all still undecided: Shane Larkin of Miami is at #30; Rasheed Sulaimon of Duke is at #48; and CJ Fair of Syracuse is at 71.  The decision should be tough for Larkin, but fairly easy for Fair.  You want to be pretty certain you get a first round contract if you are going to leave.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
30 Mar 2013
2 Comments

March Madness? More Like March Sadness

Well, we are down to 8 teams left for the NCAA Championship.  There are 347 teams that compete in Division 1 basketball.  Aside from the other post-season tournaments, there are 8 teams left.  What an amazing accomplishment for those teams.  March Madness can be the greatest of times.  But it really is also the worst of times.   A March Sadness, if you will.

Each year, there are 16 teams given 1 through 4 seeds.  If a #1 seed wins it all, that means that 15 of those 16 seeded teams will end the season with a loss.  In fact, 67 of the 68 teams in the Big Dance end the season with a loss.  All but one.

Of course, that happens in the NFL too.  And the other major sports have playoff series that end.  The difference with the pros is that those teams can, in theory, remain fully intact for the following year.  There is always “next year.”

There is no next year for college Seniors.  And if you are a very good college underclassman, there is no next year either.  It just makes it so…. “final.”  As a fan, it’s tough enough to know that this is the last time you will see that superstar.  But it is even harder to say goodbye to that 4-year Senior who went from a clueless Freshman to a capable Senior.  The guy who went from a boy to a man right in front of your eyes.  And then he loses, sheds tears on TV, and is gone.  Forever.  At least in that jersey.

And it is never easy.  Think being Georgetown is tough?  Losing to a 15-seed is embarrassing and difficult-to-stomach.  But what about Indiana–a #1 seed losing to ANYONE is tough.  They were, in theory, “supposed to beat” Syracuse.  And now it’s over.  It is not limited to being a high seed.  Pittsburgh and North Carolina State had low expectations and exited without much fanfare.  It’s still ending the season with a loss.

Of course, some team will lose in the National Championship and consider THAT to be the worst-type of defeat.  Syracuse fans still mourn the Keith Smart shot–even though they were the last team to taste the bitter pill of defeat in 1987.  They may have lost on a shot with a few seconds left, but everyone else was at home.  Syracuse had it better than all but one team.  And yet there is only painful memories.  So there is nothing great about losing late.  Or early.  Or in the middle.  It’s all about losses.  And yet the late losses sting the most.  So as the teams continue to win, the emotions increase.  The desire to win is as much to taste victory as it is to stave off the inevitable sadness that all but one fanbase will be forced to suffer through.  What a paradox!

March Madness may be the greatest event in sports, but one cannot help but notice just how much sadness permeates the whole process.  For this year’s crop of Elite 8, losing this weekend means no Final Four.  It means walking off the court as the net-cutting ladder is coming on.  The only consolation is that you did not have to endure the same thing on the final night of the season.  Maybe the bowl season is not so bad after all?

 

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, March Madness, Opinion and tagged , , , , ,
21 Mar 2013
6 Comments

And Down Goes Pitt…

Once upon a time, Pitt’s football team was the sole source of disappointment.  Year after year, the decent recruits at Pitt have failed to live up to the hype.  They have more trips to Birmingham than the BCS.  But now the basketball team is joining the football team in mediocrity.  This year, Pitt was insulted (by some) to have received “only” an 8-seed, and then went out and lost by 18 to the 9th-seeded Wichita St. Shockers.

All you need to do is go here to read the comments from the Pitt fans.  They seem to be losing some faith in Jamie Dixon.  Of course, they should also recognize that Syracuse fans had lost faith in Jim Boeheim after 10 seasons too.  And even in the 1990s, Syracuse fans questioned whether Boeheim could win a national title.  For Dixon, he needs to just get the Panthers to a Final Four first.

But the 2012-2013 season was not about that.  From a Big Dance standpoint, losing to Wichita State is not the end of the world.  It is highly disappointing, however, to lose by 18.  So it is understandable if Panthers fans are frustrated.  Dixon is getting the recruits… like the football team, those recruits need to start meeting their potential.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Opinion and tagged , , , ,

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