Connect with us

Published

on

The ACC is ditching divisions for 2023, and that has set up a schedule that looks a good bit different from years past.

The league released its 2023 schedule for all 14 teams Monday, highlighted by a showdown between defending champion Clemson and upstart Duke on Labor Day and a September matchup between Clemson and Florida State.

The league announced last year it would cease divisional play in 2023, waving goodbye to the familiar Atlantic and Coastal divisions in favor of a 3-5-5 system which will pit each team against three annual rivals and alternate home-and-home series vs. five other league opponents every two years.

The new approach means rivalry games like Florida State-Miami (Nov. 11 in Tallahassee), NC State-North Carolina (Nov. 25 in Raleigh) and Virginia-Virginia Tech (Nov. 25 in Charlottesville) remain at the forefront, but Georgia Tech will also travel to Wake Forest for the first time since 2010, Louisville will play Virginia Tech for just the second time since joining the ACC in 2014, and Miami and Boston College, once Big East rivals, will play for just the second time since 2012.

The ACC’s nonconference slate gets off to a rollicking start, too, with North Carolina taking on South Carolina, Virginia facing off against Tennessee, Florida State playing LSU and, in what figures to be one of the most confusing games of the year, Miami (Ohio) travels to Miami (Florida).

ACC teams will go on the road to face off against teams outside the Power 5 six times in 2023. The league played 10 road games outside the Power 5 last year, losing three. Commissioner Jim Phillips has strongly recommended league teams cease this scheduling philosophy, as it risks repetitional cachet in favor of saving money.

The ACC continues its annual showcase games against Notre Dame as well. The Irish will head to NC State on Sept. 9, play at Duke on Sept. 30 and Louisville on Oct. 7, host Pitt on Oct. 28, travel to Clemson on Nov. 4 and host Wake Forest on Nov. 18. The Irish typically play five games per year against the ACC, but played just four last season and have an extra date in 2023 as a result.

Below you’ll find the schedule for all 14 ACC teams as well as analysis from ESPN reporters David Hale and Andrea Adelson.


Game you’re most looking forward to?

Hale: Florida State and Clemson should both be highly ranked when they face off, which makes that the obvious answer, but I’m more excited about a few games that come with huge storylines and have nothing to do with the standings. Thanks to the transfer portal, there are some, shall we say … awkward dates on the calendar at a few places. Boston College goes to Pitt on Nov. 16, where the Eagles will likely face off against their former QB, Phil Jurkovec. Virginia hosts former QB Brennan Armstrong when NC State comes to town on Sept. 22. But, of course, none of those portal-related grudge matches looms larger than Wake Forest’s trip to South Bend to take on Sam Hartman and the Fighting Irish on Nov. 18. Hartman took Wake to an ACC championship game in 2021 and left the school after five years as the ACC’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns. He has been synonymous with Wake Forest, and a date with the Deacons will no doubt be incredibly emotional for both parties.

Adelson: Florida State-Clemson is the obvious answer because far more should be at stake when they play this year with expectations they will be the conference’s top-ranked teams. The game comes in Week 4 — Sept. 23 — the first time these teams will play in September since 2014. That also happens to be the last time Florida State beat Clemson. Conference championship game implications (and the College Football Playoff) could be on the line, but remember there are no more divisions. So these two teams could play again in December in the conference title game, which, perhaps is part of the appeal in scheduling this game so early in the season.


Toughest stretch

Adelson: You could say Virginia has the toughest schedule of any ACC team, but let’s look at the first four games in particular. The Cavaliers have two difficult Power 5 nonconference games, the opener against Tennessee and a road game against Maryland. Sandwiched in between is James Madison, which went 8-3 a year ago. After that, Virginia opens ACC play against NC State on a Friday night. So, in total, the first four opponents on the schedule went a combined 35-15. North Carolina does not have it easy to start the season, either, with games against South Carolina, Appalachian State, Minnesota and Pitt. Then there is Syracuse, which hosts Clemson on Sept. 30 before going on the road to play North Carolina and Florida State.

Hale: Wake Forest has had a habit of getting off to hot starts only to struggle to the finish line, and the 2023 schedule certainly sets up for more of the same. Yes, there’s the big road trip to Clemson that provides the year’s biggest hurdle on Oct. 7, but it’s the final stretch that really raises some alarms. Wake hosts Pitt and Florida State, travels to Duke on short rest for a Thursday night affair, hosts NC State and then goes to Notre Dame. That’s five straight opponents who won at least eight games last season. The good news for Wake is it’ll have a soft open to the schedule to get a new QB ready for the grind ahead. The bad news is, there’s really nowhere to hide once the calendar turns to October.


Who needs a fast start?

Hale: Miami’s first five games set up nicely. The Hurricanes get Miami (Ohio), Texas A&M and Bethune-Cookman at home, then go on the road to face Temple before an off week and a home game against Georgia Tech. Of that group, only the Redhawks made a bowl last season. If the Hurricanes are going to blossom into a real contender under coach Mario Cristobal, they’ll need to be at least 4-1 — and their fans are probably thinking 5-0 — heading into a Week 7 trip to Chapel Hill. But that might be easier said than done. It was just a year ago when Miami laid an egg against the inept Aggies before getting blown out at home by Middle Tennessee. The shine hasn’t worn off the Cristobal hire just yet, but after serious changes to both the staff and roster, it’s unlikely Miami fans will tolerate another bad start.

Adelson: Miami is the easy answer here, but I will go with another second-year coach in Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. No one was thrilled in Blacksburg a year ago with a 3-8 record. The open to the schedule will offer opportunities to show things are different, though, starting with Old Dominion, a team that beat Virginia Tech a year ago. Then come two Big Ten teams, Purdue, under a new coaching staff, and Rutgers. Perhaps even bigger is going on the road against Marshall, because if anything, Pry must show this team can go on the road and beat a Group of 5 team after what happened in 2022.


Sept. 2: Northern Illinois
Sept. 9: Holy Cross
Sept. 16: Florida State
Sept. 23: at Louisville
Sept. 30: Virginia
Oct. 7: at Army
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Georgia Tech
Oct. 28: UConn
Nov. 3: at Syracuse
Nov. 11: Virginia Tech
Nov. 16: at Pitt
Nov. 24: Miami

Sept. 4: at Duke
Sept. 9: Charleston Southern
Sept. 16: Florida Atlantic
Sept. 23: Florida State
Sept. 30: at Syracuse
Oct. 7: Wake Forest
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at Miami
Nov. 4: Notre Dame
Nov. 11: Georgia Tech
Nov. 18: North Carolina
Nov. 25: at South Carolina

Sept. 4: Clemson
Sept. 9: Lafayette
Sept. 16: Northwestern
Sept. 23: at UConn
Sept. 30: Notre Dame
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 14: NC State
Oct. 21: at Florida State
Oct. 28: at Louisville
Nov. 2: Wake Forest
Nov. 11: at North Carolina
Nov. 18: at Virginia
Nov. 25: Pitt

Sept. 3: vs. LSU in Orlando
Sept. 9: Southern Miss
Sept. 16: at Boston College
Sept. 23: at Clemson
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 7: Virginia Tech
Oct. 14: Syracuse
Oct. 21: Duke
Oct. 28: at Wake Forest
Nov. 4: at Pitt
Nov. 11: Miami
Nov. 18: North Alabama
Nov. 25: at Florida

Sept. 1: vs. Louisville in Atlanta
Sept. 9: SC State
Sept. 16: at Ole Miss
Sept. 23: at Wake Forest
Sept. 30: Bowling Green
Oct. 7: at Miami
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: Boston College
Oct. 28: North Carolina
Nov. 4: at Virginia
Nov. 11: at Clemson
Nov. 18: Syracuse
Nov. 25: Georgia

Sept. 1: vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta
Sept. 7: Murray State
Sept. 16: at Indiana
Sept. 23: Boston College
Sept. 29: at NC State
Oct. 7: Notre Dame
Oct. 14: at Pitt
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 28: Duke
Nov. 4: Virginia Tech
Nov. 9: Virginia
Nov. 18: at Miami
Nov. 25: Kentucky

Sept. 1: Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 9: Texas A&M
Sept. 14: Bethune-Cookman
Sept. 23: at Temple
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 7: Georgia Tech
Oct. 14: at North Carolina
Oct. 21: Clemson
Oct. 28: Virginia
Nov. 4: at NC State
Nov. 11: at Florida State
Nov. 18: Louisville
Nov. 24: at Boston College

Sept. 2: vs. South Carolina in Charlotte
Sept. 9: Appalachian State
Sept. 16: Minnesota
Sept. 23: at Pitt
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 7: Syracuse
Oct. 14: Miami
Oct. 21: Virginia
Oct. 28: at Georgia Tech
Nov. 4: Campbell
Nov. 11: Duke
Nov. 18: at Clemson
Nov. 25: at NC State

Sept. 2: at UConn
Sept. 9: Notre Dame
Sept. 16: VMI
Sept. 22: at Virginia
Sept. 29: Louisville
Oct. 7: Marshall
Oct. 14: at Duke
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 28: Clemson
Nov. 4: Miami
Nov. 11: at Wake Forest
Nov. 18: at Virginia Tech
Nov. 25: North Carolina

Sept. 2: Wofford
Sept. 9: Cincinnati
Sept. 16: at West Virginia
Sept. 23: North Carolina
Sept. 30: at Virginia Tech
Oct. 7: Open
Oct. 14: Louisville
Oct. 21: at Wake Forest
Oct. 28: at Notre Dame
Nov. 4: Florida State
Nov. 11: vs. Syracuse in New York
Nov. 16: Boston College
Nov. 25: at Duke

Sept. 2: Colgate
Sept. 9: Western Michigan
Sept. 16: at Purdue
Sept. 23: Army
Sept. 30: Clemson
Oct. 7: at North Carolina
Oct. 14: at Florida State
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 26: at Virginia Tech
Nov. 3: Boston College
Nov. 11: vs. Pitt in New York
Nov. 18: at Georgia Tech
Nov. 25: Wake Forest

Sept. 2: vs. Tennessee in Nashville
Sept. 9: James Madison
Sept. 16: at Maryland
Sept. 22: NC State
Sept. 30: at Boston College
Oct. 7: William & Mary
Oct. 14: Open
Oct. 21: at North Carolina
Oct. 28: at Miami
Nov. 4: Georgia Tech
Nov. 9: at Louisville
Nov. 18: Duke
Nov. 25: Virginia Tech

Sept. 2: Old Dominion
Sept. 9: Purdue
Sept. 16: at Rutgers
Sept. 23: at Marshall
Sept. 30: Pitt
Oct. 7: at Florida State
Oct. 14: Wake Forest
Oct. 21: Open
Oct. 26: Syracuse
Nov. 4: at Louisville
Nov. 11: at Boston College
Nov. 18: NC State
Nov. 25: at Virginia

Aug. 31: Elon
Sept. 9: Vanderbilt
Sept. 16: at Old Dominion
Sept. 23: Georgia Tech
Sept. 30: Open
Oct. 7: at Clemson
Oct. 14: at Virginia Tech
Oct. 21: Pitt
Oct. 28: Florida State
Nov. 2: at Duke
Nov. 11: NC State
Nov. 18: at Notre Dame
Nov. 25: at Syracuse

Continue Reading

Sports

Buffs coach: Stars ‘should be going 1-2’ in draft

Published

on

By

Buffs coach: Stars 'should be going 1-2' in draft

BOULDER, Colo. — For the horde of NFL talent evaluators and some bleachers full of fans, Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Friday that they all got to see the top two players available in this year’s NFL draft.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter were among the 16 Colorado players who took part in the school’s showcase event for scouts, coaches and personnel executives from every NFL team. And Deion Sanders said the two marquee players confirmed what he has known for a long time.

“It’s tremendous,” Sanders said. “… They should be going 1-2 [in the draft], that’s the way I feel about it. They are the two best players in this draft. … The surest bets in this draft are those two young men, and I didn’t stutter or stammer when I said that.”

Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Hunter took part in most of the position drills or physical testing, but Sanders had a throwing session for just under an hour and Hunter was one of the wide receivers who participated. Neither player worked out at the scouting combine earlier this year, so it was the first time Sanders had thrown in such a setting since the end of the season. He showed some full seven-step drops and play-action from the shotgun and under center.

“I think I did pretty good, to my expectations,” said Sanders, who set the career FBS accuracy mark in his two years at Colorado (71.8%) to go with his 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns last season. “I know I did the best in college football right now, for sure.”

Asked after the throwing session whether he believed he was the best quarterback in the draft, Sanders said: “I feel like I’m the No. 1 quarterback, and that’s what I know. But at the end of the day, I’m not stuck on that because it’s about the situation, so whatever situation, whatever franchise believes in me, I’m excited to go. … I’m comfortable in any situation.”

Players Hunter, who did not speak to the media after the workout, and Sanders met with the Cleveland Browns contingent, including team co-owner Jimmy Haslam, on Thursday night in Boulder.

“They got me really full,” Sanders said. “I definitely needed to go to the sauna after that. … It was a good vibe.”

Said Deion Sanders said: “[I] spoke to the owner, truly delightful. He was engaging. … I think one of those guys is going to be there [at No. 2].”

Hunter, the No. 1 player on Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, did not do any defensive drills Friday, but he ran a full assortment of routes.

Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, Shedeur’s brother, offered plenty of encouragement, shouting commentary and clapping after each throw, including “not a lot of quarterbacks can make that throw” after one deep completion.

The highly attended event — by NFL representatives as well as fans packing small bleachers — had a festive atmosphere. Deion Sanders named it the “We Ain’t Hard 2 Find Showcase,” complete with a large lighted “The Showcase” sign next to the drills.

Hunter, who has said he wants to play offense and defense in the NFL, won the Chuck Bednarik (top defensive player) and Fred Biletnikoff (top receiver) awards in addition to the Heisman. He said whether he will primarily be a wide receiver or a cornerback in the NFL depends “on the team that picks me.”

On Friday, Deion Sanders said “ain’t nobody like Travis.”

Hunter had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver last season to go with 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 4 interceptions at cornerback. In the Buffaloes’ regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, he became the only FBS player in the past 25 years with three scrimmage touchdowns on offense and an interception in the same game, according to ESPN Research.

He played 1,380 total snaps in Colorado’s 12 regular-season games: 670 on offense, 686 on defense and 24 on special teams. He played 1,007 total snaps in 2023.

Shilo Sanders, who hoped to show teams more speed than expected, ran a 4.52 40-yard dash after he measured in at 5-foot-11⅞, 196 pounds. He did not participate in the jumps or bench press that opened the workout, citing a right shoulder injury.

With all NFL eyes on the Colorado campus to see Shedeur Sanders throw, one player who made the most of it was wide receiver Will Sheppard. Sheppard, who measured 6-2¼, 196 pounds, ran the 40 in 4.56 and 4.54 to go with a 40½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-11 broad jump.

Continue Reading

Sports

O’s Henderson off IL; will make ’25 debut vs. KC

Published

on

By

O's Henderson off IL; will make '25 debut vs. KC

Baltimore Orioles All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson was activated from the 10-day injured list and will make his season debut Friday night against the Kansas City Royals.

Henderson has been sidelined with a right intercostal strain and missed the first seven games of the big league campaign.

The 23-year-old Henderson will lead off and play shortstop against the host Royals.

Henderson was injured during a spring training game Feb. 27. He was fourth in American League MVP voting last season when he batted .281 and racked up career bests of 37 homers and 92 RBIs.

Henderson completed a five-game rehab stint at Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. He batted .263 (5-for-19) with two homers and four RBIs and played four games at shortstop and one as the designated hitter. He did commit three errors.

“I think everybody’s looking forward to having Gunnar back on the team,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday. “The rehab went really, really well. I talked to him a couple days ago, he feels great swinging the bat. The timing came, especially the last few days. He just had to get out there and get some reps defensively and get some games in, and it all went well.”

Baltimore optioned outfielder Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk to open up a roster spot. The 26-year-old was 0-for-4 with a run and RBI in two games this season.

Continue Reading

Sports

Life after OMG: Can 2025 Mets replicate their 2024 vibes?

Published

on

By

Life after OMG: Can 2025 Mets replicate their 2024 vibes?

When New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns attempted to assemble the best possible roster for the 2025 season this winter, the top priority was signing outfielder Juan Soto. Next was the need to replenish the starting rotation and bolster the bullpen. Then, days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, the lineup received one final significant reinforcement when first baseman Pete Alonso re-signed.

Acquiring a player with a singing career on the side didn’t make the cut.

“No, that is not on the list,” Stearns said with a smile.

Stearns’ decision not to re-sign Jose Iglesias, the infielder behind the mic for the viral 2024 Mets anthem “OMG,” was attributed to creating more roster flexibility. But it also hammered home a reality: The scrappy 2024 Mets, authors of a magical summer in Queens, are a thing of the past. The 2025 Mets, who will report to Citi Field for their home opener Friday, have much of the same core but also some prominent new faces — and the new, outsized expectations that come with falling two wins short of the World Series, then signing Soto to the richest contract in professional sports history.

But there’s a question surrounding this year’s team that you can’t put a price tag on: Can these Mets rekindle the magic — the vibes, the memes, the feel-good underdog story — that seemed to come out of nowhere to help carry them to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series last season?

“Last year the culture was created,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “It’s a matter of continuing it.”

For all the success Stearns has engineered — his small-market Milwaukee Brewers teams reached the postseason five times in eight seasons after he became the youngest general manager in history in 2015 — the 40-year-old Harvard grad, like the rest of his front office peers knows there’s no precise recipe for clubhouse chemistry. There is no culture projection system. No Vibes Above Replacement.

“Culture is very important,” Stearns said last weekend in the visiting dugout at Daikin Park before his club completed an opening-weekend series against the Houston Astros. “Culture is also very difficult to predict.”

Still, it seems the Mets’ 2024 season will be all but impossible to recreate.

There was Grimace, the purple McDonald’s blob who spontaneously became the franchise’s unofficial mascot after throwing out a first pitch in June. “OMG,” performed under Iglesias’ stage name, Candelita, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Songs chart, before a remix featuring Pitbull was released in October. Citi Field became a karaoke bar whenever Lindor stepped into the batter’s box with The Temptations’ “My Girl” as his walk-up song. Alonso unveiled a lucky pumpkin in October. They were gimmicks that might have felt forced if they hadn’t felt so right.

“I don’t know if what we did last year could be replicated because it was such a chaos-filled group,” Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said. “I don’t know if that’s replicable because there’s just too many things going on. I don’t know if that’s a sustainable model. But I think the expectation of winning is really important. I think establishing what we did last year and coming into this year where people are like, ‘Oh, no, that’s what we’re expecting to do,’ makes it different. It’s always a different vibe whenever you feel like you’re the hunter versus being the hunted.”

For the first two months last season, the Mets were terrible hunters. Lindor was relentlessly booed at Citi Field during another slow start. The bullpen got crushed. The losses piled up. The Mets began the season 0-5 and sunk to rock bottom on May 29 when reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that dropped the team to 22-33.

That night, the Mets held a players-only meeting. From there, perhaps coincidentally, everything changed. The Mets won the next day, and 67 of their final 107 games.

This year, to avoid an early malaise and to better incorporate new faces like Soto and Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, players made it a point to hold meetings during spring training to lay a strong foundation.

“At the end of the day, we know who we are and that’s the beauty of our club,” Alonso said. “Not just who we are talent-wise, but who each individual is as a man and a personality. For us, our major, major strength is our collective identity as a unit.”

Organizationally, the Mets are attempting a dual-track makeover: Becoming perennial World Series contenders while not taking themselves too seriously.

The commemorative purple Grimace seat installed at Citi Field in September — Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12 in right field — remains there as part of a two-year contract. Last week, the franchise announced it will feature a New York-city themed “Five Borough” race at every home game — with a different mascot competing to represent each borough. For a third straight season, USA Today readers voted Citi Field — home of the rainbow cookie egg roll, among many other innovative treats — as having the best ballpark food in baseball.

In the clubhouse, their identity is evolving.

“I’m very much in the camp that you can’t force things,” Mets starter Sean Manaea said. “I mean, you can, but you don’t really end up with good results. And if you wait for things to happen organically, then sometimes it can take too long. So, there’s like a nudging of sorts. It’s like, ‘Let’s kind of come up with something, but not force it.’ So there’s a fine balance there and you just got to wait and see what happens.”

Stearns believes it starts with what the Mets can control: bringing positive energy every day and fostering a family atmosphere. It’s hard to quantify, but vibes undoubtedly helped fuel the Mets’ 2024 success. It’ll be a tough act to follow.

“It’s fluid,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I like where guys are at as far as the team chemistry goes and things like that and the connections and the relationships. But it’ll continue to take some time. And winning helps, clearly.”

Continue Reading

Trending