Nov
04
2020
It’s not often as a sportswriter offers a suggestion and a football coach agrees it’s good idea. Yet, that’s what I’m pleased to report I heard from Air Force coach Troy Calhoun on Tuesday during a Zoom call. The Army-Navy Game, with its 120-year history, has historically owned the stage as college football’s final regular …
Nov
03
2020
#StayHealthy and practice social distancing @Hokiesmash_ASD and I (@TalkinACCSports ) want to get you ready for week 10 in ACC Football with a look back at Week 9 with an old fashioned podcast. Take a listen as we were joined by @RBrentBlevins https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rwradios-acc-weekly-podcast/id831843856?t=2. We are also now available on Stitcher! http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/httpwwwtalkshoecomtalkshoewebtalkcastjspmasterid130024cmdtc/the-acc-weekly-podcast?refid=stpr0 We are also now available …
Nov
02
2020
Only once before in the history of the College Football Playoff have I ever eliminated the defending National Champions. In 2015, I eliminated the Ohio State Buckeyes after the final weekend of the season. Ohio State didn’t quite have the resume, and there were four clearly obvious Playoff picks that year. In every other season …
Nov
02
2020
From early in the season, when the Big 12 was clearly struggling, I’ve been mentioning the AAC somewhere in a group of teams in line for a Playoff bid. As the season has progressed, it became obvious that Cincinnati was the only AAC team in the picture. Still, with tons of teams playing and all …
Nov
01
2020
#StayHealthy and practice social distancing. The ACC Question of the week is back with our esteemed friend and college football writer @MattZemek, Editor at @TrojansWire . Do yourself a favor and give him a follow on twitter. It’s time for the 2020 ACC game of the year. The fact that Trevor Lawrence — one of the ACC’s two best players — …
Nov
01
2020
Three takes from Duke (2-5, 1-5 ACC) winning 53-19 over Charlotte (2-2, 2-1 Conference-USA) Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium. STATE STATURE PRESERVED Duke’s credibility was at stake as an ACC member and Power 5 football program facing an upstart. The Blue Devils had suffered enough frustrating losses with turnovers and inconsistent play wasting opportunities …
Nov
01
2020
Armando Bacot’s performances last year against Duke and Vernon Carey, an NBA one-and-done projected as a late first-rounder or early second-rounder, summed up his freshman year and North Carolina’s season. Barcot had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the first Duke game. The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder also helped hold Carey scoreless in …
Oct
31
2020
I’m happy Virginia Tech won – and the defense is not be feared by anyone. #Hokies — Hokie Matthew (@hokiesmash_ASD) October 31, 2020 I LOVE that we only threw the ball 10 times today 😍 pic.twitter.com/gm7ra68mQ7 — Headless Treadmill Horseman 🎃 (@treadmillhorse) October 31, 2020 You’re welcome #Hokies twitter … I didn’t tweet once during …
Oct
31
2020
Every championship team has that struggle win in a season. Great programs can win without their best games. Clemson won today 34-28 without anything close to the best game. It’s in their DNA. They just find a way to win. When I suggested last week Clemson was showing some holes against Syracuse, many Clemson fans …
Oct
31
2020
Good morning, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans. I’ve been wanting to post this for a while – I saw some really good tweets on the status of 2020 Virginia Tech football. Here we go: Our friend, Brent Blevins, always has some of the more analytical takes. This is good. On one hand, the …
Oct
30
2020
The scene watching West Point’s Jordan Blackman engulfed by teammates was something out of a Hollywood movie. The senior had scored his first career touchdown in last week’s 49-3 win over Mercer at Michie Stadium. Moments earlier, his first career carry was a 13-yard run. On third-and-goal from the 6, he plowed his way over …
Oct
28
2020
March Madness – in one form or another – is on its way back in 20201 assured Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski in a Wednesday Zoom call. And he likes the team he can put on the floor to chase an ACC title, Final Four and national title. “We have a lot of pieces,” Coach …
Oct
28
2020
Bill Walton’s mind cheerfully hums songs illuminating life’s complexities, but he burst out with renewed hope last spring and summer. The chord struck was college athletes outspokenly supporting Black Lives Matter protests. “I’m all for it,” Walton said. “It’s fantastic — a dream come true. It’s what I grew up hoping the future would be; …
Oct
28
2020
#StayHealthy and practice social distancing. The ACC Question of the week is back with our esteemed friend and college football writer @MattZemek, Editor at @TrojansWire . Do yourself a favor and give him a follow on twitter. Which is the second-best team in the ACC? I have asked that question to myself and on social media. This is a situation in …
Oct
28
2020
This week saw a few more eliminations than I expected, particularly because the Big 12 is rapidly trending towards no teams remaining. Oklahoma State is still undefeated, and the Cowboys will make the Playoff if that keeps up, but outside of Stillwater the Big 12’s hopes are in trouble. The conference’s only other one-loss team …
Oct
28
2020
I was ready to write this post on Sunday, looking at the action from the SEC and Big 12. And, of course, the return of the Big Ten. Ohio State looked like a potential Playoff contender. Wisconsin, Michigan, and maybe Northwestern looked like potential contenders. And Cincinnati and BYU both made pushes for potential for …