Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - ACC SQUAD: ACC's Revenue STRUGGLES Threaten STABILITY | Can Clemson and FSU Save the Conference?

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

The ACC Squad podcast brings together college football experts to discuss the Atlantic Coast Conference's position in the power conference hierarchy. Featuring hosts from various ACC team-focused podcasts, the episode delves into whether the ACC's third-place standing is sufficient for long-term success. The panel debates potential growth opportunities, including the pursuit of Notre Dame as a full member. They also analyze predictions for the upcoming season, with Clemson emerging as the consensus favorite. The hosts explore dark horse contenders like Georgia Tech and Duke, while discussing the challenges facing traditional powers like Miami and Florida State. The lively debate showcases the depth and competitiveness within the ACC heading into the new season. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at www.monarchmoney.com/lockedoncollege for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

C.C. is firmly in third place among power conferences, but is that enough? Let's bring in the squad. You're talking ball with the ACC squad, sponsored by game time. From Florida State to North Carolina, from Syracuse to Miami, and from NC State to California, it's the local experts of the Locked-on podcast network, bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the upcoming ACC weekend. Hang on. It could get loud. it could get heated and it will definitely be fun squad squad up you're part of the acc squad

squad out to the everydayers and thank you so much for making the acc squad your first listen and your first watch we're available free wherever you get your podcast we're free on youtube we're part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day we got j j j jackson from locked on blue devils he's here on location in charlotte as are me i'm alex dono from locked on canes Kenton Gibbs from Lockdown Wolfpack and then in the far corners of Syracuse, New York, we have Jackson Holzer from locked on Syracuse with us. So, all right, Kenton, I'll start with you on this one. I'll let you buy the first round.

So it is fair to say the ACC is firmly in third place. We all know they're behind the SEC, they're behind the Big Ten and revenues, TV ratings, all that, clearly in front of the Big 12 right now. and the ACC has generated record revenues as of late. So he's being firmly in third place. Is that enough in your eyes right now? I hate to do this, but I have to quote one, Kendrick Duckworth, and it's not enough.

Few solid revenues, but it's not enough. The reality is somebody bought this up and asked this question a day in terms of, hey, the Big 12 capitulated to multiple teams who were seeking to get out of their conference to get more money as well. those teams all eventually ended up leaving because it'll never be enough. It'll never be enough ground if teams are trying to make up a 100% of the difference between them and a team in the SEC or the Big Ten, it will never be enough unless you can get them to 100%. That's just the reality.

Even if you're getting 80%, teams will still look up and say, why am I sacrificing this 20% just to stay in the ACC? So third place is good. Grady, it's not enough. Yeah, I totally agree. I think when you look at what the conferences have been doing the past few weeks trying to, you know, it's talking season for a reason. We've got to find things that we need to talk about. So the ACC trying to not back down.

But these teams are going to want their full share of the pie, as you're saying, they're kidding. Like, they're going to want to do whatever it takes to make the most money possible for their institutions. At a certain point, this turns into a selfish problem. I want to support myself, first and foremost, before thinking about how the rest of my peers and a league are perceived. or helped. No, it's not enough to be third place. You can never go into, if you're, first of all, there's only four power conferences out there. So being third, you're in the bottom half.

It's not like we're talking about third out of 30. We're talking about three out of four. That ain't exactly good enough here, okay? There's only four power conferences. Second of all, I don't know about you all, but it's a mindset thing. I mean, are you happy with the bronze medal? No. You want the gold medal, right?

you want to be number one. And if you have the mindset of, oh, we're okay with being in third, well, guess what? The Big 12 is going to pass you because the Big 12 is going to sit there and say, well, we're not okay being fourth. So we're going to do everything in our power to leapfrog the ACC and then so on and so forth, the Big Ten and the SEC. So the ACC, you cannot have the mindset of, oh, we're okay being in third place. It's okay. It's fine. No, you need to have the mindset of, no, we're going for the throne.

going for first place and whatever happens happens, but the mission of the conference should be you're going for number one. So no, third place out of four is not good enough. Well, when you put that in the context of what the Big 12 is doing, it could potentially be enough to keep third. It is not enough to keep these two teams. The Big 12 just turned down Memphis who offered them nine figures and did not want to take any revenue. And for the first, five years at minimum and gave the Big 12 an instant breakup clause at 2030. Yeah. And they turned it down for some reason.

I can't find the logic in them. A lot of people were saying, well, you know, they've got their eyes on teams falling out of the ACC when that happens. I don't understand that, though, because let's say everything happens according to the timeline that we know. The new TV deals kick and win. About 2030, 2030, 2030 to 2013. 2030.

So if you go up to 2030 with this team, they do not receive. see a dime, you receive $300 million, and then when the new TV deals are about to be due, you just say, actually, I'm good, shoot, we'll use your $300 million to purchase a new team out of the ACC. You're coming out a winner. I don't get that. What is the problem with legitimizing Memphis in that moment? To me, I think that's a grave misstep by your mark that we'll look back at and say, ah, that was a deciding moment as to why the Big 12th state fourth, because I'll tell you, do you think Jim Phillips would turn that down? You think he turned down the team giving them 300 million?

They took Cal and Stanford. It's not sweet of a deal as that. And guess what? My case has a snuggy on. It's put on this big pillow. It's put on the rain sound. It's resting peacefully. I think literally any school in the country,

if they offer Jim Phillips to 300 mil to join the conference, I think they take it. I don't even, it doesn't matter where that school is located. We can be talking about they're in the middle of Russia here and they'd probably still take the school. It's free money. Just take the program. But I don't know.

That's a big 12th problem. And at least Memphis somewhat makes sense when we're talking geography strictly. You know, when you add the Atlantic Coast Conference, adding California schools to the mix the last few years, at least if you are Memphis and you made that same pitch to the ACC, the travel would not be that big of an issue at all. Yeah. And I guess my question would be how much more room for growth do you think there's, is Kenton, I'll start with you when it comes to the ACC, because again, the revenues for what it's worth keep going up. It may not be SEC Big Ten type of revenue, but they're going up every

single year. We have this thing, it's very polarizing coming up, but called the brand initiative, which was part of that settlement with Florida State and Clemson, where you put on better TV ratings, more people watch you on Saturdays, you're going to make a bigger share of that revenue and that could go a long way into at least temporarily satisfying the Florida states and the Clemsons and you know schools like Miami and UNC and so on can also benefit from that and certainly do basketball can and so are we on the right track here when it comes to growth because we're definitely creating like a wider gap between the haves and the have-nots but the haves are the ones you need to keep happy you know I will say this I'll quote another entertainer here Lindsay

Lowhan and Mean Girls, the limit does not exist in terms of growth. If teams want to give you a sweetheart deal, you take the deal. You don't look the prize horse in the mouth. If you get offered the type of deal to Memphis before, you don't make any second thoughts about it because what concessions are you making would be my question. The absolute worst thing you can say is a potential slight detriment to your perception because people would perceive Memphis as not being on a level of some of your other teams. I don't, sure.

You give me $300 million. You can ruin my perception. You can rule, you know. I like what you said earlier about legitimizing them because, you know, a lot of the teams that are now in power conferences and even thriving, they, you know, came from the group of five or the group of six or whatever it is now. That, you know, until you get that, I mean, SMU a couple of years ago, what were they in the AAC?

They almost won the ACC last year. I thought you said it well when you used that word legitimized. that if you give a program that opportunity, sometimes they can make the most of that. And they're paying for the opportunity. That's the big thing that I think. So when we talk about growth to me, the growth needs to come at a rate where you are not, it's not a detriment to yourself. It's not growth that's cutting off your arm to kind of get out and get more. No, no, no. This is literally you taking in good growth. I just don't understand why not. Again, I would, I think the ACC would take literally any school in the country right now.

they wanted to offer a great deal. I think another school that we need to talk about, but it's completely unrealistic again. And it would honestly be the other way around where the ACC would be giving money to get this program in would be Notre Dame. Because if you can get Notre Dame football in, that is your ultimate growth right there. And that's an investment that is probably worth it no matter what price you are paying because it's Notre Dame football. Unfortunately, it's not realistic. But if you're talking about growth opportunities for the ACC, that is the pie in the sky. dream scenario if you can get Notre Dame to join the conference in football.

Yeah, no doubt about that. And I will say we were having some fun, Kenton, that one of the reasons why the ACC is able to flex the toughest non-conference schedule in college football is that scheduling agreement they have with Notre Dame, who's not technically in the conference. But yeah, but you talk about if you were to give the ACC an opportunity to really compete with the big boys, Big Ten and the SEC, if you're. you could find a way to make Notre Dame a full-fledged member of the conference. They're in and every sport but football, but football's the biggest money driver.

And suddenly you become a contender with the big two. Who could have thought? Who could have thought? Minds are blown all over America at this point. I mean, think about it what it would be like if Notre Dame was in the ACC here. There would be automatically every year basically two teams that are close to, if not locks, for the college football play out. Every year, no matter what, you got Clemson, you got,

Notre Dame and then you got big programs behind them like Florida State and Miami. And there's others that I'm not mentioning, but you get the idea. If you add a program like Notre Dame, that's the ultimate growth opportunity. Yeah, it's great. I mean, you're going to obviously take the money if you add some random school from some random conference. It's going to be nice for the ACC. But the ultimate growth opportunity is trying to get Notre Dame in, but I don't see

Notre Dame leaving anytime soon. Yeah, well, we'll talk about what we have when we come back. is one of the things that goes on this week, fellas, is media members, we get the opportunity to vote conference champions, top players in the conference. I know Kenton and I and JJ will be filling out our ballots here over the next day or so. Who's winning this thing? I know the choice may seem obvious, but how do we see that top four, top six finishing out? We've got a lot still to cover here. We're at Media Days in Charlotte, Hilton Charlotte Uptown, Alex Dono from Locked on Caines, Kenton Gibbs, Locked on Wolfpack. We got Jackson Holzer, locked on Syracuse, JJ Jackson, locked on Blue Devils. We're only getting started on this brand new episode of the squad.

Guys, we're only getting started with Fanduil. I mean, you know, I'm about that action. And the summer sports are in full swing. Whether you're all about baseball under the lights, golf on the green, high-stakes soccer action, anyone, Fanduel is the best way to make every game even more exciting. You're already following the action. Why not make it more thrilling? With Fandul, you can get in on the game while your friends are getting sunburned,

beach. I've been using Fanduel to track my favorite matchups and the app keeps it fresh with new daily promotions and fun ways to bet. It's easy to use, fast to pay out, it makes even regular season games feel like must watch events. Whether I'm placing a same game parlay or watching a bet ride into the ninth inning, Fandual makes it feel like I'm part of the action. If you're new to Fandual, new customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. open the Fandual app today or visit Fanduil.com to get started. Thank you so much for making the squad. Your first listen and your first watch.

You got Jackson Holtz-Hawls from Locked on Syracuse, JJ Jackson, Locked on Blue Devils, Alex Dono and Kenton Gibbs from Locked on ACC and Locked on Wolfpack respectfully. So it's the first question. Don't all raise your voice at once. Are any of us not going to vote for Clemson to win the ACC? It shan't be me. I'm going Clemson.

I'm picking Clemson. I'm probably picking Clemson as well, even though I feel like I got to be one of those token guys to like stand up for my school and vote. I knew it. Kenton, Kenton, last year, Boston College got more than one vote from media members and attendance. Cal, I think, got two votes to win the conference last year.

So shouldn't I be doing it? And JJ should be voting for Duke. You should be voting for Enzi State. All of that means. means is we need to start drug testing here in Charlotte. That's all that means. Commissioner Phillips, if you can hear the sound of my voice, this means that we need to get them little cups out and do it like the NCAA does it where they watch it. So they make sure that there's no funny business going on. Before you turn the ball. It doesn't even matter about the

I mean, these are people who are probably just big Boston college fans that are voting for Boston College to win the conference or big Cal fans to win. There's no drug test that can stop that, to be honest with you. I don't know what you're, I don't know what to do about it. It's just I do represent your school. I don't know what under God's greener could make a sober person, a person of sober heart and mind, say, hmm, Bill O'Brien with limited resources? That sounds like a champion to me.

I'm sorry. It's a fan. You know what? Fan stands for fanatic. Yeah. So you're not thinking rationally, even if you're sober. But it shouldn't be a fan. You know, this is a media ballot.

I agree. It's just how it is. I don't know. what to tell you. Okay, so here's the real question, and I'll let Jackson go first on this one. What would your, let's say, top four look like? You fill out conference order one through four. What order do you have that? Clemson one. How's Carson back doing, Donnell? What's that? How's Carson Beck doing, Dono? I'm glad you asked. He was very chipper today. I sat down with Miami's new quarterback one. He emphasized to me he has been fully healthy from

months that he's been out there, you know, throwing to his receivers and off-season workouts. And I don't know. And I'll be, this is my first time meeting back, because since he was not, you know, fully healthy during spring,

they didn't make him available to the media. Seems like a guy who's got a good head on his shoulders. I kept hearing from these Georgia people like, oh, he's immature, you know, huge character concerns. I mean,

I didn't see any character concerns here at the Hillton, Charlotte Uptown. All right. Good enough for me. I'll be the idiot. I'll take Miami at two. And then I'll go Louisville 3 and SMU 4. That might be my exact order, by the way, Kent.

That's hard. I'm kind of right there as well. I think that. Hold on, hold on a minute. Your time, I nailed this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've got, I'm sorry,

but there's no way that I can put Miami ahead of Louisville and SMU at this point. Thank you. I need someone to disagree with me. I can't do it only because they have, They don't have the same problems in terms of get-rightitis that I've seen out of Miami. Those two teams have shown their propensity. Hold on.

You don't think Louisville has get-rightitis? Louisville's been to an ACC championship in the last three years. I mean, what do they do in that game against a third-string quarterback? They played against a defense that had two guys that are now pro-bowler slash all-pro-level guys in terms of Jared Burs and Braden Fiske. they have looked phenomenal in the league against guys that get paid millions to block them up. So I'm not too upset about their offense looking like that. Your boys blew a 21-point lead to Syracuse. The fighting Jackson Holdsers were just too good on that day.

What were you supposed to do? The only team that can really stop Syracuse last year. And this is Donald's attempt to get Mario Cristobal to come at me again because earlier today, Cristobal, I got a little feisty with me And I said, hey, Miami's got a bad case. It can't get rightitis. You've been right there. And he said, we actually didn't have the talent.

Well, here's what he took issue. And I thought it was a really good question. And you got a really good answer out of him. I did. But it was kind of like two questions packaged into one. So you gave them another part of the question where he didn't have to answer the get rightitis part. Because you mentioned Miami always has the talent. Right.

And then Mario Cristobal's point was when he got to Miami in 2022, too. They didn't have anybody at that point who was going to be NFL drafted. Like, unfortunately, you know, the three years of the Mani Diaz, there. And by the way, J.G., just so you know, I think Mani Diaz is doing a much better job at Duke than he did at Miami. He learned a lot from his issues first time as a head coach at Miami, but it was not recruiting very well at Miami. You know, Mark Rick, I think, was unfortunate a little Bass's Prime when he was at Miami. He didn't exactly stock the coverts nearly to Mani Diaz. So basically, you gave Mario Cristobal a reason to avoid.

to get right it as part of it. And, you know, you implying that he, you know, and whether you meant to imply it or not, implying that he inherited a team with a bunch of talent. His point was it didn't have a bunch of talent. But that's what I'm saying. I specifically said, and this goes beyond you. But Miami has not, has had a case that can't get right. Because even if we talk about what is down recruiting for Miami, what is, we talk about

guys not being NFL draftics. But if we look at those classes, Miami outside the top 25 now, nationally in recruiting. Yeah, pretty rarely. I mean, you see what I'm saying? So it's tough for me. They do have talent.

Exactly. That's what I'm saying. So it's tough for me to sit here and hear, oh, they don't have talent when we've got NC State football, Syracuse football, and Duke football represented right here. And you're telling me that Miami hasn't had talent. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, not to break it off into a bigger discussion.

We'll get back on track in a second. But part of this, and this also has to be fixed under Christobal. It was an issue. before still an issue is actually developing the talent you get in there. So yeah, even if Mandy Diaz may have had like a 25th rank recruiting class in the country, there certainly weren't developing that into a top 25 team. Absolutely. Absolutely.

And I think that's a very fair point. But to me, that gets into a different conversation. If we're talking about not developing talent, that does not mean that you do not have the talent. We can get into why guys aren't developing. Did they pick the wrong guys? Was there something wrong with their strength of conditioning or weight room, whatever the case may be. But my argument is always that when I look at Miami historically, and like I said, this goes beyond Christopher. Because I know Miami fans love to act

like I hate Miami as if I didn't wear 99 all throughout my childhood because I loved Warns out. If the shoe fits. Well, listen, if they want to lace up a size 16 on them, just make sure it's a Gucci Lofa. But I look at this and I say, that is a team that with all the respect, I need to see you actually get it done. Yeah. Even with, first of all, building in the right direction. I'm not mad at that. I agree. He is building in the right direction. However, at some point in time, the potential has to be potential.

I need to see the potential go to, hey, we've all got rings now. We've all got big old rings saying that we built this program from what it was when the coverage were barren to a champion. All right. So it sounds like me and JJ agree with Jackson's top four, Clemson, Miami. Jackson, you have Louisville first or you had Louisville 30? at SMU 4th, correct? Yep. I agree completely.

Kenton clearly disagrees, so give us your top 4th. I think that that is the top 4 is not the order. I think that you go Clemson. I think that you go Louisville at 2. I think you go SMU at 3, and I think you go Miami at 4. So the difference is essentially one game. Pretty much. Pretty much.

And I have felt like at multiple times that can't get right, I just has been Miami. And we could blame it on the defense. But the defense, okay. They allowed 21 points, but that should not have caused a 21 point comeback because that also means your offense has not pissed to drop at that point. You get what I'm saying? So it's not just about, oh, I don't believe that Miami, I don't believe in Miami because of this one moment. It's been a buildup of this.

The same reason why a lot of people don't believe in NC State, and I'm okay with that. I'm okay with people saying, hey, this NC State team, Dave Dornisholos who he is, he's a 6 and 6th merchant. He's a 75 merchant. going to roll up a stogie after going eight and four and beating bill bellichick the biggest to stogie you've ever seen i'm okay with that because that's what his history has shown right so when we come back uh who's just outside that top four and who's going to surprise right because i nobody expected sm you last year to be in the top four let alone number two everybody last year thought florida state was number one and then look what happened to them so who could surprise us you

want to keep it locked right here we're not done yet on this brand new episode of the squad thank you for making us your first listen and your first watch for your next listen. Make sure you check out our other shows. Kent and Gibbs and Grayson Boone doing an awesome job hosting Locked on Wolfpack. We're going to have a ton of coverage coming up on Thursday, right? KG is Wolfpack Day? Oh, yeah. We got a ton. Well, it's not just Wolfpack day. It's North Carolina day. We got North Carolina. We got NC State. If you're from this great state of North Carolina, you're going to be on Thursday. So make sure you check out Locked on Wolfpack. Check out Locked on Syracuse with Jackson Holtzor and Lockdown Blue Devils with JJ Jackson.

All right, Kenton, so just outside of that top four, and like we all agree on the four, we just agree on the order. I pretty strongly feel that I'm going to write Georgia Tech into that fit spot. And I'm going, and this is a little bit of a hot take, and I'm within earshot of the war chant guys will be very pleased that I'm saying this. I don't know. I think Florida State might be able to surprise some people.

they might be able to kind of inch closer to that top four this year. Who's that quarterback? Tommy Castellanos, your favorite. Yeah, you're going, they're going six and six. Donno, I was with you. The six and six fall in the conference? I don't know, but they're going six and six. Exactly.

Dono, I was with you with the top five. You probably go pit, right? At six. You know, Pitt is an enigma for me because I believe a healthy Eli Holstein spells out that they could be six. But at that five spot, I wouldn't even call them a five. I call it more of a 4B. The quarterback scrambling, the wreck is rambling. Georgia Tech has to be in that consideration for a team that is right there.

That is right there on the president. Like I've talked about, they have some depth issues at some key spots. But if they maintain relative health at those spots, I truly see this could be a special year for them. You talk about them being very well prepared, but sometimes just lacking that top end talent. How much more time can you get than Haynes King, a quarterback, Jamal Haynes at running back? All Americans on your own sense of one. But who's catching balls in lost Eric Singleton, Auburn? And I agree with you.

And that the wide receiver court is one of those positions where I say, hey, you can't afford an interviewer to there. You're going to be in a bad way if that happens. But even beyond that, to me, if you can win in the trenches, the same thing I said about why Miami is up here, right? I have a lot of questions about Miami's skill position groups. But when I talk about Miami and I talk about what they do well, they're going to win in the trenches.

And you know what I believe about Georgia's, this year, they're going to win in the trenches. So I think that sets them up in position to where, again, I don't even think they're a true five. I believe they're more of a four-beat. I want you all to take a look at Duke's schedule. And I'm not just saying this because is in here. Thank you. Well, Dono teased me because he said, I'm with an earshot, and I thought he was about to height me and Duke up a little bit since we're both here and the Hilton. But go ahead, Jackson. So I look at Duke's schedule and I'm not saying they're going to run the table because they're not going to run the table.

But how many games, when you look at it, do you say they can't win that game? There's maybe one at Clemson. Other than that, it's a pretty doable schedule. What's their second toughest game, Illinois, Tulane, Georgia Tech, but you get them at home? If Duke goes 9 and 3 or 10 and 2, I would not be surprised. See, I can do- If Darian Mensa is the guy that they're paying him to be especially, right? I mean, they're paying him all that money.

He better be pretty good. So if he plays at that caliber level where he's in the conversation or is an all-ACC player, Duke's going to 9 and 3 or 10-and-2 this season, and people are going to act stunned by it, even though this team went 9-3 last year. Yeah. That's a sleeper. I can get behind that. I can get behind that.

My only question about them, you've lost a lot in the trenches over the past. two years. And while Duke has done a great job of developing guys who were unheralded coming out of high school or getting guys in the portal that turned out to be massive gets, how much attrition can Duke suffer in the portal before we start having a very serious conversation or not just the portal, but also graduating out in terms of a Duane Carter, in terms of a monk, in terms of Aeneas peoples who transferred out, and you say to yourself, okay, well, how many big bodies do they have that are good? Because don't get me wrong. I think many D.A. is doing a fantastic job. He's coaching up that defense. Nobody disguises a defense like

Manny Diaz and company. I want to make that very clear. That secondary, they're going to be fierce. They're going to be something to absolutely be reckoned with this year. But I'm asking myself, okay, you have questions about a lot of new starters on the offensive line and you're breaking in a first year transfer quarterback and you're breaking your first year transfer receivers. We're expecting a lot of cohesion in year one that I think that other teams have that puts them in front. Georgia Tech has a lot of cohesion that I say this puts them definitively in front of Duke to me. I think the other team I would look at is Pitt, but also Pitt is that caliber. Pits that team almost every year where you just write them in the middle of

your standing predictions. It's always right. It's just right there in the middle. All right, that eight spot, I'm just going to write the Pitt Panthers. I'm not even, I'm not even going to look at their roster or anything. I'm just going to write them in. But they are a sleeper. They started 7 and 0 last year and then they found a way to go 7 and 6. I know. I know. They start 7 and O and O and Kenton is campaigning for them to be a top five team in the country or whatever. We kept on coming on the ACC squad every week saying they're not a top five team in the country. And then lo and behold, every week it became a running joke about Pitt. Are you a sports analyst or are you a historian, Jackson? Because you keep bringing up old stuff.

You keep bringing up old. If you're going to tell me Miami's got can't get right, Idis, you can't now pick and choose. Why can't I do a little bit? You're saying Miami's not going to be good or Miami's not going to be too because of what they've done in the past. Now I'm sitting here talking about Pitt and everything like that in the past, and you're sitting here saying you can't talk about the past. Hey, listen, I'm always going to ride with a winner. I'm sorry.

Either of those tools are winners. Anybody who starts off their season more than half their season without a loss, I'm a ride with them. I'm sorry. If that makes me a bad guy, call me a bad guy. Boy, good thing you're not a betting man because you would have put the house on 10. Like, they're 7 and 0. They're going to go 12 and 1. No problem. You'd be holding. They're going to make a playoff. Oh, absolutely. We should be right there. Let me think they're like better than George. They've got a better record than them. My wife better not ever let me take out a heat lock and get hit the band door.

Oh my gosh. Oh, man. Well, listen, it's all. It's all. always a good time. We're going to have so much more content from out here this week. We got our our guy, JJ, Jackson is absolutely hustling, producing great content, locked on ACC episodes, locked on Wolfpack, locked on Cains. I know even Jackson's in Syracuse, but he's still finding a way to pump out great content regardless, man. Everyone keep up the good work. Make sure you hit that thumbs up button. Subscribe, locked on ACC, subscribe to Locked on Wolfpack, Locked on Cains, locked on Blue Devils, locked on Syracuse. And we will talk to everyone again next time. on another episode of the ACC squad right here on the awesome

Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day.