Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - ACC SQUAD - HOT TAKES: Will Clemson Tigers or Miami Hurricanes face SMU in ACC Championship?

Episode Date: November 27, 2024

It’s crunch time in the Atlantic Coast Conference! Welcome to ACC Squad, your weekly roundtable podcast covering all things ACC football. In this Week 14 preview, hosted by Alex Donno of Locked On ACC, we’re breaking down the final week of the regular season, focusing on conference title races, bowl game implications, and the players and teams with the most to prove.Join us as we preview the biggest games of the week and discuss how the outcomes could shake up the ACC standings. Whether you’re cheering for the Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Hurricanes, NC State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Syracuse Orange, California Golden Bears, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Pittsburgh Panthers, SMU Mustangs, Stanford Cardinal, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, or Wake Forest Demon Deacons, this episode is a must-watch!In This Episode:Previews of Week 14’s key matchups and playoff implicationsAnalysis of the ACC Championship race and bowl game scenariosPredictions from Locked On podcast hosts on who will rise to the occasionSpotlight on standout players and season-defining performancesSubscribe to ACC Squad and stay tuned for the latest insights, predictions, and updates as we head into championship season. Let us know in the comments which teams and players you’re most excited to watch in Week 14!#ACCSquad #ACCFootball #LockedOnACC #Week14Preview #ACC2024 #ConferenceTitleRace #BowlSeason #BostonCollegeEagles #ClemsonTigers #DukeBlueDevils #FloridaStateSeminoles #LouisvilleCardinals #MiamiHurricanes #NCStateWolfpack #NorthCarolinaTarHeels #SyracuseOrange #CaliforniaGoldenBears #GeorgiaTechYellowJackets #PittsburghPanthers #SMUMustangs #StanfordCardinal #VirginiaCavaliers #VirginiaTechHokies #WakeForestDemonDeacons Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SMU's already in, but the other side of the ACC championship game is going to be decided this weekend. You're talking ball with the ACC squad. 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 up. You're part of the ACCC squad. We assemble the squad. I'm Alex Dono from Locked on Cains. We got Jackson Hulzer, who is my sworn enemy

this week of Locked on Syracuse. And we've got Grayson Boone and Kenton Gibbs of Locked on Wolfpack with us, something we will talk about on this episode. I'm sure the Wolfpack hosts are maybe actually disappointed that Mack Brown has been fired at UNC. So we will get into that. We'll get into the games this weekend, recap the games from last weekend. This episode, episode of the squad is brought to you by Fanduel. You can start the season with a big return on Fandul. New customers can place a $5 bet and you'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet. Visit Fanduel.com to get started. So guys, SMU, they still need to keep winning to impress the committee. So I'm not going to say they don't have anything to play for, but they've

already punched their ticket to the ACC championship game. Miami can punch their ticket if they beat Syracuse on the road. So I'd like to start with that game. And I will, you know, since I'm a little biased towards the Miami side and maybe since Jackson might be biased towards the Syracuse side, I will let either Kenton or Grayson buy the first round. So who's got it? Well, I mean, hey, I never shut up.

So I'll let Grayson take the round out to me here. I think the reality of this thing is simple. What's best for the ACC is that Miami win. And unfortunately, I'm a lion's fan. I can give a hell about what people think is good for the collective. I think what's good for one is good for all. In all seriousness, though, I think that in order for the ACC to get in multiple teams into the playoff, you would have to see a Miami win here.

I think that's your only shot at that deal. But again, you've still got to go out and win that ball game. And the reality is, Kyle McCord has shown he's like Mount Vesuvius, right? When he's not erupting and spilling over, with turnovers, relatively dormant, does good things for the offense, gets the ball and playmaker's hands. So this game is going to be about a lot like the Wake Forest game.

Can Miami be opportunistic enough? We all saw Wake Forest driving to the tire take the lead, then all of a sudden, Miami's defense is opportunistic enough to turn what could have been 10-10 into 17-10 by an excellent pick-six. So I look at this game and I say, the same thing. Can Miami's defense be opportunistic enough? Because I don't think that they'll

have a problem scoring on Syracuse's defense. I really and truly don't. I think highly of the mob and whatnot, but I mean, this is the best offense, one of the best offenses in the nation. So I think Cam Warden Company will be able to move the ball, but defensively, can you get a stop? Yeah, I mean, it's the same story that it's been all year for Miami. Can the offense kind of patch up what the defense has exposed in this team? It was true again on Saturday. They took care of business against Wake Forest. However, I had my concerns there late in that third quarter as they entered the fourth quarter. I was like, Miami's not really going to do this, are they? And then they turned on their fourth quarter jets as they've done countless times this year

and put that one away. I also want to shout out SMU. First year in the ACC conference, they're making it to the ACC championship. I'm not bitter because my team is nowhere near that, but I am genuinely happy for SMU. What a cool moment for those guys. And so they deserve to be in it. I mean, they're 10 and 1. What else can you say about them? I'm looking forward to a very highly contested ACC championship, barring that it is either Miami or Clemson, barring or collapse. But I think it will be Miami.

I think they're going to take care of business. SMU versus Miami in Charlotte should be a good one. Yeah, Jackson, I'll say this. I think something we're going to get more clarity on for good or for bad. And the Syracuse game is what is Miami's defense? Because they had a resurgence. And I know people say, oh, it's Wake Forest. Because Wake Forest's offense is respectable. Defense is terrible.

But Wake Forest has a good offense. And Miami, after making it look way too easy early in the game for Wake Forest offense, they flipped some kind of a switch where they only allowed seven points the entire game. And that was on Wake Forest opening drive. The other seven points were given up on special teams. And they got five sacks in the game, an interception. That was the pick six by Mish Powell, the Kenton mentioned. So all that talk about Miami during the by week of improving their alignment.

and improving their communication. We did see a lot of that against Wake Forest. Now, it's a different challenge against Syracuse, because Kyle McCourt is having himself a year, and that passing offense is having itself an absolute blast this season. So can Miami's defense, which has looked vulnerable, kind of hit or miss against the past this year? Are they going to get gash?

Like, who is Miami's defense really? I can't tell you. What I would say about Miami's defense is this. As kind of Jekyll and Hyde as it can kind of be, Do you know who has the number one total defense in the ACC? Miami. It's Miami. I think sometimes we look at their defense and we say, well, that's clearly the weak link.

And as I explained on my own podcast, locked on Syracuse yesterday, yeah, by default it has to be the weak link because they have the number one total offense in the nation. So clearly it's going to be worse. But their defense is still pretty good. And for Syracuse in this game, there are two keys. Number one, you've got to win the turnover battle. Like Miami is going to get their yards. They're going to go up and down the field.

But you're going to have to turn them over a couple of times. And if you're the Syracuse offense, none. You cannot give Miami extra possessions. You know your defense is probably not going to stop them very much. And number two, you got to be ultra-aggressive. This is the time. It's the final game of the regular season. you're not playing for anything tangible.

Go for it. This is the time to say screw it. We're not punting. Screw it. We're not kicking field goals. We're probably going to have to store at least 40 points to win this game. So if it's fourth and two on your own 31 yard line, go for it. You might as well because your defense is probably not going to stop them anyway.

I think for Miami, they've got to control the clock because when the opponents who have had the most success against Miami, including Georgia Tech, who beat them. They had 10 extra minutes of time of possession. So I think in Miami's case, I know that for most of the season, the passing game has been electric. It was actually Miami's running game, though, that's what allowed them to pull away in the fourth quarter last week. I think they need to lean on that more. And, you know, the part of Syracuse's defense has been more vulnerable, has been the rushing defense. Miami's really found something in true freshman running back, who has really stepped up this season to really compliment Damien Martinez

and compliment Mark Fletcher. Jordan Lyle had that big game last week, 115 yards, 16.4 yards per carry. So a steady dose of all three of those guys, I think he's going to help you control that clock. And then, of course, defensively going up against the quarterback like Kyle McCourt. I'll go back to the defense for Miami. Part of what I want to know who they really are is it's been Feaster, famine when it comes to pressure and quarterbacks, right? Some weeks you have four or five sacks.

Other weeks, you don't produce the sacks. So, you know, being able to put McCord under constant pressure to me is paramount this week. I think one of the things that we're skipping over here is, you know, Donald mentioned a little bit in terms of that running game. But the reality is a large part of what Miami has been able to do this year is keep teams offenses on the sidelines. They're number two in the conference in time of possession. Here, the problem they're behind syracuse so that is the irony of syracuse by the way because they're a passing team exactly and yet they control the clock for basically every game it's it's weird well i mean yes they're a passing team but very serious question jackson how many big time throws do they demand cow mccourt make per game

is this an offense like the old the the big time throws that he typically makes or the throws that you wouldn't necessarily think they're big time throws because he's going to fit it within a tight window, but it's only five or six yards down the field. And that's my point exactly. He's not, this isn't the old TCU offense is where everything is super vertical. And you're saying, hey, if you can't throw it at least 40 yards on a row on a regular basis, we're not going to win football games. This isn't that type of offense. So I think that the thing that I want to talk about here in terms of when I look at Miami's defense is not about, hey, are they really great at getting stops?

In terms of yards allow per play, despite the fact that their offense is on the field, a majority of the game, they still are not one of the best in terms of top three in that category. They are better than many people believe in most categories. However, they have still shown the propensity to allow a lot of points.

How many teams have either scored their season high against this team or something damn close to it, right? Most. So exactly. So I look at this Miami team and I say to myself, I don't need great defense. Just be opportunistic.

I don't need you to be perfect. But Cal McCourt is going to make one or two throws. He's going to have one or two moments that have Syracuse fans screaming. No, no, no, no. That's going to have Fran Brown's wife screaming. Please, I want my husband to wash up. But it's the reality of what we're looking at that Miami has to take advantage of those moments or else it could be a very long day in the carrier.

dog. Like I said, my name is Gary Don, so I'm called Gary Dog. But it's going to be a long day for Miami if they can't take advantage of those moments. Well, it's not the only big game coming up this weekend. I want to take a look at the rest of the ACC schedule. Look back at a couple of the games from last week and talk a little bit

about the rankings, guys, because we have to wonder, now a couple weeks ago we brought up the doomsday scenario. It's not going to happen that the ACC isn't guaranteed to get a team into the CFP. I'm wondering now the path to two looks pretty good. There's even a path to three. That's right. So you want to keep it locked right here.

We'll have all that info for you on this brand new episode of the ACC squad. Oh, folks, we've been having an awesome season on Fandul. And Miami, 10 and a half point favorites against Syracuse this weekend. So you want to take a look at that. You want to take a look at all the action and all the NFL action. Get ready to tackle the NFL with Fandul, America's number one sports book. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win. Fandual Sportsbook app gives you everything you need to place live bets on the NFL all in one place. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more, right on the same page where you place your bets. Just visit Fanduel.com to join today. You'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if you win that first $5 bet. That's Fanduel.com.

Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with Fanduel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Thank you for making the squad your first listen and your first watch today. We're free wherever you get your podcast. We're free on YouTube. We're part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. For your next listen, make sure you check out Lockdown College Football. Spencer McLaughlin does an awesome job taking you through all the big games, all the big storylines. He'll tell you all the 100 SEC teams that are going to make it to the college football playoff with three losses. So he'll have you covered with all that good stuff. So guys, I have to hear from the NC State hosts on this one. So we've got the old rivalry,

which has been dominated in recent years by NC State going up against a lame duck head coach this weekend. This was crazy to me because what? Like earlier this week, Mac Brown announces he's going to keep coaching next year. And then that memo comes over the desk of the UNC powers that be. They're like, wait, that's not your decision. So Mac Brown has been fired. He is going to coach this game on Saturday. I mean, guys, what's going on here? And you're probably disappointed that Mac is getting the act. I think I speak for us both. We say we have mixed feelings here.

We honestly hate to see him go because we've experienced so much success against him. But now they've turned this Saturday into winning one for the Gipper. And as an NC State fan, that makes me a little nervous because our team, we can't find a way to win games consistently. We had another lecture in self-impulsion last Thursday night against Georgia Tech. I don't know how to feel, especially for this coming Saturday. makes me nervous that UNC's can be fired up for it. NC State is always fired up for this game because people love to call it our Super Bowl.

It more or less is. I really don't know how to feel. I mean, I think is it the right move for UNC? Probably because he's underperformed for years now. They've wasted countless like Heisman level quarterback talents. That's, you know, it's been funny on our side.

But for them to move on a day after he said he's planning on coming back, very funny. I think it's very interesting the way they handled this one. In the words of a Miami hurricane, Great and Alam, Dono, we want more. We need more Matt Brown. Okay, let me explain something to you. I don't understand why they got rid of Mac for multiple reasons.

And here's what I mean by that. They are a middling team. And I can admit that NC State historically has been a middling team. A lot of people have called this robbery a middling team. A lot of people have called this robbery a mid-off, if you will. I understand it. I get it. I'm not mad at it.

We got one team that's six and five. One team that's five and six. We're battling for who's going to learn Quicklane Bowl right now. That's what's happening in real time. Now, with that in mind, UNC has gone to six straight bowl games two times in its history. Do you want to know who the coach was for the first time it happened, Donnell? Mac Brown. William Mac Brown. You know who the coach was? He's there. He's there Nick Saban is what you're saying. Exactly. I don't know why. This is a situation where I tell people so often,

sometimes we forget who we are and we get outside of ourselves and we say, oh, there needs to be a change. There needs to be better. Which, hey, even if I'm taking off my NC State, my wolf pack red glasses and saying if I'm a program, what do I want to do or how do I want to do it? This is not the moment in which I would have done a darn thing. You understand? Because when you get beat by JMU, when they hang 70 on you, that's the time to move. When JMU beats you by so many points, had they not scored in the second half at all, they still would have won the game, that's the moment to say, Matt, that's it,

brother. It's been real. It's been fun. They've been real fun. Go back to ESPN. You know what I mean? That's the moment to hit that note. You don't wait until now when you're late in the recruiting cycle, when you pretty much punning on the season in terms of it being anything relevant. And again, in terms of building out for the future, what does that look like now? Every team in the ACC is going to be ransacking your recruiting class as opposed to him saying, all right, after national side, after the recruiting peers over, hey, listen, I'm done.

I'm a leading program in great hands. I ain't got nothing left in me and going out that way. So, you know, as much as I joke about, hey, we've had success against Mac, I love to see him back 20 more years. I at least think they should have done it a better way than they did. What's interesting, too, is like, I don't even think he did that bad of a job this year. Obviously, you do get a 70, I don't even know what you call it, not a 50 burger, but a 70 something hung on your head by James Madison. But, and then you had the embarrassing loss to Duke after that. But then he started to slowly turn things around. I mean, they beat Virginia, they beat Florida State, they beat Wake Forest. They didn't completely fold when a lot of signs would point to they might. So it is kind of interesting that this is playing out the way it currently is because you could somewhat. sell a little bit of momentum to their recruits. I mean, not anymore, but, I mean, good grief.

I thought they'd give them a little bit more respect with the way they'd handle it, but it seems they're ready to hit the fast forward button and look on. Well, let me ask you guys this. You said something interesting, Grayson, there, about beating Florida State. That doesn't really count, okay? Well, okay. I just mean they're winning. It doesn't count.

First of all, that doesn't count. But wait, wait, I disagree. Florida State is the prime example of why this looks good for Mac Brown. That Florida State team ain't be a damn soul outside of Charleston Southern. No, they beat Cowell. Sixth Cowell. They ain't beat nobody but Charleston Southern. So I think that this team not quitting.

We saw a more talented team than them lose worse games than the teams they beat because they folded. They said, all right, we're done for the year. We pack it up. We give it in. That team has not been great. Am I going to sit up here and lie and say, hey, Mac Brown has been an exes and nose master? No. but that team is still fighting for him,

which is more than we can say for other teams in the ACC, Brian Smith, stop running from us, brother. Come on back to this show. They ain't been on the spot in a while. I think Brian is ducking us. I don't think he is. I just think he's sad. The timing of it is weird.

Why is he is the dead man walking right now? We talk about it all the time as like an analogy, but literally he is. This is it. We know he's fire. He's coaching while fire. Which, but I like Grayson's point. Grayson made a great point.

Like they're not going to be more motivated to win than they are right now. Absolutely. But it's just so weird how it gets leaked out on a Tuesday afternoon right before you're going to play a rival that we're firing him. Yeah. I think how they handled it was wrong. But they've honestly like removed the stakes away from the Tar Hills on this one. Because if you beat us, you beat us with a coach that's already been fired. You get to make fun of us forever.

And if you lose, it doesn't matter because you've already fired your coach. So it's honestly like a win-win situation in a sense for them. And I think that's why they did it. They wanted to go ahead and remove the stakes for them. And now they're fired up to beat us. Well, I guess we'll see what happens. But it's definitely a win-win for the Gipper situation. But here's what I want to ask you guys.

What would have the point been then if they had just kept them? Well, I don't know. You win your seven and five. And that question for that one. Well, let me ask you guys, how attractive is this job going to be? Like, I see some of the names being linked to it. John Summerall at Tulane, who I think could be very good there, Arthur Smith, which kind of makes us chuckle a little bit as being linked to that job.

But okay, so UNC coaching UNC football. But it is a school with a lot of resources. You know, it's got kind of a mixed football history. Some amazing players have come through there over the years, even if they haven't had the best team success. We've even like, very good academics for what that's worth in football. I think it is worth something.

Like, we have seen UNC even linked to other conferences and realignment rumors. So I don't think it's a terrible job. It's obviously not like a blue chip job, but you could get a really good coach who's kind of on the way up. You just have to make sure you find the right one. Are we sure that's a school with a lot of resources? Are we a thousand percent sure about that? Because last time I checked, there was some board meeting where they couldn't figure out how much the budget actually was and whatnot.

But in all seriousness, I do agree that this is a good job. I do agree, this is a good job. It's not a great job. This ain't a drop everything wrong because, you know, one name that Jackson and I talked about earlier this week being linked with them. By the way, Jackson did a hell of a job filling in for you. Yeah, I'll tell you what. We'll salute to that guy. But I really do look at this job and say, it's a good job.

It's not a great job. It's not an awesome. You know that you're a basketball school. However, they at least have fairweather fans in a different way than Duke. Like when Duke was good, when they were undefeated playing Notre Dame after beating Clemson's the first game of the year, I was at that game in person against Notre Dame. There were still hundreds of open seats. I saw it with my own two-out. UNC would not have that.

You know what I mean? As much as I think the Dirty Foot Club is a soft group of people, soft faith. base, all that good stuff. If you're undefeated, they will show up and show out at minimum. So I think this isn't a terrible job. This isn't a job that's like, hey, they got to pay me an amount of money that's unheard of. You're in a powerful conference. They're in a state that has a ton of talent. And let's just be honest, with all due respect to Dave during the company, you don't have a great team in state that's like, hey, there's no way in hell that team is pliable. You're looking out a situation where you could make many good things happen there. It just so happens to

be that it never really materialized before. I think, you know, coming from an NC State side of things, a lot of us Wolfpack fans have been nervous that they're eventually going to hit a home run higher. And it's shocking that they haven't been able to do it. Because like we've kind of already talked about, they do have a good amount of resources. I think they've mishandled how to allocate them. I think they're also, they're very late to the NIL game, which shocked me because you would think with their basketball program being as big as it is and their branding being as big

it is that they'd be probably at the forefront of things. But I think they have kind of fumbled around in the football department. But like I said, us Wolfpack fans, we are dreading the day that they eventually get the higher right, because I think it's going to come. I would see this job pretty highly regarded. And I'm going to try not to vomit after I say this. They're good at everything. They really are.

Like, it is a very good athletic school. All right. Cut graces, Michael. Somebody cut graces, Michael. I don't know what. We got to go find a North Carolina. We got to go find a North Carolina. Carolina team. He's speaking nonsense. Get them out of here. We got to go get Isaac on here right now.

We got to say like, hmm, how's this team doing at North Carolina? Are they good or bad? I mean, that's the kind of football season, NC State is. I'm out here crediting Carolina for doing stuff correctly. But no, I would see this job pretty highly regarded. I'm just nervous that they are eventually going to get the higher right. Because I think that'd be bad news for everybody else. Well, when we come back, we'll have some game picks for you for this weekend. Also, I want to hear from Jackson Holeser, the scenario where the ACC gets in three. You want to keep it locked right here. We got the squad assembled and we're not done here on Locked on ACC. Thank you so much for making the squad your first listen and your first watch today. 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. All right. So Jackson, within the last couple of weeks, we've gone back and forth from, hey, is it possible the ACC gets zero? teams in because as we've discussed, being a conference champion even in the power four does not guarantee you a birth. Now, the ACC's got to get at least one team in, but what does the path to three look like? It's a little bit complicated, but I can do it for you all right now, okay? Yeah. They need, unfortunately, Miami to win, Clemson to win, and SMU to win this week. The reason why you need Miami to win is simple. You need them to get to the conference championship game, one loss. You need Clemson to win because Clemson would then be 10 and two. And they would also

knock out South Carolina because you know if South Carolina wins that game, there's going to be talking about them. Maybe they get that 12 spot, right? Clemson wins that game. It's over. South Carolina is out. SMU. They also need to win this game. Okay. They really, really need to win it because if they lose, the committee would, they're going to look at them with two losses and say, unless you win your conference championship game, we're not giving it to you. You got no chance, right? So you need them all to win this week.

You also need Texas A&M to lose to Texas because they would then have only eight wins. You need Indiana to also lose to Purdue. That's unlikely, but that could, I guess, happen because then Indiana would be 10 and 2. And you know the committee does not want to put in a 10 and 2 Indiana team. They don't want to do it.

They're already disrespecting them. They didn't want to put in a 10 and oh Indiana team. They were doing whatever. were like, forget Indiana. Like, they hate Indiana for some reason. So they, they, if Indiana loses to Purdue and they're 10 and 2, they're done. Like, it's over for them. Right. So that's really your scenario there, but it gets more complicated than that because I think the best thing for the conference is if SMU beats Miami in the ACCC title game in a close game, because that ensures that SMU is obviously in. And because of the brand.

ending also of Miami, I don't see them leaving out Miami at 11 and 2 with a very close loss in the ACC game to CFSMU. So that's the scenario there. Yeah, and I'm with you on it. I think the fact, and I have been very in recent weeks, very pessimistic of the idea of Miami getting in if they don't win the conference. But the CFP committee has consistently had Miami ranked pretty high, which kind of makes me feel like they're they're setting them up for your scenario if it plays out that way, right? If Miami beats Syracuse and loses a very close one to SMU, maybe they could still sneak in. And like you mentioned, Clemson, if Clemson beats South Carolina, that not only eliminates South Carolina, but it's also would be considered a quality win for Clemson, who would finish a strong 10 and 2.

So I could see it. Like I could definitely see that path to three. What do you guys think? I wholeheartedly agree. I wholeheartedly agree, but I want to add in something that I add in earlier in the week. Clemson cannot beat South Carolina close. We have talked about this time and time again. Anytime an SEC team gets beat, especially against the ACC team that matters.

Oh, that team is just terrible. They're just the worst. You have to make definitive work of South Carolina because if that game was close, there will still be the argument of, well, you barely be the three-lossed SEC team, despite the fact that this is the SEC team that people, were saying, well, if they beat Clemson, should we talk about them in playoff consideration? It's just how the cookie crumbles. And it's just that circular logic of strength of record based on preseason rankings.

So that's something that I would also throw in there. And one more thing that I think has to be said that nobody's talking about. Texas A&M in Texas should be an elimination game regardless of how it goes. Texas has not beat a soul. Oh, that's haven't seen anybody. It's not the reality. It doesn't matter. But hear me out.

Hear me out. If the committee, and this is, I'm not even talking about perfect world, if the committee was to keep any type of consistency, any type, I mean, anything close to consistent from team to team in that eight to 12 range, right? Or eight to 15 range. How can you say Indiana doesn't belong in because they lost to the only good team they played by two touchdown? Well, how much did Texas lose to Georgia by? What?

It's just they're not going to, they're not going to drop them. I mean, we're recording this before the rankings come out. But I imagine that Texas is not going to be below three. They're not going to drop from three all the way to out. It's just not feasible. Yeah, but and that's, and hear me out. That's why I'm saying the path to this requires the, the committee to do a little bit of thinking.

Because regardless of how we cut or slice it, the committee always has the power. Even if we look at SMU with one law, and Miami with a close loss to SMU here, they have the power to leave out everybody except the conference champion. They have the power to do that. I'm counting on them being rational and decent in just that one moment of,

well, hell, we like Texas a lot. The brand is huge. Sure, they bring out. They haven't beat nobody. They are Indiana South. That is who this team is. As much disrespect as people are throwing the CIG, I don't give a damn this Sark is cool.

And it's always saying, That's it, man. Hey, it's already written, guys. Nobody gives them there. What are you doing on the field? What's the product? I don't care if you got a manning on your squad. I don't care if you got a best recruit ever on your squad.

What are the results? And objectively speaking, if we're talking about how the ACC can get three in, you need to have some real conversations about those teams for the ACC to have even a shot and get three in. Because if that's not an elimination game, what happens if Texanem wins? That destroys your scenario. like you've already said, Jackson, I don't think that's right. I'm sorry. It Texas A&M wins. I mean, yeah, everything, they're in, probably.

Yeah, they probably are. Well, let's take a look at a few of the non-conference games involving ACC teams. Guys, tell me if you're expecting wins or losses here. You know, we have Clemson, as we mentioned, 17th ranked Clemson hosting 18th ranked South Carolina, annual rivalry game, big opportunity for both teams, quite frankly. Louisville at Kentucky. Louisville favored by four. Clemson, by the way, favored by two and a half at home against South Carolina. So that's basically a toss up according to the odds makers. And how about Florida State hosting Florida? Any shot there? No, no. There's not. Let me tell you something.

They're only 14.5 point dogs, which surprised me. I thought that'd be closer to 20. unless DJ Lagway lags out of the game, there is no way that Florida State wins this game. And hell, even if DJ Lagway decides to not play football at all that day, this Florida State team is quit. They've given up, they tapped out. They have no shot. That is a depleted, defeated, giving up, quitting team.

They're done for the year. They're more worried about the courts than they are the field. And I'm not talking about basketball. I mean the courts that include judges, bailiffs and all that type of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Aren't they not very good in basketball either? That's what I said. That's what I'm saying. They're not worried about the basketball court either. The court room. They worry about the courtroom. That's the only place they're worried about this year.

They're just losing everywhere. There's a clause in the Billion Napier's contract where, so you know, he got job security now. He's coming back another year of Florida. Well, if he actually loses this game, they might fire him anyway. He revoke it. He might just revoke it. They're going to come up with some. clause in the contract that says, we're going to let you go early. I think Florida's going to win, but if they don't, I would laugh hysterically. Same here. And listen, Florida, honestly, they have done such a, and Billy Napier, I give him credit. DJ Lagway, of course, has really been the spark plug for that program this year.

But, you know, about a month ago, almost every Florida fan wanted Napier fired. And, you know, when their athletic director, Scott Strickland made that statement about bringing back next year. Like most of the reactions was, what are we doing here? Like, why? And they have so successfully turned it around on the fan. Obviously, they're not going to contend for a national title or anything. Like, their ceiling is seven wins this year. But from where they were to now be in play for seven wins, it was an impressive turnaround. And they're crushing it on the recruiting trail. And a lot of that has to do with endorsing and throwing their weight behind Billy Napier. I mean, they're doing it the right way. I know, I know Mike Norvel is going to be back next year.

but Florida State, they're losing recruits left, some of which are flipping to Florida. So they're losing recruits left and right, whereas Florida has had a resurgence. So, yeah, that game is probably not going to be close. But like you said, Jackson, if it is closer, Florida State pulls off the upset, there's going to be a lot of laughter come Monday. Any thoughts, guys, on any of the other conference or non-conference games coming up this weekend? Just before we leave this topic, I want to say one more thing about how Florida is benefiting. Florida is benefiting from the Florida man effect. You know, when you think that, like, you and your old lady are getting into some type of disagreement and she's just like, oh, you're the worst.

And then you see some article that says Florida man does something ridiculously bad. And you're like, I'm not that guy. I'm not him. Florida is looking around like, I may not be a good team. We're not the nose. We're all right. So, you know, just a small thought. Yeah.

Well, I appreciate all of you guys taking. the time. I appreciate our listeners and our viewers. If you're watching us on YouTube, make sure to smash that like button. Subscribe on all the channels. This episode is available on every ACC team channel on Locked on ACC. You can watch it, of course, on Locked on Syracuse, locked on Wolfpack, Locked on Cains, all the other ACC channels. And everyone have a happy Thanksgiving coming up. We will talk to you guys next time on another episode of the ACC squad. We are part of the awesome Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day.