Recent Comments

My point in the comparison was not the finer details of how it worked but that if realignment happens it will be worse for college football just like it would have been worse for soccer if the ESL was formed. A majority of football programs are going to be on the outside of the SEC and not have the chance to play against these opponents. I could see a lot of fan bases losing interest in the sport.

One of the most significant and least discussed side effects of all the UT/OU to SEC gossip is that it's completely tea-bagged and taint muffled any news coming out of the ACC media days... Not that many people paid attention to begin with... but still. I doubt the timing was coincidence.

Not really related to the ESL, but my goodness... imagine a world where instead of the same NCAAF season format every single year, we had smaller tournaments where some were conferences, some were national, etc. A person can dream.

Two possible things to be optimistic about: If P5 becomes P4 it may force ND to join a conference (something I'd given up on) and given the new leadership of the ACC it's possible the conference won't just lay back and spread their legs for that deal like before. AND... WVU joining could make regional football rivalries real again for VT and Pitt. Another possible development is that we no longer schedule non-P4 games (or at least schedule far fewer).

Texas officially tells Big 12 it will not extend grant of rights deal. Looks like they will be leaving in 2025 season. First test of grant of rights comes out in favor of them being binding if conference survives and wants them to.

Last I saw was that amateur athletes could now hire representation to help them negotiate NIL deals. The contract with the agent/representation can not include a stipulation that the deal will continue when/if the athlete turns professional. Those agents are supposed to only be involved with the branding deals and not negotiations with any professional leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS, etc.)

The SEC idea is appealing in a way - I mean arguably the best football conference against historic southern football powers. But it seems like a steep mountain to climb to be among the top teams, rather than being somewhat of a contender in the ACC.

Our BEST case from here, I would say, starts with Rice and Nickel. We still appear in it for Huff, but I would be surprised to see him commit anywhere before the fall (great UAA season, may have a couple more offers to ponder). But he could pull the trigger sooner if it's Wisconsin bc of their limited space. I also have to imagine the staff is trying like crazy to get Noah Clowney on campus for an official.

Hand is a bit of a question mark. I can't imagine the staff giving up on Hand, who has developed a great relationship with Webbie, would be a great addition to the class, and would give MY another dimension of flexibility with his lineup construction. But I haven't heard how his unofficial visit went, he comes from a UVA/JMU family, and all his officials are going to be scheduled in the fall with maybe an October commitment (last I learned).

If anybody here ever wants to climb at Cliff Hangers in Mooresville, please let me know and we can meet up. We have a family membership with guest passes so if it's just one or two people we can get you in and get some rental gear if you need it for free. Whether you just want to try it for the first time, or you've climbed forever and want to make a trip to one of the best and most comprehensive climbing facilities on the east coast, we''ll climb with whoever, especially if you're a Hokie. We are really lucky to have a facility of that caliber here.

Now having said that, I am nowhere near an experienced climber. My wife (VT Music `10) is actually the climber of the family, but in November she injured her wrist while climbing and had to take 8 months off for surgery and recovery. So I took about 8 months off too. She's starting over from scratch with a weak wrist and I'm just starting over. But we love it, and the climbing community is really helpful and welcoming. And we're always willing to meet up with Hokies.

Cliff Hangers Mooresville

This thread has become clumsy. It's too big and I can't find info, espcially on my phone, for each of the key targets remaining. I'm in support of a new format or effort.

thank you!

Swofford's biggest win is sort of adding ND to the football conference- on ND's terms of course. But hey, he saved a 3 year spot in the champs sports bowl. The idea that the ACCN deal would have been even worse without ND, I don't buy for one minute. It can't be worse.

Agreed, the sheer energy it takes to pump up bad teams is awful. No doubt UNC is currently on a trajectory to be a very good program. But the ACC has been pumping up UNC for years. What can you expect from a league that fills its office with UNC lackeys, especially an incompetent commissioner for years like Swofford? The blatant nepotism of the low ball Raycom deal and horrific revenue stream from the ACCN deal is flat out malfeasance. ACC leadership has cost its members millions over the years. No vision at all.

This conference has always been one of extreme snobbery and pretentiousness. They didn't even want us and it took the Governor strong-arming UVA to even get us in to begin with. If we have the first opportunity to bolt, I hope we do and leave Tobacco Road to fend off the vultures.

UNC's OL dominated us last year - dominated. That game was not nearly as close as the score indicated. If UNC just stuck with the inside counter run, they could have scored 72 points. Dominance. I expect much of the same this season too. Mack will run inside and get the ball out of Howell's hands quickly. I hope we can force a few punts.

Like I've said before, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more accurate predictor for Maryland guys than Jeff Ermann on 247. He just put in a CB for the good guys on RR (and some Louisville posters are not taking it well- the disrespect for VT, my goodness. Just a parenthetical to remind you guys to be cool.).

Now that we're nearing August, I'm contemplating drafting 4-5 separate posts for our top targets where we can go more in depth and collect updates in the comments. Please let me know what you think (i.e. welcome content, too much, etc).

Caught a bit of Packer and Durham this morning and the fawning over UNC, NC State, and even Wake as a big surprise team this year is enough to make you puke.

That's why I can't listen to ACC coverage. The level of spin required to talk up a team like Wake or Syracuse is something I simply couldn't do in good faith, even if being paid to do so. Fawning over UNC? That's fine, they are dramatically elevating recruiting which is what you have to do in this sport to elevate your program. I saw a picture of Keeshawn Silver and Jahvaree Ritzie from the Spring game (they will both be true freshmen this year) and those are DL you expect to see at Bama or Georgia (both of whom went after Silver in particular very hard).

AAU designation. It's always been mentioned as an unspoken requirement for membership, even though Nebraska's status was revoked I believe.

The ACC is the most top heavy conference. It has a bona fide heavyweight in Clemson and the rest are unbelievably average at best to flat out bad.

If there is any potential for VT to move to the SEC, I hope we do and don't look back. The SEC isn't exactly wholesome, but their intentions are clear - they want to dominate the college football landscape, maximize the amount of revenue for their member institutions, and have the vision and ambition to do whatever it takes. The ACC has to be the worst managed league, no vision whatsoever other than basketball (which I frankly think is a bit overrated), and is so biased toward Tobacco Road it isn't funny. Caught a bit of Packer and Durham this morning and the fawning over UNC, NC State, and even Wake as a big surprise team this year is enough to make you puke. This league is just garbage.

What's our best case now to go with M.J. Collins?

Rice, Nickel, Huff and Dunn?

Are we still involved with Hand?

Doesn't the Big10 have some sort of accreditation requirement? I know in the past we did not have that accreditation, but I am not sure if we have it now or if it would still be required based on their most recent additions.