Posts from the Acc Category at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

All that talk about the Atlantic Coast Conference expanding to an 18-game basketball season was quickly quieted during the conference's spring meetings. The ACC won't expand to an 18-game hoops season or 9-game football season because of ... what else ... TV contracts.

The conference's TV contracts are in place through the end of the 2010-11 academic year. Any serious tinkering with the ACC's schedules will come when the TV deals expire, so that the conference can maximize the financial payoff of its changes.

The conference feels that they don't want to give away extra games for free.

After all, they know that the ACC is still damn good TV. Five of the top ten college hoops games on ESPN involved at least one ACC team. The second North Carolina-Duke game was ESPN's highest rated game -- ever. As for football, Clemson-Florida State was the World Wide Leader's top rated college game ... while Boston College-Virginia Tech was ESPN's highest rated Thursday game -- ever.

"Old School" is the College Football FanHouse's irregular look back at the rich history of college football, usually through the medium of embeddable flash video. Check out the Old School archive for more famous plays and infamous hair.

Old School usually consists highlight clips of relatively recent games, but thanks to the University of Georgia's media archive department the entire 1947 Sugar Bowl is now online and streaming:




That, obviously, is not the entire game. Hoo-boy, those would be some pissed of guys in hats if it was. This is the entire game. If you dig the era when "football" was defiantly pronounced as two words, coaches regarded the forrward pass as deadly poison, and guys like Georgia's Charley Trippi played quarterback, receiver, running back, punt returner, kick returner, linebacker, and punter, this is your jam, man.

Georgia would beat North Carolina 20-10, finishing a perfect 10-0 but losing out on the national title to Notre Dame. Georgia's official site takes a distinctly non-'Bama tack when discussing the potential screwjob, highlighting the team but setting Georgia's two "consensus" national champions apart.

Is this man reacting to the awl in his nose or college football's nonconference schedules? No one knows for sure.

These days in college football it's rarely a matter of who has the best nonconference slate, but rather who has the least worst. According to the Oklahoman, that title goes to the ACC and their impressive(?) 48% BCS nonconference schedule. The entire field:

• ACC: 48%
• Pac Ten: 45%
• Big East: 39%
• SEC & Big Twelve: 31%
• Big Ten: 29%

The Pac Ten finishes second but they're the only conference playing nine conference games, so they each have one more real opponent involuntarily inserted into the schedule. If you give the Pac 10 credit for that, their percentage shoots up to 58%. Similarly, the Big East should get dinged for only playing seven conference games, which would bring them down to the three conferences trailing the pack.

And last: the Big Ten, which plays about one real nonconference opponent per team and fills the schedule out with MAC snacks and the like. Making it even worse for the Big Ten are some of the "BCS" opponents they've lined up: Notre Dame (3), Syracuse (2), Iowa State, and Duke comprise more than half of their BCS opponent games. Those teams were 9-39 last year.

Welcome news for beleaguered Florida State fans who have seen their team decimated by academic scandal and other off-field issues:

The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office on Monday formally charged Parker with a felony for carrying a concealed firearm and a misdemeanor for marijuana possession. But a resolution is in the works that could reduce the felony charge.

"That probably is what we are looking at most strongly," Assistant State Attorney Alan Johnson said. "We will have an offer out there. A perfectly appropriate resolution to this case would be a reduction in charges."

If Parker's charge gets dropped to a misdemeanor, he'll be free to rejoin the team. Bobby Bowden said he would be suspended for "a few" games at the beginning of the year, like a dozen other players implicated in an academic scandal.

Previously on Fanhouse:
Florida State Rapidly Running Out of Football Players
FSU Linebacker Marcus Ball Is Gonzo
Preston Parker Surprisingly Caught With Non-Musket

Remember Joe Hamilton? Diminuitive quarterback par excellence at Georgia Tech a few years back. Heisman Trophy runner-up. The last known relevant Georgia Tech season was played under his command. Then he disappeared into football obscurity because the No Fun League has no need for guys that good.

Anyway.

Hit and run DUI, folks. Aaaaaaand our football God returns just in time to beat a hasty retreat.

Former Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton resigned from his position at the school Wednesday, a day after he was charged with marijuana possession, driving under the influence of alcohol and hit-and-run.

The charges came about a week after the 31-year-old was hired as the school's assistant director of player personnel.

"Today, I sadly accepted Joe's resignation," said Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson.

YouTube of the good times below (on the right side of the law) in lieu of further commentary.

Dadgummit.

A blow for the Seminoles:

Florida State announced on Monday that linebacker Marcus Ball has asked for a release from his football scholarship and that request has been granted.

Ball had 24 tackles last year and was projected to start this fall once he served a three-game suspension for being part of the online cheating scandal that gutted the Seminoles late last year. No word on where he's going to transfer to.

With the questionable status of gun-charge bearing Preston Parker, Florida State now finds its vaunted linebacking corps whittled down significantly.

As the BCS Coalition rejects anything approaching a playoff for the BCS Championship, the NCAA certified two more minor bowls because that's what the nation really wanted. Say hello to the Congressional Bowl in Washington D.C. and the St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Congressional Bowl will likely feature Navy and the 9th place team from the ACC. Not that the ACC has produced more than 8 bowl eligible teams in a season and Navy no longer has Paul Johnson coaching them. Don't worry, though, the MAC will be the fallback.

Not that the St. Petersburg -- your corporate sponsor name here -- Bowl is a particularly attractive bowl. It features the 7th place (or 6th depending on Notre Dame) Big East team versus the 5th or 6th place Conference USA team.

Stunningly this is better than expected since the NCAA actually rejected a third bowl bid. The Rocky Mountain Bowl in Salt Lake City between the WAC and MWC. Sure they had no date, TV partner or deal with the stadium, but apparently that wasn't necessarily going to stop them.

It doesn't get the attention of Ralphie or Bevo, but UNC has their own live mascot for football games. A blue horned ram named Rameses. Well, they are given the title of Rameses after they take the mantle.

The latest is actually named Pablo, but will now be known as Rameses XVIII. The 3 year-old ram ascended by killing his father -- the now deceased Rameses XVII.

Rameses and Pablo shared a field at Hogan's farm outside Carrboro. On April 13, they butted heads, as rams are occasionally wont. This particular collision was so jarring that it snapped off one of the older ram's horns.

An infection set-in and despite the antibiotics, it wasn't enough. Rameses died 10 days later. Say what you want about a ram as opposed to a buffalo or a steer with regards to intimidation factors on the sideline. There is something fearsome about a mascot that takes over after killing the predecessor.

It's an 84 year tradition of one line of rams, that has apparently blown through them over the years. Admittedly nature plays a role. The lifespan of a ram averages only 10 years or so.

Not pictured... but he totally could be that guy.

"Preston Parker" is the sort of name that conjures up images of ascots and yachts and golf clubs and maybe the sort of fraternity you get in because your grandfather's grandfather's grandfather was a member of the Continental Congress.

So this is kind of surprising:

Florida State star Preston Parker was arrested late Monday and charged with carrying a concealed .45-caliber pistol and a small amount of marijuana.

The 21-year-old receiver was released Tuesday from the Palm Beach County Jail, Palm Beach Gardens Police spokeswoman Ellen Lovejoy said. The gun charge is a felony.

Personally I would have bet on an heirloom blunderbuss and Macallan 20, but life is weird sometimes.

Those who didn't watch much of a mediocre ACC team last year might also be surprised that Preston Parker is a pretty excellent wide receiver. Last year he led the team with 62 catches and over 1500 total yards. He's now suspended until the gun charge is cleared up.

Pro Football Weekly's 2008 NFL Draft Guide (found at most news stands) has assigned draft grades to 242 collegiate players. Among the conferences, the ACC is tops with a projected 43 drafted players.

ACC: 43
SEC: 38
Big 12: 34
Pac 10: 32
Big 10: 29
Big East: 21
All other conferences and divisions: 45

Keep in mind these are the grades of just one (well-respected) publication and the draft is still weeks away. That said, this is a good starter projection for how the draft will shake out as far as talent allocation among the conferences.

Last year, the SEC led all conferences with 42 players chosen in the NFL draft. The ACC and Big 10 tied for second place with 32 players each.

This is good news for the ACC, but reflects poorly on its coaches given the conference's rapid decline in national prestige.