How Do Some Universities Succeed in Their ‘Other’ Sports?

Posted on February 20, 2013 by bigfudge74

I have been very frustrated with Clemson basketball this season. When I was a student, sell-outs were assumed and we never missed the tournament. Now we can’t even fill Littlejohn for games against Georgia Tech. It’s mind-boggling, because even when our now glorious football program sunk to 6-7, butts were still in seats. So I asked our college athletics expert to weight in on how some schools can find success in their “other” sports while most of us are left to enjoy success in only one major program. Enjoy the guest post below, and please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

In the world of major college athletics many schools are known for only one specific sport. You have your football schools, your basketball schools, and in some cases even Women’s equestrian schools (I’m looking at you South Carolina). No matter where you go, there are schools that are known more for one sport than the others, and this often comes at the expense of the others. Despite this trend, a number of schools manage to find success in those “other” sports. I wanted to explore this idea, to see why some schools can excel at those “other” sports that they are not traditionally known for, while most universities are confined to the one sport that has always defined them.

To discuss and grasp this topic fully you must first understand one simple rule: every school has a favorite sport. This seems silly to say as it is obvious to most, however when delving further into the idea of why some schools do not excel in the sport they do not favor the rule will reiterated and some will be inclined to argue that the schools respect their sports equally. Wrong! No matter what anyone wants to say, there is always a sport that is seated atop a pedestal in the school’s and fans’ collective eyes. Once we all accept this truth we can begin to delve deeper into the topic.

When we think about certain sport schools we typically think in terms of “basketball schools” and “football schools.” How this comes to be at a school has to do with some combination of geography and whatever sport achieved success earlier. For example: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Ohio State are all “football schools” due to both their locations and history. The SEC schools and the two Big XII programs are all located in a part of the country that worships college football and thus tend to focus more on their football programs. Even Michigan and Ohio State are in parts of the country that prefer football, not to mention their history of success. The same can be said of the “basketball schools”: Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and Syracuse.

The question now is how do some of these schools excel at both sports while others fail? To answer this we will look at the success stories as well as the failures.

There are two programs that stand out as successes over the past decade plus: Florida and Ohio State. Both of these programs are

synonymous with football yet they have both achieved greatness in basketball as well. The Buckeyes tout multiple national championships in football as well as 1960 national title in hoops. Meanwhile the Gators have been one of the more successful programs in the country winning three national titles in football and back-to-back titles in basketball all in the last 17 years. Not only have both of these programs been good in the past, but they continue to be in the hunt every December and March. How do they do it? There simply is not a set formula for success in athletics because there are so many variables in play, but there is a loose blueprint that schools follow in hopes of crossing the chasm and excelling in several sports. It all starts with a strong Athletic Director. To become a school that is willing to focus beyond its prized sport, the AD must be willing to swim upstream. This is what both UF and Ohio State have in Jeremy Foley and Gene Smith, the latter’s recent NCAA issues aside. Meanwhile schools that have failed at success on both the gridiron and hardwood such as Kentucky and Kansas lack these great leaders. With all due respect to Mitch Barnhart and Sheahon Zenger, neither man is at the level of a Jeremy Foley. Both have recently made strides in making their football counterparts more successful with the hiring of Mark Stoops and Charlie Weis; however to this point neither has achieved success in their lesser sport.

From there these AD’s must find boosters that are willing to fund and push for more success in the “other” sport. This is a difficult task in many instances as most boosters are typically as invested in their favorite sport as most of the fan base. Despite the difficulty this is an essential part of the process. To succeed in the less celebrated sport, there must first be some attention paid to it along with some help given. Once the other sport has received the help it needs to catch up to its bigger sibling sport, then it is ready to make the next step.

That next step is hiring the right coach. This step includes an element which cannot be overstated: the school needs to get a little lucky. There are a multitude of coaches out there and many seem like fits for the position, but the AD must find once that he believes is willing to take the extra steps necessary to building a successful program. This can be seen with coaches Billy Donovan and Thad Matta. Both coaches had a lot of great attributes that made them right for the job, but so too did many other coaches vying for their positions. What separated them from their competition were their shared characteristics with their AD’s. Both coaches have gelled well with their employer and fit in. This, coupled with a touch of luck, is what has taken them to their great heights. It is not to discount these coaches’ abilities as they are both at the top of their profession, merely just to reinforce the idea that luck does indeed play a role. We need only look at Kentucky and Kansas to prove this. UK and KU have made “splashes” in their hiring in the past with coaches like Guy Morris and Turner Gill, yet neither achieved marketable success. Morris peaked at a bowl berth or two and Gill was an absolute crash and burn. Luck, and according to them, their schools were simply not on their side.

Finally, to be able to succeed in both sports there needs to be a family atmosphere at the schools. This seems like a foolish sentiment, but in my years being around both successful and not-so-successful athletic departments, I have found this to be a key. If a school’s coaches and sports are competitive with one another than the priority sport will eventually smother and suffocate the other sports. If the sports fight for control and do not embrace each other, the smaller sports will never get a chance to thrive. However a school that has coaches and sports that not only respect one another, but also care for each other, has the best chance at success across the board. By having a vested interest in the other coaches and sports the program will gel together better and in turn give each other the best chance to succeed.

So what truly separates Florida from Kentucky and Ohio State from Kansas? The Gators and Buckeyes have strong AD’s, coaches, boosters, and family like bonds. The Cats and Jayhawks are more focused on excelling in their established sports. This is not meant only as a look into why these programs are the way they are but also to serve as a warning to other schools that are teetering on becoming a one trick pony. Schools like Clemson, Florida State, and Texas that all have a strong football identity and have had past basketball success yet continue to backslide on the court. All three schools have the ingredients to get back to being success stories it just takes a new direction from a strong leader and fan base to do so. In the end, no matter the success on the smaller sport; it will always be the smaller sport. The big sibling will always reign supreme, draw the most attention, and garner the most support. However, living in the shadow now is not reason to strive to succeed and maybe become the big kid on the block one day.

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ESPNU Showcasing Softball Instead of National Signing Day? Clemson Manages Another Top 15 Recruiting Class

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Ryan Kantor

Wednesday, January 6th was college football’s National Signing Day. Practically a national holiday, signing day can be as exciting as Christmas morning for college football fans. After all it’s the day we find out who they will be watching for the next four years. So, as soon as morning struck I jumped onto ESPNU.com, but rather than in-depth coverage of the industry’s big topic for the day I find this:

Nothing against softball, but give me a break. After all I have to hear about how the SEC invented football you don’t even offer the decency of a good recruiting day primer? God knows they had ESPNU microphones at every announcement. It seems like ESPN and ESPN2 generate so much revenue that they have been able to make this smaller niche network just to cover “non-revenue” sports for the express purpose of making themselves feel really good about themselves. “Look at us. We make these athletes feel so good even when nobody else goes to their games.” Give me a break! Also, notice to peculiar headline. Are they poking fun at her weight there? If so, GUTLESS! C’mon ESPNU!

Anyway, while on the topic, it seems like Clemson pulled in quite the recruiting class by the end of the day. With National Title aspirations it’s hard not to compare the Tigers’ class to Alabama, Notre Dame, and the like and forget the consistency and depth Coach Swinney has brought to the program. I believe this the first time… ever?… that we’ve turned in back-to-back-to-back top 15 recruiting classes (Can someone confirm?). Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams both chosing Auburn over Clemson stung, but we already had some top-notch recruits on the defensive-line (Shaq Lawson, Ebenezer Okendeko) and added Scott Pagano from Hawaii and Dana Rogers, a fellow North Carolinian to the mix (wonder if he’s excited about our tax changes too… probably not). It really wasn’t until late in the day that the class came together though.

Clemson getting an LOI from ESPN’s #4 player and #2 cornerback, Mackensie Alexander, salvaged the class for me. No doubt it was packed with quality players before his signing, but it needed a gem and Alexander provides just that. It sounds like he’ll be able to come in and make an impact immediately.

In last announcement of the day for the Tigers, Clemson signed Tyrone Crowder, a premier offensive lineman, putting this class over-the-top. Clemson fans are always complaining about recruiting and talent on the O-line and it was my biggest concern heading into 2012. I’m glad we were able to find some “SEC-caliber” talent to put in the trenches. Finally, I’d be remiss to not mention linebacker Ben Boulware (ESPN #78) merely because he committed early. We appreciate that and I think he’ll become a fan favorite. This class has 15 ESPN four-star recruits. I can’t remember the last time we had so many. Labor Day weekend can’t come soon enough. What do you think of Clemson’s 2013 recruiting cycle? Impressed? Disappointed? Please leave your comments in the section below. I enjoy hearing from you.

February’s book of the month comes from Harvard Graduate, Ms. A.J. Delgado. In it she explains why it’s cool to be a conservative and why it’s the true ideology of rebels and punk rockers. Only available on Kindle.

In-Depth Inside Look At College Football Recruiting

Posted on February 4, 2013 by bigfudge74

This recruiting season has been packed with even more craziness than usual, and Clemson has experienced more than their fair share of the ups and downs it entails. The nation’s #1 recruit, Robert Nkemdiche of Loganville, GA, originally committed to Clemson, only to decommit and indicate Ole Miss as his new leader. Now LSU joins the hunt and he’ll take a visit to see what the Gators have to offer. Ryan Jenkins, a wide receiver from Marietta, was committed to the Tigers where his brother is a defensive back, but flipped to Tennessee, his father’s alma mater. Then of course we experienced the turbulent ride of the #5 wide receiver in the nation, Demarcus Robinson, who ended up with Florida, but didn’t make his decision clear until he had practically finished moving in to his Gainesville, FL dorm room.

With all that going on, I asked our SEC and college football expert to weigh in, not on any specific player, but his broader experience with the recruiting process over the years. His unique perspective as a high school athlete and high school football coach allows him to bring to light some items, that to outsiders like myself, are rather shocking. Please note that his stories and insights are not specific to any one player unless indicated as such.

This inside look is something you can’t get from your typical recruiting update, and I have to give a huge thanks to Big Fudge for opening up. I hope you enjoy!

With all due respect to the weather, recruiting may be the most unpredictable thing in this world. To predict and understand the thinking of 17 and 18-year-old high schoolers is a crapshoot at best. Or is it?

As a former athlete, albeit a very average one, I did have my fair share of recruitment. This, coupled with my time coaching football, are what I will use as reference points when exploring the thought process of recruits. We will make an effort to understand what factors pull athletes to their schools, focusing specifically on college football recruiting.

The first factor to remember about recruits coming out of high school is that, like any 17 or 18-year-old, they love attention. This is not inherently a bad thing, as they have accomplished plenty in their young lives athletically–and hopefully academically–that would warrant the appreciation they are receiving from colleges, and they should be able to enjoy it. It is this attention they receive that will give them early ideas of where they would like to commit. They will always have a fondness for the first program that shows them interest and therefore you usually see that school in the running to the end.

However this attention is a double-edged sword. If you give a lot of it early on and less at other points during the recruitment cycle, the athlete may become frustrated after having grown accustomed to the initial level of contact. This attention factor is a very important one as the types of attention must be adjusted and changed regularly during recruitment, otherwise a school could fall victim to another flaw possessed by teenagers, they get bored easily.

Eventually the “shine” of the attention from the same schools fades, and new schools become the primary focus, because their message is new and different. This is often seen with late-blooming prospects that have been given attention by smaller programs for years and once they develop further and reach a higher level of talent the big boys come calling. The wonderful attention of the small programs becomes stale and the big school has fresh and flashy appreciation to be paid to the athlete. Needless to say it is only rational for a teenager to be enamored with this new attention and unless the original schools can change-up their messaging they may be left behind.

I have personally seen this many times in my coaching career. I had a star running back that was undersized to say the least going into his senior year. He had only three offers at this point and only one of these was a division one program. He went on to grow about four inches and put on twenty-five pounds while being the best player on the team. By week four of the season, seemingly every school knew of him. By the end of his recruitment he was between his first division one offer and three major programs. He chose that first school to offer him and when I asked him what made him choose this program he answered they gave him the most attention and they were first to believe in him. This school did not let up on him and when the bigger schools offered they turned up the heat even more. All of this attention and care paid to athletes is a huge part of recruiting but it must be handled carefully.

The next factors that pull recruits are their preconceived notions and their openness to new ideas. Growing up in the south, I am no stranger to being raised on a certain team or university. I grew up knowing my school was best and all others were just hoping to be us. I knew that the Big 10 was slow, the Big East shouldn’t have a BCS tie in, the SEC was overly arrogant, the ACC was soft, the Big 12 only had three teams worth anything (OU, UT, and back then Nebraska), and the Pac then 10 now 12 didn’t understand that defense was part of the game. Many of these up and coming prospects are also filled with these beliefs and have favorite schools. Whether or not the parents have attended a school or even gone to college doesn’t come into play as much as many think. It is only a factor in as much as the school is a part of the athletes upbringing. Athletes with parents that never went to college still have their teams, but they may just not have the same loyalty to that school due to lesser exposure and connection.

To use myself as an example, I was only offered by 10 schools coming out of high school and only two of those were division one programs. One of the programs was a very good school with great academics but they did not offer an athletic scholarship only a preferred walk-on status with partial academic scholarships to help with the lofty tuition price tag. The other program was a good school, but it had the misfortune of being a program that I knew a lot about and had distaste for due to my college football upbringing. Needless to say I did not give that school the time of day. In the end I am a rare sort of fool that passed up all of the chances laid before me and enrolled in college just to be a student. Looking back now, the school that I would not consider may have been the best opportunity for me, but my preconceived notions of it would not allow me to truly see the potential in it. This is something that recruits often enter the process with. It’s the athlete’s ability to be open to new ideas and schools that will determine how much these beliefs will factor in their decision.

The intangibles of each school are another big factor weighing on these young minds. Each school is unique and therefore brings different things to the table for each recruit. Many fans wonder why a recruit would choose to go to school X over their school, assuming the school itself is the determining factor, and the answer is never simple nor the same as different recruits are looking for different things. Let’s take a look at five different schools that are very successful and each have had excellent recruiting classes in the past few years: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Ohio State, and Southern California.

Why would a recruit choose one of these schools, disregarding geography, over another? Each school has features that make it extremely attractive to recruits. Alabama has a history, both ancient and recent, of winning championships and plays in the SEC. Clemson has a unique campus and “family” atmosphere, this is what many recruits have been quoted as saying about the program throughout the years. Florida has the location, SEC, and facilities. Ohio State has tradition and name recognition in the North, and USC has the LA lifestyle. Each school has something that appeals to certain recruits and when an athlete is looking at schools some of these characteristics will speak louder to them than others. Larger, more prominent programs have more to offer than their smaller counter parts in terms of exposure and other intangibles as well. What is important to them is usually sculpted by their upbringing and those that are around them on a daily basis.

This brings us to the most important factor in recruiting, the decision makers. Believe it or not most 17 and 18 year olds are not ready to make completely independent decisions on their own, and they often look to a certain person to guide them in the right direction for their future. This person is different for every recruit and coaches are constantly scrambling to find that person. For me my decision maker was my father (who was happy in the end that I chose not to play college football) and I would look to him to gauge how interested in a school I should be and where I would fit the best. In many cases it is a parent or relative or maybe even a close friend that helps makes this decision–which is not necessarily unhealthy.

It’s when there is an outside person that has undue influence on this decision that a problem arises. Unfortunately this happens far too often in recruiting, and it is not talked about in the open as much as it should be. There have been many instances where high school coaches hold something over a recruit to be able to steer him to the school of the coach’s choice. Often times this is with the promise of a job for the coach if he delivers the recruit. Other times it is just to help out the coach’s favorite school. I have witnessed this first hand both when playing and coaching. I have had a coach I played for threaten to fail an athlete if he did not commit to the coach’s school at which he was promised a job. I have even seen a coach tell a player that he would not start a game if he did not consider his alma mater more in his recruitment. Regardless of who is pulling the strings and whether or not it is beneficial for the athlete, the decision makers are a key factor in the thought process of a recruit.

Even with a better understanding of all of the factors that go into recruiting, no one can still truly predict what an 18-year-old athlete will do. The amount of attention schools send the way of recruits and their preconceived notions and open-mindedness towards that attention is critical. Each school’s intangibles and the decision makers in the recruits’ lives also weigh heavily on their minds. It’s just a guess as to which of these factors makes the biggest impact and dictates decisions. In the end, we enjoy recruiting for its roller coaster like ride, and that won’t change.

However when you wonder why your school just couldn’t flip that big time recruit maybe you can now begin to understand the factors at play and look at the process in a different light. Happy recruiting season!

Thank you Big Fudge for this informative, revealing, and somewhat shocking look into the recruiting process. It certainly gave me a peer into the process and deepened my understanding. I hope it had the same impact on our readers.

Seven Reasons Clemson Could Play For The 2013 National Championship

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Ryan Kantor

Next season marks the final year of the BCS as we know it. In 2014, the National Championship will be determined by a four-team playoff. I’m not staunchly opposed to the move to a playoff, but it will surely make some of the games (see Orange Bowl potentially getting SEC #3) less special and packed with tradition. That being said, Clemson, whose fans are on top of the world at the moment, has a legitimate shot to play in the final National Championship that to be decided purely by the BCS standings. Here are seven reasons why that’s the case.

1. Pre-Season Ranking: Clemson should begin next season well within the top 10. That could be key given the Tigers are not in the uber-respected SEC.

2. Senior QB: After a weak draft projection and the return of Chad Morris, it appears highly likely that Tajh Boyd, the ACC Player of the Year, will return for his senior season. So, we’re looking at Clemson coming into the season as the highest ranked team in the ACC with the best player in the conference, not too shabby.

3. Offensive Identity: After a 6-7 2010 season, Dabo Swinney made the bold move to bring in a largely untested offensive coordinator from Tulsa. He has completely changed the identity of Clemson’s Program. They’ve gone from a decent program that can’t win the big game to a fast-paced offense that wears out their opponents with great skill players. In an article from my favorite Clemson writer, Greg Wallace, Dabo Swinney says:

“It’s a Clemson offense, not a Chad Morris offense,” Swinney told reporters. “When we hired Chad, this is what we wanted to do philosophically. Our first year in 2009, we had dynamic guys like C.J. Spiller and Michael Palmer, Jacoby Ford, it’s well-documented what those guys did. We knew what we wanted to go to, it was just a matter of having the right personnel. It was a matter of who I thought was the best fit for our personnel. We settled on Chad and he’s done a tremendous job.

4. Balanced Schedule: Clemson’s 2013 schedule is picture perfect. It holds no trip to Tallahassee, like 2012, and no trip to Athens, like 2014. The Tigers swap VT with Syracuse and take a trip to Charlottesville. In a weird scheduling quirk ACC rival, Georgia Tech, will play in Clemson in Death Valley for a consecutive year (GT asked for the change so they would never have a season without a home game against either Clemson or UGA). There is a tremendous talent gap after the Yellow Jackets have been saddled with Paul Johnson’s “unprofessional environment” and weak recruiting for four years. FSU, Clemson’s chief conference rival (see what I did there with “chief”?), will be severely depleted after losing stars at QB, RB, DE, and CB to the NFL draft. Additionally, a schedule that boasts UGA, FSU, NCSU, GT, and South Carolina should be tough enough to earn national respect. Eventually Clemson has to beat the chickens from the dumpy part of the state, right?

5. Matured Offensive Line: If you read my season preview, my biggest concern was the offensive line. They exceeded my expectations in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Auburn and only got better as the season progressed. In the finale against LSU, Gifford Timothy went down to injury. Clemson responded to adversity with a second half rally and game-winning drive. They’ll return four offensive lineman!

6. Wide Receivers: Clemson has one of the best receiving corps in the country. DeAndre Hopkins has been named to the 2013 Heisman Watch List, but even he leaves the Tigers will return: Sammy Watkins, Adam Humphries, Charone Peake, and Martavius Bryant. Jaron Brown, who had an epic block against LSU will graduate, but even if the Tigers lose both Hopkins and Brown, I’ll still be exceedingly confident in this group of players.

7. Brent Venables: The Tigers have been churning through defensive coordinators the last few years. Vic Koenning was let go due to philosophical differences with Dabo Swinney. Kevin Steele came in and the defense worsened. Steele was dismissed, and Brent Venables joined the staff with much to improve upon from the 2011 Orange Bowl fiasco. The defense got exposed against FSU, but continued to improve and came through against LSU. I expect further improvement from the defense in Venables second year.

I have my concerns though. Firstly, Andre Ellington’s graduation leaves a hole at RB, but “Hot Rod” McDowell, DJ Howard, and Zac Brooks are more than capable replacements for the speedy back (who fumbled in the last two Clemson bowl games). Secondly, Clemson’s recruiting over the past four seasons has been strong, but not on par with the Alabamas and Floridas of the world. While the Tigers will be extremely talented next year, they certainly won’t be the most talented team vying for the title. Thirdly, Tajh Boyd could stun me and decide to leave early for the NFL. His soft draft projection, down in 6th/7th round territory, coupled with the return of Offensive Coordinator, Chad Morris, seem to make it unlikely, but I suppose it is possible. Finally, Clemson will end the season with the tough task of winning at Williams Brice Stadium. Nobody beat the Cocks at home this year (they lost at LSU and at UF). I can’t fathom another loss to them though, so I’m going to mark it down as a win for now and continue to enjoy Clemson’s victory at the hands of the “other” Tigers who play in the “other” Death Valley.

Now, most experts will likely pick the winner of the SEC to match up with a program like Oklahoma or Notre Dame in the next National Championship, but I believe Clemson has a great opportunity to continue to best program records and find themselves in their first BCS National Championship Game. The seven reasons outlined above along with the winning culture that is being instilled under Swinney’s tenure present a tremendous opportunity for Clemson in 2013. This year’s team was just the fourth 11-win Clemson team in program history. I expect even more victories next season. Start planning your trip to Pasadena!

Go Tigers!

Feel free to tell me why I’m crazy in the comments section below.

The Chad Morris-Rich Rodriguez Parallel (tigertracks.com)
Andy Staples: Clemson looking up after ripping LSU at Chick-fil-A (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
Ranking The ACC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead (ryankantor.com)
Clemson beats LSU with game-winning FG in Chick-fil-A Bowl (cbssports.com)
Chick-fil-A Bowl: After Big Win, Will Clemson Tigers Key Players Return For Senior Season? (thepigskinreport.com)

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Ranking the SEC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead

Posted on December 18, 2012 by bigfudge74

Just after my post reminiscing of the days of yesteryear, when I had a co-blogger, it appears as though I may have a regular contributor now. As promised, our SEC expert, Big Fudge, is back with his look at the “Decade Ahead” in the SEC. Enjoy the read, and please notice just how low those pesky, vile, appalling despicable, (insert infinite negative adjectives here) Gamecocks are down the list–and that’s not even from a Clemson fan! Every red-blooded American has gotta love that! Anyway, on to the post. Enjoy! Please leave comments below.

In reading my last post and my moniker–Big Fudge–two of my viewing pleasures become quite evident: How I Met Your Mother and SEC football. H.I.M.Y.M. is certainly not the only show I enjoy (how can you watch the pilot of Dexter and not get hooked?) and neither is SEC football the only brand of the sport I follow, however you have to go with what you know, even on an ACC blog.

To piggy back on Ryan’s earlier write-up on the ACC programs, today we take a look at the future of programs in the SEC. It isn’t all about the X’s and O’s in these rankings but rather about the programs as a whole and seeing who is best built for sustained success in the nation’s premiere football conference. The rankings may surprise you and, for Clemson fans, excite you.

The Top of the Heap

1. The University of Alabama - At this point it should be obvious that Alabama is set up to be the cream of the crop in the SEC. The facilities are there, the money is there, the tradition is there, the fan base is there, and the coaching staff is definitely there. The one area that Alabama does not dominate currently is the in-state talent isn’t at the level of rivals Florida or even Georgia. However, when you have every other advantage like the Crimson Tide do, in-state talent isn’t all that important. With all of their resources, Bama can simply walk into any high school in the country and have immediate pull. The recent success of the program coupled with the other intangibles has the Tide firmly set on College Football’s pedestal. Simply put, Alabama is not going anywhere any time soon.

2. The University of Florida - The program that Bear Bryant once called a “Sleeping Giant” awoke in the early 1990s under a certain Head Ball Coach. Since then the Gators have been arguably the most dominant and prominent program in the conference and possibly the country. The Gators lead the conference in SEC title game appearances and have also won the most SEC title games. They have three national titles and have the second longest active bowl streak in the nation. Couple that with a seemingly bottomless pool of in-state talent, unlimited funding, great facilities (including the feared Swamp), and arguably the best athletic director in the business in Jeremy Foley, and it’s easy to see why the Gators are so successful across several sports. They, like Alabama, now have a coaching staff in place which also has them looking at even more sustained success in the long-term. Long story short, the “Sleeping Giant” is certainly awake and kicking.

3. The University of Georgia - This is a program that has a lot going for it every year. It is incredibly well-funded, has an excellent facility in Sanford Stadium, it has tradition, and has plenty of in-state talent. What keeps it behind Florida and Alabama is its inability to win the really big games under Mark Richt. The Dawgs under-achieve regularly and haven’t gotten over the hump quite yet to prove they have the ability to keep up in the long-term. That being said, when you have a great AD in Greg McGarity (Note: Ryan roomed with his son at Clemson), a budget over $90 million, and a great depth of talent around you it’s hard to see that program sinking any time soon either.

4. Texas A&M University - Short and sweet: the Aggies are in a football crazy state, they are swimming in high school talent, they have the facilities, and oh yea they are in a football crazy state! The program is returning to national prominence and it figures to stay there for a while with Kevin Sumlin’s exciting brand of football and its hungry fans fueling on the Aggies’ success.

5. Louisiana State University - At the risk of sounding repetitive, LSU has all the right ingredients to stay at the top of the SEC. ~~Death~~ Deaf Valley, great recruiting, and a solid fan base will keep these Tigers competitive for the foreseeable future.

The Middle of the Pack:

6. The University of Tennessee - This is a program that has given me headaches trying to figure out why it hass struggled so mightily over the past several seasons. The Vols command a huge budget. They have a massive stadium and are a household name. There is no reason for them to be treading water or, to be more precise, drowning in mediocrity. I don’t expect it to last. Despite the panic hire of Butch Jones, the Vols just have way too much going for them to not be better in the future.

7. Auburn University - Jorden-Hare, Bo Jackson, and War Eagle. Tradition, money, and facilities. I am now sure you will be repeating this in your sleep after reading this, but it does not make the recipe any more true. Auburn has many great pieces, however without a deep talent base in the state and better leadership the Tigers will not be able to jump into the SEC Elite realm on a regular basis.

8. The University of Arkansas - The Hogs have the same dilemma as War Eagle. They have a great fan base and, thanks to Bud Walton, unbelievable facilities. The problem again lies in the just complete wasteland that is young talent in the state. Outside of a couple of athletes per year, Arkansas just does not produce the talent capable of supporting a great SEC program. It will now be on Bret Bielema to see if he can go elsewhere to get the talent he needs.

9. The University of Missouri - This is an interesting program. Mizzou has a loyal fan base and has a relatively solid recruiting plan, but little else. The facilities are nowhere near their better SEC brethren and the money isn’t there for them either. I just don’t see a program that committed to stepping up into the SEC not giving its all to compete successfully. Eventually the Tigers will climb out of the cellar and climb their way up the ladder, slowly but surely.

10. The University of Mississippi - When you have the Grove you will always have a great recruiting tool. Combine that with Hugh Freeze and I see the Rebels dominating their state for a long time. However, they will have to climb over a lot of teams better equipped to move up much further in the long-term and I’m not sure they have the tools to do so.

The Bottom of the Pile:

11. South Carolina, Columbia Campus - This ranking may come as a shock, but anyone that has followed the conference for a long time should be able to see the merit in it as it is explained. Cocky had long been the cellar-dweller in the SEC prior to a few happy moments under Lou Holtz and the arrival of Steve Spurrier. I don’t see Steve staying around for another decade to keep up what he has built, which means without one of the premiere offensive minds in the history of the game that the Cocks will slide back down to the bottom of the conference. The facilities are not even close to adequate to continue to achieve what they have been and new AD Ray Tanner will be learning on the job, which doesn’t bode well for sustained success. Reality will be coming soon to reacquaint itself with the Cocks.

12. Mississippi State University - A coach looking to get out, limited funds, and limited recruitable talent. Easy to see why the SEC’s other Bulldogs will not be very competitive in the future.

13. Vanderbilt University - Making all sports “intramural” wasn’t a great start. Despite what James Franklin does, Vandy just is not currently structured to be able to support a successful football program. I do expect the ‘Dores to be exciting and competitive in the coming two to three seasons, but beyond that would be a huge feat that I am not sure James Franklin can accomplish.

14. The University of Kentucky - No in-state talent to speak of. No fan base for football. Decent facilities at best. It’s tough to have success when the only time your fan base notices your program is when they are turning the other way on John Calipari’s recruiting practices.

The ACC Figured It Out Just In Time: Time To Plunder The Big East Again

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Ryan Kantor

It’s always a good day to plunder the Big East

The slow and gradual collapse of the Big East, which was caused in no small part by the misguided basketball-only schools who never realized that football must come first, leaves plenty for the plunder.

20 years ago, not realizing how much more important football would be than basketball, and lacking the vision to see that television-contract dollars (centered around football) would form the roots of conference stability, the Big East rejected Penn State. The conference has been bleeding ever since, losing Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College, and then more recently West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Louisville. Former Big East, now ACC member Boston College, nets over four-times the money from football that they do from basketball. Georgetown and the like could never understand. Conversely, the ACC seemed to learn this lesson just in the nick of time.

When the recent conference shuffle started, West Virginia seemed likely to leave the Big East. The ACC was the logical landing-place for WVU–technically not on the Atlantic coast, but more geographically in sync than Louisville or Notre Dame. Schools like Duke balked at the idea of adding the 165th ranked National University (academics), and the Mountaineers were turned away, only to find more more lucrative pastures in the Big 12. The ACC would then add two football weenies–Syracuse and Pittsburgh–neither in the top 8 of my football program “Decade Ahead” rankings.

When West Virginia was rejected for academic reasons, I was proud, proud that the ACC stood for something beyond money, while the dirty SEC fought down in the mud and the muck… Then money started speaking louder.

After all the hoopla, conference realignment seemed complete, and with the ACC’s two new additions plus the special agreement and partial addition of Notre Dame, all seemed honky dory. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the cash-strapped athletic department of Maryland left the ACC to join the Big 10. Rutgers would join them shortly thereafter. Suddenly it became clear, that the ACC’s skimpy television contract had made them vulnerable.

The money difference for Maryland was so huge that it was worth leaving for them, despite the $50+ million exit fee, decades of history and tradition, the strain the additional travel will put on their student athletes, and the inconvenience it puts on fans. That’s when the principle of requiring members to be top-notch academic institutions such as Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, etc., went out the window.

Immediately, the ACC went to work to replace Maryland. After some talk about Navy and Cincinnati, the two realistic options were UConn and Louisville. Louisville, who has the most valuable basketball program in the country, a more developed football program, and superior facilities than UConn seemed the smart choice, as I outlined here. Amazingly, Wake Forest (bless their hearts), Duke, UNC, and Virginia supported UConn. Now I have nothing against UConn, but how could you pick them over Louisville? With the conference in serious trouble, these schools were still clinging to outdated principles. Fortunately, the other Universities chose Louisville, the 160th academically ranked National University, but the best addition to the conference… And that’s the story of how the Tar Heels were dethroned from the ACC, and the conference was saved.

With the ACC saved, and the Big East weaker than ever (rumors are they may resort to inviting A-10 schools) the Atlantic Coast Conference still has more to plunder. The ACC now has 15 teams that will be relying on their bowl lineup (that includes Notre Dame in years they are bowl eligible and not in the Orange Bowl), and just eight guaranteed bowl tie-ins. This year, with UNC and Miami not participating in bowl games, that was not a problem at all, but with Louisville replacing Maryland, and three additional teams relying on the bowl lineup, the ACC needs to grow and improve their bowl lineup. Specifically, they need to find their way into the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

The Pinstripe Bowl currently pairs the Big East against the Big 12. Contracts with both conferences expire after 2013. With the Big East losing so many of their top programs and the Big 12 never really making sense given the geographic stretch, the Pinstripe Bowl may be looking to new conferences to keep their fair bowl alive. The three football programs that presumably would get the biggest draw in New York City are Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Rutgers. Two of them are now in the ACC bowl lineup, and all were previously affiliated with the Big East’s. Furthermore, either Syracuse or Rutgers has been in each of the three Pinstripe Bowl.

The $2,000,000 payout already associated with the Pinstripe Bowl would place it between the Russell Athletic Bowl and the Sun Bowl as a top four bowl destination in the current ACC bowl lineup. Beyond the money appealing to the ACC and the appropriate ACC teams appealing to the bowl, they need to come to terms with the conference that the ACC is awkwardly not paired with in any bowl games, the Big 10.

I’ve always found it strange that the ACC hardly ever battle with the Big 10, while the media always pairs the two as the conferences worthy to discuss only after the SEC and Big 12. The conferences already square off in the ACC/Big 10 challenge during basketball season, and after the Maryland fiasco, there is a bit of bad blood. The Big 10 makes loads more sense than the Big 12 does for the Pinstripe Bowl now that they can offer Rutgers and Maryland, both great fits for a New York City bowl. There are plenty of enjoyable matchups that could be established among the variations of: Notre Dame/ Syracuse/ Pittsburgh/ Boston College/ Virginia/ Virginia Tech v. Rutgers/ Penn St/ Maryland/Michigan/Michigan St. Not to mention that I’d love to get a crack at Penn St or Michigan, and it would “feel good” to have ACC teams occasionally play Maryland, an ACC charter member. If the weather was tolerable, I’d surely make the trip to New York City to see Clemson play in the New Yankee Stadium. Although the bowl is currently a lower tier game that what Clemson fans are accustomed to, it was just two years ago that I attended the Meineke Car Care Bowl where we lost to USF. Plus, it’s the venue makes it seem so special anyway.

There are other bowls in warmer weather locations on my wish lists as well. I’d like to see commissioner Swofford make a play to bring the Gator Bowl ($2.5 mil payout) back. Part of the reason they abandoned their affiliation with the Big East was due to restrictions on how often they could select Notre Dame. Such restrictions don’t apply in the ACC’s agreement and matchups like Northwestern v. Mississippi State aren’t impressing anyone. Additionally, I’d like to see the ACC drop affiliations with the Advocare Independence Bowl ($1.1 mil payout) and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (>$1 mil payout) and take the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl ($1 mil payout) in sunny St. Petersburg as a low-tier replacement. Yes, let’s replace Shreveport and San Francisco with Jacksonville, St. Pete, and New York City. Go plunder Mr. Swofford, it’s always been your thing.

Infographic: Conf. champs and bowl games (espn.go.com)
Big East turns back to its basketball roots (nypost.com)
Tulane Basketball…So Bad It Will Destroy the Big East? (bleacherreport.com)
Big East Dissolving: 7 Schools Reportedly Will Leave Conference (bleacherreport.com)

2013 SEC Football Preview: Because It Is Never Too Early For A Season Preview, A Guest Blog Post

Posted on December 11, 2012 by bigfudge74

After releasing my “Decade Ahead” rankings for the ACC, an old college buddy reconnected with me and asked if he could do the same for his beloved SEC. Given that he coaches football and works in collegiate athletics, I figured he was pretty knowledgeable and worthy (if not overqualified) to write a guest blog post. He took a decidedly shorter-term view, looking only to next season, rather than the long 5-10 year window I attempted to write towards. Don’t worry, he promises the decade outlook is on the way. So here it is, I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

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After another exciting College Football season, now comes the bowl lull. That lovely period every year where fans are experiencing withdrawal and are coping the best they can by watching uninspired NFL matchups (e.g., Cardinals vs. Seahawks last Sunday). The other best way to cope with the lull is to have the fun and unproductive debate of who will improve and who will digress next season. To pass the time until the first bowl game (which be honest, no matter how bad it is you will watch) let us explore next season’s outlook in the SEC.

Love it or hate it the SEC has been the face of college football for the past six to 10 years (you can thank Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten for that for getting hosed every year by the SEC in the BCS). The conference continues to roll out great teams every year and the next season should be no exception.

(My somewhat early) 2013 SEC Power Rankings:

1. Alabama – As has become custom, we will all pencil in the Tide as the best in the conference and most likely a top three preseason ranked team. The fact is, the sport’s most polarizing coach, (outside of the wildly entertaining Steve Spurrier) Nick Saban, has built Tuscaloosa into the home of the country’s perennial powerhouse on the football field. The Crimson Tide has redefined the phrase “We don’t rebuild, we reload” as year after year they churn out NFL prospects and plug in new pieces which perform at that same high level.

Next season will be no exception, the young defense will get another off-season under their belt and emerge as an even more fierce and well-schooled unit than they have been this season. Offensively, we have seen the emergence of freshmen running back T.J. Yeldon and freshman reciever Amari Cooper, which has SEC foes shaking that they will have to defend these playmakers for at least two more seasons. They will be a consistent unit that will have a slight tail off from this season as they replace pieces on the offensive line. This will not be enough to keep the Tide from rolling more next season with a relatively weak SEC schedule.

P.S. Virginia Tech better duck for cover week one as Alabama routinely beats up on their prime time early season matchups.
Projected 2013 Record: 12-0

2. Florida – This pick may be a slight surprise to many of you as Florida is poised to lose its three best players next season (Gillislee, Elam, and Floyd). However, it is what the Gators return from this Sugar Bowl bound squad that makes them so deadly and has Gainesville buzzing. The defense will return three starters along the defensive line, three at linebacker (with injured “buck” linebacker and fierce pass rusher Ronald Powell returning), and two deep at corner (four in total). With all this talent returning from a unit which is arguably the nation’s best defense this season, there is plenty of reason for optimism.

On the other side of the ball, the Gators will return Quarterback Jeff Driskel, who continues to mature and improve with each passing week, four starting offensive lineman (the Gators will also add two transfers to the line up next season both of which were starters at Nebraska and Maryland), and four receivers. The question marks on offense surround the return of TE Jordan Reed, who was UF’s best receiving threat, and the RB situation. There will be at least a three-headed monster in the backfield at the start of Fall camp, with incumbent Matt Jones competing with incoming freshman Kelvin Taylor (son of NFL and UF legend Fred Taylor) and Adam Lane. This season’s improvement and gained experience by such a young team adds to the likelihood that Will Muschamp’s bunch takes aim at Pasadena next season.
Projected 2013 Record: 12-0

3. LSU – Once again, the Mad Hatter will put an LSU team out on the field that will win double-digit games. Playing in front of the raucous fans in Death Valley (Sorry Clemson fans, but they do have the hardware to stake claim) is the best home field advantage in the conference outside of the Swamp. LSU continues to recruit top talent and seems to find a new playmaker in the back field each season. Their depth of talent overcomes the poor in-game coaching by the coaching stuff and fuels them to the success.

The reason that the Bayou Bengals are listed only third here, despite my predictions of them beating Bama and Florida, is due to their inconsistency. The Tigers seem to lose their cool at some point every season and are unable to get over the hump in the big game against their SEC adversaries. Whether it is being outcoached in the BCS National Championship Game where they struggled to get to midfield or getting bullied in the Swamp this season, the Tigers just don’t seem capable of consistently making the adjustments necessary in the big games. Next season will prove to have the same issues (not to mention traveling to Bryant Denny) that will keep the Tigers outside of Atlanta, looking in.
Projected 2013 Record: 10-2 (losses to Alabama and UF)

4. Texas A&M - Johnny Football ladies and gentlemen! The redshirt freshman phenom will be back and ready to take his Aggies to Atlanta. One problem… well, make that two problems: attrition and history. The Aggies lose a lot of talent from their current team next season, namely LT Luke Joekel, LB Sean Porter, and Manzeil’s favorite target Uzoma Nwachukwu. Three big pieces in the machine will be gone and need to be replaced; it will be interesting to see if they can be. History is the other problem Johnny Heisman will have to deal with. After Heisman winning seasons players not only typically have bad bowl game performances, but they struggle the following year. Let’s look at Tim Tebow. He starred in 2007 and put up gaudy numbers that many didn’t think would ever be matched. The following year his touchdown production sunk by double digits (Percy Harvin had a lot to do with that). The fact remains that losing your favorite targets, defenses having a year to study your film, and a regression to the mean all typically lead to more of a solid year for Manziel rather than a repeat performance. Also watch out for a motivated Alabama team rolling into Kyle Field. Keep your head on a swivel young man.
Projected 2013 Record: 10-2 (losses to Alabama and LSU)

5. UGA – Short and Sweet: the Dawgs will lose a ton of talent on defense. This team will win games in shootouts with “Gurshell” (running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall) leading the way and Aaron Murray making big plays in the play-action passing game. This team will be a ton of fun to watch but without a stout defense behind them, most notably Jarvis Jones, I do not see this team getting past the conference’s best teams.

P.S. I hope the Red and Black enjoyed their soft schedules while they have had them… Clemson and LSU join South Carolina and Florida as tough teams that will come calling.
Projected 2013 Record: 9-3 (losses to Clemson, LSU, and Florida)

6. South Carolina, Columbia Campus – No Lattimore, no SEC East title. It’s really is that simple. Connor Shaw has not proven he can take Cocky to the next level and Dylan Thompson still doesn’t have the experience to thrive in the SEC. Without Marcus Williams-Brice may not be the happiest place this next season.
Projected 2013 Record: 9-3 (losses to UGA, Arkansas, and UF)

7. Arkansas – Tons of talent remain on roster for the Hogs. Bielema seems to be an odd choice, but he will certainly be able to keep egos in check and create the discipline and accountability that John L. Smith just couldn’t. They’ll be a much improved team, but still just unable to keep pace with the big boys.
Projected 2013 Record: 8-4 (losses to A&M, UF, Alabama, and LSU)

8. Ole Miss – Hugh Freeze is making believers of SEC fans. I think I am one of them. I am on the bandwagon and while this season won’t be a home run for the Rebs, there will continue to be improvement for a program that was a doormat just a year ago.
Projected 2013 Record: 7-5 (losses to Alabama, Auburn, LSU, A&M, and Arkansas)

9. Auburn – Malzahn was the right hire for Auburn. This is not because he has the proven track record and will keep the Tigers in the mix for the long haul. It is because AD Jay Jacobs has a short fuse and the fans have a shorter one. Malzahn has the right offense for this roster and the Tigers will be much improved from the dumpster fire season they had this year. (They rank below Ole Miss, due to a soft schedule.)
Projected 2013 Record: 8-4 (losses to LSU, A&M, Arkansas, and UGA)

10. Mississippi State – Mullen has found the glass ceiling in Starkville. He clearly recognizes it, thus his flirting with the Colorado job, and wants to move on. However he is stuck there again for another year and his Bulldogs will flounder in the brutal SEC West again next season.
Projected 2013 Record: 6-6 (losses to Oklahoma St., Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina, UGA, and A&M)

11. Vanderbilt – James Franklin has the Dore’s trending upward. Unfortunately trending upward isn’t enough to get past the bullies. Watch out for this team in three to five years though.
Projected 2013 Record: 7-5 (losses to Ole Miss, South Carolina, UGA, A&M, and UF)

12. Tennessee– Butch Jones, huh? Good luck to you Vol fans. I am sure the Fire AD Dave Hart sites will start before the Fire Butch Jones ones do.
Projected 2013 Record: 5-7 (losses to Oregon, UF, UGA, S. Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, and Vandy)

13. Missouri– The Tigers are going to drunk dial the Big 12 at some point this next season and ask to get back together.
Projected 2013 Record: 5-7 (losses to Vandy, UGA, UF, South Carolina, UT, Ole Miss, and A&M)

14. Kentucky – Welcome to the party Mark Stoops. You aren’t going to like your goody bag.
Projected 2013 Record: 3-9 (losses to Louisville, UF, South Carolina, Alabama, Miss. St, Mizzou, Vandy, UGA, and UT)

Please be sure to leave your comments, and I’ll be sure to have our esteemed guest blogger respond to defend his position. Thanks for the guest post! You’re welcome back to write more as our SEC expert.

Ranking The ACC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Ryan Kantor

As a follow-up to my previous post arguing for the need to realign the ACC divisions, we will now look at which of those programs appear poised for the most success over the next five to 10 years. From one to 14, here’s how I see the ACC programs stacking up. I attempted to remove my orange tinted glasses, and write fairly objectively.

1. Florida State University - The Seminoles and their “Bacon Man” mascot began dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference immediately upon joining, winning the conference in 11 of their first 12 seasons. They then faded back to the pack with Virginia Tech winning three conference championships in between FSU’s two most recent ACC titles (eight years apart). Despite the disappearing dominance, The Seminoles have brought in the top ranked recruiting class in the ACC each year since 2009 (Rivals). That’s a pretty outstanding job and will keep them extremely competitive.

Although Defensive Coordinator, Mark Stoops, heads to Kentucky where he will become a head coach, FSU will remain the most talented team in the ACC more years than not. Stoops was only at FSU for three years and I expect the Noles to take the loss in stride. Players were reportedly very happy and proud of their coach, and not at all bitter or hurt.

I do not expect the Seminoles to be very special in 2013 after losing so many key parts (25 seniors including the starting QB, plus multiple coaches), but over the next decade there is no reason they shouldn’t be a very strong program and towards the top of the ACC almost every year.

The proud bacon men of Florida State should compete with Clemson each year for the Atlantic Division title.

2. Clemson University - A strong case could be made for the Clemson Tigers belonging atop the ACC “Decade Ahead” rankings, however Clemson is still in the process of establishing a consistent winning program. Just two years ago they finished 6-7 with a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to South Florida. Since then, Tajh Boyd has taken over at QB and Chad Morris at offensive coordinator. Nobody misses the classic “Parker scrambles right, throws across his body, intercepted by the linebacker” play that was the trademark of the 2010 season.

Clemson is without a doubt a program on the rise. Dabo Swinney, unlike his predecessor, has not been afraid to let poorly performing coaches go (see Rob Spence, Billy Napier, Vic Koenning, and Kevin Steele) and created an environment of accountability. In addition, he has given up part of his own salary to better compensate assistant coaches. As a result, Clemson has one of the best (and best compensated) coaching staffs in the country.

Dabo has traveled an unpaved road to reach his current level of success (insert moving, emotional article here), and I suspect his level of loyalty and success will keep him in Clemson for the next decade (assuming he can occasionally beat Columbia). Issues for long-term consistency crop up when looking at the assistant coaches. Although Dabo has done everything possible to make sure they are well compensated, one (Charlie Harbinson) has already bolted to join Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn. Chad Morris interviewed for the head coaching openings at NC State and Auburn, was rumored to have a shot at the USF job, and now is a prime candidate for the open position at Texas Tech–where DC Brent Venables has also been discussed as a target.

As long as the staff at Clemson can stick together, I believe the ACC’s two best teams are Clemson and Florida State. They could trade ACC Championships for years to come (Clemson winning in odd-numbered years and FSU taking the even-numbered years). In fact, if both coordinators, Tajh, and Hopkins stay on board, I believe the 2013 season will end with an ACC Championship for the Tigers. Beating UGA and South Carolina will be tough, but FSU should be down and the Noles will have to travel to Death Valley, a place they never win. Now that Clemson has learned to avoid losses to bad teams, I expect them to have an undefeated 2013 ACC season…given they keep the staff intact and juniors don’t leave early.

Clemson’s program is as strong as it’s been in years as they transition in their new Athletic Director, Dan Radakovich. Dabo has poured his heart and soul into the program, and as a result, we’ve seen great progress. The strategy of having a CEO at head coach and using well paid, superstar assistants is thoughtful, but problems with continuity could stunt growth if major waves of change hit every time an assistant takes a head coaching position. That said, it won’t be another 20 years before Clemson wins another ACC title.

3. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – The Turkey was cooked before Thanksgiving this year, wasn’t it? It’s been a long time since the Hokies have looked so bad, but it’s hard to believe it will last. At the moment (12/10/2012) their 2013 recruiting class is ranked second in the ACC.

Given their placement in the much weaker Coastal Division, where they compete primarily against Miami and Georgia Tech, it’s hard envision a Frank Beamer program not playing for the ACC Crown in Charlotte more often than not. It appears that there won’t be major changes on the coaching staff, and continuity, will reign supreme in Blacksburg, as it has for a very long time. With the division alignment the way it is, VT may find more than their fair share of success.

4. The University of Louisville – The Cardinals will join the ACC in 2014 and assume the Terrapin’s spot in the ACC Atlantic. They will be immediately disadvantaged by being placed in the more competitive division, but they have become serious about football and have an ever strengthening program. That seriousness was tested when The University of Tennessee made a play for Charlie Strong, their top-notch football coach. Many felt that Louisville, still being a “second-rate” job, would lose their head coach. To the contrary, Charlie Strong, already making $2.3 million (yes, that’s more than Dabo Swinney, and about what he would make if he didn’t defer money to his assistants) will likely get rewarded with an even sweeter 8-year contract from Louisville AD Tom Jurich.

Louisville already has one of the biggest budgets in the ACC with the most valuable basketball program in the nation according to Forbes (their average attendance is more than double the capacity of beautiful Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson). They completed renovations of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium before the 2010 season and it appears to be quite the venue. They certainly have the resources to compete. In Strong’s tenure, they have shown the ability to recruit, not at the level of FSU or Clemson, but as good as the next tier of ACC programs. Moving to a stronger conference should only help that cause.

5. North Carolina State University – The Wolfpack have an AD in Deborah Yow that believes they can be more than an 7-5 football team, and in refusing to accept mediocrity, she terminated Tom O’Brien. Not all seemingly strong hires work out (see Randy Edsall for evidence), but Dave Doeren, the former Northern Illinois Head Coach, does appear to be a solid hire. They’ll be tasked with facing FSU, Clemson, and Louisville every season. I don’t believe they can be a consistent 10-win team, but it’s not unfathomable for them to hit that mark “once in a blue moon.” It’s challenging to forecast how good they will be in the coming years under control of the new Doeren regime but, Coach O’Brien didn’t leave the cupboard bare.

6. University of Miami – The biggest question about this program is the pending investigation that has led them to voluntarily pass on two straight bowl games and their rightful place in the 2012 ACC Championship game. Recruiting is down this year, but it is due to the lack of room on the young roster. They’ll return most of their talent and should be very competitive next season and for years to come–assuming Al Golden stays aboard and they survive the NCAA investigation. I like Miami to win the Coastal in 2013.

7. Georgia Institute of Technology - 108 years after John Heisman left Clemson for an upgrade to coach at Georgia Tech, Athletic Director Dan Radakovich left Georgia Tech for an upgrade to manage the Clemson athletic department. Georgia Tech has a great football history (Four claimed national championships, 16 conference titles), but is in a bad spot. Paul Johnson’s inability to recruit has caught up with them, and his biggest mark of success, a 2009 ACC championship, was vacated due to impermissible benefits. The Yellow Jackets haven’t cracked the top seven in the ACC recruiting rankings (Rivals) since 2007. Now that Chan Gailey’s recruits are gone the glaring weakness of Paul Johnson and staff is revealed. The triple-option experiment, after a hopeful start, seems to be failing. If Paul Johnson is let go, they’ll have a long road to build a talented team that can compete with their rivals at their own game, modern football, but if they hang on to Paul Johnson they’ll be no more than an 8-win team.

8. Boston College - Paul Johnson’s weakness is Steve Addazio’s strength. Addazio, the former Temple Head Coach and 2010 recruiter of the year will take over at Boston College. He was an offensive coach on Urban Meyer’s Florida staff, which automatically qualifies him to be the leader in Chesnut Hill. He has a lot of ground to make up. They lost to Army this year. They are very, very bad, but they will get a lot better, and in the toughening Atlantic, they better hurry.

9. The University of Pittsburgh – Paul Chryst, former Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator, took over this season and guided the Panthers to a bowl game. His philosophy seems to be a good fit for the type of blue-collar football you’d expect a team in Pittsburgh to play. Pitt actually has an extremely impressive football history. They claim nine National Championships, with their 1915, 1916, and 1918 championship teams coached my Pop Warner. They count the 3rd most NFL Hall of Famers as their alumni. Their most recent National Title though, came in 1976, and by the looks of the crowd at this 2011 game against Syracuse, the passion isn’t what it was. The Panthers average about 50,000 in attendance, which puts them in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Their potential, in many aspects, is limited by their off-campus stadium that they share with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They generate less than $60 million in athletic revenue, putting them above only Wake Forest. Do I believe that with some stability at head coach they can be a solid program that typically ends their season a bowl game? Yes. Do I believe they can reclaim national relevance? No.

10. The University of Virginia - I like Mike London a lot (see here), but I agree with Collin Cowherd is right about the program being soft (this is an absolute must listen, click here). If UVA is capable of rekindling the glimpses of success the saw in the ’88-’98 decade of relevance Mike London will be the one to get them there.

11. Syracuse University - The Orangemen (yes, I am going to call them that. I’m sorry if that offends you) are “New York’s College Team,” at least that’s what their ad in Yankee Stadium says. The only problem is that New York is a pro sports area. In fact, the whole the Northeast is more interested in professional sports which makes me wonder why the ACC continues to expand northward. Louisville is the lone basketball school I have ranked in the top 10, and Syracuse is a basketball school that struggles to fill the Carrier Dome to 40,000 fans. I don’t believe their indoor basketball/football stadium is an attractive place to play (poor recruiting agrees), and I don’t think they have the potential to bring back the glory days of their 1959 National Championship or berth in the 1998 Orange Bowl. My hope is that their inclusion in the ACC will bring the Pinstripe Bowl into the ACC Bowl line-up.

12. The University of North Carolina – The academic scandal at UNC is absolutely despicable and if the NCAA doesn’t come down extremely hard on the Tar Heels it’ll show that they’re not concerned about student athletes actually learning, but rather just insuring they don’t make money. That said, Larry Fedora is a very good coach and if they find their way out of trouble, they will be ok. You can bump them up about five spots if they avoid more probation, but it seems like it could get bad.

13. Duke University – The Blue Devils have a great coach in David Cutcliffe, and he figures to stay in Durham for quite a long time. Further, they have some major renovations to bring Wallace Wade Stadium up to respectability. They have earned a berth in the Belk Bowl, their first Bowl Game since 1994. Duke still can’t recruit, but with Cutcliffe at the helm they are an improving program.

14. Wake Forest University - I love the Deacons, and I love Winston-Salem, but there is no reason to not think Wake Forest is a program on the decline. They are currently 10th in the ACC (current members) in recruiting and they’ve stopped over-performing for their talent level.

They were always (at least in my view) that small Baptist school that was easy to root for, but now they’re not even doing things the right way. Murmurs are that players weren’t “all in” during their last game against Vanderbilt. They don’t make any money on football and are at the bottom of the ACC (current members) in revenue. The Orange Bowl season six years ago was more of an aberration than the norm. It was just their second conference championship in school history. They have a losing record overall at 426–615–33 (.412) and actually have a losing record in 12 years under Jim Grobe. I like Wake Forest a lot, but having a the smallest student population in the BCS, an off-campus stadium, and a culture that is more concerned with basketball are all major factors limiting their ability to put a consistent winner in BB&T Field. I wish them well. Their couple of fans deserve it.

…

Unfortunately, if conference realignment strikes again, God forbid, and college football gets completely shaken up, then this all goes out the window. Four of the top five programs in my rankings are in the Atlantic division, underscoring the need for conference realignment. Given that I didn’t spend hours upon hours pouring over revenue figures and contractual obligations before publishing these rankings (although I did to a small extent), I am open to adjusting these rankings based on your comments. Please leave your comments/complaints below.

Kentucky names Mark Stoops football coach (espn.go.com)
The University of Louisville Should Be The ACC’s Prime Target, Not UConn, As An Upgrade From Maryland (ryankantor.com)
Clemson vs. LSU: Dabo Swinney’s Tigers get another shot at SEC (atlanta.sbnation.com)
How The ACC Could Realign Divisions To Preserve Tradition (ryankantor.com)
ACC needs unity to thrive after addition of Louisville (charlotte.news14.com)

How The ACC Could Realign Divisions To Preserve Tradition

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Ryan Kantor

Now that I got what I wanted with Louisville replacing Maryland in the ACC (a big upgrade), I’ve have more on my ACC Christmas list, the perfect divisional alignment. Shortly after it was announced that Louisville was invited to the conference, Commissioner John Swofford added that the Cardinals would be assigned to the Atlantic Division and would take over Maryland’s schedule, a simplistic approach that misses the point.

This decision was the easy one because it didn’t rile many feathers or require much discussion or compromise, but it fails to take advantage of some big opportunities to improve the conference and leaves the two divisions massively imbalanced. The post-expansion divisions are as follows:

Atlantic

Florida State
Clemson
Louisville
NC State
Wake Forest
Boston College
Syracuse

Coastal

Virginia Tech
Virginia
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
Duke
Pittsburgh

If the big problem with those divisions didn’t jump out at you, let me state it clearly–the three best football teams, at least in 2012, are all in the Atlantic Division. Miami, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech should all improve, but at the moment they are clearly a notch below FSU, Clemson, and Louisville. Due to this imbalance, the ACC is likely to offer many ACC Championship Game clunkers much like the Big 12 did with its weak North Division. One could hypothesize this is by design to prevent FSU from playing Clemson or Louisville twice, so as to preserve the possibility of two BCS Bowl bids for the conference, but with the changes to the bowl system, that doesn’t seem very imperative.

Another problem with the setup is the lack of thought placed on road trips. As was the case before expansion, there are only three divisional games that make for reasonable drives for Clemson fans looking to see their team on the road. The situation is further worsened because there is one less game against Coastal Division foes with seven instead of six division games in the soon to be 14 team ACC. That means a game against Duke, UNC, or Virginia–all doable road trips–is replaced with one in the frozen tundra that is Syracuse, NY.

The ACC now has six former Big East schools and seven schools which I would call “classic” ACC teams (six of the seven charter members plus Georgia Tech which joined in 1978). This presents an absolutely HUGE opportunity to embrace tradition and the fans, something no conference has shown any interest in whatsoever. My preferred divisional alignment would bring back traditional ACC and Big East rivalries, allow fans to make more road trips, and do it without sacrificing any major matchups. See below (football cross rivals are in parentheses).

Atlantic / Champions

Florida State (Clemson)
Louisville (North Carolina)
Virginia Tech (Virginia)
Miami (Georgia Tech)
Boston College (Wake Forest)
Pittsburgh (NC State)
Syracuse (Duke)

Coastal / Legends

Clemson (Florida State)
North Carolina (Louisville)
Virginia (Virginia Tech)
Georgia Tech (Miami)
Wake Forest (Boston College)
NC State (Pittsburgh)
Duke (Syracuse)

This realignment would maintain just about every annual ACC matchup of interest. Florida State would still play Clemson. Virginia Tech and Virginia would still face off. Miami vs. Virginia Tech, Miami vs. Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech vs. Clemson all remain in place! The only worthwhile ACC matchup sacrificed is Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech.

With that obstacle behind us, let’s look at the advantages of this alignment. For simplicity I will refer to them as the Champions and Legends divisions although if in place, I’d prefer to keep the standard names as it seems less gimmicky.

Firstly, it’s extremely fan friendly. A student at any school in the Legends Division could make a reasonable road trip to literally any other divisional opponent with the one possible exception being when the most Northern school, Virginia, plays the most Southern school (Georgia Tech). As a student at Clemson, I made football road trips to Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest among others. All these would be in play, plus North Carolina and NC State. Hordes of orange couldn’t hurt their attendance, and fans would enjoy it.

Likewise in the Champions Division, Virginia Tech would play Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Virginia annually. Both Florida schools get placed in the same division and the two “Yankee” schools (Syracuse and Boston College) get to face off each year. These make for reasonable road trips (6 hours 14 minutes from Blacksburg to Louisville being the longest). The only geographic downside that exists is the inherent unfairness to the Florida schools which would have quite a few long flights, but Miami has to fly to every opponent anyway (with the possible exception of Florida State), and they previously competed against these teams in the Big East and Metro conferences so it should be nothing new.

Just as the important as the geographic convenience and fan friendliness of this alignment is the tradition is rejuvenates. In 1981 Clemson won the National Championship. During that season they played six conference games, one against Maryland. The other five games were against: Virginia, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. Clemson would face all of these teams, plus Georgia Tech, Florida State, and another Champions Division opponent each season. Add that to Georgia or Notre Dame and South Carolina and you have some football tradition right there. Certainly more than West Virginia vs. Texas.

I hesitate to say that there would be tradition among the conference jumpers in the Champions Division, but it’s there too. Florida State, Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech absolutely should be playing every year. With this alignment, those traditional Big East matchups are restarted.

Finally, this alignment creates the possibility of some worthwhile ACC Championship Games, most notably Florida State vs. Clemson, but also any combination of FSU/Miami/Virginia Tech/Louisville vs. Clemson/North Carolina/Georgia Tech.

I understand that Commissioner John Swofford may be scared to make such a bold move because it would call out the obvious ACC/Big East split he has created by inviting seven former Big East schools, but it’s no secret anyway, and it’s no reason to punish fans by erasing traditional matchups and removing nearby road games. I would imagine Virginia Tech would dislike this move because it takes the two tough teams from Clemson’s division and puts them in the same division as Virginia Tech, but that does not come close to overshadowing the strong case for why this divisional realignment would be best for ACC fans and the conference alike.

2014 is right around the corner, and Notre Dame doesn’t begin playing their five annual ACC games until 2015, so a one year delay on divisional realignment would be completely reasonable and understandable, but total inaction is wrong.

I implore ACC fans to share their thoughts on how to form divisions that are better for the conference.

Also, welcome to the ACC Cardinals!

Clemson Season Review: How Close Were My Pre-Season Predictions

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Ryan Kantor

The college football regular has ended for most conferences, and now is a time to review, reflect, and for those involved rest, and then quickly refocus. At the start of the season both myself and a guest blogger made predictions, one of us was close and the other spot on. We’ll take a look at that, as well the keys this season and moving forward.

For the first time since Clemson’s 1981 championship season, the Tigers won 10 regular season games, yet somehow the season feel empty. Influential Clemson tweeter, @DannyFordIsGod, shared an article calling it an “empty circle” that started in the GA Dome against an SEC team and will end in the GA Dome against an SEC team. Looking at the season schedule, you see that Clemson only played two ranked opponents and lost to them both.

To be fair, I have to give the Tigers a lot of credit for winning the games they are absolutely supposed to win. In my preseason predictions I took the stance that our weak offensive line would lead to inconsistency and we would lose to either Virginia Tech or Wake Forest. Beating GT, VT, and Wake Forest (Thursday Night ESPN Game) all in a row seemed like an impossible task given our struggles against GT and on Thursday nights, and nobody would’ve said those team would be a combined one game under .500 (and will fall to two games under .500 after GT loses to FSU).

Reviewing my original predictions…

I had Clemson finishing 9-3 and 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic, only one game off. I picked Clemson to lose to Auburn, FSU, and one of the two in the quick turnaround VT/Wake Forest week. I’m going to unilaterally give myself a pass for missing the Auburn game. I didn’t think they’d be world beaters, but I certainly thought they’d be one of the better teams on our schedule. As low as the ACC sunk this year, maybe they still are one of the tougher games on the schedule, but you get my point, which is to say that we all thought they’d be much better than they ended up. Clemson did not beat anyone as good as the 2011 Auburn Tigers this season.

As far as the FSU pick, neither team wins road games in that rivalry so it was an easy pick. As for beating both VT and Wake Forest, I credit Dabo and the growing maturity of the squad for not allowing a let down. I’ve become accustomed to ridiculous Clemson losses to the likes of Boston College (2010) and Maryland (2009) so to beat the teams we’re supposed to beat was a change.

Finally, I had picked Clemson to defeat Columbia behind an offensive line that had all season to gel and get stronger. I thought the O-line would be a major problem, and for the whole of the season, it really wasn’t, but the difference in the ACC and SEC was exposed in a big way against Columbia. Clemson scored no less than 37 in games against non-SEC teams. Against Auburn, a team that would end the season at 3-9 and looking for a new head coach, they scored just 26 and then in the tragedy against Columbia they scored only 17. Jadeveon Clowney had 4.5 sacks in the game, a Memorial Stadium record, and a number that eclipsed the amount of A’s than he received in high school (Not really. I have no idea how many A’s he earned in Rock Hill, but he did get a 500 on the SAT). I’m not sure what to attribute that to, because FSU has a defensive line as good as any, but there is something about SEC teams that isn’t just ESPN hype.

Also, bookus of credit is owed to guest blogger and preseason predictor, Jon Tomevi, who was 12/12 in his predictions, putting us at 10-2 with losses to FSU and Columbia. I think I’ll just ask him who’s going to win each game rather than buying season tickets next year.

In the preseason prognostication, we said that Clemson needed to avoid the trap game (check!) and get production from Corico Wright, Dalton Freeman, and Brandon Ford (check, check, and check). The thing we didn’t realize was just how bad our defense really was, and how long it would take for Venables to fix things. The 20 yard run on 3rd and 19 by South Carolina will mark their low point in a game where the offense inexplicably abandoned them amidst drop after drop from Hopkins and Watkins. Clemson led the ACC with six All-ACC players, but only one was on the defensive side, and even he (R. Hall) was on the second team.

Looking forward, I imagine the Tigers will face LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl with Florida going to the Sugar Bowl and Alabama and Georgia splitting the National Championship and Capital One Bowl. If I’m right, I think it could get ugly. If you can’t beat South Carolina at home, at night, with an amazing crowd and everything in the world to play for, how the heck are you going to beat LSU in an uninspiring neutral site game? I wouldn’t want anything less though. Beating Mississippi State would provide nothing more than false hope and illusions of national title contention. Gimme LSU and a wake up call (screaming that “those ACC wins over GT and Maryland don’t mean squat, and you still have a long ways to go”) or a big win and reason to believe that next year is going to be special, and it really could be. 2013 starts with UGA, a team that at the moment, is just one win away from a National Championship berth. It’s quite possible that Clemson could return almost all their star players and be improved next year. It’s also possible that Tajh Boyd, DeAndre Hopkins, and Chad Morris could all be gone next year.

From the time I became a Clemson fan, my goal for the program was to win the ACC, and I was THRILLED when we finally did it. Now, that goal has moved up a notch, to winning a BCS bowl. We won’t accomplish it this year, but I believe next year, barring key departures, Clemson could have an undefeated ACC regular season (but that does not mean they will beat UGA or Columbia) and have another shot at the Orange Bowl, and the last real shot before the BCS playoff blows up the system and requires a recalibration of goals.

Until then, Go Tigers!

Home Runs, Apple Pie, and Rock 'n Roll

by Ryan Kantor

Tag Archives: football

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In-Depth Inside Look At College Football Recruiting

Seven Reasons Clemson Could Play For The 2013 National Championship

Ranking the SEC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead

The ACC Figured It Out Just In Time: Time To Plunder The Big East Again

2013 SEC Football Preview: Because It Is Never Too Early For A Season Preview, A Guest Blog Post

Ranking The ACC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead

How The ACC Could Realign Divisions To Preserve Tradition

Clemson Season Review: How Close Were My Pre-Season Predictions

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