Tag: ACC football

Ranking ACC running backs ahead of the 2023 season

Who stands above the rest in our running back rankings for 2023 in the ACC?

The ACC has really good quarterbacks coming into the 2023 campaign with Drake Maye of North Carolina and Jordan Travis of Florida State leading the pack. However, that is just one part of the backfield duo that could help both teams make a run at the ACC championship.

When it comes to the running back position, it might be undervalued in the NFL but at the collegiate level, they are vitally important to the success of many offenses.

The top returning running back in terms of production will be key in helping the new Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik get up to speed. Will Shipley was a touchdown machine for the Tigers and with the addition of Garrett Riley as the offensive coordinator, that should continue.

As we continue previewing positions by conference, we break down our running back power rankings for 2023.

Breaking down the favorites, dark horses for every Power Five conference

Favorites and Dark Horses, who do you got in each Power Five conference?

The 2023 college football season will be upon us before you know it. Spring football finished up last week which leaves only summer camps before the start of the season.

There are storylines galore as we approach the next season. What do we make of all the movement from the coaching carousel to the transfer portal?

The Colorado Buffaloes are currently dominating the headlines when it comes to the transfer portal. Head coach Deion Sanders has purged the roster and taking his pick of guys in the transfer portal. It probably doesn’t equate to immediate success on the field, but then again Michigan State saw plenty of success when they added to their roster in 2021 finishing 11-2. But what the Buffs are doing is on another level.

While they might not be in the thick of the Pac-12 race, teams such as the USC Trojans and Oregon State Beavers expect to be. With plenty of questions yet to be answered, we are going to try and make sense of it all with the favorites and dark horses for the upcoming season.

Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports made his picks for the favorites and dark horses for every conference in FBS. Our focus today is on the Power Five, who have made up 33 of the 36 College Football Playoff selections. Notre Dame (Independent) and Cincinnati (AAC) are the only non-Power Five teams to make the CFP. This year the Bearcats join the Big 12 along with the Houston Cougars, BYU Cougars, and UCF Knights.

We break down each of Myerberg’s picks with spring football all wrapped up.

Post spring ACC quarterback rankings for 2023

Where each ACC quarterback lands in our post-spring rankings.

Much like the rest of the college football landscape, we saw a lot of movement in the ACC. It was especially true at the quarterback position.

Two of the top gunslingers, Sam Hartman and Devin Leary, exited the conference for new opportunities. Hartman is now with Notre Dame and Leary takes over for the departing Will Levis at Kentucky.

As far as 2023 is concerned, the top guys are back with North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Florida State’s Jordan Travis. The two combined to lead their teams to 19 wins. The duo could face off in 2023 in the ACC championship game. Clemson and Cade Klubnik could have something to say about it.

With that being said, College Sports Wire ranks each starting quarterback ahead of the 2023 season. The starters are based on our projected depth charts.

College Football Roundtable: Intriguing storylines among the Power Five

Our College Wire staff discusses the top storylines among the Power Five for the upcoming campaign.

Spring football is officially upon us with a vast majority of teams taking the practice field. Following last season, the Georgia Bulldogs will likely be the most watched team as they run through the 2023 college football schedule for one main reason, they are chasing history.

Kirby Smart has led the Bulldogs to back-to-back College Football Playoff national championships and getting No. 3 would be historic. No team has won three consecutive titles since the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1934 to 1936. Almost 100 years later, could we finally see a team match their output? Overall Minnesota won five titles from 1934 to 1941. They won back-to-back titles in the 1940 and 1941 seasons.

The new hires among the Power Five will also take center stage with Luke Fickell (Wisconsin), Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Deion Sanders (Colorado), Troy Taylor (Stanford), Hugh Freeze (Auburn), and Jeff Brohm (Louisville) looking to revitalize their programs. Other coaches will have to fend off the hot seat, CSW broke down our initial list of contenders to be under immense pressure this season.

As part of College Sports Wire’s preview for the upcoming college football season, five editors discuss the biggest storylines among the Power Five.

Florida State AD Michael Alford wants to challenge ACC revenue sharing

FSU wants a bigger cut of revenue sharing. What could this mean for the ACC and the Seminoles’ future?

On Friday, Florida State athletic director Michael Alford spoke with the school’s board of trustees. “Something has to change,” he said according to a report from ESPN’s Adrea Adelson.

The big concern revolves around the media rights of the ACC. Alford believes that the Seminoles should receive a bigger cut of the revenue than what they are currently receiving in the deal that runs through 2036. Based on the current contract, each of the conference’s 14 schools receive an equal 7% share of the revenue.

According to Alford, Florida State contributes 15% of the value to the ACC. So why shouldn’t the Seminoles receive a larger cut? What this could mean is that the school is already looking at life beyond the ACC. But who would be willing to take on FSU? Perhaps it would be in the SEC where the other half of the Sunshine Showdown, the Florida Gators, already reside.

One way to combat the revenue distribution is an uneven split among the 14 schools. The Clemson Tigers and [autotag]Florida State Seminoles[/autotag] are among the biggest brands that would likely see a larger cut. The Miami Hurricanes and North Carolina Tar Heels could find themselves on that next wave as well. At one time the Virginia Tech Hokies would be among the top brands but the program has fallen off since Frank Beamer’s retirement.

I am not sure how the rest of the league would feel about getting less money to keep top teams happy. But it feels like this could coming to a head soon. Either the ACC looks to keep the big dogs satisfied or we could see more realignment in the very near future.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=21]

[mm-video type=video id=01gkscw7d8dfrcy52vdz playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gkscw7d8dfrcy52vdz/01gkscw7d8dfrcy52vdz-eb11f97406c4ddb7e08aa50e4355fd54.jpg]

Bad news for former Clemson cornerback

One of Clemson’s all-time cornerbacks can’t seem to catch a break in his rookie season in the NFL.

Former Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. can’t seem to catch a break in his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings.

After making his first career start in the NFL less than two weeks ago, Booth will undergo knee surgery on Monday that could potentially force him to miss the remainder of the season, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Rapoport also said the team will not know until after the surgery if the procedure is a season-ending injury.

Although Booth was widely regarded as a day-one talent in the draft process, injuries ultimately gave teams concerns about him.

Drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Vikings, the Clemson standout has 12 total tackles on the season.

The former five-star recruit finished his career as a Tiger with 75 tackles (5.5 for loss), 10 pass breakups, five interceptions, a sack and a fumble recovery. Last season, he was a First Team All-ACC selection with 39 tackles (3.0 for loss), five pass breakups and a team-high three interceptions.

The injury is another bump in the road for Booth, but with him just being a rookie, there is plenty of time left to propel his NFL career forward.

[mm-video type=video id=01gjyawx1tdrq91h08dg playlist_id=01fvdd1xkgcx6zr5s5 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gjyawx1tdrq91h08dg/01gjyawx1tdrq91h08dg-3fc6686cb8ca4c8a5834f9e33e31d33d.jpg][listicle id=8987]

Virginia-Virginia Tech football game canceled

Virginia-Virginia Tech football game canceled after Cavalier football players were killed

The University of Virginia and Virginia Tech reached a decision Monday to cancel Saturday’s ACC football game in the aftermath of the tragedy that saw three Cavaliers players killed.

Per Virginiasports.com:

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that the Virginia at Virginia Tech football game scheduled for Saturday, November 26, has been canceled. The decision was made following communication between the Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia and Virginia Tech athletic department administration.

The ACC and Virginia Tech continue to support UVA following the devastating tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of three members of the Cavalier football team – Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, and injuries to students Mike Hollins (also a Virginia football student-athlete) and Marlee Morgan.

Gallery: Clemson vs. Miami through the years

Clemson is 6-6 all-time against the Hurricanes and can take a one-win advantage with a victory on Saturday.

With only two regular-season games left before the ACC Championship game, Clemson is at its make-or-break point of the season, starting with a pivotal game against Miami on Saturday.

Slated to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, the game between the Tigers (9-1) and the Hurricanes (5-5) will be the 13th time the two teams have met, dating back to their first matchup in 1945.

The last time the Tigers and Hurricanes faced off was in 2020, when Clemson came away with a 42-17 win at Memorial Stadium. The win extended Clemson’s win streak over Miami to three games and evened up the all-time record against the Hurricanes to 6-6.

While this year’s Miami team hasn’t lived up to the expectations many had for the team in the preseason, Clemson still has to take care of business to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

That said, here are some of the best photos from Clemson vs. Miami games through the years.

Tale of the Tape: Leading Receivers – Michael Mayer vs. Zay Flowers

Worried about this matchup at all?

Notre Dame’s home game against Boston College is a big one for [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag]. Barring an unexpected change of heart, all signs point to this being his final time suiting up at Notre Dame Stadium before he jumps to the NFL. The Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist has been a real bright spot for the Irish in a season that has had its ups and downs. Hopefully, he can provide the South Bend faithful with one more solid game.

The Eagles’ Zay Flowers, an NFL draft prospect himself, will prove to be a challenge for the Irish’s secondary. Flowers has the most receiving yards in the ACC and the second-most receiving touchdowns. Then again, it could depend on who’s starting at quarterback for the Eagles because we still don’t know as of this writing. Regardless of who it is, the Irish can’t be too sure of their ability to stop him, or Flowers will burn them.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Uiagalelei feels ‘more confident playing free’

Clemson’s star ting quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, has had a rough last few weeks. Between the unexpected loss at Notre Dame on Nov. 5 and freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik taking over in the third quarter of the game against Syracuse and leading the …

Clemson’s starting quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, has had a rough last few weeks. Between the unexpected loss at Notre Dame on Nov. 5 and freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik taking over in the third quarter of the game against Syracuse and leading the Tigers to victory, it is safe to say Uiagalelei feels the pressure to perform every single game. 

He did that this past weekend against Louisville, throwing for 185 yards and one touchdown, and rushing for one as well in the Tigers’ 31-16 win. He had a completion percentage of 70.4, the highest it has been since the second game of the season against Furman (77.8).

His play was not perfect, but he got the job done, and he said he feels good moving forward and putting the last two games behind him.

“There are certain things I wanted to do, certain things I wanted to get out of the game, and I feel like that is what I got out of it,” Uiagalelei said. “It was good to be able to get those last two games out of my system and play a solid game coming into this week.”

Uiagalelei sat down with the media Monday ahead of the Miami game this weekend, detailing how he wants the offense to continue to play faster and more free. 

“We definitely worked on it this week,” Uiagalelei said. “We want the offense to be able to play with more tempo, be able to play faster, and I feel like we did a good job this weekend playing faster.”

In regard to playing free, Uiagalelei stated how it helps his confidence improve throughout the game because he does not overthink every single play.

“I think it’s just less thinking, you just go out there and react instead of thinking,” he said. “The faster you play, the less you have to think, and it’s more just a reaction and just not thinking about stuff too much.”

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter agreed with Uiagalelei, and liked seeing his confidence grow throughout the game against Louisville.

“We talk about that a lot, to find that peace of mind to go play free, and I think he’s done a really good job of that for most of the year, and like a lot of things it is easier said than done,” Streeter said on Monday. “When he can do that and has that mindset, he is in a much better spot when he’s able to go play free and play more confident.”

Streeter liked seeing the change in Uiagalelei this past weekend, but knows there is always room for improvement from the junior quarterback. 

“Any time you can go play free and then you start fast, you gain confidence quickly, and I think that’s what you saw from him on Saturday — not perfect but he played a good game,” Streeter said. “He started fast, and I think it is our jobs as coaches to help him get to that point.”