ESPN College Football

Rumors, rumors and more rumors ...

• ACC commish John Swofford said talk of the Big 12 and any ACC schools are just rumors. I believe him.
• TCU's AD has since tried to clarify his comments.
• Virginia Tech AD Jim Weaver doesn't see change happening in the leauge anytime soon.
• Nor does Georgia Tech AD Dan Radakovich.
• What's going to happen with all of this? Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know."
• Gregg Doyel says Florida State will be the death of the ACC.
• One of the top prospects in the state of Maryland chose Georgia Tech over the Terps.
• Several Duke football players had a life-changing experience in Ethiopia.
• Former UNC running back Mike Voight, the second-leading rusher in North Carolina history and a two-time ACC Player of the Year, has died.

Heard any news about FSU? Me either ...

• ACC commissioner John Swofford isn't worried about something that hasn't happened yet, and might not happen.
• He remains confident in the current and soon-to-be-expanding structure of the league.
• The topic of Florida State and the Big 12 was not a formal discussion at the ACC spring meetings.
• This recruit picked Georgia Tech over FSU strictly because of the academics.
• Georgia Tech's beat writer answers some important questions about the Yellow Jackets.
• The ACC coaches believe conference champs should matter when it comes to a playoff format.
• Concussions ended the NFL career of a former Clemson fullback.
• NC State quarterback Mike Glennon is ready for the Pack to have a big year.

How many more days 'til kickoff??

• Florida State and Miami only have themselves to blame for the ACC's image problem.
• Georgia Tech lured a running back into its 2013 recruiting class.
• One ESPN executive provided some background on the ACC's latest TV contract.
• You can expect ACC commish John Swofford to try to portray the deal in a better light today.
• Former Miami coach Jimmy Johnson has earned his place in the Hall of Fame.
• Mike Bellamy's career at Clemson has come to a close.

ESPN and the ACC have agreed to extend their rights deal through the 2026-27 school year, as the network will televise more conference sports across all platforms.

The part of the deal that is of particular interest to readers of this space: 14 more football games will be added once Syracuse and Pitt join the ACC, including three Friday night contests (one of which, hosted by Boston College and Syracuse, will be played the day after Thanksgiving).

"We are proud that ESPN has invested so deeply in the ACC both from a resource and exposure standpoint," ACC commissioner John Swofford said. "As we look to the future, this relationship will be tremendous for our schools, fans, coaches and student-athletes."

More details on the deal can be found here.

ACC commissioner John Swofford is familiar with the four-team, three-game playoff idea that has seemingly emerged as the favorite following last week's BCS meetings in Hollywood, Fla. After all, Swofford, along with SEC commissioner Mike Slive, floated a similar plan four years ago. And that lasted, as he told the Greensboro News & Record's David Morrison, "about two minutes."

It is safe to say that the times and the mindsets of college football's power-brokers are changing in regards to the sport's postseason, as a decision on a new format, beginning in 2014, will be examined and re-examined in the coming weeks, with the hope that a clearer path is agreed upon by early summer.

Swofford discussed the process with the News & Record in a story Wednesday:

"The encouraging part of it is that the commissioners have basically agreed the concept of going forward with a four-team, three-game mini-playoff is the right concept to consider," Swofford said. "There’s been quite a change from four years ago in the belief that concept is one to seriously consider. That’s what we’re working from at this point. If you’re one that likes that concept, I would say you should be cautiously optimistic."

Much of the coming debate will be focused on the sites of potential playoff games, specifically whether or not to hold them on campus sites. Swofford, for one, is in favor of a traditional bowl system, but he knows that, despite the progress made in the past week, the deliberations are far from over.

"We’ve got work to do in terms of making it a reality. The devil is in the details with it," Swofford said. "The more the discussion narrows as to how to do it, the more challenging it will become. The ultimate challenge is in finding the methodology of making the concept work that the major conferences can all agree upon."

If you're ACC commissioner John Swofford, you've carved out a pretty nice life for yourself lately. Less than two years ago, you landed a long-term television deal with ESPN. Less than a year ago, you secured the move of Big East bedrocks Pitt and Syracuse, making your conference the unquestioned leader in men's college basketball.

If these upcoming BCS meetings take a couple of unforeseen turns, who knows, just maybe you can provide a safe landing spot for Notre Dame, expanding your conference's footprint to the Midwest and, to an extent, across the nation in a way no other league would be able to match.

But that's another issue for another day. For now, as we said, life is good as the ACC commissioner.

As sad a commentary as it might be on the present state of college athletics, the only tangible issue for the ACC now is, frankly, a minor one: The conference has not been among the best when it comes to winning football games.

Its champion from a year ago, Clemson, was run off the field in the Orange Bowl by West Virginia, a school that valued winning the Big East so much that it is now playing in the Big 12. The runner-up, perennial conference contender Virginia Tech, managed to secure a second BCS-bowl bid for the conference, something that had never been done before. The Hokies did that despite losing the league's title game by 28 points, despite finishing four BCS spots behind Boise State (No. 7) and three spots behind Kansas State (No. 8).

Both schools went on to play in smaller bowls, and the Hokies got a trip to New Orleans, ultimately losing a winnable Sugar Bowl against Michigan. The Wolverines, by the way, did not even reach their conference championship game — they actually lost to the team that lost that game, Michigan State. But, as we said, when life is good in college football, there are benefits to be reaped.

One of those may be on display this week in South Florida, where postseason meetings will take place among the 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick. Here, the ACC can get greedy.

The future is secure, which is more than can be said for some other conferences. But the record in BCS bowl games is 2-12, a concern generally limited to fan bases whose teams are losing big game after big game. Virginia Tech, a model of consistency in this sport, can only be tasked with carrying the mantle for the conference so much.

If a playoff format involving only conference champions arises, though, this could be the breakthrough toward occasionally cracking the nation's elite. Despite strong annual recruiting efforts from Clemson and Florida State, the ACC has shown little sign it can put multiple teams in the national title hunt every year, which is what the home of the past six national-title winners — the SEC — has been able to do.

But have one team emerge every now and then, losing one or even zero games? That's far more likely, which makes cracking a four-team playoff decided by conference winners — and thereby entering the national title picture — all the easier.

Are six consecutive national titles on the horizon for the ACC? Not exactly. But with its future secure, and its base potentially growing, this could be one small step for a conference lacking only on the scoreboard.

The ACC issued a public reprimand Friday of North Carolina, just more than a month after the Tar Heels were hit with NCAA sanctions.

"The ACC's balance of academics, athletics and integrity will continue to be the cornerstones by which this league operates," ACC commissioner John Swofford said. "As I have said previously, it is disturbing anytime one of our member institutions has NCAA infractions issues. Such issues are counter to the goals and aspirations of our conference."

The ACC's committee, formed in 1990, consists of the athletic director and faculty athletic representative from each school, and it convened following the case.

"The Atlantic Coast Conference has been built on its ability to balance academics and athletics," said Richard Carmichael, chair of the committee and faculty athletics representative at Wake Forest. "The committee believes that the University of North Carolina has and will continue to strive toward this balance; however, the committee agreed that a public reprimand was appropriate in this specific case in addition to the other penalties already in place."

As a result of a two-year investigation, UNC faces a bowl ban this year, 15 lost scholarships, and three years of probation.

Dear Pitt and Syracuse,
We are officially ready for you.
Sincerely,
The ACC

Nothing about Round 2 of ACC expansion has been complicated, including Friday’s decision to add Pittsburgh to the Coastal Division and Syracuse to the Atlantic Division -- that is, of course, whenever those two programs are released from their Big East lockdown.

The ACC didn’t just release its future schedule model on Friday; it announced that it is now prepared and ready for the minute Pitt and Syracuse escape.

“The good thing is we’re set and ready to go whenever Pitt and Syracuse are able to join us,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said. “That’s between the two schools and the Big East conference at this point. We’ll just see how that plays out. … We’re ready to move ahead with that whenever the appropriate time comes.”

Their new homes in their respective divisions are already fully furnished with old and new rivals, they make sense, and they were unanimously approved by the ACC's Faculty Athletic Representatives and Athletics Directors at the annual ACC Winter Meetings.

The discussions began this past October, with the goal of reaching a decision by now. Three other top options emerged during that time: A geographic model, a schedule in which Syracuse went to the Coastal and Pitt went to the Atlantic, and one in which some of the current crossover games would have been changed. Swofford said it was a priority, though, to maintain the current rivalry games and competitive balance within the divisions.

“The best thing to do in this instance,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said, “was probably the simplest.”

For those ACC fans out there still clamoring over a North-South division: Why? What the ACC has right now is working. Proof: The Atlantic holds a slight 69-65 edge over the Coastal Division. You can’t strike much more “competitive balance” than that. Plus, this model is old-school. Pitt will play Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Miami every year. Boston College will play Syracuse annually again. And -- a key point here, guys -- you finally know which teams are in which divisions. If you don’t, you must be in the Big Ten blog by mistake.

One challenge this new schedule presents, though, specifically affects Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida State. With a nine-game conference schedule, ACC teams will now only play three nonconference games instead of four. Those three programs already have to face rivals Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Scheduling the two remaining nonconference games will be an interesting balancing act.

“Whether you’re scheduling four nonconference games or three, I think you have to look for balance in that if you’re an athletic director or a coach, and see how that plays into your overall schedule,” Swofford said. “In terms of the schools that already have an out-of-conference rivalry game, and each school looks at this a little differently, probably, but certainly that game gives those particular schools a prominent game that’s very favorable to fans and television and so forth that’s built into their schedule every year. Whereas our schools that don’t have that kind of rivalry game will probably look to schedule a very competitive, attractive, out of conference game. The balance is in the other two games.”

The good thing about it, though, is that it will eliminate those yawn schedules with two FCS opponents (I’m lookin’ at you, NC State). There’s no room for that fluff anymore.

Pitt and Syracuse are moving in.

And the ACC is officially ready.

Around the ACC we go ...

• David Glenn recently caught up with ACC commissioner John Swofford to talk expansion, BCS bowls and several other topics of interest.
• This season has aged Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd. He said he feels like a 30-year-old man. Ahem. There's nothing wrong with the wisdom of 30-somethings, Tajh.
• A little bit of rest and recovery can make a big difference for Clemson.
• The awards just keep rolling in for BC linebacker Luke Kuechly.
• The rumors continue to swirl around FSU assistants.
• Virginia Tech fans should be excited about this incoming linebacker.
• So long, Lamar Miller.
• Wake Forest receiver Chris Givens hasn't decided about his future in the NFL yet.
• Virginia hasn't sold out its allotment for the Chick-fil-A Bowl just yet.
• The Hokies haven't sold out their Sugar Bowl tickets, either.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The 2012 and 2013 Dr Pepper ACC championship games will continue to be held here at Bank of America Stadium, commissioner John Swofford announced on Friday. The venue received a unanimous vote from the athletic directors and faculty representatives in the conference.

Saturday's game between No. 5 Virginia Tech and No. 20 Clemson will be the game's second-straight sell-out, and leauge officials have been so pleased with the city that it did not open the bidding for future seasons.

"I think it's pretty telling when all 12 of our schools vote in favor of continuing this relationship without even taking it out to be in consideration," Swofford said. "We've found something that certainly in its first two years has worked extraordinarily well for us, and we want to continue that."

Swofford said the two-year timeline is to keep the ACC title game in sync with the league's bowl contracts.

"Well, I'll tell you why we went two years, is that it'll put us totally in sync with our bowl contracts and whatever happens with the postseason football nationally, whether it's an extension of the BCS or something else," he said. "And that'll put the whole thing in a chronological sync that we thought was a wise way to go as we look toward the future."

There's no doubt the city has been a success so far, but it's also no secret that the ACC championship game is a matchup-sensitive event. When you've got Virginia Tech, Florida State and Clemson fan bases to draw from, filling seats should be easy. Boston College vs. Virginia? Not so much. The Pac-12 has decided to play its championship games on the home campus of the division winner with the best overall conference record. Swofford said the ACC prefers a neutral site.

"I think that's something you take a look at if you don't really find a home," he said of the campus sites. "We prefer a quality neutral site where the game can be consistently successful year in and year out, and hopefully we have found that here in Charlotte. That's been what we've pursued from the very first championship game. And certainly our first two years in Charlotte indicate to us that this may well be that home. So we didn't really seriously consider that in terms of going to campus, but obviously it is something that the Pac-12 is doing on the West Coast, and we'll see how that goes. But from a pure competitive standpoint, we very much prefer a neutral site."

For at least two more years, the ACC will have its top choice.

Don't forget about the chat today!

• If Clemson wins the ACC title, it will overshadow the losses they've had heading into the game.
• ACC commissioner John Swofford talked about the state of the league and the upcoming title game.
• Will a quarterback controversy be the focus for Georgia Tech heading into the bowl game?
• Miami coach Al Golden vows to "fix" Miami. But first he's gotta go recruit.
• Golden said the mission this offseason is to get stronger.
• The Hoos could be heading to the Music City Bowl.
• Two options still remain for Florida State's bowl possibilities.
• Virginia Tech got a wake-up call from Clemson earlier this season. The Hokies won't be caught snoozing this time around.
• The Hokies and Clemson are two entirely different teams than when they last faced each other.

Somewhere in ACC country, ACC commissioner John Swofford had to cringe.

The ACC’s best team -- its highest ranked team and its Atlantic Division winner -- was having a major meltdown.

This is the best the ACC has to offer?

Four turnovers? Two-of-14 on third-down conversions? Six sacks?

No. 7-ranked Clemson didn’t just lose to NC State on Saturday, it got whipped 37-13 -- by a team that had only two ACC wins and still isn’t bowl eligible with one game remaining in the regular season. Clemson had to know it was in trouble when NC State scored 27 points and held the Tigers to just 19 yards -- in the second quarter. It was NC State’s first win over a top-10 team since 2005, and the first at home since 1998. It was also the largest margin of victory over Clemson in Carter-Finley Stadium since 1986.

“[We are] obviously disappointed on the way we played, really embarrassed,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Really, poor job of coaching, poor job playing, everything involved and there’s no excuse. They wanted more than we did and it’s that simple.

“We looked like an immature team out there tonight,” he said. “That’s really it in a nutshell. It’s not anything more complicated than that.”

Unfortunately for Clemson and its fans, he’s right, and it’s not the first time.

Clemson fans should be used to this. Tight end Dwayne Allen even warned of it earlier this week, pointing out how, in 2009, the Tigers had also clinched the Atlantic Division title but then flopped in a rivalry game they were favored to win against South Carolina. The Tigers are notorious for losing games to unheralded opponents (See: Maryland, 2009). This year, though, Clemson almost shook that reputation -- almost -- by exceeding expectations and clinching the division title a week ago.

The No. 7 team in the country should not lose to an inconsistent, mediocre NC State team. On Saturday, though, NC State was anything but mediocre. It was fantastic.

Part of Clemson’s troubles on offense could be explained by the absence of the ACC’s top receiver, Sammy Watkins, who was sidelined by a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. There is no explanation, though, for the flat performance by Clemson and sudden transformation in NC State’s offense. Quarterback Mike Glennon threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns. No interceptions. The Pack finished with 398 total yards and had a 13-minute advantage in the time of possession.

For Clemson, it was a nightmare. For NC State, it was a day of milestones.

Sophomore cornerback David Amerson earned his 11th interception of the season in the third quarter and tied the ACC single-season mark set by Dre Bly of UNC in 1996. Senior returner T.J. Graham set an ACC record for career kickoff return yardage, breaking the mark of 2,983 set by Maryland’s Torrey Smith last year. Graham now has 2,989 yards. And for NC State coach Tom O’Brien, it was his first win over a top-10 team (and first game against one) since he was hired in 2007.

NC State beat Clemson in every phase of the game. It was the better team. And yet NC State still needs to win its regular-season finale against Maryland to become bowl eligible. It's biggest obstacle, though, is out of the way.

Then again, so are the ACC’s hopes of having two teams play in BCS bowls.

It was a monumental upset for NC State, but as far as the ACC and BCS standings are concerned, it was an equally big loss.

Winding down here in the ACC blog and gearing up for a late night watching Miami and Virginia, but before I go, I wanted to share with you two more links you might be interested in:

• ACC commissioner John Swofford talked about conference expansion with Scott Van Pelt, and about how it's been a tumultuous time for commissioners across the country. He also touched on the importance of keeping rivalries intact as the ACC moves ahead with scheduling in football and basketball, as well as a few other topics.
• Is Clemson staring down trouble in its final four games? ESPN Insider KC Joyner says yes, because "the Tigers look to be headed into a string of potential shootout games that could all serve as pitfalls." It starts this week, he writes, against Georgia Tech.

Last week, we took a look at which quarterbacks in the ACC have seen their stock rise and fall through the first few weeks of play. Now that the September games have wrapped up, let’s take a look at the conference overall to see who’s hot and who’s not entering October:

STOCK UP

Clemson: It’s not like the Tigers were picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division – the ACC media voted them second behind Florida State this preseason. But it’s unlikely very many outsiders predicted the Tigers would be off to a 4-0 start and have beaten two ranked opponents. They’ve got the early lead in the Atlantic Division thanks to Saturday’s 35-30 win over Florida State.

Georgia Tech: Now this team was underrated, but don’t forget it was only a few months ago that we weren’t even sure if quarterback Tevin Washington would be the starter this season. I think it’s safe to say he has it wrapped up now. The Jackets’ win over North Carolina should have convinced most ACC fans that this team is a contender this year.

Virginia Tech’s defense: The 2010 season was subpar by Virginia Tech standards. This September has been spectacular. The Hokies enter Saturday’s game against Clemson ranked No. 2 in the country in rushing defense, No. 6 in pass efficiency defense, No. 4 in total defense, and No. 6 in scoring defense. The key now is to keep it up against better competition.

ACC commissioner John Swofford: His stealth addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse was neat, tidy, and made the ACC arguably the best basketball conference in the country. It will also be a profitable move for every member of the conference, help bridge the gap with Boston College, and broaden the television and revenue markets. The expansion to 14 teams made the ACC a desirable destination for many programs still teetering on unstable ground.

STOCK DOWN

National title hopes: The minute Florida State’s loss to Oklahoma was in the books, the ACC’s hopes at a national title contender for this season took a dramatic dive. The Seminoles were a top five team, putting them in position to play their way into the national title conversation, but back-to-back losses against ranked opponents have closed that door. It’s still possible for the ACC’s three undefeated teams -- Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech -- to reach the ultimate goal, but it’s much more difficult without any of them ranked among the top 10.

Bowl hopes: Sorry Septembers have made it an uphill battle for NC State, Boston College, Duke and Virginia. The Wolfpack and BC have yet to beat an FBS opponent, and Virginia’s best win came against a 1-3 Indiana team. Duke kept the ACC’s string of losses to an FCS opponent going in the season opener against Richmond.

The Atlantic Division: Memo to Wake Forest: The door is still open. Florida State, which considered by some to be a national title contender this season, has now taken the backseat to Clemson in the Atlantic Division standings. NC State has more players in the trainer’s room than it does the starting lineup, and Boston College started the season 0-3 for the first time since 1991. And the Terps? Well …

Maryland’s uniforms: The Terps were a one-hit-wonder in the month of September, their uniforms creating more buzz than anything they’ve done on the field (though what they didn’t do against Temple caused a bit of a stir). It’s been all downhill for the Terps since the Maryland Pride uniforms were revealed on Labor Day.

Nobody in the ACC has said the conference is further expanding to 16 teams.

Commissioner John Swofford said he is not “philosophically opposed” to the idea, but that’s as far as he’d take it.

Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson, though, said, “We look forward to discussions about the future of the league and would encourage a future expansion.” Coaches Frank Beamer and Mike London have said college football seems headed in the direction of 16-team superconferences.

Reports are flying in every direction regarding programs showing interest in the ACC. If you ask me, Rutgers and Connecticut seem like the most reasonable options, based on academics, location and television market, but who’s to say the ACC would turn down Penn State, Notre Dame or Texas?

The good news for the ACC is that it’s in the driver’s seat right now. It is not falling apart and it is not scrambling to assure its viability in the future.