Thoughts and links after the long weekend

The long Memorial Day weekend was so powerful and enchanting that even realignment hysteria seemed to take a few days off.

The basketball search, and links

It's been three weeks since James Johnson bolted for the head job at Virginia Tech after a sip of coffee in Clemson, and I suspect there are two reasons it's taken Brad Brownell this long to zero in on candidates for the position:

On formalities, and links

Does it bother you when you hear high-ranking people say stuff like John Swofford said yesterday when asked about the Florida State/Big 12 hysteria?

Thoughts on realignment hysteria, and links

You know, it was less than a year ago that people were saying Florida State and Clemson to the SEC was a done deal.

UNC and big-boy football

Playing big-boy football is about committing to big money for coaches and big money for facilities.

How not to run an AD, and links

It's not a news flash that some people on TI aren't fans of Clemson president James Barker and some of his initiatives.

Continuing the playoff discussion, and links

Continuing some rambling thoughts from last night's column on the coming playoff in college football, I can't rid myself of the thought that having on-campus semifinals would be a freaking awesome setup.

It's probably not going to happen because high-ranking people have to be appeased, and we'll probably get our semifinals hosted by bowls currently part of the BCS system. And that's not necessarily a bad idea, because the thought of the Rose and Sugar bowls staging the 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 games induces some serious salivation compared to the current system.

Ranking the ACC's coaches

With spring practice in the books, now we begin the time of year in which nothing happens and sportswriters can cause a stir by throwing out all sorts of rankings.