With a change in the ACC map, is coming even more that aren't sitting well with some ACC fans (Pic per OrangeandWhite.com).
Boom – the ACC is going to a 9-game football conference schedule when Pittsburgh and Syracuse join on a date TBD.
It’s an interesting move, following in the footsteps of the PAC-12, and in the end, it’s probably the right one.
If you’re adding teams, adding conference games makes sense – cutting the OOC down to three games.
Obviously, it’ll limit the amount of prime non-conference games, but let’s be honest, that can only help the ACC.
I’ve said for a while that Syracuse to the Atlantic and Pitt to the Coastal makes the most sense. The Orange rekindles the yearly matchup with regional neighbor Boston College, and plays Pitt in cross-divisional action.
It appears that was the main idea from what commish John Swofford told David Teel of the Daily Press:
Swofford said the “overriding factors” in the division assignments were keeping Virginia Tech and Boston College as partners, and rekindling the Boston College-Syracuse and Virginia Tech-Pitt rivalries that waned when the Hokies and Eagles left the Big East for the ACC.
In my estimation, there just wasn’t a way to feasibly blow up the divisional structure and piece it back together North-South or otherwise. They made the right call here.
The other main point of contention from the ACC announcement was the structure of the new 18-game basketball conference schedule, having just one guaranteed home-and-home series and a 14-team ACC Tourney. From the release:
The scheduling model will be based on a three-year cycle during which teams will play every league opponent at least once with the primary partners playing home and away annually while the other 12 rotate in groups of four: one year both home and away; one year at home only; and one year away only. Over the course of the three-year cycle primary partners play a total of six times and all other conference opponents play four times.
This is where most folks are freaking out, mostly in one particular state. How else can you really do it when throwing the ‘Cuse and Pitt into the mix? It’s not Tobacco Road-friendly from a historical standpoint, but there’s 10 other conference schools now.
From Teel again, Swofford says the new basketball-schedule style passed with majority support:
“The (basketball) coaches were very supportive of the one-partner scheduling,” Swofford said, “and as it turned out, so were the athletic directors.”
So, the plan is finally in place – when does this all go down? Looks like we’re not any closer to knowing.
ACC commissioner John Swofford wouldn’t speculate on Pittsburgh and Syracuse joining the ACC before 2014. “First of all, (that decision) is between Pitt and Syracuse and the Big East,” Swofford said.
However, if the Panthers and Orange can leave before 2014, the ACC will be ready.
“The fact we made our decision how we will schedule and compete certainly helps us (when they join),” Swofford said. “In terms of when that time may come, I don’t want to get into a hypothetical of this or that. Our position continues to be that we want to prepare ourselves when they’re ready and it’s appropriate for them to join us.”
The Big East won’t really still hold Pitt and Syracuse until 2014, right? (Right??) Who knows, but it’s not happening in 2012, and beyond that, the courts and whatever precedent West Virginia sets in its departure to Big XII will determine if there can be epic clashes like Clemson-Syracuse in 2013.
The sooner this will all go down the better, but probably by then, the ACC will get raided or add 10 more teams just to mess with us.
The Wolfpack received 23 letters of intent on Wednesday’s National Signing Day. The class included eight signees from the state of North Carolina and six from Georgia.
The class was made up of 14 three-star and eight two-star prospects, according to Scout and Rivals. One transfer, quarterback Pete Thomas from Colorado State, also joins this year’s class.
“That certainly was a big plus and anytime we can get anybody like [Pete Thomas] in our program we’ll jump at the opportunity.” commented head coach Tom O’Brien.
O’Brien said he expects three to five of the newcomers to see the field next fall.
“Our staff is very excited about the signing class of 2012,” said O’Brien. “We went into this recruiting year with the intention of adding talent at every position, on both sides of the ball. We are at the point now where we are signing to build a team, not rebuild a position, and we are adding quality depth.”
It was a complete class, as the 23 signees covered 11 different positions. The depth up front was improved- four offensive and six defensive linemen were added by the Pack.
State also found playmakers in this year’s class. Wide receiver Charlie Hegedus and running back Shadrach Thornton, both from Georgia, were highly sought after by the big boys of the SEC. Hegedus was offered by Oklahoma State just a couple days ago, and Thornton held offers from multiple SEC and ACC schools.
Four commits have enrolled and are already on campus, including quarterback Manny Stocker who will be involved in a, as O’Brien put it this afternoon, “battle royale” for the starting job after Mike Glennon graduates following this season.
“Certainly we are excited about today. This is a really talented group of young men that have decided to come to NC State. It’s a long, athletic and talented group of kids, and the thing that stands out at you is the size of them and the length they have… the fact that they can run,” added O’Brien.
For a complete list of NC State’s signees, click here.
West Virginia just scored again. (Pic per OrangeandWhite.com)
Streaking down the middle of the field, West Virginia’s Darwin Cook flipped momentum of an Orange Bowl on pace for a basketball score into as one-sided a contest as possible…
It was apparent all too early – Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s defense wasn’t stopping anything, but like wins against Maryland earlier this season, or even UNC – the offense matching the output step-for-step would take the spotlight off.
It wasn’t to be.
A great strip of Tigers running back Andre Ellington and then heads-up play by the Mountaineers’ Cook to take the ball from the goal-line and run it to the opposite goal-line for the score changed the game – the Tigers were rattled, West Virginia hitting them with an early big blow.
Then, twin turnovers by Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, a fumble and interception in the final 2:05 of the first half, sealed it – allowing West Virginia to post 49 first-half points to break a bowl record.
Just like that, only 30 minutes in – the expected shootout was a massacre.
The Tigers, and especially quarterback Tajh Boyd, knew exactly what they were up against in the Mountaineers’ offense – there was little room for error.
“It’s the story of the season, momentum…West Virginia is a great offense,” Boyd said. “You can’t really get behind them. We weren’t able to keep up with them and things didn’t go our way offensively, defensively…it was a tough loss and pretty embarrassing.”
West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen twisted the knife in the second half too – leaving in starting QB Geno Smith late into the game to break the BCS record of 6 touchdown passes while hitting 31-of-42 attempts for 401 yards (first 400-yard passing yard game in Orange Bowl history).
Up 63-26 in the fourth quarter, Holgorsen was calling playaction passes – really.
But I digress, calling a 70-33 loss a catastrophic embarrassment can only be an understatement.
Boyd completed 24-of-46 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and interceptions each – sacked three times, but most of those came late in a very desperate time down big. For most of the game, he had solid protection.
His receivers suffered from drops aplenty – including usually reliable options, wide receiver Jaron Brown and tight end Dwayne Allen.
His running back Andre Ellington had a career-game with 10 attempts for 116 rushing yards (68 coming on one touchdown rush) in the first half, but due to the score, Ellington didn’t have one second-half carry.
Ellington’s fumble changed the game, but honestly, the way West Virginia moved the ball – a score there probably wouldn’t have changed the result.
You can’t win big games with that caliber of defensive play – much like the Clemson offense needed an overhaul post -2010, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney will face the same pressure from the Clemson faithful to do something – anything to fix the defense. However they do it, Swinney vowed more than once postgame that another Orange Bowl drought (30 years between last two) is not about to happen under his watch.
“Tonight is a bitter taste,” Swinney said. “Really disappointing to our fans, especially those that traveled down here. Just so disappointing for us to play like we played.
“But we’ll be back.”
Maybe they will, but if West Virginia’s back too, it’ll be déjà vu all over again with the current staff.
The Orange Bowl was just an apropos rotten tomato atop the ACC bowls – finishing 2-6 overall and falling to 2-13 in BCS games. If there was any mistaking it before, this is not a good football conference right now – and I’m not sure when it will be.
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