The Confidential

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Archive for the tag “Syracuse”

15 May 2013
14 Comments

ACC Football: Decade in Review

Most sports fans are willing to make fun of a school based on its perceived on-field or on-court performance.  Sometimes it is accurate; other times it is not.  So, what we set out to do was look at the records of ACC schools in football over the past decade.  Who do YOU think had the best record in conference games between 2003 and 2012?   Worst?  Courtesy of stassen.com, we were able to easily make the calculations.

  1. Virginia Tech had the best record in ACC conference games this past decade, going 64-20.
  2. Florida State was #2, albeit significantly behind the Hokies in win total, going 54-29.
  3. Clemson narrowly edged Georgia Tech for the #3 spot, with a 51-31 record.
  4. Georgia Tech misses out because of that ACC-CG appearance last year to finish #4 at 51-32.
  5. Miami comes in at #5 with a 44-35 overall record.
  6. Boston College has to be a surprise at #6, making it 3 out of the top 6 as former Big East schools, with a 41-38 record.
  7. North Carolina & Virginia tie at 35-45.
  8. see above.
  9. Wake Forest went 35-46.
  10. North Carolina State went 34-46.
  11. Maryland went 33-47.
  12. Duke was 12-68.

So, Big 10 fans, you are getting a Maryland team that was 11th in conference wins the past decade.  While Maryland has had financial troubles, they were operating under the same system as the rest of its ACC peers.  So, good luck with that.

What do you think the rankings would be for hoops?  Would it be Duke, North Carolina, or someone else at the top?  Who would be at the bottom?

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 May 2013
3 Comments

Lacrosse: Syracuse & Duke win, “Traitorpins” Lose

A great day for ACC lacrosse yesterday, as Syracuse and Duke both won… while the traitorous Maryland Terrapins Traitorpins were upset by Cornell.  As you can see from the official NCAA bracket, this means that four teams with ACC ties are still alive in the NCAA elite-eight: Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Syracuse.

It was not easy for Syracuse, who trailed Bryant, 4-0, before rallying to a 12-7 win.  Syracuse also had to overcome losing 22 of 23 faceoffs to Bryant’s Kevin Massa.  As Syracuse’s official press release noted, “Sophomore attackman Kevin Rice led the Orange with four points (two goals, two assists) and redshirt freshman Dylan Donahue scored a team-high three goals.”  Picking up the win in the crease was Dominic Lamolinara.  Syracuse will play Yale in Maryland next weekend.

Duke had it even tougher, as the #7 seeded Blue Devils needed two overtimes to dispatch reigning national champion, Loyola Maryland, 12-11.  The hero was freshman attackman Case Matheis, who scored with only 1:40 remaining in the second overtime.  But there were many heroes:

Brendan Fowler spearheaded the Blue Devil effort by winning 19 of 26 faceoffs and securing nine ground balls. Josh Dionne and Wolf added two goals apiece, while David Lawson chipped in one goal and three assists as the Blue Devils took 61 shots compared to Loyola’s total of 37. Kyle Turri posted 13 saves between the pipes.

Duke will move on to play Notre Dame in Indianapolis next weekend.

And let’s tall take a moment to laugh at the loss suffered by #6 seeded Maryland.  The traitors were not only upset by unseeded Cornell, they were thoroughly demolished–16-8.  At home.  Given Maryland’s inability to manage an athletic department, it is probably a good thing that they do not need to play any more games.  It costs a lot to keep the lights on, etc.  Oh well.  Those Big 10 partial revenue sharing checks will be coming soon enough.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review, Lacrosse 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
05 May 2013
3 Comments

L-ACC-rosse

Current and Future members of the ACC were well-represented at the Sunday selection show for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse tournament, as 5 of the 16 teams in this year’s tourney can lay claims to the ACC.

The #1 Overall seed, Syracuse, will officially join the ACC in just a few short weeks, and will be sure to bring the Big East Championship trophy (the fourth in as many years) with them to the eastern seaboard.

Despite losing to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament Semis, Notre Dame claimed the #2 overall seed and was closely followed by ACC Champion, North Carolina (#5), Big Ten-bound Maryland (#6), and Duke (#7).  The tournament match-ups are after the jump. Read more…

Posted by Vinnie Saltine in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , ,
04 May 2013
4 Comments

Weekend Topic: ACC Football Divisions

The folks over at Tomahawk Nation have a nice debate, albeit FSU-centric, as to how the ACC divisions should be reconfigured.  So let’s delve in and discuss.

Given that the current divisions are just a random collection of whatever that nobody could possibly remember, here are they are as of right now:

Atlantic: Florida State, Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest, Maryland (Louisville in 2014), Boston College, Syracuse

Coastal: Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh

The Confidential has previously advocated for a quasi-geographic breakdown of the teams.  John Cassillo over at atlanticcoastconvos proposed the same thing on the Tomahawk Nation blog (midway down):

Atlantic: Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College, Pitt, Maryland (Louisville)

Coastal: Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech

The teams are listed above/below a permanent crossover.

This is essentially the “Old ACC less Virginia.”  Or N/S, plus Miami and Louisville.  Miami works with the North.  Virginia?  Maybe, maybe not.  But they would play UNC every year.

But the FSU folks have an interesting suggestion or two, including a straight–let’s get a strong strength of schedule method proposed by SirChancelot:

Atlantic: Florida State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami, Louisville, Pitt, Virginia

Coastal: Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, BC, Syracuse, and Georgia Tech

The logic being that the football schools can beat up on each other and establish a strength of schedule that matches up with the SEC.  And if the ACC-Championship Game is garbage, so what?  It always is anyway.  Better to have the 11-1 team get to 12-1 without hassle.  Frankly, the Confidential sees some logic in it, but questions the choice of schools.  How about this instead:

Atlantic: FSU, Miami, Va Tech, Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Louisville

Coastal, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Virginia

If anyone runs the table in the Atlantic, they should be sitting pretty from a strength-of-schedule standpoint.

Of course, if anyone runs the table in the ACC in any format, will they be excluded from a strength-of-schedule standpoint anyway?  That seems to be a fabricated issue.  It is not strength of schedule that harms the ACC schools, it is losing to teams that one should not lose to.

Moreover, playing all those games may help the strength of schedule, but wouldn’t it increase the chances of a bunch of 4-3 teams.

The Confidential’s perspective is that the ACC has a poor image because it is not top-heavy enough.  The B1G is Michigan and Ohio State usually.  The Big XII is Texas and Oklahoma usually.  The Pac-12 is USC or Oregon usually.  Exceptions happen obviously, but that is what we can expect.  The SEC is great because there are 5 teams that have the ability to run the table–and one or two of them usually do.  The ACC may have a couple of schools that “can,” but they always falter along the way to middling schools.  Bunching up the great teams is not going to help.  However, the idea of ignoring competitive balance has merit.  One can never get it straight anyway.

Otherwise, the suggestions over there involve a re-assortment of the current system.  Swap Miami for Florida State, or Clemson for Georgia Tech.

Nobody suggested this one… organize by number of words it takes to state the school:

Atlantic (1 word): Clemson, Miami, Pitt, Louisville, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse

Coastal (2 words): Georgia Tech, Florida State, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest

Actually, that is not bad competitive balance for football.  Hmmmm.

From the Confidential’s perspective, the priority of the conference should be as follows:

  1. Maximizing TV revenue–gotta keep up with the Joneses
  2. Maintaining traditional rivalries
  3. Easy of remembering divisions –nobody should have to look up who is in each division, whether an ACC fan or not
  4. Maximizing gate revenue–more $$$
  5. Competitive balance
  6. Ensuring high strength of schedule
  7. Other?

What do you think–what is THE most important thing that the ACC must consider if/when rearranging the divisions for football?   What is your proposal?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Football, Schedule and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
02 May 2013
4 Comments

Boeheimian Rhapsody

Check out this new video involving Syracuse, Jim Boeheim, and some good laughs: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/syracuse-comedy-group-makes-clever-parody-song-called-142439618.html

Don’t forget that the Confidential’s very own MCaffrey named his team Boeheimian Rhapsody in our bracket contest. See here.

Great job by all!

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Opinion, Satire and tagged , , , , , ,
01 May 2013
5 Comments

Syracuse is a “Football Factory”?

One of the Confidential’s favorite reads is the Tuesday Morning Quarterback by Gregg Easterbrook on ESPN.com.  Although harping on the same issues week after week can get tedious (we get it–coaches should not punt, blitz, pass, or switch jobs), there are usually some good nuggets scattered within the articles.  Interestingly, his post-draft article almost suggested that Syracuse is a “football factory.”

His specific quote was as follows:

The Bills’ new head coach, Doug Marrone, is coming from NCAA football to the NFL. He had a college-style draft — using his picks on a quarterback, two wide receivers, a speed linebacker, two defensive backs, a tight end. Marrone didn’t draft any linemen on either side of the ball, using all ammo for flashy guys. At a time when speed dominates Division I football, a head coach coming over from a football factory may obsess about getting flashy guys, while taking the line for granted. Taking the line for granted is a fatal error in the NFL.

It is certainly plausible that the sentence describing head coaches and flashy guys was not directly addressed to Marrone and Syracuse.  Still, it is kind of nice to even have some confusion as to whether someone meant that Syracuse was a football factory!

Although Syracuse had dark times during the G-Rob era (and by dark, we mean “bubonic plague” dark), Syracuse is a program that was above average from 1987 to 2001.  Well above average, actually.  Many players went from Syracuse to stardom in the NFL, including Rob Moore, Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison, and Dwight Freeney.  It would have been a plausible argument during the 2002 NFL Draft.

2013?  Not so much.  But it is nice to have the discussion.

What do you think?  Was Syracuse a football factory?  Ever?  Circa 2000?  Or does one have to go back to the 1960s to make that argument?  More importantly, what does the future hold for the Orange?

 

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion, Something Positive and tagged , ,
28 Apr 2013
4 Comments

ACC Draft Recap

Regardless of how well or poorly the ACC does in BCS games, the conference is putting people in the NFL.  Just take a look at all of the ACC players drafted this weekend.  So that you can keep tabs on your former favorites (or even enemies) as they take their talents to the NFL, here is the complete list:

Round 1:

  • Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina, Arizona Cardinals
  • EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State, Buffalo Bills
  • Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse, New York Giants.
  • Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State, Indianapolis Colts
  • Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State, Minnesota Vikings
  • DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson, Houston Texans
  • Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina, Denver Broncos

Round 2:

  • Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Manti Te’o, ILB, Notre Dame, San Diego Chargers
  • Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State, San Francisco 49ers
  • Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State, Oakland Raiders
  • David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State, Washington Redskins

Round 3:

  • Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State, Tampa Buccaneers
  • Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina, Houston Texans

Round 4:

  • Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse, New York Giants
  • Shamarko Thomas, SS, Syracuse, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Malliciah Goodman, DE, Clemson, Atlanta Falcons

Round 5:

  • Earl Wolff, SS, North Carolina State, Philadelphia Eagles
  • Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia, New York Jets
  • Jonathan Meeks, SS, Clemson, Buffalo Bills
  • Brandon McGee, CB, Miami (Fla.), St. Louis Rams
  • Chris Thompson, RB, Florida State, Washington Redskins
  • Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State, Washington Redskins

Round 6:

  • Corey Fuller, WR, Virginia Tech, Detroit Lions
  • Vinston Painter, OT, Virginia Tech, Denver Broncos
  • Jamoris Slaughter, SS, Notre Dame, Cleveland Browns
  • Dustin Hopkins, K, Florida State, Buffalo Bills
  • Nick Moody, OLB, Florida State, San Francisco 49ers
  • Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson, Arizona Cardinals
  • Mike James, RB, Miami (Fla.), Tampa Buccaneers
  • Theo Riddick, RB, Notre Dame, Detroit Lions
  • Kapron Lewis-Moore, DT, Notre Dame, Baltimore Ravens
  • Vince Williams, ILB, Florida State, Pittsburgh Steelers

Round 7:

  • Travis Bond, OG, North Carolina, Minnesota Vikings
  • Tommy Bohanon, FB, Wake Forest, New York Jets
  • Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland, Green Bay Packers (just in case you still care about the Terps)
  • Everett Dawkins, DT, Florida State, Minnesota Vikings
  • Zeke Motta, SS, Notre Dame, Atlanta Falcons
  • Sean Renfree, QB, Duke, Atlanta Falcons

Schools with nobody drafted: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Pittsburgh

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Draft, Football and tagged , , , , , , , ,
26 Apr 2013
1 Comment

ACC All Over the 1st Round of the 2013 NFL Draft

When previewing the NFL draft, it was noted that there were numerous players with ACC connections expected to be taken in the first round.  With the first round completed, the ACC more than held its own.

  • Jonathan Cooper, a guard from North Carolina, was taken by the Arizona Cardinals at pick #7
  • In one of the true draft surprises, the Buffalo Bills selected Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel with the 16th pick.
  • Syracuse’s Justin Pugh, an offensive lineman, was taken nineteenth by the New York Giants.
  • Tyler Eifert, a tight end from Notre Dame, was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals at pick #21.
  • The Indianapolis Colts selected Florida State defensive end, Bjoern Werner with the 24th pick.
  • In a mini-run on Florida State Seminoles, the Minnesota Vikings followed up by taking cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
  • The Houston Texans selected Clemson’s DeAndre Hopkins, a wide-receiver, with the 27th pick.
  • The 28th pick was North Carolina’s Sylvester Williams, a defensive tackle.

Thus, of 32 players taken, 25% have ties to the present or future of the ACC.  Even excluding Pugh and Eifert, the ACC contributed nearly 20% of the first round.  That is fine by any standard.

In case you were wondering, the SEC had 12 players drafted and the Pac-12 had 5 players drafted.  The Big XII had three players drafted.  Brigham Young, the AAC (Houston), the Mac (Central Michigan), and the Big 10 (Wisconsin) had one player drafted each.  There is no doubting the supremacy of the SEC, but the ACC has, once again, supplied players to the NFL disproportionate to its success on the field.

Notably, no players from Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Louisville, or Pittsburgh were selected in the first round either.  It is hard not to be excited about the potential for the new-look, newly-revenued ACC when it comes to football.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Draft, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

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