Posted by Brandon Rink on July 29, 2009 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article
The Terps' Scott leads a top notch Maryland RB unit.
We are inching closer and closer to football season which means we look for more angles for CFB talk. The month of July is for positional rankings leading up to the unveiling of my first ACC Power Poll preseason ranking the best of the best in the ACC. Today, we look at the running backs of the ACC’’s Atlantic:
1) Clemson Tigers Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Very Good. Make or Break Player: RB C.J. Spiller
2) Maryland Terrapins Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: Da’ Rel Scott
3) Florida State Seminoles Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: RB Jermaine Thomas
4) Boston College Eagles Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: RB Montel Harris
5) Wake Forest Demon Deacons Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: RB Josh Adams
6) North Carolina State Wolfpack Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: RB Jamelle Eugene
The Tigers lose James Davis–and are still the top dog(or big cat as it were) in the Atlantic. The Atlantic is stacked when it comes to running backs. There are no teams lacking talent/depth in this division.
The Big Ten made the first move with starting their own network with the ultra-creative moniker, the Big Ten Network. Disputes with cable providers and a few trips around the DirecTV dial ensued, but they have made some money from the deal despite controversy.
The SEC and ESPN went ahead and finalized that ESPN was really the SEC network with 2.25 billion dollars. This ensures that really any other conference can look elsewhere for good coverage now.
The ACC’s deal is coming up now and what can they do to match/surpass/save face in relation to their rival, the SEC? According to Sporting News/Sports Business Journal, the options they are looking at are:
A two conference channel like the Big Ten Channel, but with the ACC/Big XII or ACC/PAC 10.
An ACC Channel, produced by Raycom who just lost the SEC.
By far the strangest option, FitTV would let the ACC have a big stake in the channel which would allow for games and other programming along with some regular FitTV programming.
Buster Sports has a really interesting podcast on the second option of an ACC Network. One guy was really against it and was also spewing silly talk about contracting teams and other nonsense. The other guy seemed 60/40 for an ACC Network.
Let’s face it, the SEC threw down the gauntlet with this deal. No one is going to match it–probably not even come close. ESPN has sold their soul to the SEC. The ACC has a deal with ESPN expiring in 2011 and a deal with Raycom. The biggest bargaining chip the ACC has is the basketball obviously. ACC basketball featured on a ACC Network, FitTV, or split conference network would be a serious draw. The football is still getting there, but over the last couple years, those Raycom noon games have seen increasingly better matchups. Another sport to throw in there is ACC baseball which is some of the best in collegiate baseball. I know fans of ACC teams would be estatic to watch baseball games on a regular basis on a network dedicated to ACC sports.
I think you can see where I am leaning here. The ACC having its own network would something that if handled well(and that’s an issue with the ACC higher-ups)–could really compete with the SEC/ESPN conglomerate. Here how I see the series of events:
Check if ESPN still has some money in the bank for you. Hey, 2.25 billion dollars does not grow on trees in Bristol CT., but you never know.
If they are low-balling you, look at the competition. I think Fox handles the ACC Game of the Week in b-ball season really well. I’m also a big fan of the ACC Baseball Tourney coverage. Pretty much anybody who gets ESPN gets Fox Sports Regional television. I know in my market–I get two Fox Sports Regional channels with the regular package on DirecTV. You still have RayCom and if ESPN is not paying you any attention, ripping ACC b-ball from Dicky V and ESPN and bolting to Fox would make a statement.
If Fox is not an option, look hard into this network deal. Examine pros and cons, send feelers out to cable/satellite networks on whether they would take it, and make a strong decision.
If another network wants to get a channel but wants a partner, see how you can work with that conference.
For the love of John Swofford, don’t just settle with a bad deal because that’s what you have always had. Grow a set and do something bold.
Where does the ACC fit on TV, folks? Should the ACC try to get as much as they can from ESPN? Look to other networks? Start a network or partner in one? If you’re John Swofford(just for a couple minutes), what do you do? Vote and make your argument in the comments…
Posted by Brandon Rink on July 27, 2009 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article
GT's Demaryius Thomas is literally a one-man wrecking crew in the Tech offense.
We are inching closer and closer to football season which means we look for more angles for CFB talk. The month of July is for positional rankings leading up to the unveiling of my first ACC Power Poll preseason ranking the best of the best in the ACC. Today, we look at the wide receivers/tight ends of the ACC:
1) Miami Hurricanes Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: WR Aldarius Johnson
2) North Carolina State Wolfpack Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: WR Owen Spencer
3) Clemson Tigers Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: WR Jacoby Ford
4) Maryland Terrapins Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: WR Torrey Smith
5) Boston College Eagles Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Medium. Make or Break Player: WR Rich Gunnell
6) Virginia Tech Hokies Returning Starters/Experience: High. Talent: Medium. Make or Break Player: WR Jarrett Boykin
7) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Medium. Make or Break Player: WR Demaryius Thomas
8) Florida State Seminoles Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: WR Bert Reed
9) North Carolina Tar Heels Returning Starters/Experience: Low. Talent: Good. Make or Break Player: WR Greg Little
10) Duke Blue Devils Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Medium. Make or Break Player: WR Johnny Williams
11) Wake Forest Demon Deacons Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Medium. Make or Break Player: TE Ben Wooster
12) Virginia Cavaliers Returning Starters/Experience: Medium. Talent: Medium. Make or Break Player: WR Jared Green
The Coastal takes the top spot in the rankings, but the Atlantic shows a lot more depth with spots 2-5 taken in order. Overall, this is not a strong year for the WR/TE in the league. There are not many Aaron Kelly/Heyward-Beys in this crowd.
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