Latest news with #ACCMediaDays
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Does the Big Ten CONTROL the Future of the CFP?
Big Ten Media Days are underway in Las Vegas, and Tony Petitti took the stage front and center on day one. With many interesting comments regarding the number of conference games, playoff format, and the future of the league, Andy & Ari break it all down here in today's show. 0:00 Intro: Back in Vegas 1:01 What did we learn from Tony Petitti 7:50 Heather Dinich from ESPN joins 18:20 Heather's Ideal CFP 21:49 Petitti and the future of the CFP 32:00 ACC Media Days 37:06 CSC's new rules on NIL, Collectives 39:23 Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith joins 45:14 More on Jeremiah Smith 48:28 Is Jeremiah Smith a true NFL-ready WR? 51:34 Nebraska, Dylan Raiola's jump? 1:01:06 Conclusion Heather Dinich from ESPN joins the show and she gives her thoughts and perspective on the state of college football and where things stand right now. Later, Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith joins the show and he shares his experience after his first year of college football. Is this rising star destined for greatness?
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney chimes in on if Clemson or LSU is the real Death Valley
Dabo Swinney didn't dodge the question when asked on SportsCenter at ACC Media Days about the latest jab from LSU head coach Brian Kelly. With Clemson and LSU set to square off to begin the 2025 season, the long-running debate over which school owns the title of 'Death Valley' has once again taken center stage. 'Well, I think, first of all, both programs are for real. These are two great programs. We've met a couple times over the years. Great respect for LSU,' Swinney said. 'But I think if you just Google Coach McMillian, who was the head coach at PC — you can go and do that research on your own. But all that matters is how we handle our business in Clemson, South Carolina, on August 30th. So, that's our focus. But that stuff is historical facts, so I'll let you do the research on that. You can report back. I'll be tuned in for your report. You have a homework assignment.' Swinney was referring to Lonnie McMillian, the former head coach at Presbyterian College, who famously dubbed Clemson's Memorial Stadium 'Death Valley' after a 76-0 loss to the Tigers in 1945. Each time his team made the trip to Clemson, McMillian would tell reporters, 'I'm taking my boys to Death Valley.' The nickname stuck, and the media ran with it. By the mid-1940s, Clemson had fully adopted the label. Meanwhile, LSU didn't begin calling Tiger Stadium 'Death Valley' until 1959, and the name didn't really gain national recognition until several decades later. Clemson and Presbyterian opened every season from 1930 to 1957, giving McMillian plenty of opportunities to use the now-famous phrase. Over time, it became a staple of Clemson football tradition. Now, with both programs ranked among the sport's elite, the debate over which Death Valley is the 'real' one has added fuel ahead of their highly anticipated matchup. That answer might become a little clearer on August 30, when LSU makes the trip to Memorial Stadium in Clemson to open the 2025 college football season. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Dominion Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Pitt's Pat Narduzzi strong advocate for yearly Backyard Brawl
MORGANTOWN — The biggest game on West Virginia's schedule isn't a Big 12 conference game. It's the third game of the season against Pitt in the 108th Backyard Brawl. That's not an opinion; looking at the ticket prices, WVU's priciest home game is the Backyard Brawl, which is as low as $260 right now. Speaking with former players and fans, the Week 3 matchup is the must-see game. ESPN's Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit even talked about potentially having College GameDay from this year's Backyard Brawl if everything goes right. After this year, the Backyard Brawl is shelved. The rivalry won't return until 2029. It's a lot less of a hiatus than the 11-year gap from 2011 to 2022, but still, the season will feel incomplete. Pitt's head coach, Pat Narduzzi, has been vocal about regional rivalry games with West Virginia and Penn State, and talked about the importance of the regional games at ACC Media Days this week. 'With the way the college landscape is going, conferences have kind of exploded, and we have teams from the West Coast in the Atlantic Coast Conference,' Narduzzi said. 'I think those regional rivalry games are critical.' However, the regional rivalry games are becoming harder and harder to occur. With conference shuffling, rivalries have been lost. Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma was a yearly thing, but once Oklahoma left the conference, it's harder to make the game happen since it's used as an out-of-conference game. There's also the issue of money, and how out-of-conference opponents are scheduled years in advance. WVU's three out-of-conference games are set up until 2030, and already have one opponent for 2031. Narduzzi said during his press conference that he wanted to play West Virginia every year, and still does, even with the Mountaineers not being on Pitt's schedule until 2029. The players and fans want to see it, but with all the outside factors, it's hard to make it happen. 'Our players look forward to playing West Virginia every year,' Narduzzi said. 'That's a rivalry game that'll end after this year. In three years, it picks back up. So, we do have a four-game stretch. If you guys have any power to see if we can get them in the next three years, we are willing to make some movements in our schedule and try to get that done. I would love to play them every year.' Due to scheduling issues, Narduzzi's wish won't happen. The two schools could technically fit the Backyard Brawl into their schedules, but WVU already has a couple of big games in its place, and the pay-to-play game with smaller schools, which those smaller institutions rely on financially. They'd need to cancel one of the games. Then there's the required nine Big 12 games, so realistically, it's a longshot. At least for WVU, the three years without the Backyard Brawl won't be a snoozefest. WVU has a home and home with Alabama over the next two years, and plays Virginia in Charlotte in 2026. Then in 2028, WVU plays Tennessee in the Duke's Mayos Classic. WVU definitely has entertaining games on its schedule in place of the Backyard Brawl. However, those games don't have the same lust as the Backyard Brawl. What's positive is there's mutual interest in keeping the rivalry a yearly game, and so far, it's scheduled in three of the four years starting in 2029. It's only a couple of years of a break, but the Backyard Brawl will be missed by fans, players and coaches. 'That's what the game is all about, those regional rivalries,' Narduzzi said. 'It brings fans in. The fans love it, the players love it, it's intense. There's no love lost. That's what it's all about. That's college football.'
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
ACC Media Days: Georgia Tech QB Haynes King Fires at Rival - 'To Hell With Georgia'
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King didn't hold back when discussing the Yellow Jackets' biggest rivalry during ACC Media Days on Wednesday. "Hopefully we'll beat them," King said. "I know it's a big rivalry game. The last two times have been really close. Last one being eight overtimes. They're a really good coached football team, but at the end of the day, it's to hell with Georgia. We're trying to beat them."King's comments immediately sparked buzz as the Yellow Jackets prepare for another season under head coach Brent Key, who enters his fourth year leading the program. Despite battling limitations in the passing game for part of the year, King put together one of the most efficient campaigns in school history in 2024. He set a Georgia Tech and ACC single-season record by completing 72.9% of his throws (196-of-269) for 2,114 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. Most notably, he cut down dramatically on turnovers, tossing just two interceptions after throwing 16 the year prior. On the ground, King added 587 rushing yards and 11 scores on 125 carries, bringing his total to 2,701 yards and 25 total touchdowns across 11 games. "We definitely have unfinished business," King said. "The first one, we've got to take it one game at a time. Being at Colorado for the first game, that's going to be a big one. Just take it each week, make it simple."King continued: "Some people try to make it too complicated and try to make it harder than it is. If you execute and do your job and have the players around you playing at a high level, things are going to happen for you. I'm not the one to mainly focus on individual accolades or individual success. If your team's having success, that stuff is going to come." King returns for a pivotal year at quarterback, hoping to lead Georgia Tech beyond their back-to-back 7-6 seasons. Related: Georgia Tech Football Preview 2025: Yellow Jackets Season Prediction, Win Total Projection, Top Players Related: 5 College Football Quarterbacks Who Could Lose Their Starting Job Early in 2025 © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
ACC Media Days: Clemson QB Cade Klubnik Says 'A Lot of People Wanted Me Out'
Cade Klubnik isn't shying away from the struggles that shaped his Clemson career. Speaking during ACC Media Days on Thursday, the Tigers quarterback reflected on a critical moment after his sophomore season - one he says still fuels him."After my sophomore year, when a lot of people wanted me out at Clemson," Klubnik said, "Coach Swinney pulled me into his office and told me, 'Cade, I believe in you. Let's go to work.' That conversation has fueled me for the last two years." Klubnik admitted that season was a turning point. There was growing doubt from fans and some around the former five-star recruit faced criticism for inconsistency and early growing pains. But Swinney never wavered."Having a coach like coach Swinney to lean on through everything, through the ups and the downs, has been unbelievable," Klubnik said. "When everybody kinda told me I sucked and wasn't very good... I'll never forget that moment." Now a senior, Klubnik enters 2025 with 7,180 career passing yards, 57 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions across 2,137 snaps. He's also rushed for 784 yards and 13 touchdowns and owns a 19–9 record as Clemson's among the early Heisman Trophy favorites and leads a team poised to reassert itself in the national conversation. For Klubnik, the past is personal. And so is the belief that he's just getting started. Related: Clemson Football Preview 2025: Are the Tigers For Real? Did Dabo Do This Right? © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
