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(Full) Name of Bowl Game: The Mr. Worldwide, Dalé Bowl at Pitbull Stadium, Florida International University, Presented by Mr. 305 Incorporated, Sponsored by Fireball (Short) Name of Bowl Game: The “Pitbowl” Location of Bowl Game: Pitbull Stadium, Florida International University Conference Tie-In: ACC Conference Tie-In: B1G

Kyle Greene (no relation), Carson College of Business Super-Senior and Daily Evergreen(e) Dairy Correspondent Coach, as de facto Athletic Director, are there any names you'd like to see considered for your multitude of roles: Wazzu Head Coach Extraordinaire; Pac-12 Commissioner; and WSU Creamery Spokesperson? Obviously, you've laid quite the foundation for someone to come in - to Washington State and the Pac-12 - and pick-up where you left off to lead Washington State to sustained National Championship contention in both football and basketball, so there are undoubtedly suitors in the mix even before season's end. More importantly; however, the student body wants to know: will your successor follow in your footsteps as WSU Creamery Spokesperson? Pay no mind to the fact that half of the business school are shareholders in the school's dairy venture, by virtue of sophomore macroeconomics having a mandatory investment component, but we just want to make sure that our next fearless-leader is aligned to the importance of dairy to our institution.

Philadelphia is encountering a similar SimPHL issue to Calgary detailed above: the "Forwards 4" Tab in the "Lineup" Section of the Interface appears to be completely blank (i.e. no drop-down menus for player-selection are present, unlike every other "Lineup" Tab) and the entire lineup is unable to be saved as a result.

Ryan Branch, former Quarterback turned Wazzu Super Fan Coach, when you were briefly linked with Tulane, some lucrative NIL deals were discussed - are there any plans in store for Washington State? Maybe a hybrid Seahawks-Cougar or some other nightmare-fuel-esque creature?

Durham, North Carolina - They'd been here before. As seventy-three of their teammates passed them down the tunnel and into the visitor's locker room, six Yellow Jackets remained outside - their white and gold uniforms stained green and brown from sixty-minutes of regulation play. Only a singular blue letter - "C" - sewn onto the front-right shoulders of their jerseys remained untouched by the chaos of battle. Quarterback Yohander Clippard [B/C+], Running Back Brandon Seamster [B-/B], Cornerback Tramon Magnifico [A/B-], Defensive End Cordrea Kaczmarski [A/B-], Free Safety and Return Specialist Reggie Posey [A/C], and Kicker Ed Cishek [A-/B+] stood together in a circle; they'd each had their ups-and-downs over the past sixty-minutes, but if they were to decisively break the deadlock, they'd have to lean on their collective experience and figure something out. They'd been here before, after all. It wasn't quite the 65-37 massacre of the Blue Devils that they'd each participated in when they'd hosted Duke last year as members of the eventual-ACC Champion 2024 Georgia Yellow Jackets, but victory was in reach; 16-16, all tied-up and with everything to play for. After a few moments of discussion, they shared a knowing-smile with one another - they had this in the bag. All that was left was to get back in the locker room and make sure that everyone else on the team knew it, before heading back out onto the field to make sure that the world knew it too. They'd been here before. And in moments like these, with the game on the line, that's when leaders shine and legends are born. Sixty minutes earlier, the contest kicked-off in Georgia Tech's favor. After receiving the Duke kickoff, the Yellow Jackets drove seventy-four yards in nine plays - courtesy of big rushing gains from the backfield duo of Seamster (26 yards and 9 yards on two rushes) and true Freshman Paul Heard [B/D-] (14 yards and 5 yards on two rushes, drawing an additional 15 yards from a horse-collar tackle during the former) - for an opening drive touchdown via a three-yard Clippard dart to Wide Receiver Byung-Hyun Socolovich [B+/B-]. With Cishek's extra point up and good, the score stood 7-0 in favor of the visitors. After an opening drive which saw the Blue Devils lose a net total of nine yards, Georgia Tech squandered their rebuttal with a three-and-out. On first play of the ensuing drive, Duke looked to find an offensive rhythm, with Quarterback Zachary Dinucci [B/C+] finding his most-effective target in true Freshman Joseph Fleming [B/B-] for 12 yards on a pitch-and-catch to beat the blitz. Looking to capitalize on Georgia Tech's aggressive defense on the previous play, the Blue Devils called on a play they'd drawn up for just this situation: a delayed play-action pass to open up speedy Wide Receiver Darwinzon Kaufusi [B+/B] on a fly route past an over-committed secondary. Dinucci snapped the ball and everything went to plan: he feigned the handoff and, despite no blitz from the Yellow Jackets, Kaufusi broke free from his man; Dinucci wound-up and launched the football, only for his pass to fall about five yards short of Kaufusi and into the waiting arms of the lingering Free Safety Posey. While the interception could have been an early momentum-killer for Duke, Georgia Tech's offense stalled out for a second-successive three-and-out, handing the ball straight back to Dinucci and Co. Eight plays later, as time expired in the first quarter and after Dinucci found [Jaime] Hernandez [B-/C] for fifteen yards via play-action, the Blue Devils ran it back - this time, Dinucci allowed for Georgia Tech's secondary to drop extra deep after his feint, dumping the ball to over-the-middle to Running Back Asher Hood [B-/C+] and letting him do the rest from thirty-three yards out. 7-7 ballgame, all tied-up. For those expecting a second quarter shootout after the first quarter theatrics, the football on-offer simultaneously did and didn't disappoint. It didn't disappoint because it was a shootout, but it very much did disappoint because it was a "shootout" for all the wrong reasons. Let's break down the entire second quarter, drive-by-drive: Georgia Tech Interception (5 Plays - CB Matt Smith [B/C+]); Duke Interception (2 Plays - CB Tramon Magnifico); Georgia Tech Interception (4 Plays - CB Diego Chimal [B/C+]); Duke Punt (6 Plays); Georgia Tech Missed 36-Yard Field Goal (15 Plays); Duke Punt (7 Plays); Georgia Tech Possession (1 Play); Halftime. Three interceptions, back-to-back-to-back, two punts, and a missed field goal. 7-7 ballgame, still all tied-up. Despite the miscues that exemplified the second quarter, Georgia Tech Running Back Paul Heard demonstrated his class. The true Freshman rushed for 83 yards on 12 attempts (6.91 yards per carry) and caught his sole target for a four-yard gain. Of the Yellow Jackets' 125 total offensive yards in the second quarter, Heard accounted for a mind-boggling 69.6% (nice) of them. In fact, of the 157 combined yards of total offense (yes, Duke came out of the second quarter with 32 total offensive yards and still managed to keep it a tie ballgame), Heard's 87 all-purpose yards made up a absolute majority 55.4%. Awakened from their second quarter slumber, the Blue Devils' offense would come out of halftime swinging: eight plays for fifty-eight yards, highlighted by an eighteen-yard dash by Asher Hood on 3rd and 10 deep from the Duke 25 to keep the drive alive and a twenty-four yard sprint, also by Hood, on 2nd and 4 from a screen pass from the Georgia Tech 41 to set Duke up in the red zone from the Georgia Tech 17. Yet, despite gaining nine yards over three plays, Coach @Viselli would opt to bring out the field goal unit on 4th and 1 on the Georgia Tech 8 to secure three points via a chip-shot 25-yard field goal. 10-7, Duke - their first lead of the contest. The Yellow Jackets and the Blue Devils would trade three-and-outs on consecutive drives before the Georgia Tech offense sputtered to life; much like their opponents, the Yellow Jackets drove downfield only to stall-out in the redzone. Facing 4th and 2 on the Duke 10, Yellow Jackets' Kicker Ed Cishek trotted-out for his own chip-shot field goal, drilling the twenty-seven yarder to make it 10 apiece. Once again, it was all tied-up. A strip sack of Dinucci and fumble recovery by Georgia Tech edge rusher Cordrea Kaczmarski on the first play of Duke's next drive set Georgia Tech up on the Duke - yet, the Yellow Jackets would have to settle for another Cishek field goal, this time from 39, to re-take the lead with the fourth quarter looming. While Georgia Tech would re-gain possession following a Duke three-and-out with thirty-two seconds left to play in the third quarter, this would only mean that the chance was theirs to make the first error of the fourth quarter. After only four plays, and with 14:57 on the regulation clock, they did exactly that - inexplicably going-for-it on 4th and 7 on the Duke 49 instead of pinning the Blue Devils deep in their own territory with a punt. Duke would take possession and gain thirty yards on six plays before facing their own fourth down quandary on the Yellow Jackets' 31: punt and pin Georgia Tech deep or attempt a 48-yard field goal to tie the game. Duke chose the latter; out came Senior Kicker Juan Bembry [A/B] and the ball sailed through the uprights, much to the delight of the home crowd. 13-13 ballgame, all tied-up for the third time. Over the remaining 12:48 of regulation, Georgia Tech and Duke traded possessions as if they were back in the second quarter, but there were five plays that shaped the remainder of the fourth quarter. First, with 6:38 left to play, Ed Cishek would nail yet another chip-shot field goal - this time from 22-yards-out - to give Georgia Tech a 16-13 lead. Second, less than twenty seconds later (6:20 remaining), Dinucci would throw his third interception of the game (and second to Tramon Magnifico) to set the Yellow Jackets up on the Duke 40 with a chance to put the game away; however, the visitors would fail to capitalize. Third, with just under a minute-and-a-half to play, Juan Bembry would make it a 16-16 tie courtesy of a 25-yard field goal. Fourth, after getting the ball back with just thirty seconds left in the game, Dinucci would throw his fourth interception of the game - this time to Georgia Tech Strong Safety Mike Littell [A/C+] - to give the Yellow Jackets the ball on the Duke 29. Fifth, on the very next play, the Georgia Tech field goal unit would come out to seal the victory with a 46-yard attempt, but Cishek's effort, while straight-and-true, bounced off the crossbar and sent the game into Overtime. 16-16, all tied-up - they had been here before. Having stormed out of the visitor's tunnel, the Yellow Jackets' looked like men possessed to start the opening drive of Overtime. Despite an initial ten-yard setback courtesy of an illegal use of hands penalty, Yohander Clippard channeled the energy of his predecessor - connecting with Socolovich for a six-yard gain before launching an inch-perfect ball into the outstretched hands of Tight End Ben Devers at the back of the endzone from 29-yards out to give Georgia Tech a 23-16 lead following a Cishek extra point, putting the Yellow Jackets firmly in the driver's seat. Duke; however, would respond in kind, with a methodical five-play drive that saw change-of-pace Back Timothy Reese [C/B-] punch it in from two yards out on third and everything-to-play-for. 23-23, all tied-up. With a three-yard rush from Redshirt Freshman Fullback Willie Gayle [B/B] and back-to-back rushed of five yards each from Paul Heard, Georgia Tech found themselves knocking on the proverbial door a the Duke 12 and a fresh set of downs. Yet, after a one yard loss on an abortive-scramble-turned-sack by Clippard and a rare loss of yards on the ground by Heard, the Yellow Jackets found themselves facing 3rd and 13 from the Duke 15. An attempted misdirection with play action was all for naught, as Clippard's attempt to find Wide Receiver Natrell Mihalik [A-/C+] on an out route toward the front corner of the endzone flew over the head of the 6'2", 220 pound target for an incompletion. On 4th and 13, Ed Cishek sauntered out onto the field for a 32-yard field goal attempt; to give Georgia Tech their fourth lead of the game and put the pressure on the Blue Devils to put up points to survive. With a nod to his holder and the stroke of his leg, Cishek sent the ball up and through the uprights. With a smile, he looked back towards the Georgia Tech sidelines - the five other team captains stood arm-in-arm, smiling right back at him. 26-23, Georgia Tech. The first play of Duke's rebuttal would set the tone for the game: a quick pass from Zachary Dinucci to Ashur Hood, who came out of the backfield on a delayed wheel route only for the intended pass to veer off-target. Towards the sideline, Tramon Magnifico clapped his hands in equal-parts frustration and anticipation - he's been here before. Lined-up across true Freshman Joseph Fleming, Magnifico knew the ball was coming; eventually, it had to be. And it was exactly what Magnifico wanted. He has an inch and sixteen pounds on the wideout from California, but most importantly, Magnifico had four years of collegiate experience on Fleming. So, when the Blue Devils lined up in the Spread on 2nd and 10 on the Georgia Tech 25, Magnifico knew the ball was coming. The game was on the line and he's been here before. Magnifico looked back at his sideline - five captains, arm-in-arm, looking back at him. See ball, get ball. Dinucci snapped the ball, Fleming began his slant route with Wieslaw Davis [C+/B-] acting as the decoy ahead and in front of him; Magnifico's eyes and body followed the slant, but just behind Fleming to give the illusion that the true Freshman was open. As Magnifico lay in wait, Dinucci took the bait: he threw the ball perfectly for an open receiver, slightly-up-and-ahead; except, he wasn't throwing to an open receiver. With the ball almost halfway-there, Magnifico sprung his trap; cutting ahead of Fleming and accelerating to place himself between between ball and receiver before snagging it out of the air. Magnifico fell to the floor, his third interception of the day in-hand, smiling. Ballgame - 26-23, Georgia Tech. ACC Team Week 6 Opponent Week 6 Result Week 7 Opponent Wake Forest at. Notre Dame 30-14 (L) at. Virginia Tech Boston College vs. California 51-0 (L) vs. Georgia Tech California at. Boston College 51-0 (W) vs. #12 North Carolina Clemson vs. #1 Florida State 28-7 (L) vs. Southern Methodist #1 Florida State at. Clemson 28-7 (W) at. NC State Duke vs. Georgia Tech 26-23 (L) vs. Wyoming Georgia Tech at. Duke 26-23 (W) at. Boston College #10 Miami (FL) vs. #23 Louisville 41-27 (W) Bye Week #23 Louisville at. #10 Miami (FL) 41-27 (L) vs. #10 Virginia NC State vs. Virginia Tech 32-31 (W) vs. #1 Florida State Virginia Tech at. NC State 32-31 (L) vs. Wake Forest Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh 34-13 (W) Bye Week Pittsburgh at. Syracuse 34-13 (L) Bye Week Southern Methodist vs. #24 Stanford 45-24 (L) at. Clemson #24 Stanford at. Southern Methodist 45-24 (W) Bye Week #9 Virginia Bye Week N/A at. Louisville #15 North Carolina Bye Week N/A at. California (Special thanks to @ATonOfLaw for lending a voice to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets!)

Salt Lake City, Utah - In a bid to repeat their dominant 2021 college football season - where they went a staggering fifteen games unbeaten before falling at the final hurdle, the National Championship Game, in a 27-20 cutthroat contest against Tulsa - the 2025 Seminoles swept formidable opposition aside. A 45-6 victory against #25 Southern California; 35-9 over #4 Bowling Green; capped by a 38-14 exclamation point versus #6 Miami (FL); Florida State outscored and outclassed their ranked visitors an unbelievable 118-29. Having spent the past two full weeks at #1 in the Coaches Poll, the Seminoles appeared an unstoppable force and travelled westward to meet an opponent whose own accolades also spoke volumes of their quality. After a merciless 74-0 demolition of FCS Weber State, the Utes - Florida State's eventual Week 5 hosts - squared-up against additional in-state opposition in the Utah State Aggies; while Utah would prevail in a convincing 42-23 affair away from the comfortable confines of Salt Lake City, their second-straight victory to open the 2025 season would come at a staggering cost: not one, but two quarterbacks. Deep in the third quarter, dual-threat Redshirt Junior Quarterback Alcides Holden [A/B+] was hit as he threw and went down in the pocket hard and awkwardly - the eventual diagnosis was shoulder tendonitis in his throwing arm, Holden would be out for the remainder of the contest and the following week. Things went from bad, to worse, as backup Quarterback Jeffrey Wolfe [B/C] took a vicious hit as he threw - his plant leg remained firmly upright as the rest of his body crumpled, a dislocated ankle would be the result. Third-string Quarterback Dominic Pfeiff [C/B] would get the nod to finish out the game and the start in Week 3 as the Utes hosted the conference-contenders in West Virginia. Pfeiff, a Redshirt Freshman, would show his inexperience as #18 Utah fell to #15 West Virginia by a respectable 24-16 margin; Holden would return the following week and demonstrate his value, leading the Utes to an upset 24-21 victory over #12 Kansas. On their day and healthy, the Utah Utes proved that they were an immovable object of a football program. But what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? As it turns out, an instant classic. Florida State received the opening kickoff to start the contest on a brisk, breezy evening nestled in the Wasatch and quickly moved downfield. Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Colt McIntyre [B+/A] dumped the ball off to true Freshman Mike Howard [B/A] for five and six-yard gains before finding the speedy Wide Receiver Brandon Anderson [A/C+] as he gained separation for two successive ten-yard gains. A deep play-action pass to the sure-hands of J.C. Jefferson [A-/C] would tack on an additional eighteen for the Seminoles - who found themselves in the red zone - but a stout Utah defense would find the typically-elusive Howard in the backfield on 1st and 10 on the Utah 16 before forcing an offensive holding penalty on the very next play. An incomplete pass on third and long would see Coach @Kirby bring out the field goal unit - points are points, after all - except that from 40 yards out, Mark Rosario [A/C+] would misjudge the mountain wind and push the football wide of the uprights. Against the #1 team in the country, the hosts would gain possession with the chance to break the opening deadlock on their terms. It would take just six plays. From Utah's own 23-yard-line, Redshirt Junior Joe Lopez [A-/C] would showcase his powerful frame on an outside run through the Seminole's jumbo set for a statement gain of thirteen yards and a new set of downs. Not to be outdone, Alcides Holden took the ball forward another four on the triple option; reading the defense and pitching to agile David Liebl [B+/B] for a gain of six and another set of downs on the following play. As the Seminoles, who had been burned for 23 yards on three rushes, scrambled to stop the run, Coach @SageBow went to the air - a slant route from Holden to the monstrous 6'3" 259-pound Luis Mejilla gave the Utes nine, before a masterclass performance by Holden and Lopez to sell the play-action saw Kevin Muno [B+/A-] break-free from coverage and find himself on the receiving end of a Holden dart for an eleven-yard gain. Struggling to discern - and stop - the Utah offense to this point, Florida State defenders likely didn't notice when change-of-pace back Rong Fua [B/B+] entered the game in place of Lopez; the Seminoles lined up in a jumbo set to stop an outside run by Lopez after all, only to realize their mistake a Fua took the draw up the middle and galloped past the statuesque defense for a thirty-four yard touchdown dash. Ethan Howard's [B-/B] extra point was up and it was good - Utah, the underdogs, broke the deadlock and took the lead 7-0. Fortunately for Florida State fans, their response would be as swift as their defensive capitulation. Mike Howard would have his number called on three successive plays - all outside runs to the right - for gains of three, ten, and nine yards respectively. On the fourth play of the drive, as McIntyre turned to hand the ball off to Howard - ostensibly for a fourth outside run to the right - the Utah defense found themselves flat-footed, caught between remaining in coverage and converging on a free-rushing Howard that had yet to emerge from behind the Seminole offensive line. Except, Howard didn't receive the hand-off; the Utah defense had fallen victim to the exact same sort of misdirection that had cause confusion amongst the ranks of their opponents the drive prior. And they would pay for it. As the realization of error dawned on the Utes, the play-action freed up J.C. Jefferson yet again, this time for forty-two yards off of an inch-perfect delivery by McIntyre to allow Jefferson to catch the football in stride and add to his tally before being brought down by Utah Senior Lenny Durant [B+/A-] as the last man before the endzone. Despite Durant's heroics in stopping Jefferson eleven yards short of the endzone, Florida State would only need three more plays - two Mike Howard rushes and a McIntyre to Howard screen - to put points on the board. Correcting his error from the opening drive, Rosario's extra point attempt sailed through the uprights to level the contest with just over four minutes in the first quarter. The first three drives would set the tone for the remainder of the contest: a shootout between powerhouses that would see nine additional lead changes over the next fifty-or-so minutes of the game. Florida State would make it 10-7 to end the first quarter courtesy of a Mark Rosario 23-yard chip-shot field goal before Utah would respond with a seven-play, sixty-three yard drive to take a 14-10 lead. The Seminoles would respond with their own scoring drive - over eight plays and seventy-two yards - to reclaim a 17-14 lead; before Utah, you guessed it, marched sixty-nine yards in seven plays to make it a 21-17 ballgame with six-and-a-half minutes in the second quarter. Not to be outdone, Florida State would manufacture another touchdown drive; off five successive rushes by Mike Howard for a total of sixty-four yards, to take a 24-21 lead. With four minutes and change left in the half, Alcides Holden orchestrated his own touchdown drive, capped-off by a thirty-four yard beauty to David Leibl as the Seminole defense thought run and overcommitted bodies inside the box. 28-24 Utah, a minute-and-a-half to play. While it would be the first of five offensive drives by either team that didn't result in a touchdown, Florida State's final offensive drive of the first half would prove pivotal: on the Utah 43, with eight seconds left on the clock, Mark Rosario jogged out onto the field to attempt a 60-yard field goal and absolutely drilled the effort, which tumbled through the breeze and through the uprights. 28-27 Utah, one half down, one half of football to go. Opening the second half, both teams would each do something that hadn't occurred up until that point in the contest: punt. On the third drive, starting generously near midfield due to the back-and-forth punts, Utah needed only fifty-one yards to put some distance between themselves and their opponents as far as the score was concerned; five plays and five rushes later, the Utes found the endzone and took a 35-27 lead after the extra point. Uncharacteristically, Florida State would falter, ending their drive in four plays and with a punt courtesy of a Utah defense that sacked Colt McIntyre twice for a total loss of twenty-two yards. Seminole fans would breathe a sigh of relief as, on the next drive, Utah would suffer the same fate - punting on fourth down as a result of Alcides Holden being found in the backfield bookended by two incompletions. On their own 20-yard-line, Florida State would need only eleven plays to level the score as 35; with Mike Howard crossing the endzone from twenty-one yards out before punching in a two-point conversion in spectacular fashion. Utah would respond with a touchdown on their next drive, during which the third quarter ticked over into the fourth, before Redshirt Sophomore Ethan Howard (a relation of *the* Florida Howards) committed the cardinal sin of kicking: he missed the extra point. 41-35 Utah, thirteen-and-a-half minutes remaining. Down six, with thirteen-and-a-half minutes remaining, Florida State needed a touchdown to deflate the momentum of their hosts and to cement themselves as the team to beat in college football; what they got instead was heartbreaking. Finding themselves on the Utah 9 on 3rd and 5, Coach Kirby called for a play-action boot - a play that had worked tremendously for the Seminoles throughout the game - to free up Fullback Luis Petit [B/C+] at the far pylon once he'd released from his blocking feint. Everything had seemingly gone to plan: McIntyre faked the hand-off to Howard, who in turn picked up the blocker that Petit had released to allow McIntyre to find the Fullback trailing toward the endzone. Howard blocked, Petit trailed, McIntyre found his man, wound back, and released - right into the outstretched hands of the lurking Patrick Gormley [A-/B] who, diminutive in comparison to Petit, had managed to hide himself behind the Fullback focused on receiving the pass before springing out to intercept the football. Utah would capitalize: ninety-one yards on eleven plays followed by a Alcides Holden keeper for a two-point conversion. 49-35 Utah, just over five minutes remaining. Most teams might've crumpled, most teams might've taken the ball out of the hands of the Quarterback who had seemingly-cost them the football game - not Florida State. On their next offensive drive, Colt McIntyre went four-for-four for sixty yards and a touchdown. Before the home fans knew what hit them, a familiar McIntyre to Howard screen pass ended in a successful two-point conversion; the Utah lead had shrunk to 49-43 over the course of two-and-a-half minutes, with about two-minutes and fifty seconds to play. In a moment of cruel irony, those Utah fans who had celebrated McIntyre's interception less than ten minutes ago, would be silenced when Alcides Holden dropped back to pass on 3rd and 4 on the Utah 34 on a play-action boot intended for a trailing Fullback where a lurking, diminutive Cornerback - this time in Florida State's Dallas Denker [A/A] - would spring a trap that led to an interception. If the jaws of the Ute faithful weren't on the floor yet, they would be after the next play - with a six-point deficit, Coach Kirby reached for the dagger. Twice before, for a total of sixty yards, McIntyre had found Jefferson on a play-action pass; here, they'd connect for thirty-four yards and a touchdown. Game, set, match: 50-49 Florida State with less than a minute to play. Utah had been stunned into silence in the stands and on the sidelines; their final drive would be a whimper - three yards on four plays before relinquishing the ball to the Seminoles in victory formation. The answer, it seems, is an unstoppable force prevails. ACC Team Week 5 Opponent Week 5 Result Week 6 Opponent #1 Florida State at. Utah 50-49 (W) at. Clemson Pittsburgh vs. Pennsylvania 30-0 (W) at. Syracuse #25 Louisville vs. Boston College 37-12 (W) at. #10 Miami (FL) Boston College at. #25 Louisville 37-12 (L) vs. California California vs. Duke 36-17 (L) at. Boston College Duke at. California 36-17 (W) vs. Georgia Tech Georgia Tech at. Clemson 14-13 (L) at. Duke Clemson vs. Georgia Tech 14-13 (W) vs. #1 Florida State #10 Miami (FL) vs. NC State 27-6 (W) vs. #23 Louisville NC State at. #10 Miami (FL) 27-6 (L) vs. Virginia Tech #20 North Carolina vs. #16 Stanford 35-17 (W) Bye Week #16 Stanford at. #20 North Carolina 35-17 (L) at. Southern Methodist Southern Methodist vs. Syracuse 35-20 (L) vs. #24 Stanford Syracuse at. Southern Methodist 35-20 (W) vs. Pittsburgh #13 Virginia vs. Wake Forest 41-10 (W) Bye Week Wake Forest at. #13 Virginia 41-10 (L) at. Notre Dame Virginia Tech Bye Week N/A at. NC State (Special thanks to @Kirby for providing quotes and insight into the ACC Game of the Week, and for being the first coach to have the honor twice this season!)

Clemson, South Carolina - In recent history, Clemson football has been nothing short of Shakespearean in nature. We, as college football fans, have been treated to the histories: with the Tigers finishing their 2021 campaign an underwhelming 3-9 (2-6) before a slight improvement in 2022, with a regular-season record of 4-8 (2-6), before the hiring of now-third-year head coach @Spoof. His tenure at the helm of a rebuilding Clemson has also been marked by tragedies; namely a combined 5-19 (2-14) record through 2023 and 2024, as well as (black) comedies; where during these two seasons, six of Clemson's nineteen losses (31.5%) were by a single score or less. After a 2-1 start to the 2025 college football season, Coach Spoof and Clemson looked to compose some poetry as they hosted Coach @Viselli and the Duke Blue Devils in Week 4 - one of the Tigers two conference wins over the past two seasons had been a 23-0 rout over none-other than Duke, if Clemson could conjure up some magic against a familiar foe they would match their second-highest win total over the past four seasons in only Week 4. So, as Clemson placekicker Eric Amador [B-/B+] sent the ball away to start the game, the college football world held its breath to see what would be in store for the Clemson Tigers on a drizzling, breezy night along the shores of Lake Hartwell - would it be tragedy, comedy, poetry? After thirty minutes of play, it would be tragedy - the scoreboard at Clemson Memorial Stadium read 27-6 in favor of the visiting Blue Devils, who had scored on five of their six offensive drives; including a single-play, seventy-five yard touchdown pass from Junior Quarterback Zachary Dinucci [B/C+] to true Freshman wideout Joseph Fleming [B/B-] to immediately neutralize Clemson's first points on the previous drive. While a demoralizing first half for the hosts, there were marked signs of offensive improvement: after throwing two interceptions on Clemson's first two offensive possessions, Quarterback Meyers Ramirez - Mr. Transfer Portal himself - had settled into a rhythm as the game progressed. Most exemplary of this was his contribution on Clemson's lone scoring drive of the half, where the Tigers' signal-caller threw for thirty yards and rushed for another thirty-five and a touchdown. Despite the shanked extra-point that would follow, and Dinucci's seventy-five yarder to Fleming that nullified Ramirez's efforts, Clemson were only down 21 entering the second-half. Crazy as it may sound to believe that Clemson could score at least 21 unanswered points, Tigers fans were uncharacteristically optimistic heading into the second half; hell, a much-less-impressive version of Clemson had dropped 23 unanswered points on Duke, at Duke, why couldn't they pull out a miracle here? It'd be truly poetic, wouldn't it? It started with eleven minutes to play in the third quarter. Despite just barely crossing midfield, Duke trotted out their punt team on fourth and seven; Redshirt Freshman Linebacker John Sachs [C/C+] found a hole past the long-snapper and lifted his 6'3", 243 pound body into the air with his arms extended high - the ball off the foot of Duke Punter Frank Zucchi [C/C] clipped Sachs' left hand and spilled forward eleven yards before being pounced-upon by a sea of orange jerseys. Although Clemson themselves would punt after six plays, the shift in momentum was clear - for the entirety of Clemson's two minute and eight second offensive possession, their sideline was raucous with congratulations to the point where it seemed as though all eighty-nine other members of the Tigers' roster had come over to give Sachs a pat on the back for a job well done. Clemson wanted this. As fate would have it, Clemson would have their poetic ending. With a minute remaining in the third quarter, a Meyers Ramirez feint would lure the Duke defense into a position where a dump-off to Runningback Josh Hollis-Jefferson [B/B-] would be enough to find the endzone from ten yards out. 27-12, Duke. Hollis-Jefferson would receive the nod again, this time on an option from Ramirez, before punching through a hole on the right side of his line for the successful two-point conversion. 27-14, Duke. The Blue Devils would respond on the following drive by marching down into the red zone before the Clemson Defensive Tackle John Borstein [B/A-] found a scrambling Dinucci behind the line for a crucial sack on third and seven - Blue Devils Kicker Juan Bembry [A/B] would salvage three points from thirty-five yards, but it would be the beginning of the end for Duke. 30-14, Duke. The following drive, beginning with thirteen-and-a-half minutes left in the contest, would see Clemson march down the field in five plays - courtesy of a fifty-yard dash by Hollis-Jefferson and a nine-yard scamper by Ramirez - to bring the deficit to 30-20 in Duke's favor. The Blue Devils would punt after five plays of their own before Meyers Ramirez took off on a thirty-eight yard keeper on the first play of Clemson's next drive. The Tigers would get all the way down to the Duke 3-yard-line before a crucial decision by Coach Spoof would see them kick a chip-shot field goal on fourth-and-goal instead of going for the endzone: 30-23, Duke. Backed up in their own territory thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Junior Offensive Tackle Robert Roppo [B+/C+], the Blue Devils would punt once again after another five play drive. Starting on their own 48 with just over four minutes on the game clock, Clemson would capitalize: Hollis-Jefferson would burst forward for a five-yard gain on first down before Meyers Ramirez broke free for forty-two yards on the read option to put the Tigers on the Duke 5-yard-line with three minutes and thirty-three seconds remaining. On second and four, Ramirez took the snap and found an opening to the left - touchdown Clemson, tie ball game. The following extra point would sail through the uprights, 31-30, Clemson. Duke would go four-and-out on their next drive, never passing their own 30-yard-line in the process: Clemson had done it again - they were now 2-0 against Duke under Coach Spoof and were 3-1 on the 2025 college football season. Absolute poetry. ACC Team Week 4 Opponent Week 4 Result Week 5 Opponent #19 Virginia vs. Missouri 25-10 (W) vs. Wake Forest California at. Washington State 27-10 (L) vs. Duke NC State at. Furman 45-0 (W) at. #10 Miami (FL) Clemson vs. Duke 31-30 (W) at. Georgia Tech Duke at. Clemson 31-30 (L) at. California #1 Florida State vs. #6 Miami (FL) 38-14 (W) at. Utah #6 Miami (FL) at. #1 Florida State 38-14 (L) vs. NC State Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech 38-0 (L) at. #13 Virginia Georgia Tech at. Wake Forest 38-0 (W) vs. Clemson Virginia Tech vs. Louisville 31-23 (L) Bye Week Louisville at. Virginia Tech 31-23 (W) vs. Boston College Syracuse vs. #7 North Carolina 41-27 (W) at. Southern Methodist #7 North Carolina at. Syracuse 41-27 (L) vs. #16 Stanford #25 Stanford vs. Pittsburgh 31-15 (W) at. #20 North Carolina Pittsburgh at. #25 Stanford 31-15 (L) vs. Pennsylvania Boston College Bye Week N/A at. #25 Louisville Southern Methodist Bye Week N/A vs. Syracuse (Thanks to @Spoof for lending his voice to Meyers Ramirez and for provided quotes for the ACC Game of the Week)

Lincoln, Nebraska - On a clear, Saturday evening, college football fans were treated to a pure, classic matchup: Big Ten versus ACC; four lead-changes; scoring in every single quarter; and just a single turnover by either team. It was, short of overtime dramatics, college football as it was intended to be played - and, for that matter, viewed and enjoyed. After a three-and-out by the visiting Stanford Cardinal to start the contest, hosts Nebraska marched downfield on an eleven-play drive; kept alive courtesy of a crucial 3rd and 9 conversion by way of a Poona Edwards [A/A] dart to the sure-handed Justin Saint Fleur [B+/C+], to set up Redshirt Senior Shane Crawford [B+/C] with a thirty-eight yard field goal attempt. Crawford's kick was true, and the Cornhuskers rolled-out to a 3-0 lead; one that they would hold through the remainder of the first quarter and a decent portion of the second. Stanford's rebuttal came via their own eleven-play drive - beginning at their own 11 yard line - spearheaded by the connection between fifth-year Quarterback Kevin Hill [B+/C] and stand-out Tight End Scott Franco [A/B-] with four throw-and-catches of thirty-two yards, seven yards, nine yards, and ten yards in quick succession. Those fifty-eight total yards, along with efforts by Running Back Jacob Flores [B+/C+] set the Cardinal up on the Cornhuskers 3 with two chances to punch-in a score. For Flores, a man with the unenviable task of succeeding Vontae Knebel in the Stanford backfield, only one of these two chances was necessary - he read the Nebraska run defense, found a hole to the right on a draw, and scampered into the endzone: 7-3 Stanford. Nebraska, to their credit, did not take kindly to the deficit they found themselves in. Led by their experienced signal-caller, the Cornhuskers methodically marched down the field in eight plays - five of which were either passes or rushed by Edwards - to make it a 10-7 Nebraska lead with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Stanford were stifled on their subsequent possession and the hosts ran the clock out to head into halftime, after which, they would receive the ball; and boy, did the Cornhuskers capitalize. Capping off an astounding eighteen-play drive that chewed-up almost nine minutes of the third quarter, Crawford had his numbered called - this time for a thirty-seven yard field goal attempt - and delivered once again. 13-7 Nebraska - a quarter and just-over-a-third to play. The Cardinal would deliver their own clinical response: fifteen plays over those six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter, capped-off by a four-yard slant from Hill to Franco, gave Stanford a thin 14-13 lead going into the fourth quarter. They wouldn't look back. The Nebraska offense sputtered to a three-and-out halt on their successive drive, seemingly-bloodied by the back-and-forth bout; even in their next drive - gifted to them via a late Kevin Hill interception - the Cornhuskers could only muster three plays for a net-gain of one yard before punting away. With just over nine minutes remaining, Stanford did what needed to be done to secure the win: killing eight minutes of clock over eighteen plays to set up a twenty-four yarder for Tyler Hill [B/B]. With just a minute on the clock, the ball, off the right foot of Hill, sailed through the uprights: 17-13 Stanford. Although Nebraska would gain fifteen yards on their next three plays, it was too little, too late. Ballgame. For their efforts, the Stanford Cardinal ought to be proud: 3-0 heading into Week 4 with a #25 ranking in the Coaches' Poll, it doesn't get much better than that for a team looking to challenge in the ever-competitive ACC. Despite having opened their 2025 college football season against two weaker opponents in Princeton and Sam Houston State, the Cardinal's victory over a respectable Nebraska squad - away from home - is more than a statement-of-intent, it's a promise of competition heading into a conference slate of Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Southern Methodist in three successive weeks before hitting their first bye in Week 7. Coming away with even two victories in that stretch would put them in a secure position to challenge in the new ACC Conference Championship Playoff; three wins out of three would put them in the driver's seat heading into a tough five-game conference stretch including Florida State, Miami (FL), and Virginia - ranked #1, #6, and #19 heading into Week 4. Time will tell, but Stanford look strong after their methodical victory in Lincoln to run the proverbial ACC gauntlet. ACC Team Week 3 Opponent Week 3 Result Week 4 Opponent Wake Forest vs. Brigham Young 49-13 (L) vs. Georgia Tech Southern Methodist at. Louisiana Tech 35-12 (W) Bye Week NC State vs. #11 Oklahoma State 55-21 (L) at. Furman Syracuse at. Ole Miss 30-6 (W) vs. #7 North Carolina Duke at. Alabama 34-10 (L) at. Clemson #6 North Carolina at. Portland State 55-24 (W) at. Syracuse Boston College at. Connecticut 17-3 (L) Bye Week Louisville vs. Florida International 38-7 (W) at. Virginia Tech #24 Virginia at. Coastal Carolina 41-3 (W) vs. Missouri Stanford at. Nebraska 17-13 (W) vs. Pittsburgh California Bye Week N/A at. Washington State Clemson Bye Week N/A vs. Duke #1 Florida State Bye Week N/A vs. #6 Miami (FL) #4 Miami (FL) Bye Week N/A at. #1 Florida State Georgia Tech Bye Week N/A at. Wake Forest #6 North Carolina Bye Week N/A at. Syracuse Pittsburgh Bye Week N/A at. Stanford (Special thanks to @Ricky Campbell for providing quotes for the recap, and more importantly, for putting-up with the tardiness of this episode's release with zero complaints - <3)

Tallahassee, Florida - You couldn't have asked for a more picturesque Florida afternoon - clear, breezy, and hovering somewhere between seventy and eighty degrees - for College Football Gameday. At one of its storied venues; Florida State University, the hosts looked to expand on the foundation they'd set in week one of the 2025 college football season: a 45-6 evisceration of the Southern California Trojans, led by a prodigal-son-returned in Seminole-outcast and part-time car salesman Kelly Jarwin (come on down to test-drive a 2025 Hyundai Elantra today, near the intersection of Century and Hawthorne). With kickoff approaching, pundits and fans agreed that this Top-5 matchup - between the #3 Florida State Seminoles and the #4 Bowling Green Falcons - would be a tight contest. Pre-game speculation ran rampant as to which Quarterback, McIntyre or Kingery, would lead his team on a game-winning drive and time slowly chipped away; at which defense would rise to the occasion to stifle their high-flying opposition; and to which kicker would (read: could) actually hit his field goals to put valuable points on the board. We all couldn't have been more wrong. After the first-half, it was still anyone's game. Bowling Green had opened the scoring with five-and-a-half minutes to go in the first quarter with a thirty-one yard field goal from Evan Carter; the Falcons would extend their advantage to 6-0 with another Carter field goal - this time from a mere eighteen yards - early in the second quarter. Despite a one-two punch of touchdown rushes by Mike Howard and Kris Mabin on successive Seminole possessions, Bowling Green's Carter would come good for a third time - from forty-one yards - to bring the score to 14-9 in favor of Florida State going into half-time. Despite the flurry of Florida State scoring, it'd taken a quarter-and-a-half for the Seminoles to kick-into-gear; Bowling Green would hope that the half would kick-start their offense, as Quarterback Travis Kingery had failed to find a consisted rhythm all-half, with his only noteworthy contribution thus-far being an opening-drive interception to none other than stand-out Seminole A.J. Kalu. It would only get worse. Kingery would start the first-drive of Bowling Green's second-half in the same way as the first: with an interception. All the more gut-wrenching for the Falcons was that their defense had just stopped the Seminoles on their opening drive; if they could find a way to score points of some sort, whether on the ground, through the air, or by the leg of Carter for the fourth time, the game would be at least level. Instead, Kingery dropped back to pass on 1st and 10 on his own 17 and let loose a bullet to Kenneth De Jesus; anticipation by Seminoles Cornerback Dallas Denker saw him jump the route as Kingery released the ball - with nobody between him and the endzone, Denker took-off: 21-9 Florida State, and the rest is history. The Falcons wouldn't recover and the Seminoles would keep the pressure on: 21-9; 28-9; 35-9; whistle. Heading into a Bye Week, things could not be going better for the Florida State Seminoles: 2-0, demons of 2024 sufficiently-exorcised, and #1 in the country. In a tale as old as time; however, college football will have to wait-and-see whether Coach Kirby and his Florida State team can turn this early run of success into what the Seminoles' supporters have been craving: an ACC Championship, and hopefully, a National Championship. Lest we forget that around this time in 2024, the #7 Seminoles 52-21 statement-win against #5 Tulane, marked the beginning-of-the-end of their season: with a one-point win against unranked Duke the following week giving way to consecutive defeats to unranked North Carolina in Tallahassee and to #6 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. That said, with consecutive Top-25 victories to start the 2025 season, the woes of 2024 seem to be in the Seminoles' rear-view mirror (pun intended) as they have made themselves the team-to-beat in this nascent college football season: the only real question going forward, that we'll have to revisit week-after-week, can they be beaten? ACC Team Week 2 Opponent Week 2 Result Week 3 Opponent #24 Virginia at. Kennesaw State 26-3 (W) at. Coastal Carolina Stanford at. Sam Houston State 32-10 (W) at. Nebraska #6 North Carolina vs. East Carolina 41-7 (W) at. Portland State #4 Miami (FL) vs. Florida 34-21 (W) Bye Week #1 Florida State vs. #12 Bowling Green 35-9 (W) Bye Week Pittsburgh vs. #9 Tulsa 27-7 (L) Bye Week Clemson at. Georgia State 34-3 (W) Bye Week Wake Forest vs. James Madison 29-10 (L) vs. Brigham Young California at. New Mexico 38-10 (L) Bye Week Southern Methodist vs. UTEP 45-20 (W) at. Louisiana Tech Duke at. Ohio 33-14 (W) at. Alabama Louisville at. Texas Christian 52-24 (W) vs. Florida International Virginia Tech vs. Vanderbilt 21-9 (W) at. Eastern Michigan NC State vs. Akron 56-7 (W) vs. #11 Oklahoma State Boston College vs. Army 14-6 (W) at. Connecticut Syracuse at. #5 Kentucky 38-22 (L) vs. Ole Miss Georgia Tech Bye Week N/A Bye Week (Thanks again to the ACC Coaches for voting for the Game of the Week - and apologies for the delay in getting this out; extra thanks to @Kirby for providing some quotes for the write-up)

Boulder, Colorado - As the clock struck "zero" on a cool, breezy Saturday evening in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, you'd have thought it was the final week of the 2025 College Football Season. The North Carolina Tar Heels, 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Runners-Up, had prevailed 33-14 victors over an impressive #19 Colorado who struggled to contain the high-flying Tar Heels offense throughout the contest; Gatorade baths came in two distinct flavors, Glacier Cherry and Cool Blue - that is, to say, white and powder blue. On the opposing sideline, Buffaloes in black-and-gold appeared to be black-and-blue: battered and stunned. This was meant to be their game, their home opener. Wait, home opener? That's right football fans, we've only just begun the 2025 College Football Season, and boy, did we kick off Week 1 with a bang. Despite an impressive preseason, Coach @Bingo415 and his Colorado squad couldn't find an answer for the Tar Heels on either offense or defense: the Buffaloes defense gave up over five-hundred (500) all-purpose yards to Tavarres Washington and the North Carolina offense; this misery was compounded by Colorado Quarterback Jon Fitts' three interceptions, and the rest, as they say, is history. While it wasn't Colorado's evening, credit must be given to Coach @Tryggr and his Tar Heels; running-it-back in 2025 was always going to be a challenge given the key departures of offensive and defensive playmakers like Wide Receiver Chris Fleer and Defensive End Jalen Jones to pastures greener in the National Football League, but North Carolina have come out with a statement of intent win over a Colorado team that is more than likely going to bounce-back and challenge for the Big XII title. Washington, a prospective first-round pick in 2026 and award-hopeful come the end of the 2025 collegiate season, had an outstanding evening: 18 for 26 for 194 yards and a touchdown via the air and another 136 yards on 21 rushing attempts for another touchdown - those are a statistics line that middle-schoolers dream of when they play out their college football fantasies in video game form. And all of that in three quarters of play. You read that right - with a 30-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter, true Freshman Igor Simeone got the nod to finish out the contest; Washington would watch the remainder of the game from the comfort of the sidelines, basking in praise from the travelling fans, content that his team had proven their point to the nation. In their post-game interviews, the victorious Tar Heels spoke as one, presenting to media outlets their unified vision: North Carolina are not just a football team, but a family, and one that have what it takes to do more than compete - they can win. When asked, somewhat pointedly, by a pundit as to whether or not he was satisfied with his role in a North Carolina offense seemingly-dominated by the larger-than-life abilities and personality of Tavarres Washington, Willie Reid - the Tar Heels RB2 who had just rushed 15 times for an impressive 125 yards and a touchdown - just smiled and laughed it off. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this football team," Reid said, "The Tar Heels have a complex rushing strategy that will let our entire backfield shine." This mentality was supported by Cornerback Niles Seamster; the Senior had finished a two interception performance when he was asked whether or not the North Carolina offense overshadowed its defense at all: "UNC is a defense-first team," Seamster replied. "Coach Tryggr has mentored me my entire time at this college and sets our secondary up to succeed. We will thrive on making offenses think twice all season." The only dissenter from this unified narrative was stand-out Kicker Jordy Freeland, and that was clearly in jest. After a fifteen-point game - via three extra points and four field goals from the leg of the Groza Award hopeful - Breeland was found by reporters kicking-back in a locker room La-Z-Boy with his entire lower body covered in ice packs. "Coach Tryggr works me too hard," Breeland exclaimed, before bursting out laughing, along with the entirety of the room. "I'm gonna need about five ice baths after today's game." At the end of the day, North Carolina emerged from Boulder with a win and shot-up to #14 in the Coaches' Poll ahead of a Week 2 in-state grudge-match against the Pirates of East Carolina. Only time will tell whether or not the Tar Heels are who they say they are: close-knit, championship contenders. But along the way, one thing is certain: they're drinking the Kool-Aid, and it's both white and powder blue. ACC Team Week 1 Opponent Week 1 Result Week 2 Opponent Pittsburgh at. Cinncinnati 27-9 (W) vs. #9 Tulsa (Neutral) #20 Virginia vs. Tulane 34-21 (W) at. Kennesaw State Stanford vs. Princeton 40-0 (W) at. Sam Houston State #14 North Carolina at. Colorado 33-14 (W) vs. East Carolina Georgia Tech at. Ole Miss 14-10 (W) Bye Week #3 Florida State vs. #25 Southern California 45-6 (W) vs. #4 Bowling Green Clemson vs. Utah State 38-6 (L) at. Georgia State #5 Miami (FL) vs. Washington State 49-20 (W) vs. Florida Southern Methodist at. Sam Houston State 38-26 (W) at. UTEP NC State at. Arizona State 20-17 (W) vs. Akron Virginia Tech vs. Massachusetts 14-8 (W) vs. Vanderbilt Wake Forest at. Kent State 27-14 (L) vs. James Madison Duke vs. Liberty 21-7 (W) at. Ohio Syracuse at. Navy 31-27 (L) at. #7 Kentucky Boston College at. Temple 37-3 (L) vs. Army California vs. Boise State 51-27 (L) at. New Mexico Louisville Bye Week N/A at. Texas Christian (Special thanks to the ACC Coaches for voting for the ACC Game of the Week and to @Tryggr for providing a voice for his players!)

Charlotte, North Carolina - Renew your media subscriptions, dust off your keyboards, and pull out your reference atlas, because the Atlantic (to Pacific) Coast Conference is back! That’s right folks, your favorite geographically-challenged college football conference (Author’s Note: The Big Ten, Big XII, and Pac-12 are also mathematically-challenged, and are thus excluded from consideration as merely “geographically-challenged”) is ready to kick off the 2025 College Football Season - from Week 0 all the way to the College Football Playoff Championship Game (we hope). What better way, dear reader, to start the season than with a conference preview? For ease of reference, we’re going team-by-team in alphabetical order; we’re going to hit on each team’s position in the pre-eminent pre-season rankings, compile a composite power ranking, and tell you which player we’ll be keeping a close eye on as the season progresses. Ready? ___________________________________________________ Boston College (@Dean) SageBow+ (SB+) Rank: 122nd Piercewise1 (PW1) Rank: 129th npklemm+ (NP+) Rank: 134th tsweezy Team Talent (TTT) Rank: 129th Composite Power Ranking: 128.5 (17th in ACC) Player to Watch: Curtis Banks, Fullback, Freshman Have you ever heard of the Boston Molasses Disaster? Without sounding sociopathic, it’s my favorite disaster. I can’t recall exactly when I’d first stumbled upon an account of the events of January 15, 1919 - when a storage tank of 2.3 million U.S. gallons of molasses burst, with the resulting wave of molasses rushing down the streets of Boston at an estimated thirty-five miles per hour - but I remember being dumbstruck. Boston. Molasses. Disaster. I mean, come on. While it’s unquestionably tragic that twenty-one people lost their lives, the mere thought of a wave of molasses - viscous, brown, and uncharacteristically swift - racing through the streets of Twentieth Century Boston is absurd by definition. So when I say that the 2025 Boston College Eagles have their work cut out for them to not become Boston’s next absurd disaster, you should know that I sincerely mean it. The Eagles are coming off a paradoxical 2024 campaign in that they were both simultaneously unremarkable, finishing 2-10 (1-7), 15th in the ACC; as well as remarkable, in that they managed to win two football games. Despite somehow poaching Coach Dean from NC State following the departure of Coach Sparks after a sole season, the outlook for Boston College looks bleak at-best: a resounding 41-0 slaughter at the hands of Notre Dame in the kick-off Holy War should be the barometer for their season, so don’t be surprised if the proverbial pressure sends the Eagles spiraling out-of-control. With Boston College and their supporters looking toward the future, there’s no better player to watch in 2025 than true Freshman Fullback Curtis Banks. Standing 6’0” tall and weighing 246 pounds, the five-star recruit out of Louisiana is most-talented in the pass block. That said, Banks is not only the most-talented rusher in the Eagles’ backfield, but on their entire roster. Banks was, in my eyes, the sole bright-spot for the Eagles against the Irish on offense: rushing once for a twelve yard gain. With his starting role secured and his importance in developing (and protecting) the passing game, there’s no doubt that Banks will see the field; however, were Coach Dean to lean on him heavily in the run game, there’s no telling where Banks could develop going forward. ___________________________________________________ California (@Migi) SB+ Rank: 52nd PW1 Rank: 67th NP+ Rank: 71st TTT Rank: 65th Composite Power Ranking: 63.75 (11th in ACC) Player to Watch: Nick Morales, Wide Receiver, Sophomore California football might be responsible for one of College Football’s most iconic moments. Hell, it’s literally called “The Play” after all. While the Golden Bears will undoubtedly hope to create more winning memories in 2025, they’ll have to do so without an established offensive sensation they can rely on. If nothing else, the 2024 College Football season taught us two things: that contenders require offensive dominance and that a robust passing game begets offensive production. Although Cal possess a resolute defensive unit, with experienced playmakers dotting key positions off-the-ball, holding your opposition is only worth how many points you can score yourselves. A young man whose number will undoubtedly be called to perform on offense is Sophomore Wideout Nick Morales. Sure-handed, agile, strong, and with three seasons left to grow, Morales leads the Golden Bears offense as WR1 and the main outlet for Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback David Ferguson. With the entirety of the California Offensive Line geared towards pass protection, expect to see Morales play a crucial role in a manner akin to that of Georgia Tech’s Caleb Collins or North Carolina’s Chris Fleer in 2024 - powering his signal-caller and offense to success through the air. ___________________________________________________ Clemson (@Spoof) SB+ Rank: 66th PW1 Rank: 56th NP+ Rank: 103rd TTT Rank: 64th Composite Power Ranking: 72.25 (13th in ACC) Player to Watch: Meyers Ramirez, Quarterback, Redshirt Junior In recent years, Clemson football has been an exercise in patience as a virtue. Since Coach Spoof’s arrival in 2023, the Tigers are 5-19 (2-14); however, with astute recruiting and shrewd signings via the transfer portal, things are looking promising along the shores of Lake Hartwell. At no position is this more apparent, then at Quarterback. It had to be him - Mr. Transfer Portal himself, Meyers Ramirez. In the Transfer Talk: Revisited extraordinaire, I’d qualified my grade of a B- by stating that: “until there's a sense of finality as to whether or not our Quarterback in question would be able to join the Tigers as, well, a Quarterback, there's no higher grade to give.” Despite whispers of a Quarterback controversy at Clemson, Meyers Ramirez appears to have retained the starting job for the Tigers - racking up 304 all-purpose yards against UAB in a convincing debut. While there is potential for Coach Spoof to make the switch to true Freshman Gregg O’Connell mid-season, the Quarterback job is Ramirez’s to lose - whether the Clemson signal-callers begets on-field success, off-the-field controversy, or anything and everything in-between, Meyers Ramirez and Clemson football are inextricably intertwined. ___________________________________________________ Duke (@Viselli) SB+ Rank: 68th PW1 Rank: 64th NP+ Rank: 50th TTT Rank: 67th Composite Power Ranking: 62.25 (10th in ACC) Player to Watch: Joseph Fleming, Wide Receiver, Freshman Throughout the 2024 Season, Coach Viselli’s Blue Devils showed that they could punch above their weight: ringing alarm bells in Tallahassee with a Week 4 nail-biter hosting Florida State, which they only lost by one point; a one-score victory against eventual ACC runners-up North Carolina in Week 12, where Duke held the high-flying Tar Heels offense to just thirteen points; and a convincing fifteen-point win against a resurgent Indiana in the 2024 Duke’s (amazing marketing tie-in, by the way) Mayo Bowl. To top it off, Duke finished 5th in a competitive ACC - ahead of preseason favorites Florida State - just one conference loss away from what are now conference playoff positions. While departures signal that the Blue Devils will take a step back this season, their 31st best recruiting class demonstrates that they are building for the future. One man who represents the future of Duke football, but could also make an impact this season, is true Freshman Wide Receiver Joseph Fleming. The coveted five-star recruit from California finds himself at WR2 in Durham - just behind Senior Darwinzon Kaufusi (B+/B) - but could find himself as Junior Quarterback Zachary Dinucci’s (B/C+) main-outlet by virtue of his corps-leading agility and route-running. All in all, Fleming’s performance this season offer the college football world a glimpse into what the young wideout can do and what we ought to expect of him as Duke’s WR1 from 2026-2028. With an impressive debut - four catches for fifty-two (52) yards and a touchdown on five targets - it looks like a truly bright start for Fleming in Durham. ___________________________________________________ Florida State (@Kirby) SB+ Rank: 4th PW1 Rank: 3rd NP+ Rank: 25th TTT Rank: 4th Composite Power Ranking: 9 (1st in ACC) Player to Watch: Colt McIntyre, Quarterback, Redshirt Sophomore It’s theirs to lose. Florida State come into the 2025 Season off of a disappointing 2024 campaign, where Quarterback Kelly Jarwin was jettisoned from his high-profile position as starter after consecutive losses to North Carolina (52-41) at home and Georgia Tech (38-19) away. While both of these losses look far-more-forgivable in hindsight - as the Yellow Jackets and Tar Heels would play for the ACC Conference Championship - Coach Kirby had seen enough of Jarwin and Redshirt Freshman Colt McIntyre was brought in to right the ship. Victories in five-of-six successive games would see McIntyre retained as starter and Jarwin exiled to Southern California to plot his revenge - the rest, as they say, is history. Or is it? After losses in Spring Games, McIntyre’s future as Seminole’s starter has come into doubt - despite high-quality opposition. Week 1 sees the Seminoles host none-other than the Trojans of USC; led by new Head Coach Dr_Novella and Quarterback Kelly Jarwin. Were Southern California to prevail in Tallahassee, McIntyre could see his privileged position as Seminoles starting Quarterback revoked in record time. That’s despite the Seminoles having a shaky succession plan, with true Freshman Athlete Charles Granberry (B/B-) slated as QB2 ahead of his classmate, Quarterback Enrique Ahumada (C/C+). 2025 was meant to be a redemption year for the perennial challengers of Florida State, after all, and a loss to an outcast “car salesman” could mean the end of the McIntyre era before it ever really began. ___________________________________________________ Georgia Tech (@ATonOfLaw) SB+ Rank: 40th PW1 Rank: 48th NP+ Rank: 64th TTT Rank: 46th Composite Power Ranking: 49.5 (7th in ACC) Player to Watch: Paul Heard, Running Back, Freshman With the core of Georgia Tech’s freakish nation-leading offense: Quarterback O’Koyea Landrum, Wide Receiver Caleb Collins, and Tight End Jose Odom; all departing for the National Football League, 2025 was always going to be a tough act to follow. This issue was compounded for Coach jclawton when, despite his best-efforts, he was unable to convince any of the elite Quarterbacks in the transfer portal to mount an ACC-title defense in Atlanta. Instead, the Yellow Jackets turn to Redshirt Senior Yohander Clippard (B/C+), who appears on-thin-ice after a lackluster Spring, with Redshirt Freshman QB2 Joshua Hopton (B/A-) waiting in the wings. Regardless of the offense that the Yellow Jackets decide to run in 2025, the only relevant fact is that it will be severely-diminished in comparison to that of the 2024 season. Someone Georgia Tech will undoubtedly lean-on to perform is true Freshman Running Back Paul Heard. The native Georgian isn’t the quickest out-there, but he more than makes up for it with his hands and ability to lurk out of the backfield for a reception; lining up as RB1, Heard is going to be someone the Yellow Jackets offense runs through (pun intended) regardless of which offensive style or scheme they commit to. ___________________________________________________ Louisville (Vacant) SB+ Rank: 64th PW1 Rank: 63rd NP+ Rank: 70th TTT Rank: 61st Composite Power Ranking: 64.5 (12th in ACC) Player to Watch: Michael Brown, Defensive Tackle, Redshirt Senior With the departure of Coach GK in the offseason, the 2025 Louisville football team is in a state of flux. No clear head coaching candidate has come to the fore, so it appears as though the Cardinals will be coached-by-committee of remaining assistants until a new head coach takes the job. In such a case, leadership is required to guide the team to a respectable finish in 2025 and to ensure stability going forward. That’s where Michael Brown comes into play - the Redshirt Senior is a stabilizing presence in the locker room and a monstrous presence on the football field. Standing 6’2” and weighing in at 287 lbs, Brown will undoubtedly be key to keeping Louisville in close contests; with his pass rushing ability a defensive necessity in today’s game, especially in the ACC. Without clear direction from the coaching staff, Brown’s success in leading the Louisville defense look like difference-makers for better or for worse. ___________________________________________________ Miami (@dearden) SB+ Rank: 9th PW1 Rank: 7th NP+ Rank: 22nd TTT Rank: 7th Composite Power Ranking: 11.25 (2nd in ACC) Player to Watch: Tobey McLawrence, Defensive End, Redshirt Sophomore For the sake of journalistic integrity, I’ll keep this one short and sweet: the long-suffering Hurricane fanbase undoubtedly have expectations for this year - where their team is ranking just outside of the composite Top 10 and with a chance to play for the ACC Championship. There are no misgivings of this. The team knows it, the coaches know it, college football knows it. One man who can help them get there is Tobey McLawrence. The sole underclassmen - albeit, still a Redshirt - on the Hurricanes defensive front, look to McLawrence both this year and beyond. During the 2024-2025 offseason, McLawrence initially looked to take his talents away from South Beach; however, the chance to start at Defensive End - a position he looks to have secured for the remainder of his time at Miami - was ultimately too good to pass up for the 6’7” Floridian. Should McLawrence be able to replicate his Spring performances; most notably, a stand-out performance against Baylor where he led the Defensive Line with Redshirt Senior Jaime Riddle’s (A/C) absence due to injury, the only way is up for the Canes. ___________________________________________________ NC State (@Matty460) SB+ Rank: 79th PW1 Rank: 83rd NP+ Rank: 81st TTT Rank: 75th Composite Power Ranking: 79.5 (14th in ACC) Player to Watch: Jay Ratley, Quarterback, Redshirt Senior In Coach Matty460’s first season at the helm in Raleigh, the Wolf Pack will undoubtedly look to build an identity. Lack of coaching stability has rendered NC State, as we see them in 2025 without a clear or consistent vision on either offense or defense, with a patchwork of players fit for various schemes cobbled-together in an attempt to make the most out of a difficult set of circumstances. That said, from what we’ve seen so far, it seems as though Coach Matty460 has an idea of how he’s looking to line up the Wolf Pack - both in 2025 and in the future - and I, for one, can’t wait to see them get there. Alongside Coach Matty460 is another man who will undoubtedly help NC State on their journey: Jay Ratley. The Redshirt Senior may be the proverbial Ghost of Tennessee Football Past, but he’s NC State’s Present - with the speed, agility, and strength to run rampant downfield and the arm to get the ball there if the occasion calls for it, Ratley is more than a sufficient bridge to allow the Wolf Pack to grow. Having looked promising all Spring, Ratley has one season, one chance to cement himself in NC State folklore - to build his legacy - and in doing so, to set the foundation for the Wolf Pack’s future. ___________________________________________________ North Carolina (@Tryggr) SB+ Rank: 43rd PW1 Rank: 22nd NP+ Rank: 41st TTT Rank: 38th Composite Power Ranking: 36 (6th in ACC) Player to Watch: Tyler Adams, Offensive Guard, Redshirt Senior The 2024 ACC Runner-Up are back, and with something to prove. Led by the arm of Senior Quarterback Tavarres Washington (A/C) and the leg of Redshirt Senior Kicker Jordy Breeland (A-/B), the Tar Heels are looking to run it back, albeit with a smidge more success (i.e. one conference championship more). With a decent dose of returning talent on both sides of the ball, don’t be surprised if North Carolina exceeds expectations with Coach Tryggr and his offensive acumen at the helm. For any football team, pass protection is key to offensive success; for North Carolina, who lean on a talented Quarterback to work his magic to outscore the opposition on a weekly basis, pass protection is essential for victory. Leading the Tar Heels’ Offensive Line is Tyler Adams - an intelligent, agile, pass blocker who allowed a mere three sacks in 2024 despite his Quarterback dropping back to pass a total of 505 times (0.59%). If North Carolina looks to contend in the ACC (now, with an expanded playoff format!), look to Adams and the Offensive Line to guide them to success ___________________________________________________ Pittsburgh (@TheLiberator) SB+ Rank: 51st PW1 Rank: 59th NP+ Rank: 78th TTT Rank: 53rd Composite Power Ranking: 60.25 (9th in ACC) Player to Watch: Michael Beckmann, Quarterback, Freshman I’ve spoken almost ad nauseam about the Panthers at this point, so I’ll keep this recap brief: I absolutely love their exciting pieces. Redshirt Senior Wide Receivers Willie Parms (A/C+) and Charles Parker (A-/B) offer exhilarating offensive potential, with true Freshman Offensive Guard David Jasper (B/C+) looking to cut his teeth in the trenches; on defense, Redshirt Senior Cornerback Tom Perez (A/B+) lends his strength to man coverage and Senior Free Safety Brett Smith (A-/B-) offers both agility in coverage and run-stopping intellect. Yet, none of these pieces, by themselves, are as important as one: Quarterback. Standing 6’3” in the pocket, the 4* Pennsylvanian will look to leverage the talent around him to propel Pittsburgh to success. Having received the nod over his two upperclassmen competitors - probably due to his raw throwing power in comparison - Beckmann looks to prove Coach TheLiberator a shrewd gambler; seemingly casting his lot with Beckmann through the 2028 season by effectively making him the starting Quarterback at his recruitment. With four years develop and grow as a Quarterback - to make and learn from any mistakes on and off the football field - Beckmann is the future of Pitt football, and from what we’ve seen thus far, it seems a bright one. ___________________________________________________ Southern Methodist (@JW1952TX) SB+ Rank: 44th PW1 Rank: 52nd NP+ Rank: 58th TTT Rank: 48th Composite Power Ranking: 50.5 (8th in ACC) Player to Watch: David Cariker, Quarterback, Redshirt Sophomore Spring did not start how the Mustangs probably envisioned; two consecutive losses on the bounce in a year where, despite losing talent they also retained an impressive cast - particularly on offense. With Senior Austin Escalona (A-/C+), Redshirt Junior Darren Axford (A//B-), and Redshirt Senior Mitchell Hayes (A/C) making up 60% of the SMU Offensive Line; blocking for Redshirt Senior Halfback Omarius Perry (A-/B-) and buying time for the speedy Senior Wide Receiver Benson Carradine (A-/B) to get downfield, you’d think that the Mustang offense were brimming with life. Except, that wasn’t particularly the case. That is, until an important change was made at Quarterback. By the final week of Spring, Redshirt Senior Scott Reyes (B-/C) was out and Redshirt Sophomore David Cariker - who had considered transferring away from SMU in the offseason - was in. Not only was Cariker in, but he did something Reyes and the eight other rostered Quarterbacks couldn’t do: he led SMU to a win, and an impressive one at that. Going into the regular season, Cariker retains the starting job; whether or not he can bring the needed explosiveness to the SMU offense will have ramifications for coming season. ___________________________________________________ Stanford (@Ricky Campbell) SB+ Rank: 41st PW1 Rank: 45th NP+ Rank: 24th TTT Rank: 29th Composite Power Ranking: 34.75 (5th in ACC) Player to Watch: Jacob Flores, Running Back, Redshirt Senior Were the Conference Championship Playoff to have been implemented last season, the Cardinal would have had a chance to fight for an ACC title. Unfortunately for Stanford, they came up just short on tie-breakers and had to watch on the sidelines while Georgia Tech and North Carolina vied for glory and a College Football Championship Playoff berth. Despite this, and the loss of the indomitable Vontae Knebel - who posted 2,850 all purpose yards in 2024 - the Cardinal still look to challenge in the ACC, with their 4th best recruiting class in 2024 setting them up nicely for the future. But in terms of right now, Stanford will have to turn to Redshirt Senior Running Back Jacob Flores to do the impossible: fill the shoes of Vontae Knebel. While it is possible for the Cardinal to pull a Moneyball and replicate the success of Knebel in the aggregate, the easiest, yet impractical solution, would be to have Flores step into the Knebel-role and perform. Regardless of that strategy’s feasibility, the success of Jacob Flores as an offensive weapon will have an impact on Stanford’s fortunes, for better or for worse, over the course of the 2025 season. ___________________________________________________ Syracuse (@Taffyowner) SB+ Rank: 15th PW1 Rank: 19th NP+ Rank: 51st TTT Rank: 21st Composite Power Ranking: 26.5 (3rd in ACC) Player to Watch: Rashaan Wilkerson, Outside Linebacker, Redshirt Senior I’ll just get it out of the way: Otto the anthropomorphic Orange is one of those mascots that always makes me chuckle. That’s all. The 2024 season was a difficult one for the Orange - finishing 14th in the ACC with a 4-8 (2-6) record. In 2025; however, that’s all set to change. Syracuse have a plethora of rising talent - with a total of eleven rostered players boasting an overall ranking of either an “A” or “A-” - on either side of the ball. Specifically, Redshirt Seniors Quarterback Eddie Jensen (A/A) and Tight End Noel Poole (A-/B+) look to put point on the board for the Orange. Yet, in a conference so synonymous with offensive production, it’s Syracuse’s defense that stands out as a potential difference-maker. With agility, intelligence, and fundamentals, expect Redshirt Senior Outside Linebacker Rashaan Wilkerson to be an impact player for the Orange in 2025. Despite registering 0 sacks and only 2 tackles for loss over 8 games in 2024, this season looks to be the year for Wilkerson to shine; with increased playing-time and offseason development, Wilkerson looks to run riot through and around offensive lines to find the Quarterback dropping back to pass or an unfortunate rusher just looking for a hole. Were Wilkerson to have a breakout year, look for Syracuse to power up the conference (and national rankings), as their complementary talent is more-than-capable of translating defensive success into wins. ___________________________________________________ Virginia (@Wahoo) SB+ Rank: 38th PW1 Rank: 44th NP+ Rank: 7th TTT Rank: 41st Composite Power Ranking: 32.5 (4th in ACC) Player to Watch: Frank Okogie, Cornerback, Senior After finishing in what would’ve been Conference Championship Playoff territory during the 2024 season - with an impressive record of 10-3 (7-1) - the Cavaliers look to run-it-back with a host of impressive rising and returning talent. Were Virginia to return to the summit of the ACC - at least, according to the rankings of our esteemed peers - they are projected to finish 4th and would face an impressive Florida State squad; however, such a match-up could play to the Cavaliers’ strengths on either side of the ball. In fact, it’s these strengths that propel Virginia to contention in the first place. With Redshirt Junior Quarterback Cooper Williams (A/B) at the helm, Virginia’s offensive production is in sure hands. It’s defense, led by Senior Cornerback Frank Okogie, is in arguably-safer hands. The four-star Floridian displays an aptitude for both man and zone coverage, but it’s his knack for snagging a carefully-placed ball away from receivers - and his ability to find himself in these positions - that make him a difficult opponent. For Virginia, who look to unleash Okogie on pass-heavy offenses that dot the ACC, the Cornerback’s production almost forces opponents to rethink and retool their strategies - moving away from the pass to favor their less-productive ground games. That’s exactly Okogie’s value for Virginia: he puts opponents on the back foot before the game even starts and forces crucial turnovers once its begun - truly a value-added player. ___________________________________________________ Virginia Tech (@Zz3DWAFFLEzZ) SB+ Rank: 92nd PW1 Rank: 88th NP+ Rank: 123rd TTT Rank: 75th Composite Power Ranking: 97.25 (15th in the ACC) Player to Watch: James Livingston, Running Back, Junior Coming into the 2025 season, Virginia Tech will look to leverage their 2022 recruiting class for future development and on-field success. An astounding eight out of the Hokies ten best players are Juniors; with eleven out of the top fifteen solidifying this trend as something more than a coincidence. That said, Virginia Tech will look to get as many of their best players the snaps required to build them as football players ahead of the 2026 season; since their chances of performing at a high level are all-but-naught, right? Right? Enter James Livingston, Running Back. The Junior (unsurprisingly) prefers to play out of the backfield as a receiving option, but as the main man in not only the Hokies offense, but on the Hokies roster, he’ll be tapped to do almost-everything on the offensive side of the ball. The five-star product out of the District of Columbia boasts eye-watering abilities as a receiver, but his agility, strength, and intelligence all pay dividends when he’s asked to run the ball (as a running back, go figure) as well. If Livingston can unleash his potential - and guide the Hokies to statement wins - in 2025, the world better watch out for him in 2026, because he’ll be something special. ___________________________________________________ Wake Forest (@Qupax) SB+ Rank: 124th PW1 Rank: 123rd NP+ Rank: 85th TTT Rank: 105th Composite Power Ranking: 109.25 (16th in ACC) Player to Watch: Giovanni Dudley, Offensive Tackle, Junior After a season-to-forget in 2024; where the Demon Deacons finished last in the ACC with a 2-10 (1-7) record, the Wake Forest faithful may be praying for a bout of total amnesia heading into 2025. With all but one of the esteemed pre-season rankings placing the men from Winston-Salem in the triple-digits - or as I like to call it this season; Boston College territory - there are very few expectations for Wake Forest to perform at a high level. That said, the Demon Deacons find themselves in a spectacular rebuilding position; with a decent mix of upperclassmen to underclassmen scattered throughout their roster and the fertile recruiting ground of North Carolina beckoning, if played right, the 2025 season could mark the rise of Wake Forest back to the top of the ACC (lest we forget their magical 2022 and 2023 seasons). The man who could help them get there, in once piece, is Junior Offensive Tackle Giovanni Dudley. On paper, Dudley is unremarkable - with his endurance and stamina as his greatest attributes; that said, both of these characteristics, alongside his versatility in the passing or running game, offers the most-important thing for Wake Forest in 2025: stability. Whether played at Offensive Tackle or moved to Offensive Guard, Dudley represents a the keystone of the bridge that Wake Forest look to cross in 2025 - he is a solid, albeit unsexy, mainstay that can develop further and help other around him, particularly younger incoming talent, grow. ___________________________________________________ There you have it, football fans: the ACC Preview for 2025. What are your rankings? Who are your players to watch? Tell us down below and on the Discord! Tune in weekly for a recap of the ACC Game of the Week (as voted on by ACC Coaches!) and see your favorite players in action - until next time!

With the implementation of a Conference Championship Playoff for the 2025 Season, I'd figured that the discussion of prospective CFB Realignment ought to be revisited and would love to hear folks' thoughts. Earlier, I'd advocated against the prospective CFB Realignment because of the potential impact(s) that structural deviations between SimCFB and the real-life FBS may have on player recruitment and/or retention. However, with the advent of the Conference Championship Playoff(s) - itself a structural deviation between SimCFB and real-life College Football - I wouldn't be unsurprised if opinions had changed on player-driven realignment, given the complementary-nature it could have with various Conference Championship Playoffs/Games. While my personal opinions on the matter of player-led CFB Realignment remain unchanged, I'm curious to hear the thoughts of those who have already weighed-in as well as those who might be stumbling across this discussion for the first time (particularly those who might have recently joined the community). Should there be sufficient support for played-driven CFB Realignment for implementation in a future (beyond 2025) season, and were the Admins to approve of such a measure, I'd advocate the matter to go to a vote in a manner similar to the one taken on the Conference Championship Playoff.

Username: Dearden Team Coaching: University of Miami (FL) References:

Foghorn Leghorn Van Wilder - The Tulane Hullabaloo With the absolute shambles of the Arizona Cardinals now under your ownership and control - and your noted support of our Lord and Savior, Paul McCullers-Sanders (praise be unto him) - should Tulane super-fans (read: perpetual students) like myself be concerned about #Paul (praise be unto him) forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility following this season to... declare for the 2026 NFL Draft in the hopes that the Cardinals would do their utmost to select him? Have you spoken to PMS (praise be unto him) and other members of the Green Wave family about their future potential in Cardinal red to create a hybrid hydro-flock (either yellow in color or a festive Red/Green combo) of gridiron destruction?

Article Croot First Name: Fulgencio Last Name: Roekaert Position: Inside Linebacker Archetype: Speed Height: 6' 2" Weight: 230 Hometown: Key Biscayne High School: Belen Jesuit Preparatory School State: Florida

Coral Gables, Florida - Twenty-seven point nine degrees Fahrenheit. With absolutely zero context, that's the temperature of a normal day; snow could very easily be falling, collecting if it hasn't previously-stuck or already turned into a black sludge on the side of the nearby county road, and a gust of wind chills extremities and bones alike. Skies are almost certainly an ashen-gray. Correction: if you'd like to be technical, skies are still technically blue, but they've been hidden behind a wall of cloud-cover so dense that it hasn't been visible for the better part of two straight weeks. To the uninitiated, this is an average day in the Midwestern United States: cold and dreary, it's truly a wonder how everyone's so mind-bogglingly nice all the time. This is precisely what James Hillebrand pictured when, at eighteen years old, he traded sunny Lake Mary, Florida - just a bit north of Orlando - for Kalamazoo, Michigan and the Western Michigan Broncos football program. He doesn't remember exactly, but there very well were days where his iPhone displayed "27" (or, more likely, lower) in the weather app and he wanted to crawl up into a ball and not leave to comfort of his impromptu blanket fort - but the number 27.9 has a different significance as of late. You see, the average yearly temperature of his home-away-from-home in Kalamazoo, Michigan is 49.5 degrees Fahrenheit - in his new college football home, at the University of Miami, the average daily temperature is 77.4 degrees Fahrenheit. For the boy from Florida, it's great being back in the Sunshine State. As the Hurricanes only incoming transfer ahead of the 2025 college football season, Hillebrand has the unenviable task of joining an established football family and learning all about his 80 new brothers, when they each already know a little bit about him. That said, the 6'5", 279 pound big man has already received a leg-up from his new roommate - Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Nathan Hartigan. Reports indicate that the signal-caller from Cumming, Georgia, who previously-lived with the Redshirt Sophomore Wide Receiver trio of Jose Vega, Charles Martin, and Eric Woodward, reached-out to Hillebrand upon his commitment to join Miami ahead of the 2025 season. Insiders and students alike have reportedly seen the two new roommates going over the offensive playbook binder over lunch on the quad and practicing various snap counts in their apartment's courtyard after practices in an effort to bring Hillebrand up-to-speed. Hillebrand's arrival on campus provides the Miami coaching staff, and the Hurricanes writ large, with well-needed depth at the Center position, with the only other rostered player with any experience at the key role being Offensive Guard conversion, Redshirt Junior Hector Frazier. Reports out of Canes voluntary off-season camp indicate that Frazier and Hillebrand have rotated reps with starters and back-ups alike; however, in the competition for the starting Quarterback and Center roles, battle-lines appear to be forming. Anonymous sources indicate that Redshirt Junior Quarterback Marco Leathersich has backed Frazier for the starting job, preferring to take reps with his four-year teammate, while Hartigan has obviously cast his lot with his roommate, the newcomer Hillebrand. The neutralizer of any potential conflict appears to be Redshirt Senior Quarterback, Wayne Dickerson, who alternates which Center he takes snaps with and has taken-on a mentorship role to his two younger peers alongside an unofficial coaching role, all while competing for the starting Quarterback job. With the transfer portal coming to a close, sources have indicated that the Hurricanes do not intend to make any more additions to their roster ahead of the 2025 college football season. Once the portal closes, the Canes will join the rest of college football in announcing their full roster and coaching staff ahead of the highly-anticipated 2025 season.

This article was originally published on plus.espn.com - featured audio has been transcribed for the reader's ease. November 11, 2021 is a day which ought to go down in collegiate football history as a turning point for two historic programs; for the Indiana Hoosiers, it was the beginning of a new era in Bloomington. Following a disastrous 2021 campaign, where the Hoosiers finished 4-8 (2-7) and rooted to the bottom of the Big Ten Eastern Division, it was clear that something needed to change. That offseason, coaching candidates were brought in and interviewed for the unenviable task of rebuilding the Hoosier football program until one candidate stood out above the rest. He introduced himself as a "36-year-old married father of two; lover of board & card games and all things strategy; current D&D DM; long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan," but for the equally-long-suffering Indiana Athletic Department, what impressed them the most was his meticulous approach, attention-to-detail, and familiarity with and desire to coach in the Big Ten. So, on November 11, 2021, @Piercewise1 was unveiled as the Head Coach of the Indiana Hoosier football team - the rest, as they say, is history. 193 days later, on May 22, 2022, Coach @thatfunk announced that he would be leaving Ohio State to take the job at his alma mater, Alabama. The departure must have hurt for the Buckeyes; not just because Coach thatfunk led the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 2022; not just because Ohio State has since become a revolving-door for coaches - with no head coach lasting longer than a season from the 2022 season onwards; but because they could have had Piercewise. Alongside being a married father of two; a lover of board/card games and all things strategy; a Dungeons & Dragons DM; and a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan, Piercewise is an Ohioan through-and-through - an Ohio State fan. Had the Buckeyes job opened up sooner or had the Hoosiers dawdled in offering their now four-year head coach the position, things might've turned out differently. Hell, we'd probably be talking about how Ohio State has looked from the 2022 season through the 2024 campaign and how they're planning for the future. But that's not how things turned out and instead, as Ohio State have hired their their fifth head coach since the departure of Coach thatfunk, we're going to be talking about how Coach Piercewise and his Hoosiers have gone from strength-to-strength in their quest for the Big Ten Championship and beyond. A new era in Bloomington, indeed. 2022 Indiana Football Schedule Week Opponent Score Result 1 at. Oklahoma State 45-16 Loss 2 vs. Illinois 23-20 Conference Win 3 at. California 28-17 Loss 5 vs. Tulane 29-20 Win 6 at. Nebraska 38-24 Conference Loss 7 vs. Michigan 48-9 Divisional Win 8 vs. Maryland 24-17 Divisional Win 9 at. Rutgers 38-23 Divisional Loss 11 vs. Penn State 21-10 Divisional Win 12 at. Ohio State 35-5 Divisional Loss 13 at. Michigan State 61-3 Divisional Loss 14 vs. Purdue 13-10 Conference Win 16 vs. Temple 33-27 Bowl Win 2022 was a bit of a roller coaster of a season. With a few years of retrospect, I think it's safe to say that Indiana football's 2022 season was an unquestionable success - the Hoosiers finished with a 7-6 (5-4) record and a 33-27 victory in the Beef O'Brady's Gasparilla Bowl against a Temple program who had just finished third in a competitive American Conference. While Indiana's 0-6 record on the road left a lot to be desired, the fact of the matter is that they were able to turn Bloomington into a fortress; going 6-0 at home to neutralize their short-comings on the road. All in all, when compared to their 2021 record of 4-8 (2-7), Indiana's 2022 was a marked improvement: the three more victories they'd attained in 2022 were all within conference play, propelling the Hoosiers to dead last to fourth in the Big Ten Eastern Division within a single season. To top it all off, Indiana's recruiting class was widely considered to be within the nation's Top 30, hovering around the 20s depending on which poll or metric you trust. With results on the field and prospects in the pipeline, Coach Piercewise appeared to be working his magic on the Hoosiers and the future seemed bright in Bloomington. 2023 Indiana Football Schedule Week Opponent Score Result 1 vs. Southern Methodist 28-10 Win 2 vs. Ohio State 24-10 Divisional Win 3 at. Tulane 13-0 Loss 4 vs. Indiana State 38-6 Win 5 at. Maryland 24-21 Divisional Loss 7 at. Michigan 31-3 Divisional Win 8 vs. Rutgers 8-7 Divisional Loss 9 at. Penn State 21-3 Divisional Loss 10 vs. Wisconsin 34-6 Conference Loss 11 at. Illinois 19-6 Conference Loss 12 vs. Michigan State 13-10 Divisional Loss 14 at. Purdue 21-7 Conference Loss 2023 was like sitting in an emergency room waiting room - clearly in distress and just waiting for your name to be called, but having to listen to everyone else be called instead. After a strong start to the 2023 season with a win against Southern Methodist and a convincing 24-10 win against eventual Big Ten Champions Ohio State, the Hoosiers to a hit in their 13-0 loss away to Tulane and couldn't stop the bleeding, going on to lose seven of their next nine to finish 4-8 (2-7) - a repeat of their disappointing 2021 campaign. While some were quick to raise the alarm around Bloomington, cooler heads prevailed, and for good reason. Three of Indiana's losses down their 1-7 stretch from Week 5 onwards were decided by three points or less: a 24-21 loss at Maryland; an 8-7 heartbreak while hosting Rutgers; and a 13-10 loss against Michigan State. For Coach Piercewise, with the benefit of hindsight, he chalks the 2023 season down to a sort of indecision; a mixture of being simultaneously risk-averse and high-risk at the same time, where the benefits of each just sort of cancelled out and only the negatives remained and translated into disappointing on-field performances. There was; however, one silver-lining for Hoosiers in 2023: they had jumped into the Top 20 in terms of their recruiting class. Despite the proverbial step back, Indiana was ready, able, and willing to take another two steps forward. 2024 Indiana Football Schedule Week Opponent Score Result 1 at. Appalachian State 24-14 Win 2 vs. #13 West Virginia 29-15 Loss 3 at. #21 UCLA 26-9 Loss 4 at. Youngstown State 34-0 Win 5 vs. #25 Maryland 23-9 Conference Win 6 at. Northwestern 31-17 Conference Win 8 vs. #18 Nebraska 28-24 Conference Win 9 vs. Washington 37-9 Conference Win 10 at. Michigan State 24-10 Conference Loss 11 vs. Michigan 42-7 Conference Loss 13 at. Ohio State 24-3 Conference Win 14 vs. Purdue 10-7 Conference Win 18 vs. Duke 28-13 Bowl Loss It was exciting - we looked ahead of schedule. Determined to right the ship after a shaky 2023 season, Coach Piercewise sought to embrace the reputation he had earned as a sort of "mad scientist" within the world of college football; ahead of the 2024 season, he made some positional adjustments, moved some players around the roster, and embraced the talent he had across the board. And boy, did it pay off. Led by Redshirt Freshman and eventual Big Ten Offensive Rookie of the Year Samuel Johnson, Indiana's offensive production exploded. Alongside Johnson were Junior Halfback Mike Bradley and a Wide Receiving Corps led by Senior Halfback-turned-Wideout Geoff Albuquerque. By Week 10, the Hoosiers were off to a 6-2 (4-0) start to the season - with four Top 25 matchups along the way - ranked #25 in the nation (their first time in the AP Top 25 in the past four years) and were in the driver's seat of the newly-expanded Big Ten heading into Lansing to face a lowly Michigan State. Unfortunately for Coach Piercewise and the Hoosiers, subsequent losses to the Spartans and at home to Michigan would derail their Big Ten title hopes, but the 2024 season marked a new watermark for Hoosier football. Finishing 8-5 (6-3) on the season, and with the #11 recruiting class in the country, Indiana appear poised to building upon their momentum into 2025 and beyond in an increasingly competitive Big Ten. It's a question-mark - we've lost something like 55% of our roster to graduation. Going into 2025, there appear to be two camps of Indiana football fans: there are those who view 2025 as a sort of 2023 2.0 (or a 2021 3.0, depending on how old they are) and there are others who view it with the sort of optimism that having a talented team of young, returning players tends to instill. I mean, how could you not view these 2025 Hoosiers with some excitement? While Geoff Albuquerque departs for (professional?) pastures new, his shoes are more than filled by Redshirt Junior Tyler Looney (A/B+) and Sophomore J.J. Pilaf (A/B-) at Wide Receiver - both of whom are coming off of an impressive 2024 season in their respective WR2 and WR3 roles. Combined with the arrival of Freshman Wide Receiver Frank Pineda, a 4-star recruit out of California, and there are plenty of options for Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Samuel Johnson (B/B) to pass to as he hopes to garner Big Ten honors in 2025. That doesn't even include the two Tight Ends Coach Piercewise managed to snag in the Transfer Portal: Seniors Anthony Cowgill (B+/D+) and Sandy Davis (B+/C+) joining Indiana from Texas A&M and Syracuse, respectively, hope to team up with Redshirt Senior Halfback Mike Johnson (A/B) as additional outlets of Johnson and via the run-game in their own right. If Indiana's 2025 recruiting class continues the upward trajectory of Hoosier recruiting since Coach Piercewise's arrival and finally cracks the Top-10, then Coach's assertion that 2026 is going to be "the year" is more than just an assertion, it's achievable. With Coach Piercewise locked up at Indiana through the 2028 season, it's a whole new era in Bloomington - one where you'd better get used to the Hoosiers competing for the Big Ten. The rest, as they say, is history. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special thanks to @Piercewise1 for sitting down to chat about Indiana football and his coaching journey - it was a pleasure to have some "real talk about fake sports!" I've been sitting on this one for a while (juggling Miami football and basketball and a few other non-coaching things) to get it right and we've got a few more Coaches Chats lined up in the queue; but if you'd like to sit down and have a chat about your coaching journey, the teams you've working with and/or on, feel free to reach out! Until next time, football fans!

This article was originally published on plus.espn.com - featured audio has been transcribed for the reader's ease. Welcome back, football fans! It's finally upon us: the transfer portal - a mystical and magical realm where Quarterbacks, Linebackers, and Punters can be bought for a mere promise of a six-win season and walk-ons can be cast into the shadow realm; what a wonderful time to be alive! Over this past season, we took a look at some high-profile transfer targets - admittedly, mainly Quarterbacks, because that's where the money's at - ahead of their entry into the portal for the upcoming 2025 season. Well, that season is here, and we'd be doing a disservice if we didn't catch up with each of our previously-featured targets to see who's currently soliciting their talents, and whether or not its a good fit for the player themselves. That's right, we're taking the same formula and running it back. Except this time, instead of providing a Top 5, we're gonna take a look at each of the visible programs on the Transfer Portal who're chasing each of our previously-featured targets and provide a letter grade for each fit - with some analysis along the way, of course. Don't worry folks, there is a curve. So sit, back, relax, and enjoy the reboot. ------------------------------------------------ Kelly Jarwin, Quarterback, Redshirt Senior When we last left Kelly Jarwin, he was optimistic about getting another shot at the starting job at Florida State; before getting ceremoniously demoted in favor of Colt McIntyre for the remainder of the 2024 season and entering the transfer portal soon after. Boy, has our proverbial black swan transformed into the belle of the ball. From what we can currently see on the Transfer Portal interface, nine teams are pursuing Jarwin to be their Quarterback for the 2025 season - hell, there are probably more, but we're going to stick with an analysis of those we can feasibly confirm are in the race for Kelly Jarwin. That's right folks, no speculation here - only hard-hitting facts. Measurables Overall Height Weight Agility Speed Carrying Strength Throw Power Throw Accuracy Shotgun Rating Football IQ Stamina Injury Potential A 6'3" 228 lbs B C C+ B A+ A+ Balanced B- B- F C Texas (@SlinkyJr) Transfer Talk Grade: C Let's be candid: Texas needs all the help they can get. The Longhorns first season in the SEC was one to forget and that's an understatement - finishing any season 1-11 (0-8) constitutes a catastrophic campaign, but when you finish with an NCAA-lowest 64 points-scored and an NCAA-sixth highest 424 points-allowed alongside the NCAA-lowest total offensive yards (2,139; avg. 178.25 per game) and horns are not only down, but they're six feet under. Lest we forget, these statistics all include those from Texas' sole win against *checks notes* FCS Prairie View A&M where the anemic Longhorns offense was propelled to a 22-10 victory at home by the heroics of Kicker Pat Bethea, who accounted for 15 of Texas' 22 points on the day. In fact, over the course of 2024, Pat Bethea accounted for 40 of Texas' 64 total points (62.5%). Okay, a lot of negativity, so let's switch to some positives; or in the case of Texas, positive. Phillippe Johnson (A/C+) is an absolute stud and Texas's 2025 offense should undoubtedly run through and seek to leverage the talents of the Senior Halfback. By all accounts, Johnson's agility is only outmatched by his animalistic strength and his sheer speed. He's also become a true leader in the locker room, and a cerebral one at that; known for academically breaking down walkthroughs for his younger teammates. Johnson's also proven himself a more-than-capable receiver and pass blocker - at least compared to his peers - and it's frankly a shame that he can't pass or hand the ball off to himself. Now the negatives, and trust me, there are a few when it comes to analyzing the Texas offense from the perspective of Kelly Jarwin. Firstly, despite the presence of Phillippe Johnson in the backfield, there's not a whole lot to come by in terms of outlets to work with. Redshirt Sophomore Halfback Kevin Hong (B/C) looks to capable to come in as a third-down or redzone option to keep Johnson fresh and Senior Wide Receiver Taylor Paulsen's (B/C+) hands are sure enough, but that's it. The remainder of the Wide Receiving corps is weak, and that's being particularly generous; the Tight End options only boast Junior Daniel Shaffer (C+/C) as a serviceable blocker; and the Offensive Line as a whole is below-average, despite boasting the talents of Redshirt Senior Brant Taylor (A/A-) to bail out the whole group by bringing the average up. All of that even avoids the biggest concern for Kelly Jarwin - Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Joseph Wise (B+/A). With two remaining years of eligibility, Wise should be Texas' 2025 starting Quarterback. Coming off of a season where he was usurped in favor of a younger, talented Quarterback at Florida State due to a poor performance against a contending rival, Kelly Jarwin shouldn't touch Texas with a ten foot pole. With their lack of all-around offensive talent, Jarwin will undoubtedly have a less-than-stellar game during his time at Texas - lest we forget this is the same Texas team that was shut-out by UTSA, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Georgia last season. At the first sign of trouble, Wise could be viewed as the solution, and this should send shivers down Jarwin's spine. From Texas' perspective, these are rebuilding years and they already have a young Quarterback option in Wise, so the pursuit of Jarwin raises more questions than answers, espeically when other areas of the Longhorns roster are in dire need of an upgrade via the Transfer Portal. ------------------------------- Baylor (@Vivid) Transfer Talk Grade: A There is no greater statement-of-intent that the Baylor Bears are looking to win the 2025 National Championship than going after a top-tier Quarterback like Kelly Jarwin. Their returning Offensive Line, led by Redshirt Senior Center Chris Watkins (A/B), is filled to the brim with generational talents; they have a dual-threat and one-two backfield of Redshirt Seniors Shareece Hinojosa (A/C+) and Drew Floro (A-/C+); Redshirt Junior Tyler Prochnow (A/B+) and Redshirt Senior Ariel Pyke (A/B-), alongside Redshirt Senior Tight End Jonathan Burke (A-/B-), are up there for some of the best receiving corps in the country. The only thing Baylor needs is a lights-out Quarterback who can utilize the weapons around him while acting as a bridge for the talent that the Bears have waiting to develop over the coming seasons. This one's short and sweet; Kelly Jarwin fits the bill perfectly, and the opportunity to play for a pre-season National Championship contender is one that may be too good to pass up. ------------------------------- Penn State (@Rocketcan) Transfer Talk Grade: A- Speaking of pre-season National Championship contenders, enter stage-right the Nittany Lions. Despite an uneventful 2024 campaign, where they ultimately finished 6-7 (5-4) in a cut-throat Big Ten, Penn State are gearing up for 2025 firing on all cylinders. Redshirt Senior Chris Brooks (A/A) and Redshirt Junior Matt van Roten (A/B) offer a dual-threat, one-two punch out of the backfield alongside Redshirt Senior Fullback Anthony Brown (A/C+); four-out-of-five presumptive Offensive Line starters are A-rated, with the strong and quick Redshirt Senior Johnny Chacin (A-/B+) the only exception; and a receiving corps led by the speedy Junior Brian Walker (A/C) and with the safe hands of Redshirt Junior Pedro Farrow (A/C+) round out the talented Penn State offense. Moreover, Quarterback heir-presumptive, Redshirt Freshman Michael Garcia (B/C+) eagerly awaits the keys to the offense, but could probably benefit from another year behind an establish collegiate starter - someone like Kelly Jarwin, who could take the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten title and beyond. ------------------------------- Georgia Tech (@ATonOfLaw) Transfer Talk Grade: B- This one's hard for me: in the first episode of Transfer Talk, Georgia Tech was the hands-down, number one destination for Kelly Jarwin due to scheme fit, play time, and potential. While I don't backtrack on my initial opinions or analysis, the calculus has changed and the Yellow Jackets are simply no longer the "best fit" for Kelly Jarwin; however, that's not to say they aren't still a decent fit. Despite possessing a shaky offensive line, particularly in comparison to the talent they possessed during their 10-4 (8-1) 2024 season and ACC Championship, Georgia Tech possess a young RB1 in true-Freshman Paul Heard (B/D-) who has to be hungry to prove himself. Coupled with an experienced, returning Wide Receiving corps of Redshirt Senior Natrell Mihalik (A-/C+), Senior Byung-Hyun Socolovich (B+/B-), and Senior Jonathan Cruceta (B/B-), Georgia Tech have decent options for an incoming Quarterback like Kelly Jarwin. Plus, the opportunity to compete with Florida State directly within the ACC, with the team that caused the biggest harm to the Seminoles (and Jarwin himself) last season, could be an enticing prospect that is beyond any letter grade we could provide. ------------------------------- James Madison (@JC.) Transfer Talk Grade: B If James Madison are able to sign Kelly Jarwin, it would be a resounding coup for not only the Dukes and their chances for a Sun Belt title, but for the Sun Belt Conference as a whole. The only Group of Five team on this list, James Madison beats out a number of their Power 5 counterparts for a number of reasons. First, while the Dukes don't possess a world-beater offensive line, the group led by Senior Center DaVante Littleton (A-/C) are a serviceable bunch; not only have they spent the past few years working in pass-heavy situations, but despite being merely an average offensive line in comparison to contenders Baylor and Penn State, the Dukes possess one of the best offensive lines in the Sun Belt. Circling back to experience, James Madison also boast a plethora of returning Wide Receivers, such as Senior Chris Morgan (B+/C+) who led the Sun Belt in receiving yards in 2024, and Senior Halfback Taiwan Hayward (B+/B-) who are eager to build upon the Dukes break-out campaign where they became bowl eligible for the first time. Should Kelly Jarwin choose to join James Madison for 2025, I'd reckon this launches the Dukes into Sun Belt contention - and out of all the possible options, selfishly, this one might be the one I'd want to see the most just to see the Dukes continue their meteoric rise from the FBS to Sun Belt Champions in a few years time. ------------------------------- Southern California (@Dr_Novella) Transfer Talk Grade: C+ USC are in an intriguing spot ahead of the 2025 season: while they're only two years removed from their 2023 National Championship, and still possess so crucial pieces from that team, their 2024 title defense season was unspectacular to say the least, and the scars from this abject disappointment - and the departure of Quarterback Julian Longacre - could prove too consequential. While the Trojans boast elite receiving outlets in Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Phillip Adams (A/C+) and Redshirt Senior Tight End Lou Jackson (A-/B+), USC's strengths going into 2025 are on the defensive side of the ball. While Redshirt Senior Haywood Wick (B+/C+), a Quarterback in the scrambler mold, could slot in as a Halfback - as has become somewhat in-vogue across the college football ranks - to solve USC's backfield woes, their offensive line remains a glaring weakness. There's no doubt that Kelly Jarwin could fit into the Trojans offense to guide them on a resurgence; however, if other positional concerns aren't address within the transfer portal, the signing of Jarwin by USC could be all for naught. ------------------------------- NC State (@Dean) Transfer Talk Grade: F Senior Wide Receiver Sonny Dekker (A-/B). There, that's it. That's all the offensive support Kelly Jarwin would have is he becomes a member of the Wolfpack. Given that NC State were geared for a run-heavy offense, or at least a run-focused offense, and arguably still are, the focus on Kelly Jarwin is a confusing one. When it comes to playing Jarwin's sort of pass-heavy offense, the Wolfpack Offensive Line transforms into an abysmal one; that's not to say they're generally poor, but they're not the sort of linemen you'd want protecting a pocket passer who drops back for a majority of snaps. Adding insult to injury, NC State possess a thoroughly unimpressive running backs room; there's nobody with the agility, strength, speed, or receiving acumen to take some offensive pressure off of Kelly Jarwin, let alone be a game-changer when called upon. All in all, NC State have far more pressing issues to address in the transfer portal; targeting a plug-in Quarterback like Kelly Jarwin is honestly a gross waste of resources. ------------------------------- Houston Christian and Villanova Transfer Talk Grade: F Effort Grade: A There's not much to talk about here - both Houston Christian and Villanova only have 20 players currently rostered: A for effort, F for fit. Though we could see an absolute master-class in trash-talk from @Kirby if either team manages to snag Kelly Jarwin, and that alone may be worth it. ------------------------------------------------ Meyers Ramirez, Quarterback, Redshirt Junior In our second episode of Transfer Talk we discussed five fits for our Scrambler leaving Wazzu for pastures new: Colorado State, Rutgers, Cincinnati, NC State, and Illinois. As it turns out, Meyers has three potential suitors and none of them are those we'd mentioned within our Top 5; only one was even mentioned within the Meyers Ramirez episode of Transfer Talk all together, and I'm honestly a little surpise by each of them, but not necessarily in a bad way. Let's take a look. Measurables Overall Height Weight Agility Speed Carrying Strength Throw Power Throw Accuracy Shotgun Rating Football IQ Stamina Injury Potential B+ 6'0" 224 lbs A A- B A- C- C+ Balanced C A D+ A- Clemson (@Spoof) Transfer Talk Grade: B- Let me be clear at the outset, I think that Clemson would be a fantastic fit for Meyer Ramirez. As one of the handful of teams across the college football landscape to commit to the I-Option and stick with it, the rush-forward offense has been tested by the Tigers and is seemingly here to stay. While Senior Wide Receiver Garrett McGee (A-/C+) is the sole stand-out in terms of receiving support, Clemson possess a powerful rusher in Redshirt Senior Halfback Ronald Beato (B+/C) and a complementary dual-threat option in Senior Halfback Josh Hollis-Jefferson (B/B-). Although the Tigers' offensive line is a bit of a patchwork of rush and pass blockers, the line is led by the formidable Redshirt Senior Tackle Alex Figueroa (A/C+). Okay, this all sounds way better than a B-, what's the problem. Quarterbacks, plural. At time of writing, Clemson have seven rostered Quarterbacks going into 2025 - Meyers Ramirez would make eight. Of those seven, three are scramblers like Ramirez; of those three, only two are feasible threats to the starting job: Redshirt Junior Isiah Fitts (B+/B) and true Freshman Gregg O'Connell (B/B+). I have no doubt that Coach @Spoof would figure out a way to make it work between these talented scramblers; with the heir-apparent O'Connell probably taking a redshirt season and Ramirez and Fitts either splitting snaps or one of the two transitioning to halfback. Either way, the B- grade is a conditional one - until there's a sense of finality as to whether or not our Quarterback in question would be able to join the Tigers as, well, a Quarterback, there's no higher grade to give. ------------------------------- Northwestern (@David VanHousen) Transfer Talk Grade: C- In the cutting room floor, Big Ten Hot Seat extraordinaire, I had Northwestern slated to run the Run and Shoot offense starting in 2025 to make the most out of their sparse offensive weapons. One of these weapons, if not the Wildcats' main weapon, Senior Halfback Anthony LaMarre (B+/A+) entered the transfer portal and is solely being targeted by Stanford in their post-Vontae Knebel era. That said, Northwestern's new RB1: Junior William Brown (B-/C); as well as their top two receiving options in Junior Wide Receivers Robert Stack (B/C+) and William Goodwin (B-/A-) are all scheme-fits for the Run and Shoot. In contrast, should Northwestern persist with the Spread Option that they ran last year, the only player who would seemingly benefit is Meyers Ramirez himself. While this would undoubtedly been a boon and would lock up the starting job in Evanston for his remaining two years of eligibility - at what cost? The Wildcats' offensive line is unreliable at best, their backfield would be able to provide mediocre run support by virtue of not playing in an explicitly complementary system, and their below-average receiving corps would receive no favors either; and all of this in an increasingly competitive Big Ten. ------------------------------- Washington (@CoachCartier) Transfer Talk Grade: A- The Washington Huskies were featured twice within the Top 5s of Transfer Talk due to their need for a Quarterback for 2025 - the first was at #2 for Kelly Jarwin and the second was at the top spot for Mark Koch. So imagine my surprise when I scoured the transfer portal and found that they were targeting a scrambler in Meyers Ramirez instead of the pocket-passer of Jarwin or the balanced Koch. And frankly, I love it. First of all, there would be nothing quite like a two-year long Meyers Ramirez Apple Cup Revenge Tour - absolutely juicy. But mainly, the Huskies have an impressive supporting cast that could help bring out the best in what Meyers Ramirez has to offer while allowing for his development ahead of 2026. Specifically, Washington boasts a powerful duo of dual-threat halfbacks in Redshirt Senior Xavier Smith (A/C) and Redshirt Junior Franklin Riggins (A-/A); alongside top-tier receiving outlets like Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Randy Peterson (A/C+), Redshirt Senior Tight End Robbie Bloom (A/B), and Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Joey Tejada (A-/C+). Despite being led by Redshirt Senior Center Emmanuel Murdock (A/C+), Washington's offensive line risks being its Achilles Heel due to the potential shift from a passing-based offense to a rushing based-offense; however, this disadvantage could be easily mitigated with additionally astute moves in the transfer portal and shrewd play-calling. ------------------------------------------------ Jay Ratley, Quarterback, Redshirt Senior With only one year of eligibility remaining and only a handful of college programs favoring mobile Quarterbacks, it's honestly not all that surprising that Jay Ratley has only garnered interest from one program - particularly when Meyers Ramirez with an additional year of eligibility has three interested programs. What is interesting, or rather, intriguing, is which program is going after Ratley. NC State (@Dean) Transfer Talk Grade: F Two things: yes, I am aware of the coaching change (that occurred during the drafting of this article - makes me feel like @kgreene829 with mock drafts), but @Dean and his staff were the ones who made the transfer portal investment and shall receive the grade; and two, we'll keep it short and sweet since we've already discussed NC State. The Wolfpack, as discussed, have an abysmal offensive line, an unimpressive backfield, and one talented receiver. They have a few capable, but uninspiring, options at Quarterback who could bridge the gap for an incoming recruit but that's about it for their offensive makeup. So it's surprising that NC State, instead of filling some pretty gaping holes in the transfer portal, have adopted a sort of "scattershot" approach to Quarterbacks and Quarterbacks alone in that they've heavily targeted the highest ranked Quarterback of each archetype. While other programs, such as Baylor, have adopted this exact same strategy, this sort of strategy only works if you're Baylor and have a roster full of generational talents and a sole potential weakness; then you can afford to target this weakness aggressively via the transfer portal. If it weren't for the fact that Boston College and NC State don't play next year, I'd even be so inclined to presume that a scuppering were at-hand, but instead, I have to genuinely hope that either another team comes in for Jay Ratley or that the incoming coaching staff at NC State makes some serious changes to right this sinking ship. Because Jay Ratley, and the NC State Wolfpack, deserve better. ------------------------------------------------ Mark Koch, Quarterback, Redshirt Junior The college football world has heard narrative after narrative about Mark Koch; most recently, his literal lock-out from Tennessee following their 2024 National Championship. Don't feel too terribly bad for Mark though, he's got a couple of very interesting programs vying for his services for 2025 and beyond - and he's earned it too, despite the animosity between Koch and Knoxville, the embattled Quarterback's time at Tennessee has led to impressive development this offseason. Without further ado, let's get into it. Measurables Overall Height Weight Agility Speed Carrying Strength Throw Power Throw Accuracy Shotgun Rating Football IQ Stamina Injury Potential B+ 6'2" 216 lbs C+ C C- C B B- Balanced C+ A+ C- B Kansas (@Bundy) Transfer Talk Grade: B+ Mark Koch as a Jayhawk isn't what I had on my bingo card, but it's an intriguing possibility in the 50/50 transfer portal toss-up. Kansas have talented receiving outlets in Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Tanner Bradley (A/B), Senior Tight End Steel Blue (A-/A-), Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Eric Zawadzki (B+/A), and Redshirt Junior Tight End Travis Siegrist (B+/C-) that any Quarterback would be ecstatic to throw to on Saturdays. Coupled with the fact that the Jayhawks offensive line is solid and you've got a transfer portal Quarterback's dream destination. While there is the hiccup of incumbent Redshirt Senior Quarterback Tyler Summers (A/C-), Kansas' pursuit of Mark Koch leads me to believe that if they get their man (Koch, that is), that Summers will see himself deployed as RB1 to compensate for Kansas' sole offensive weakness: their backfield. In an era where speedy Quarterbacks are beginning to see themselves transformed into backfield playmakers, this pursuit of Mark Koch is fun, ballsy, and extremely beneficial to both parties. ------------------------------- Kentucky (@Ezaco) Transfer Talk Grade: B+ Mark Koch and Michael Oliveros in the same lineup? In the SEC? Remember the Meyers Ramirez Apple Cup Revenge Tour? Well this could be Mark Koch's own revenge tour if he finds himself a Kentucky Wildcat. Let's not split hairs, Kentucky's receiving options are elite: Redshirt Senior Wide Receivers Brennan Dominguez (A/A-) and Zack Beck (A/B) alongside Senior Wide Receivers Eddie Gibson (A-/B-) and Johnathan Forrest (A-/C) lining up four-wide are a force to be reckoned with. Hell, Mark Koch may think he's back in Knoxville with all of that receiving talent on offer. While Kentucky's glaring weakness is their offensive line, due to the fact that they'd be shifting from a run-dominant offense to a balanced or pass heavy offense, this weakness would be completely negated by one man: Michael Oliveros. Just like with Kansas, Kentucky's pursuit of Mark Koch indicates one thing: Michael Oliveros will be switching to Halfback for 2025. With defenses having to contend with Oliveros on the ground and four-wide sets any offensive line weaknesses won't have the opportunity to be exploited due to defensive indecisiveness; if they plan for Oliveros, they'll be burned on the pass; if they plan for Koch, Oliveros will torch them with his legs. Mark Koch, take a bow. Wherever you end up - Kansas or Kentucky, it'll be fun to watch in 2025. ------------------------------------------------ Alright, football fans, that's all for this iteration of Transfer Talk - let us know your thoughts! We're gonna take another break to focus on the *increasing backlog* of media pieces to write before the 2025 season gets well and truly underway, but we'll be sure to take a look at the transfer portal again once it closes up shop - we'll see where our featured players have ended up and take a look at some new folks for the first time! Until next time, football fans!

It's May 2001 - Janet Jackson's All for You tops the Billboard Hot 100 (Survivor by Destiny's Child is a close second); DreamWorks have released an adaptation of a 1990 children's picture book called Shrek; and, as of May 20th, the Seattle Marines have the best record in baseball at a commanding 32-11. Halfway across the world, Angola is burning. It's twenty-six year long Civil War is an inextinguishable conflagration; even when the ashes appear to have settled, an ember lights the fire of war again. And again. Our story begins on May 21, 2001 in the Angolan provincial capital of N'dalatando; our protagonist, Mr. Jose Abraão Chaves, is forty-one year-old mid-level functionary tasked with ensuring the flow of international aid from the coastal ports to his interior homeland. Born and raised within the Portuguese colonial system, Mr. Chaves is the perfect administrator: he speaks Portuguese and Kimbundu natively alongside French, which he learned from Médecins Sans Frontières volunteers, and English, a gift from Jesuit priests from the United States; he has a keen grasp on logistics, as evidenced by the fact that trucks travel to and through his province carrying food and medicine without any falling off the back; and he is incorruptible. He is resolute - a man of principle and unwavering faith. That is, until May 22, 2001. As dawn broke, more than seven-hundred refugees stumbled into his jurisdiction - an attack occurred in the village of Golungo Alto overnight, these survivors had trekked over sixty kilometers (approximately thirty-seven miles) under the cover of darkness seeking aid and shelter. There was only one problem: there were only enough supplies for a mere hundred of them. As Mr. Chaves waded through the crowd with his subordinates, speaking to the huddled masses, a baby was thrust into his hands - a boy, no older than two months. He could not see from where, but inquiry after inquiry within the crowd led to nothing - the boy was an orphan. The Chaves family departed N'dalatando on May 23, 2001, arriving in Portugal as refugees within a few months time thanks to Mr. Chaves' connections to an aid group from Faro. Their ultimate destination? Scranton, Pennsylvania. Thirty years after Fr. Wisniewski and Mr. Chaves last spoke, the former agreed to be the latter's sponsor to come to the United States. It would take five more years for the Chaves family to reach American soil - both a by-product of the American immigration system and the absolute anarchy it was thrust into after the September 11th attacks - but they arrived in Scranton with another blessing: Ana was heavily-pregnant with a son. In their forties, after thinking that parenthood had passed them by, Jose and Ana Chaves became parents to a second son: Chin Chaves, christened in honor of the young Chinese-American attorney, Peter Chin, who handled the Chaves' immigration case from start-to-finish. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eighteen years later, Chin Chaves is a three-sport (Football, Wrestling, Lacrosse) phenom out of Scranton Preparatory Academy. Standing at 5'10" and weighing an imposing 233 pounds, Chaves is officially designated as a Fullback by Rivals, ESPN, and 24/7, but there's much more to his game. In 2022, Chaves captained his Cavaliers freshman football team to a Pennsylvania state title; rushing for a touchdown and receiving another in the title-decider to cap off a season where he earned freshman all-state honors and racked-up the most all-purpose yards amongst eligible rushers and receivers. Chaves carried this momentum into 2023 and 2024, where during his sophomore and junior years he became Pennsylvania's most-feared third-down specialist. Opponents frequently balk at what defensive strategy to employ when Chaves reports on third-down. When defenses have aimed to stop the ground game, Chaves utilizes his abilities as a receiver to get open and make a play; when a pass-defense is employed, Chaves simply uses his powerful frame to literally bowl over the opposition. In no game was this more apparent than the 2024 season-opener between Scranton Prep and cross-town rivals Scranton High School - on three different occasions, Prep lined up on third-and-goal from beyond the five-yard-line with Scranton High looking to make a stop. Chin Chaves finished the night with three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground, all from third-and-goal. During my time in Scranton, I spent a lot of time with the Chaves family. Mr. Chaves, as a member of their faculty, gave me a tour of Scranton Prep. I received a backstage pass to the entire school; however, the most impressive room, at least in my opinion, was his office. Adorning virtually every available surface, alongside French textbooks and stacks of tests and lesson plans, were footballs - game balls. Each were dated and with scores written on them; Mr. Chaves beams, as any proud father would, as he recounts each game to me with an academically impressive level of detail. Prominent amongst all else are two display cases, in an obvious place of veneration on either side of Mr. Chaves' desk. The first display case contains a ball which reads: 2022 Pennsylvania Freshman State Championship, 14-12; the game ball from Chin's freshman year, where his two touchdowns made all the difference. The second display case, curiously, appears empty. Mr. Chaves implored me to take a look at the seemingly-empty display case - propped up on the pedestal in the display case, where only Mr. Chaves can see it from his office chair, is a baby picture of Chin being held by his older brother Peter. Chin is wearing an adorably-tiny Santa hat, Peter is wearing a child's sized duplicate of the same Santa Hat; scribbled in sharpie in the corner is Christmas, 2007. A proud dad, indeed. At the Chaves home, Mrs. Chaves prepared a whole feast: I sampled caruru, a sort of jambalaya-esque shrimp and okra stew; kissuto rombo, garlic-roasted goat with lemon-rice; farofa, a rice and bean dish; and cocada amarela, custardy coconut pudding. Mrs. Chaves, ever the hostess-with-the-mostess, insisted that I take a plethora of other dishes whos names I cannot recall off the top of my head back to my hotel with me. As she packed tupperware container after tupperware container, Chin insisted on showing me his room. Aside from the crucifix above the lightswitch next to the door, it looked like most bedrooms of high-school-aged boys, albeit tidy: a desk with opened-envelopes on one side and a TI-84 and an Xbox controller on the other; a hastily-made bed in the corner; an open closet door displaying a shoe collection of Nikes, Air Jordans, and the like; and a like-new hat rack. No hidden Playboy magazines, as far as I could tell from my vantage point. Before I know it, Chin has arranged a set of hats on the bed for me to see: Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Boston College, Yale, Georgetown, Fordham, Bucknell, Lehigh, Lafayette, and Colgate. As I nod approvingly at the Notre Dame hat and make a quip about the Patriot League, Chin explains that these ten schools are either schools who have already approached him about playing football in 2026, places he's received mail about applying to, or institutions he's already applied to outside of football. Breaking those schools down, the entirety of the Patriot League - Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Lehigh have all shown interest in Chin Chaves. I mean, how could they not, he practically plays high school football in their conference's backyard. Both Boston College and Notre Dame, as Catholic institutions, are schools that Chin has received mail from and indicates that he's highly interested in if they were to offer him a chance to play football. The outlier of Yale? Well, Chin's already applied to Yale - his older brother Peter is studying there for his Masters Degree in Divinity, and we all know that Chin would love for more opportunities to play football with his brother in attendance. As I depart the Chaves residence, tupperware containers in tow, I thank the Chaveses for their hospitality and offer to return the favor if they're ever down in Miami. Unlocking my rental car, I place my feast-to-go in the passenger footwell and grab a football I purchased earlier that day; I asked Chin to sign it for me and he obliged. I like the sound of "the first Angolan-American to play in the NFL" and I genuinely think that this scrappy, well-mannered kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania can get there. A signed-football would be one hell of a keepsake for my office; I'd get a display case, but those are only for game balls. I know for a fact that there's only one man who's getting his hands on a Chin Chaves game ball other than the player himself - his father.

I think that a lot of folks have raised a bunch of good points both in favor and in opposition to the prospect of deviating from the IRL College Football Realignment; however, there's one factor that I'd like to posit in favor of retaining the structure we currently employ (mirroring IRL CFB) - new member attraction and retention. As an incoming head coach, there's a lot to wrap your head around: whether that be adjusting to a college football landscape with completely new athletes, to learning how to recruit and gameplan, alongside understanding the "who's who" of the community. Having the SimCFB conferences in line with the IRL counterparts removes a potentially complicated aspect for a first-year head coach to comprehend, especially if they were attracted to joining a specific program with IRL conference play in mind. Moreover, I also think @Bundy's point goes hand-in-hand with my own; shaping SimCFB conferences in our own image, while a super-exciting and fun prospect, could turn off prospective coaches who are unfamiliar with our brand of nostalgia or the time we've spent shaping the conferences based on past play. Something that could be interesting to explore in lieu of deviating from the IRL CFB realignments would be to either encourage or facilitate the movement of coaches between realigned conferences. For example, with the 2026 Pac-12 expansion (at the time of writing), Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State are all poised to join from the Mountain West. In compensation for losing four teams for no reason within the sim, the Mountain West Commissioner would be allowed to grant some sort of privilege deemed suitable by the Admins to any departing coach (i.e. the head coach of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, or San Diego State) to join a vacant team within the Mountain West to keep conference coaching numbers stable. In turn, the Pac-12 Commissioner would be allowed to grant a lesser privilege deemed suitable by the Admins to any incoming or existing head coach to fill any vacancies at the incoming programs so as to increase the number of "coached teams" within their newly enlarged conference. All in all, I'm not particularly sure how this could operate within our current SimCFB landscape, but it could be a fun way to stimulate coaching mobility while functionally "compensating" conferences for realignments outside of their control.

This article was originally published on plus.espn.com - featured audio has been transcribed for the reader's ease. A lot has changed in college football over the past four years. By the end of the day, we’ll have our fourth National Champion in as many years. We’ve seen upwards of two-hundred coaching changes since 2022, during which time programs have risen and fallen and risen again within the college football landscape. Betting men would presume that these rising teams are set to fall, and falling teams are bound to rise. In some ways, they're right. In other ways, they couldn’t be more wrong. Yet, throughout these turbulent years, there are beacons of stability throughout college football - head coaches who have made names for themselves, either with one program or more and whose talents are as unique as the individuals behind the gameplans. To truly understand college football, one must first understand the men who control the game - both literally and figuratively. One such man is Coach @kwheele. Over the past four years, he’s been the poster-boy for stability - not for where he’s coached, but for how he’s coached his teams. I was fortunate enough to sit down with Coach kwheele, both ahead of and after our recording of the “Wheels Off” Podcast, to talk about his experiences in college football; his journey from Stillwater, to Madison, and ultimately to Fayetteville via Miami; his approach to recruiting top classes; and his outlook on the collegiate game. Welcome to Coaches Chat, where we’re gonna sit down with some of our greatest college football minds and find out a little more about both the wizard and man behind the curtain. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. It was a case of seeing what was possible. If any phrase could describe Coach kwheele’s arrival at Oklahoma State in 2021, it would be that. The proverbial Wild West of college football had arrived, new coaches took up their roles across the college football landscape, it was kickoff time and folks were ready to play. By all accounts, the 2021 Oklahoma Cowboys campaign was an unlucky one - they’d shown flashes of ability in some games and were thoroughly outclassed by superior opposition in others. An overall record of 6-6 (5-4) prior to their 13-3 loss to Stanford in the postseason was a respectable one; good enough for 5th in the Big XII, but not good enough to retain their head coach. It was about developing a program - a three-year plan. After seeing what Coach kwheele could do at Oklahoma State, Wisconsin came calling for 2022 following an impressive 2021 campaign where the Badgers went 13-2 (12-0); winning the Big Ten and earning the coveted 4-seed in the College Football Playoff. After falling 46-13 to 1-seed and eventual runners-up Florida State in the semifinal, the Badgers looked to hone their defensive game whilst building their program for the future. Time would tell that Coach kwheele was the perfect man to accomplish both of these team goals. In 2022, the Badgers finished the season 6-7 (5-4); falling 34-28 to Utah State in the Northern Lights Bowl. While Wisconsin’s overall record took a dip from their previous campaign - where they were primarily led by a cadre of departing Seniors - the quality of their play was undiminished. The Badgers were particularly impressive on the defensive side of the ball: in contests where the final score was decided by a single score or less (i.e. an eight point differential), Wisconsin were 4-1 across the season and an indomitable 3-0 in their final four regular season games. These three crucial Big Ten victories, which Wisconsin won by a combined total of 12 points, secured their bowl eligibility and were a testament to the resilience of the Badgers defense. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin’s defense finished 2022 with the 5th lowest yards allowed - underscored by an impressive second-lowest passing yards allowed; however, when considered that third-best Purdue allowed only a hundred less yards while playing one fewer game, a compelling case could be made for the Badgers to have had the third-best overall defense in the Big Ten at the end of 2022. The following year, Wisconsin secured the top spot in the Big Ten West with an impressive 9-5 (8-2) overall record. The Badgers defense continued to shine: while their 7th-lowest total yards allowed was commendable in its own right, Wisconsin made their case for the second-best defense in the Big Ten with the second-fewest yards allowed per game at 318 - a slightly-inflated number due to having played 11-3 (8-2) Big Ten Champions Ohio State twice and 11-3 (8-1) Mountain West Champions Nevada in the Almost Heaven, West Virginia Bowl Game. What was arguably more impressive than Wisconsin’s defense in 2023 was the recruiting done by Coach kwheele and his staff - which brought them the #6 recruiting class in the country by season’s end. Although a Top 10 recruiting class is indicative of sustained, long-term success, Coach kwheele’s approach to recruiting almost guarantees it. Unlike a number of his contemporaries, Coach kwheele is particularly selective when it comes to recruits. Center of attention work ethic? Not for him, that guy won’t be enough of a team player. Skips classes often? Student-athletes are meant to be students first, even in today’s era of NIL. Skips leg day? Pass, that sort of behavior displays a compromised work ethic. Frailty? Complacency? Narcissism? Pass, pass, and pass. It doesn’t matter if you’re a five-star recruit or a walk-on, within Coach kwheele’s team you become a member of the family, and you’re held to a higher standard of conduct not out of an attachment to what some players may view as “antiquated values,” but out of respect that you can be and ought to be the best version of yourself for both the team and player. It was to prevent the wrong driver from getting behind the wheel of a Cadillac. After the departure of Coach @cultur3 (may he rest in powder) for UNLV a mere three weeks into the 2024 campaign, the University of Miami and the Atlantic Coast Conference scrambled to find a suitable replacement. Their goal was to find a suitable interim head coach who could stabilize the Hurricanes in 2024 and who may be convinced to come aboard long-term. With a year remaining on his Wisconsin deal and a proven coaching acumen alongside an ability to build a team for the future, Coach kwheelerwas identified and tapped for the job. Finishing the 2024 campaign with a combined 6-6 record across both Madison and Miami and a recruiting composite of 1.93 - good for 23rd in the nation - Coach kwheele accomplished a particularly rare feat: he guided two programs to respectable finishes in a single campaign. It was time to test the waters. By his own admission, the Miami job was never Coach kwheele’s long-term plan - but after four seasons with three teams, it was time to settle down. Three programs were on Coach kwheele’s radar: San Diego State, Toledo, and Arkansas. Why these three? Strong defenses, strong rushing offenses, and strong recruiting grounds - three characteristics that we’ve come to associate Coach kwheele with during his coaching career. Why the Razorbacks? Arkansas, a team which has gone 22-27 (12-20) over the past four seasons, are the perfect team to settle down at: with a 2024 regular season record of 7-5 (3-5) - their best since 2021 - the Razorbacks are on the up, but have never truly tasted rock-bottom. With a steady hand from Coach kwheele, I’d say that Arkansas are poised to enjoy sustained success through solid coaching and unapologetically pragmatic recruiting; all with a head coach who’s raring to get there and create a dynasty. In short, it’s the perfect spot for a coach who’s been looking for just the right place to call home, and I can’t wait to see what Coach kwheele and his Razorbacks can do. ----------------------------------- Thanks for checking-in football fans, a little shorter-form with less walls of statistics (with a few nuggets embedded here or there for the keen reader), but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. Special thanks to Coach @kwheele once again for taking the time to have me on "Wheels Off" a few weeks back and for taking the time to sit and chat - one thing we found out is that we're both storytellers (read: long-winded), so we covered a lot of ground over a couple of cups of coffee, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Looking to keep this series going over the offseason so that we can continue to explore the journeys of our fellow-coaches and hopefully learn a little bit more about everyone along the way, so please, reach out if you'd like to chat or if you think one of your colleagues ought to feature on the program next. Without further ado, Happy Natty Day everyone - until next time!

Coral Gables, Florida - Coach @dearden has been unveiled as the new Head Coach of the Miami Hurricanes football team. After the mid-season departure of Coach @cultur3 and the hiring of interim-head coach @kwheele by the University of Arkansas ahead of their Birmingham Bowl appearance, the University of Miami and the Atlantic Coast Conference sought to identify and appoint a long-term coaching solution for the Hurricanes. Coming off of a 7-5 (6-2) debut regular season as Head Coach of the Appalachian State, Coach Dearden was approached to take over at Miami ahead of the 2025 season. While sources indicate that the initial deal - a six-year, $7.65 million contact - was finalized earlier this month, the college football world would have to wait until after Week 17, a stipulation made by Coach Dearden to allow for him to remain the Mountaineers Head Coach for their postseason game, to see who Miami had hired and if it were an astute appointment. While the Hurricanes fell 28-16 in the Military Bowl, Appalachian State ran out convincing 48-21 victors over Oklahoma State two days later, racking up 700 all-purpose yards on the way to a New Mexico Bowl win. If not an astute appointment, the dichotomy of Miami and Appalachian State in Week 17 and their performances at least suggest that the hiring of Coach Dearden could signal a step in the right direction for the languishing Hurricanes. Over the past four seasons, the Hurricanes have accumulated a combined record of 18-31 (13-20), finishing 11th in the ACC in both 2021 and 2022, before jumping to 8th in 2023, and rounding-out 2024 dead-center in the ACC at 9th while securing their first bowl appearance. During that time, two head coaches and an interim-head coach have passed through Miami; Hurricane hopes that any one of these coaches would make South Florida their home dashed as quickly as their respective coaching tenures. With the 2024 football season officially behind them, the Miami Hurricanes look to utilize the transfer portal to supplement their existing talent before preparing for 2025.

From the Office of the Assistant Athletic Director for Football of Appalachian State University, for immediate release:

This article was originally published on Yosef’s Cabin.

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Markus Turner's extra point attempt is up, and it is good - your Appalachian State Mountaineers have defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 48-21 and are 2024 New Mexico Bowl Champions! The call from WKBC 97.3 FM echoed through the Blue Ridge Mountains and down to Charlotte, final score: OKST 21-48 APST. Described by Coach @dearden on the "Wheels OFF" Podcast as one of the Mountaineers most-formidable opponents, the Oklahoma State Cowboys entered the New Mexico Bowl with a 7-5 (4-5) regular season record; having prevailed against then #24 Colorado in Week 3, Big XII Runners-Up then #8 TCU in Week 6; then #8 Arizona State in Week 8, and then #16 Oklahoma to close out the regular season in Week 14. At one point in the regular season, the Cowboys were ranked #10 in the AP Coaches Poll - the second-highest an Appalachian State opponent would climb behind #7 Kentucky in both Weeks 1, 10, and 11. Despite the accolades of their opponent, the Appalachian State coaching staff believed that hard work and preparation would allow for the Mountaineers to accomplish their singular objective of the 2024 campaign: to win football games. Their confidence, in their players and travelling fans, was rewarded. Four weeks removed from their Week 13 victory away at Coastal Carolina to wrap up the regular season, the Mountaineers appeared hungry for victory; opening scoring in the first quarter via a 46-yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Austin Redding to Wide Receiver Geoff Lucas. While Oklahoma State would rally to bring the score to 14-7 in the Cowboys' favor entering the half, Halfback Phil Turner would make the second-half his own. Turner began his rushing-clinic with a 72-yard sprint to give App State a 17-10 lead mid-way through the third quarter. After a pair of defensive stops to force Oklahoma State into successive 30+ yard field goal attempts - both of which were missed - Turner led the drive with a 46-yard reception and capped it off with a 13-yard touchdown run to extend the Mountaineers' lead to 27-14. After the Cowboys responded, bringing the score to 27-21, Turner made it a one-play scoring drive: breaking free of defenders for a 66-yard trip to the endzone and giving App State a 34-21 lead. Following another Redding-Lucas connection, this time for a 57-yard touchdown, the Mountaineers led 41-21 with five minutes remaining. After a pair of defensive stops, App State received the ball with three minutes remaining and handed the keys to the offense to the "Thunder and Lightning" of Ramon Brice and Phil Turner to close out the game. With eleven seconds to go, Turner crossed the goal-line for his fourth trip to the promised-land on the evening - his lane opened up by a Ramon Brice block. The tailbacks held the football aloft together in the endzone as the score read 47-21, "an amazing way to wrap-up the season" - a few seconds later, the season officially ended with the kick of a football through the uprights: 48-21. Week 17 Offensive Statistics Player Team Rushing Attempts Rushing Yards Yards/Attempt Rushing Touchdowns Targets Catches Receiving Yards Yards/Catch Receiving Touchdowns Troy Young UTAH 27 248 9.19 4 5 3 39 13.00 1 Phil Turner APST 24 314 13.08 4 6 3 56 18.67 0 The New Mexico Bowl victory capped-off a successful debut season for first-year Head Coach @dearden, with the Mountaineers finishing 2024 with an 8-5 (6-2) record and an outside chance of a final AP Coaches Poll ranking. Over the past four seasons, this brings Appalachian State's combined record to 32-20 (21-13) with their third bowl victory in as many attempts. The Mountaineers victory also boosts the Sun Belt's 2024 Bowl record to 1-4, following an 0-4 start to the postseason in Week 16 - the Sun Belt will hope for victories by Southern Mississippi, Texas State, and Marshall in Week 18 to even-out their Conference record at 4-4 between their impressive eight postseason participants.