The ACC and the expansion dominoes

I'm guessing today sets a record for Clemson-related stuff to blog about on June 7th.

There's the winner-take-Auburn showdown on The Plains ... the MLB Draft and Kyle Parker ... and (oh yeah) impending college football armageddon.

On that last topic, the ACC has been conspicuous in its silence over the last few weeks regarding the new TV deal that was reportedly struck.

There's no indication that the report (12-years, $1.86-billion, ESPN) was inaccurate or premature.

At the time of the report (mid-May), it appeared the ACC was on the verge of making the deal official with an announcement.

So, why the silence?

The guess here is that the ACC is waiting for the expansion dominoes to fall. No use risking an egg-on-face moment by boasting a lucrative new contract, only to see that contract ripped apart with the loss of two or three schools (or just one school).

In the Dallas Morning News, the Big 12 braces for what could be a deadly West Coast attack.

Excellent story here about why, exactly, the Big 12 is in such a vulnerable position.

Dan Wetzel says the Big 12 blew it by eschewing a playoff.

This Detroit columnist says the Big 10 better hurry up.


Our friends at the Georgia Tech Rivals site have a two-part Q&A with Paul Johnson, and some interesting stuff came out of it.

In Part 1, Humble Paul is really liking the situation on the offensive line.

"Offensive line wise I am really excited. We lost a couple of guys, but I think we have some young talent to replace them with who are a little more suited to what we like to do. In the spring game the second unit offensive line was all redshirt freshmen. I think at least one or two of those guys will have a chance to start this fall."

And some high praise for The Chessmaster:

"We are very lucky to have Al Groh as our defensive coordinator. He brings a wealth of experience as a former head coach in the NFL, a defensive coordinator of Super Bowl teams and having spent nine years as the head coach at the University of Virginia. One of the things that impressed me as a football coach when we played Virginia was the way they made adjustments. Football is a move-countermove game. Everyone is trying to get the upper hand. Sometimes you might think you have the upper hand and once you get it, it is over. Teams can't adjust. The thing I was always intrigued with playing Virginia was that you might get them a little bit, but they would correct it. Then we would try something else it was a move-countermove. We had a lot of fun this spring with that. I think that will really help us."

And how about this dig against Georgia:

"We have a heck of a schedule with road games at Clemson, North Carolina, Blacksburg on a Thursday night, Lawrence, Kansas, Wake Forest and of course Athens. So far we are undefeated in Athens. It will be fun to play there again."

In Part 2, PJ is off his freaking rocker if he really believes the following statement:

"Can Joshua Nesbitt play on Sundays? I think he has a chance. In my opinion our offense is a better fit for Joshua than the one they were running here before. I think if he has a good year he has a chance to."

He has this to say about Scott Blair, who mysteriously turns into Superman against Clemson:

"Scott had a great spring and he has a really strong leg, but the thing with him is that we have to tell him every team is Clemson and he will be fine."

And about that Parker guy...

Here's a story from his hometown paper in St. Augustine, Fla.

Notable quote:

"It's really kind of a complicated situation ... we've looked at (former) players, and no one has ever had as much leverage, and more to walk away from, than I do," said Parker, who has 45 career home runs, and a batting average of .304. "What a team offers me, it doesn't matter where I go. What I'm asking for is more important."

In The ACC Sports Journal, a look at KP's decision ... and also at the media gaffes that contributed to the Murphy Holloway fiasco.

Brownell and his staff can’t be faulted for also pointing their fingers at some media outlets, whose inaccurate reporting clearly damaged their chances of landing Holloway.

Unbelievable game last night in Auburn. Here's the take from Clemson's perspective, and from Auburn's.

Faced with two strikes, two outs, two runners on base and Auburn trailing by a run, Simpson was just trying to keep the game going with a little contact.

“I was just trying to get the barrel on the ball,” Simpson said. “I knew I had a great opportunity, I didn’t want to waste it.”

Felt a lot like Clemson's 2004 meltdown against Georgia in the Athens Regional.


LW