Atlantic Coast Convos

Conference Realignment: Big 12 Targeting Louisville, BYU for Expansion?

JohnCassillo — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:43:32 +0000

Louisville and BYU Aren't Being Shy About a Potential Big 12 Move

Never a dull moment in college football — on or off the field, it seems. The same week we hear news of Temple entertaining the Big East‘s desperation plea to get to eight members for 2012, now there’s murmurs the move may actually be a preemptive one for Louisville‘s possible departure.

According to SBNation and BYU‘s Rivals site, DeepShadesofBlue, it looks as if the Big12 is in talks of some sort with both the Cardinals’ and Cougars’ administrations. While it’s no secret that Louisville’s wanted out for quite awhile now, the fact that BYU’s back in the fold is nothing short of surprising. If you’ll recall, TV issues sort of halted discussions last fall — specifically, the Big 12′s partners weren’t thrilled with the Salt Lake City market and BYU wasn’t ready to fold its operation back into a conference, just months after leaving another one. But now, apparently, those thoughts have adjusted a bit:

“Talks between the two parties have ramped up over the past couple of weeks however, with discussions revolving around the possibility of BYU and Louisville being added in time for the 2013-14 athletics season. Such a move would get the conference back to its original number of 12 member schools, and provide it with the opportunity to hold a championship game for football in December of 2013.”

So there’s that. The Big 12′s pursuit of both schools of course has multiple reasons behind it. Expanding by two allows them to have a championship game again. Louisville would provide a bridge between the core of the conference and West Virginia. And BYU would cut off the last realistic bridge from the Pac-12 to the current Big 12 schools. Most of all, interim commissioner Chuck Neinas isn’t exactly opposed to the expansion idea. For the Cougars, they get a wider distribution of their games, an easier road to the money bowl games and a better home for Olympic sports in the Big 12. Louisville, of course, gets to leave the increasingly fractured (and consistently terrible) Big East in the dust for much greener pastures.

As for the Big East, they appear to be aware of their continued instability, hence why they’re continuously making moves just to stop the bleeding, rather than shore up the league. No current or future school associated with it can say with a straight face they don’t have one eye on another option (except maybe Temple), leaving it in a perpetual state of turmoil. Though Louisville’s departure won’t bury the league, it’ll be another blow to its credibility it just can’t afford to withstand much longer.

ACC Football Daily Links — North Carolina’s Zach Brown Is On Packers’ Draft Radar

JohnCassillo — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:30:29 +0000

Monday through Friday each week, we’ll be compiling the best links on ACC football from around the web.

Friday, February 24, 2012

North Carolina’s Zach Brown An Intriguing Mix For Packers (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

For Zach Brown, football was always Plan A. The North Carolina outside linebacker is expected to go in the first two rounds of April’s draft. He’s not second-guessing himself. But there’s also Zach Brown, the wrestler. And then there’s Zach Brown, the track sprinter. His old high school football coach, Doug DuVall, said there’s “no question” that Brown could have been an Olympian…

Maryland Athletics Needs An Image Makeover (Washington Post)

It’s been another bang-up week of bad pub in College Park. Maryland football coach Randy Edsall, a $2 million-a-year hall monitor, finally let his transferring players go where they wanted — albeit after he was pilloried nationally for holding quarterback Danny O’Brien and other players hostage from choosing the school they wanted. Kevin Anderson, the athletic director who hired Edsall, made his own headlines by drawing a line in the sand with Georgetown…

Luke Kuechly Ready To Showcase New Speed (ESPN NFC South Blog)

Look at any mock draft or any list of player rankings and you’ll find Boston College’s Luke Kuechly ranked near the top of the linebackers. On Monday, he might be able to put himself alone at the very top of every team’s linebacker list. When the linebackers work out for NFL scouts and coaches, Kuechly will be out to disprove the only two knocks against him…

Sammy Watkins Wants Punt Return Duties (ESPN ACC Blog)

Just in case you weren’t convinced before, Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins wants to make sure he’s known as an athlete, not just a wide receiver. If the 826 yards and touchdown on kickoff returns as a true freshman last year weren’t enough evidence — or 2,288 all-purpose yards — this year Watkins is adding punt return duties to his responsibilities…

FSU RB James Wilder Suspended After Felony Arrests (Orlando Sentinel)

Florida State rising sophomore running back James Wilder, Jr. on Wednesday morning was arrested on felony charges of battery and resisting arrest. He has since bonded out of Leon County Jail on $1,000 per charge. Wilder’s attorney, Tim Jansen, confirmed Wednesday night that his client has been suspended from the team, persuant to team arrest rules…

Analyzing the ACC 2012 Non-Conference Schedule (BC Interruption)

The ACC’s long national scheduling nightmare is over. Florida State announced on Wednesday that Savannah State — yawn — will fill the void in the Seminoles non-conference schedule created when Big 12-bound West Virginia reneged on their September 8 date with the Noles. As a result, the ACC schedule should drop … soon … so you can all make wedding plans for the fall of 2012…

Bollinger Likely Chryst’s Next Hire At Pitt (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

New Pitt football coach Paul Chryst has two openings on his coaching staff due to recent defections, but it appears as if he is close to filling at least one of them as former Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger has emerged as the leading candidate to become the Panthers quarterbacks coach. Bollinger played at Wisconsin from 2000-03 and had a record of 30-12 as a starter and led the Badgers to three bowl victories, including the 2000-01 Rose Bowl…

ACC 2012 Scheduling Outlook: Maryland Terrapins

JohnCassillo — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:30:37 +0000

With a Tough Schedule In Front of Them, Maryland and Head Coach Randy Edsall Are Staring Down a Real Challenge in 2012

With all of the insanity going on over in the Big East and elsewhere, we wanted to give a breakdown of each of the ACC‘s schedules — how the teams stack up, and some thoughts on overall difficulty. If these change at all, we’ll also be sure to update them on a rolling basis. All information is up-to-date as of publishing, based on the latest from FBSchedules.com.

Today’s breakdown: Maryland Terrapins

For 2012, Maryland’s out-of-conference schedule does them no favors. And with players apparently leaving the program in droves, things may get worse before they get better. The Terrapins split their non-conference foes, two at home and two away, but arguably, their two toughest games are on the road. In September, they’ll revisit two painful losses from 2011, traveling to Temple and West Virginia. While Temple’s likely headed to the Big East next season, West Virginia may start their first season in the Big 12 as a top-10 team. Their other non-ACC tilts — Connecticut and William & Mary — are both manageable home games for the Terrapins that could go a long way toward them achieving respectability this year.

Similar to their non-conference schedule, Maryland’s ACC slate is its also a monster of its own. Obviously, when you’re the worst team in the league, every matchup presents a challenge, but both their home and away foes would challenge most in the conference. At home, all four opponents played in the 2011 postseason, most notably league-favorite Florida State and a rising NC State team. On the road, the Terps must travel to Clemson (the defending ACC champs), Virginia and North Carolina — all of whom also made bowl games last year as well. As we’ve stated before, coach Randy Edsall’s in for a rough second year on the job, and between the events of this week and an upcoming schedule that’s anything but easy, he’ll be lucky to make it out of 2012 with his position as head coach intact.

Previously: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech

ACC Football Daily Links — Big East Talking With Temple

JohnCassillo — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:04:44 +0000

Monday through Friday each week, we’ll be compiling the best links on ACC football from around the web.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Temple in Talks to Join Big East (The New York Times)

The Big East is in discussions to add Temple for all sports as early as the next school year, according to a person briefed on the talks. Temple belongs to the Mid-American Conference and the Atlantic 10 in various sports, and there are legal issues that have to be settled before the Owls would be able to leave. A resolution is expected this month…

Maryland Releases Danny O’Brien to Vanderbilt, Files Complaint (USA Today)

Danny O’Brien will be allowed to transfer to Vanderbilt if he chooses. A week after denying O’Brien the option, Maryland released its former quarterback to play for the Commodores, who are coached by former Terrapins offensive coordinator James Franklin. The release also extends to offensive lineman Max Garcia and linebacker Mario Rowson, two other players that have recent announced plans to transfer from Maryland…

New Pitt Football Coach Chryst Looks to Capitalize on Team’s Talent (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

In a dramatic reversal from how his predecessor conducted business, Pitt football coach Paul Chryst said Tuesday he will design his offensive system to suit the talents of his players. “You never want the system to be the thing that prevents you from playing well,” he said. Under former coach Todd Graham, who insisted on adherence to his no-huddle, speed-based offense, quarterback Tino Sunseri and teammates stumbled to a 6-7 record last season…

Florida State Fills West Virginia Void With Savannah State (Tomahawk Nation)

Florida State announced Wednesday that Savannah State will fill the void on its schedule created when West Virginia reneged on the September 8th game after moving to the Big XII Conference. After West Virginia waited until the 11th hour to cancel its game with Florida State, the ‘Noles were left scrambling. FSU knew it needed to achieve several goals, including…

Tech Trying to Complete Football Schedule (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The ACC is now waiting on Georgia Tech. With Florida State having finalized its non-conference schedule Wednesday, the league now needs Tech to complete its non-conference slate in order to release the schedule. “Hopefully, we’re getting to a conclusion, but it’s been pretty frustrating,” associate athletic director Wayne Hogan said Wednesday…

Former UM Assistant Confirms Some Allegations By Nevin Shapiro, Denies Others (Miami Herald)

The attorney for convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro said the NCAA has been given a deposition in which former University of Miami assistant football equipment manager Sean Allen confirmed some of Shapiro’s allegations against UM but denied others. Shapiro’s attorney, Maria Elena Perez, was permitted to depose Allen and Shapiro’s former business partner Michael Huyghue in mid-December, before UM and the bankruptcy trustee reached an $83,000 settlement days later…

In Aftermath of Signing Day, Clemson Coaches Expand Their 2013 Recruiting Board (OrangeandWhite.com)

Chad Morris lists running back as one of the Tigers’ top recruiting priorities for the class of 2013. Clemson signed one running back – Zac Brooks of Jonesboro, AR – in its 2012 recruiting class, and came in as runners-up for two others, Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley, both of whom ended up at Georgia. Since signing day, the Clemson coaching staff has extended four more offers to 2013 running backs…

Big East Expansion: Temple In Talks to Join for 2012

JohnCassillo — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:44:29 +0000

Faced With a Necessity To Find an Eighth Member for 2012, Big East Taps Temple

Was this the reason the Big East has been keeping Temple waiting around this whole time? So they could use them as a stop-gap when everything’s literally about to hit the fan? Considering the options for Syracuse (and Pittsburgh) were to play conference teams twice, face several top-10 programs in one year or schedule three FCS schools (is that even allowed?), this seems like the best solution for us. But what does the Big East really gain here? We break it down:

An eight-team football league for 2012. This was a key sticking point after West Virginia‘s departure left so many of their current member schools in a lurch. Now, at least schools like SU don’t have to go out and fill two open dates on such short (and late) notice. The league also won’t need a waiver to maintain its BCS status next season.
One of its original (football) members back. Yes, Temple was part of the league on a football-only basis from 1991-2004. And what a terrible, awful period that was.
Another basketball-rich school located in the northeast. Temple’s got history and should help cushion the fall once the three departing schools are gone. However, this also leads us to:
A pissed-off Villanova. Now there’s no way the Wildcats ever get the call up to the Big East in football. With another team in their city, their bottom-line gets hit in two sports and they become the likely second game in town.
A 12-team league prior to Navy‘s arrival in 2015. This now makes them a 13-team league in football, and 18 in basketball. And the basketball side is clearly worse.

Pointing back to that last bullet, adding Temple now allows the league to go to a divisional format in 2013, likely without SU and Pitt. Does it appease a school like Louisville, who’s still really hoping to leave sooner rather than later? Definitely not. But at least it creates the guise of stability, and for the schools involved in this odd geographic amalgamation, that’s really all that matters anymore.

While Temple has been more successful of late, they’ve still lacked a key component of “success”: titles. They have none (even playing in the MAC these past few years), and unfortunately, that adds nothing in the big scheme of things. And being real for a few, is Temple unaware of what this looks like? Desperation and a know-no-bounds desire to “fit in” (sounds like high school) had them waiting on the doorstep for that last-resort invite to prom. Sad.

We’ll keep updating this space as details become official. In the meantime, check out the Conference Realignment section for all the latest on the subject.

ACC 2012 Scheduling Outlook: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

JohnCassillo — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:15:03 +0000

Georgia Tech and Head Coach Paul Johnson Are Now Staring At Their Own Scheduling Issue

With all of the insanity going on over in the Big East, we wanted to give a breakdown of each of the ACC‘s schedules — how the teams stack up, and some thoughts on overall difficulty. If these change at all, we’ll also be sure to update them on a rolling basis. All information is up-to-date as of publishing, based on the latest from FBSchedules.com.

Today’s breakdown: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

While everyone’s been stressing over Florida State‘s non-conference schedule, they’ve forgotten all about the recent issue which arose with Georgia Tech own 2012 schedule. According to a recent report, it’s now the Yellow Jackets who are trying to frantically schedule in an opponent. However, by all accounts, this issue’s actually self-induced. Shuffling around their schedule to accommodate a Labor Day game followed by a Saturday data just five days later, they’re pursuing an FCS team for September 8. Originally, Middle Tennessee State had occupied that spot, but now that game’s been pushed toward later in the year. Word on their fourth non-conference opponent is apparently due very shortly.

As for the rest of its non-conference slate, Georgia Tech will not be leaving the state of Georgia for their face-offs with the aforementioned Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, nor the BYU Cougars or hated rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs. When you take a look at these two games alone, it’s no wonder Tech is pushing so hard for an FCS opponent, rather than trying to fill the spot with some of the other teams pining to take care of their own scheduling issues at the moment.

Lucky for the ‘Wreck, they actually get a bit of a break on their ACC schedule. Most importantly, they’ll avoid both Florida State and NC State in 2012, and draw Boston College and Duke at home. On the flip side, they see Virginia Tech and Clemson on the road, however they managed to play both of those teams close in 2011 (beating Clemson, too). Tech also gets to travel to Maryland to take on a bound-to-struggle Terps squad currently in a mess of controversy. If they managed to get through the non-conference schedule at 3-1 (not impossible), the Yellow Jackets may be in for a surprising season — hopefully one with a better ending than last year’s.

Previously: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State

ACC Football Daily Links — Boston College’s Montel Harris Out for Spring Practice

JohnCassillo — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:09:51 +0000

Monday through Friday each week, we’ll be compiling the best links on ACC football from around the web.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Boston College Runningback Montel Harris Aggravates Knee Injury, To Miss Spring Practice (NESN)

Boston College’s all-time rushing leader Montel Harris was hoping for a fresh start to the 2012 football season, but it appears that health may once again be a concern for the senior tailback. Harris re-aggravated a left knee injury that cost him most of the 2011 season over the weekend and has been ruled out for the rest of spring practices, according to Eagles head coach Frank Spaziani…

Pitt Athletic Director on Paying Higher Amount to Leave Big East Early: ‘NO’ (Big East Coast Bias)

Pittsburgh will apparently not be leaving the Big East early. The Panthers’ athletic director Steve Pederson told Jerry DiPaola of the Pittsburgh Tribune the answer to the question on paying a higher amount than the $5 million Big East exit fee in one word: “No.” There had been speculation in the Pittsburgh media that Pitt would try to leave in 2012 as West Virginia did for the Big 12…

Systemic Hypocrisy on Full Display in Danny O’Brien Transfer Case (SI.com)

My media colleagues seem to be split in their opinions of Maryland football coach Randy Edsall. One camp thinks Edsall is a self-serving, hypocritical turd. The other camp thinks he is a shameless, ruthless disgrace to his profession. I will not choose a side. In fact, I’m not convinced Edsall is the chief villain in the story I’m about to tell. In major-college athletics these days, you have to look beyond the coach and to the school. Then you have to look beyond the school and to the system…

Syracuse Football Opponent Update: Pickins Gettin’ Slimmer (Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician)

A week ago, we took a look at the few schools left to fill the open fifth and sixth slots on the Syracuse Orange 2012 football schedule. Since then, Doc Gross put the kibosh on the Rutgers two-fer, the Boise State possibility remains just that and the Orange still have two open spots on their schedule. Hopefully, the gears are in motion to fill them sooner than later because quite a few of the schools on that list have filled their open spots…

Duke Football Shakes Things Up On Eve of Spring Ball (The Herald Sun)

Consecutive 3-9 seasons, each including one ACC win, has left Duke football coach David Cutcliffe open to creative thinking. Some of the thoughts he and his staff have conjured up to help the Blue Devils win more will be put into place when the team begins spring practice today. “We play good,” Cutcliffe said. “We’ve just got to play good enough to win.”…

Who Wins the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy in 2012? (BC Interruption)

I didn’t realize there was such a thing, but did you know that there is an award given to the best Northeast team in Division I-A college football? The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy has been awarded annually since the late 1930s, and recognizes supremacy in northeastern college football. The award has since grown to recognize the best team in the Northeast in Division I FBS…