Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - These ACC Football players have the MOST TO PROVE in 2025 | Shocking win totals

Episode Date: February 5, 2025

Immerse yourself in the electrifying world of ACC football in this episode, where Alex Donno and Kenton Gibbs delve into the conference's most intriguing narratives. With unexpected win totals from teams like Clemson and North Carolina and legal battles that could redefine the futures of Florida State and Clemson, the ACC is brimming with excitement.Spotlighted are players like Kyron Drones, Rueben Bain, and Kevin Jennings, who have the most to prove in the upcoming season. The hosts provide expert analysis on how these athletes, alongside team strategies and coaching changes, could shape the ACC's path forward. Join us for a compelling discussion filled with predictions and insights that capture the spirit of ACC football.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelSuper Bowl 59 is here, And there’s no better way to make every play more exciting than with FanDuel Sportsbook. New customers can bet just FIVE DOLLARS, and if you win, you’ll score TWO HUNDRED BUCKS in Bonus Bets. Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of Super Bowl Fifty-Nine. 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.

Some of the most talented players in the ACC left meat on the bone last season. Who's got the most to prove in 2025? You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team, every day. Shout out to the Everydayers and thank you so much for making Locked on ACC, 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. He is Kenton Gibbs from Lockdown Wolfpack. I am Alex Dono from Lockdown Cain's. Today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account and use code locked on college for $20 off your first purchase. On this episode, we'll talk about whether or not Florida State and Clemson can actually win their lawsuits against the ACC without actually winning them. We'll explain. We have win totals for some of what should be the ACC's top football teams next year. We'll also take a guess on what the Florida State over under win total is going

like there's has not been released yet. But, you know, Kenton, when we're thinking about ACC football players with something approved for next year, there are certain guys that I thought we had really high expectations for last season. And for whatever reason, maybe their teams not being good enough in helping them, maybe the injuries that they went through, but certain guys who didn't quite live up to that hype. And really the first name that comes to my mind is Virginia Tech quarterback Kairn Drones. And again, probably not all his fault.

He did have some injuries this past season. But, I mean, we really thought he was going to, you know, kind of take his stock to the moon after a really good 2023. And it just didn't materialize for drones in 2024. Yeah, Kiron Drones struggled in a multitude of ways. and it wasn't always on the offensive line. A lot of people can say, oh, the offensive line that Virginia Tech was rough and all that. I challenge you, go watch that Vanderbilt game

and tell me on all of the passes you saw from, on all of the dropbacks and play actions, how many would you say that's enough time for a good quarterback to either get rid of the ball, make a good decision, or do something with it other than what he did? How many times from a clean pocket in that Vanderbilt game was it like, ugh, that's rough, especially in that first half.

Second half, he kind of cleaned up his act got it going in a positive direction. But that first half in particular, oh my God, it was awful. It was so bad. So, you know, I say that to say, while people may want to give him excuses, Bichauden played out of his mind last year. Oh, yeah. above what anybody expected from him. Did his wide receiver court help with him?

No, but he still had to show up and show out in a meaningful way. And so I think that there is definitely a ton to prove for Kyron drones coming in the next season. Because again, he was a guy that people said, if Cam Ward is the guy, who's next, right? And this was before Cam Ward played a doubt. So even at that time, it was like, can he be as good as Cam Ward? And people were saying, yeah, possibly he could be a guy to beat him out. That was not the case. That was not the case at all.

So, you know, he has a ton of proof coming in this season. Yeah, and I think the expectations are still high. And there's no reason why he can't bounce back to his 2023 form. You know, I know that there had been maybe some speculation, some chatter right after the season. Hey, maybe this is a guy who could jump into the transfer portal. But drones, drones stayed loyal to Virginia Tech. He's locked in. He feels like he's the franchise player there.

Let's just compare to what we're talking about. Drones' numbers this past season, 2024 versus 2023. So when he really broke out in 2023, had 2084 passing yards, 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions. This past season, 1,562 yards. So the yardage dipped. There were a few less attempts, but the yardage still dipped 10 touchdowns to six interceptions this past year.

He did slightly, though, improve his completion percentage from 58.2 to 6.6. 60.7, but it was not nearly as good of a year for drones in 2024 than it was in 2023. Another non-quarterback, I know that quarterbacks are kind of the easiest ones to look at Kenton, but a non-quarterback that I think has a lot to prove in 2025 coming up, because he took a dip in 2024 is Rubin Bain from Miami. And again, there are, we could do the same thing with anybody on this list. There are, you know, reasons why his form took a dip. Bain dealt with injury during the season. But for whatever reason you want to throw out there,

was not as effective in 2024 as he was the previous year. As a true freshman in 2020, 7.5 sacks, three force fumbles. 2024, just three and a half sacks. No force fumbles had nine fewer solo tackles his second year than he did his first year. Now, Bain, I feel kind of like this about drones as well, but I think even more so with Bain, I think he can absolutely bounce back in 2025. There were factors at play for him in 2024, but he's got a lot to prove coming into next season, Kenton. A lot to prove is an understatement and even bigger than what he has to prove, the checks that he has to make.

If Hurricane Bain has a good season in his junior year, brother, don't worry about NIA. Worry about NFA. No, don't you worry what Miami's package is going to be and all that. Hey, don't you worry. They've got a guy named Roger Goodell, and he's going to be holding a jersey of some lucky team, and you're going to shake his hand, you're going to put the hat on, tears may flow.

Your diamonds are going to be dancing. By the way, Ruben, if you don't think there's a lot of money on the line for you, there's discourse on Twitter right now about why athletes' diamonds shine so much harder than rapper diamonds. That's what you're up against right now, okay? So please understand. If Ruben Bain has a great year next year, again, he's going to be the focal point of that defense.

He's going to be the guy against the double teams. He's going to be the guy against the chips. He's going to be the guy against all those things. And if you are going to be a premier rusher in the league, guess what you're going to get in the NFL, the double teams, the chips, the slides your way. So Ruben Hurricane Bain, he has a lot to prove, but also has a lot to gain. I think that he's a guy. He stands to make more money than almost anybody else in this conference based on next year and what he does there.

Anyone else you want to throw in? And it's funny because even like, and I cover Miami and I was even, I even looked at Bain even over Carson Beck when I could have easily gone with Beck. But, you know, since Bain has been with Miami and he's returning next year, I went with that. But any other football players you look at Kenton in the ACC that you really think I've something approved next year. Well, of course, Carson Beck has something to prove, but that's the easy answer, right? You're a Miami guy. We've talked about him already, but I'll stay in the quarterback position. I'm going to go slightly different than you did,

because this young man didn't have a disappointing season. He actually overachieved last year, but I still think he has something to prove in that if you are the guy that everybody purported you to be last year, now would be the time to show it. Mr. Kevin Jennings, of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, come on down. He is losing so much in terms of production from last year. One of the top rushers in the ACC last year. Multiple receivers. I believe 80% of his top receivers gone from last year to this year.

This is going to be the time to show us, Kevin Jennings. Are you a quarterback that you can win with or are you a quarterback that teams can win because of? Because we all know that's a grave difference. That's a grave, grave. grave difference between those two categories. Being a guy you can win with, you know, it's the old, old saying of the thermometer versus the thermostat, right? Is Kevin Jennings the guy that will tell you the temperature of the talent of your offense,

or does he raise the temperature? We all know, and I hate to keep referencing this guy, but last year, Cam Ward was a thermo, was a thermostat through and through. He came in and said, hey, this offense is going to be the best of the nation. All right, y'all can do what you want. Play it however you want to play. we're going to be one of the best in the nation, and that's all there is to it. And he went out there and showed that, as opposed to saying, you know, Restrepo's really good,

O'Rio's really good. We got some good guys on the outside as well. I think we'll be okay. I think this Martinez guy and this Fletcher guy, we'll be all right. We won't lose games because we're offence. No, no, no, no, no. He set the temperature, set the tone to a whole other level. And for my other player with a lot of proof, it's not a lot of.

player. It's a unit. The guys that they call the sharks from Pitt at all linebacking Corps. That's right. You started off 6 and 0. And then you let me down on the stretch.

Put on one of the most embarrassing displays that I've ever seen in virtually every regard. There was nothing. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing that that lineback of court did as well in the second half of the season that they did in the first.

And you played just as top of opponents. It wasn't like you played a bunch of cupcakes to get to that record. You beat up on teams that were supposed to be the goods. You beat up on Syracuse. Syracuse looked like they didn't belong in the same

field with you. It looked like that was a varsity versus JV game. It looked like a damn spring game and y'all had all the starts. That's what it looked. And then the second half of the season ahead and all of a sudden, oh yeah, we got injuries. Oh, yeah, there's this and not happening. Oh, we can't stop a running nose now. It was extremely disappointing to see the sharks go from a heralded,

like, hey, this is one of the best linebacking courts we've seen in some time type of deal that do they know where to ball? Can they feel a gap? Can they help that way? Can they make a tackle? I'm not sure. Very disappointing. So sharks, I'm calling out. I'm a defensive guy. Y'all got me what people saying these are your pit fans. If you're going to be my pit fans, you better make a damn tack. Do you remember that Super Bowl halftime show from like a decade ago when Katie Perry

was dancing with those people in the shark costume? And I think it was the left shark that was like dancing all funky and didn't know what they were doing. Like first half of the pit season, it was the right shark. Everything was perfect. And then all of a sudden, it was the left shark the second half of the year of it. But when we come back, guys, I, I'm looking,

my chops at the opportunities. And Fanduel, Fanduel has released the win totals, the over-unders, for several prominent college football programs for next year. Only four from the ACC so far, but we're going to examine those because we have the Fandual over-unders for Clemson, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina. And I want to predict what the over-under is going to look like for Florida State. You want to keep it locked right here, my friends. We're only getting started on this brand new episode of Lockdown ACC. Guys, I'm only getting started with the Game Time app. This is the only ticket service that Kenton and I use to get tickets to sporting events, concerts, musical theater,

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Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code locked on college. And they'll give you $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that's code locked on college. That's all one word, locked on college for $20 off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Thank you so much for making this episode of Lockdown ACC,

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. If your next listen, make sure you check out our other shows. Kenton hosts Locked on Wolfpack. I host Locked on Cains. So Miami, NC State.

We've got you all covered on that on our other shows. So, Kenton, I haven't seen a win total yet for NC State. If you were going to predict that, though, for the Wolfpack, because they're kind of releasing these in stages. What do you think the NC State over under is going to be in football for next year? Hell, if I know, Dono, I think this team is so mercurial. My big bold prediction about this team has been that they will not win six or seven games next year, either five or less, eight or more.

because this opening stretch of the season where you have ECU, Virginia, and company, you know, you don't have to leave the state of North Carolina for the first five games. So I'm like, hey, y'all could get off to an extremely hot start, or you can start the season by losing the ECU and everything goes down to the tank immediately. So, you know, I would assume if somebody said, hey, Ken, you know, we got your kids tied up in the back. Give us a number. I'd say five and a half, I guess, five and a half would be. That was my prediction.

Yeah, yeah. Five and a half is what I would go with. Which is probably, it's probably going to be five and a half or six and a half because they seem to have released win totals for teams that are seven and a half or over. One that I'm surprised they haven't released yet is SMU. I'm looking forward to because I'm wondering, because I feel like that will probably be in the seven and a half range, but we don't have that one yet.

As Kenton and I have predicted for months, the highest win total in the ACC is. Clemson at nine and a half wins, so over under nine and a half. And Kenton, that seems about right. I think Clemson last year was probably eight and a half. Or no, I think Clemson, Miami and Florida State were all nine and a half last year, actually. So it was the same win total from last year. But I feel like Clemson's probably more deserving of a nine and a half prediction win total this year.

Because I think they're probably a little bit better than they were a year ago. Yeah, nine and a half of Clemson's, that's easy money. I mean, that's like, that's like betting on LeBron to score 10 points of the basketball game, which his streak is what, like 15 years straight or something like that and doing that, you know, you're not really going to see a world where Clemson doesn't get 10 next year unless something insane happens. And when I say insane, I mean absolutely otherworldly, because even if you do say, okay, you lose your game against LSU, you lose your game against South Carolina.

Okay, great. You still have to assume that they lose their bowl game, which most likely will not be a playoff game. Or if they get to the playoff with two losses, you know that they've won the ACC, which adds in one to that win total, which again, it puts you back in that space of, well, hell, where the loss is going to come from, where they're going to end up in a high level bowl game, where again, they're a young enough team to where they won't have a ton of outcomes. That's just not how Clemson is constructed right now to where it's like, you're going to look up and see. 20 guys are all going to the NFL. They're all done for this game. So I think Clemson at 9.5 makes a ton of sense. I think that's great value.

I don't know what the odds are there, but whatever it is, hell, if it's plus a dollar, you're going to make some money if you bet on it. Yeah. Well, let me see exactly what the juice is there. So if you, okay, so there's more juice on the under, actually. So if you bet the under, it's minus 162. whereas the over is plus 126 on that Clemson win total. So it's like the number out there is is nine and a half,

but most of the better seem to think they're probably going to go just under that versus just over that, which is interesting. Like you, I probably have Clemson pegged at 10 wins. However, I don't usually bet on over unders when I feel like they did an awesome job predicting it. I usually can't, did I go for the ones where I'm like, wow, this is this number is way off. that's usually where I would go for it, where I think for Clemson, it's probably in the just right territory. The next two out of the four ACC teams that have been released, both at eight and a half, Kenton. Louisville and Miami are both predicted at over under eight and a half.

I'll tell you what the juice is there in just a second. But how do you feel about those? Eight and a half is what I definitely expected from a Miami standpoint. I'm sometimes pretty good at predicting these things. that's what I pegged Miami at and Louisville. I'm actually a little surprised. I thought Louisville was going to be a seven and a half, but maybe I overestimated their schedule.

Vegas is more bullish on Louisville than I thought. You know, I'll tell you what, I think both of these teams are fantastic. I think both of these teams can get to nine. I might fade down there on both of hours. I might just fade the under on both because it feels like the juice will be worth to squeeze. Weasel boat. It really and truly does feel like one of those moments where Vegas is giving

Miami a little bit of a brand boost. And you know, there's nothing I love more than a good old fashioned brand boost. There's nothing in this world I love more than that. And so, or maybe it's the Beck boost because if Carson Beck hadn't come to Miami, it'd probably be six and a half, not eight and a half. And I'm going to tell you what, that's even better. Because I don't I think that Carson Beck is the ultimate thermometer guy. I think he's the ultimate. Oh, I'll tell you the temperature of the guys around me. If they're good, I'm good.

If they're not, I'm not. And we'll see. We'll see. But I think that the juice would be worth to squeeze on both of those. And I'm going to tell you what, Louisville, while their offense, again, those backs, phenomenal. Phenomenal, returning. Of course, I mean, when your head coach is Jeff Brom, you're always going to have a a prolific offense to some extent.

You're always going to have a quarterback that is a net positive in some way, shape, form of fashion. I'm interested to see how they replace certain things on the defense from last year. Especially my guy, Ashton Jolati, who everybody knows how much I adore him. What a guy. I know he's destined for great things in the NFL because he's one of those guys. I don't think he's an athlete. I think he's a football player.

So it'll be very interesting to see them. try to replace, you know, his talent and all that. But Louisville always has somewhat of a stop defense. So I'm not really too worried there. Again, I still might fade the under, depending on what the juice is there. There's actually more juice coming in on over for Louisville and actually more coming in on Louisville than Miami,

which is interesting. So if you're going to bet over eight and a half wins for Louisville, you're getting minus 174. It's not that good. Like you got to bet $174 to win $100 back. That's to bet the over on Louisville. To bet the over on Miami at eight and a half minus 150 odds, you have to bet $150 to get $100 back.

So there's actually, I mean, if you, you know, read it between the lines, there's more people leaning to, I guess, Louisville having a slightly better season than Miami coming this year, which probably has something to do with Miami's non-conference schedule, Kenton, because they've got some very tough games in addition to their ACC Slate. So I guess that would be making sense of that. So does that juice minus 150 on Miami, minus 174 on Louisville? Does that change your opinion at all?

I wouldn't bet either one of their overs, especially not Miami. Because again, and here's the thing, right? I know a lot of people are going to hear this to say, oh, Ken just hates Miami. That schedule is just a bear, man. It's brutal. If we're looking at a worse schedule, I could easily see this Miami team getting eight. But I mean, you're out of conference. You're playing Notre Dame as the first game open.

A team that was in a national championship, that's, and I'll tell you what, I think that Florida game is definitely going to be a push because I think that Miami has a better team. I think Florida has a better quarterback by good amount. And so it'll be interesting to see if last. Bagway is a one-hit wonder or, you know, and the tape is out and it's like, hey, people know what you want to throw. They know your favorite concepts now.

We're on all that. Or if that kid really does, just have the goods. He really is just him, as the kids would say now. So, you know, that and then you throw in an ACC schedule. That's not exactly a cakewalk either. Right. That's a tough, tough scale. Yeah.

And where I'm at on it, I just want to make it clear, you know, for the, for the Miami fans Locked on Keynes viewers watching this. Like, I mean, just, it's very. early, but my early look at Miami schedule, my, my, my, my preliminary prediction is nine wins, kind of when I'm like regular season wins, which, listen, that's still, depending on what you do, non-conference, nine wins could be, you know, enough to get you into the ACC championship game. But if I, if I think that the Vegas over under is pretty good at eight and a half, I don't find value in betting on the, I'm just going to sit this one out. I'm not going to bet the over or the under on this one.

But I want to shift gears and, and, oh, sorry, there's one more. There's one more, Kenton. I want to get to on the other side. The North Carolina tar heels. I cannot wait to hear KG wax poetic on this one. Plus, when we come back, can Florida State and Clemson win their lawsuits without actually winning? You want to keep it locked right here.

We're not done yet on this brand new episode of Locked on ECC. Thank you for making us your first listen and your first watch today. So Kenton, I don't want to forget about the tar heels. Now, it's funny how they're one of the four that has their win total out there. I'm sure Vegas knows people want to bet on this one. They want to bet on this one because Belichick has brought so much attention to that program. So the sports books are pumping it out there. Do you want to guess what the over-under is for North Carolina Tar Heels football wins for next season?

This one got to be what? I want to say five and a half, but I believe the Belichick brand boost six and a half. What are we looking at? Seven and a half. Seven and a half is the number. Oh, give me that under. This one, this might be the one where we take the under, right?

This could be the one. Bring me that under. I need that under biblically. Like the way that they felt that made them write Song of Solomon, I need it that bad. Dono. Oh, all they got to do is with seven or less. I need it.

I need that in my life. I need. Just out of curiosity, Donna, in the players with the most approved segment, did both of us not have at least one quarterback in there? Yeah, we did. Quick question. Who the hell is their quarterback? I have no idea.

Come put that in my life. put that under, bestow me with that under. If somebody posted a picture of that under over on Twitter, I would definitely quote it with hashtag need that because I need it

as bad as the air I breathe. And this one might get me in the bed. I'm not going to lie to you, Donald. That seven and a half of them, this one might get me to use the fan codes on fan doors. Well, and if you look at I don't think it's just

the Belichick effect. Like they're compared to Clemson and Miami, North Carolina's non-conference schedule. It's kind of a joke. I mean, they host TCU. They play at Charlotte. They host Richmond. They play at UCF.

And this is not, you know, not the faux national championship UCF. This was a UCF that won like four or five games last year. This is not, not your father's UCF. They're not very good right now. That's their non-conference schedule. their conference schedule, you know, there's definitely some traps in there.

They've got to host Clemson, no matter where they play Clemson, that's probably a loss. They play at Cal so they make the West Coast trip. They host Virginia. They play at Syracuse. They host Stanford. They play at Wake Forest. They host Duke. And they play at NC State, which has always been an L for them lately.

I can understand just based on their schedule, which overall is not that tough, why Vegas would come up with that seven. and a half number i get it i still lean to the under i'm gonna tell you this nine times about 10 i look at Vegas's odds and i'm like there's something they may know something something may be up with that but this is the second time i've ever felt like this about odds i want to say it was nc state in 2021 or 222 where the odds were like uh or the under over was five and a half and i said Vegas is giving you all free money take that over take that over put every put your mortgage on that over. NC State won eight or nine games that year. Like they cleared that one.

I am telling you right now, if you can hear the sound of my voice, take out that he lock and put all that money on the underhand. Hey, I'm joking. Don't actually do that. Don't actually do it. But I am very sure that this one is going to. Something

much less stakes, much lower stakes than pulling out a second mortgage, but put something on. Because I'm about to go to the bank right now. I'm about to go to the bank right now. I need some of that sugar in my life. I need it in my life. Seven and a half, Dono. Seven and a half.

Yeah. So they got to win eight to get up. They got to win eight. Bring it. Bring it. First time ever head coach, a quarterback that probably has not played any meaningful Division I football, a running back room that just lost one of your greatest rushes of all time. Oh, I need this.

I want this. I have to have it. Give it to me now. I need it. We just turned Kenton into a degenerate in one segment. We just Listen, Donald's going to call for me at midnight.

I got a line on the latest ping pong tournament at Russia. I haven't been betting nearly as much recently. Like I used to, when I would wake up at like 6.30 in the morning, I would live bet on Korean basketball, having no idea who the teams were. Like I would just say like, oh, this team is up,

is up eight points. and I can bet them like minus nine and a half. But I'm going to get those calls from. I'm going to get calls 630 in the morning from Kent. Hold on. Should I go with the sole golden bears or the or the Waka Hobby mountain tops? Like I go with the mountains tops. Listen, we better get ready to learn some Mandarin because if all the odds that Vegas gives are this suite,

I can see why people are getting hooked. I'm just leaving at that before we get into these lawsuits. Exactly. All right. So yeah, let's get into these lawsuits. And this, I wanted to circle back to this because you guys, if you watched or if you didn't, please check it out, audio version or YouTube version. We said great conversation last Friday with Brett Friedlander, who's been covering the ACC since 1981. And he brought up something interesting about the Clemson Florida state lawsuits. Because at this moment, Kenton, most of the momentum seems to be that there's going to be a settlement that, you know, despite all those predictions for the past year from all of your favorite YouTube.

that are not Kenton and I. And by the way, shame on you guys for having other favorite YouTubers. You're saying, hey, it's over. The ACC's done. They're all leaving right now, FSU, Clemson. They're going to the Big Ten. And, you know, so the conference is going to be held together for several more years. But it does look like there's going to be settlements to these lawsuits.

And part of what we expect to be, you know, the concessions that the ACC will make are expected to be that success initiative. which is going to have uneven payouts based on, you know, how much winning you do in football and basketball. You could get paid more for reaching certain goals. But then also the brand initiative, which has not been approved yet, but seems likely to happen where, you know, if you put on bigger TV ratings than other members of the conference,

like if, you know, Florida State gets more viewership than Wake Forest, like stuff you would expect to happen, that Florida State and anybody else who puts on better ratings, we get more payout. Friedlander brought up something that maybe that was actually the end game from Florida State and Clemson, that maybe they didn't assume they were just going to break the grant of rights and leave, but maybe they thought we can get the ACC to the negotiating table and actually get paid more money within this grant of rights. And if it does play out that way, Kenton,

could you say that Florida State and Clemson can actually win their lawsuits without actually winning? Absolutely. In that scenario where it plays out in that exact way, If you can create a situation where ESPN has already influenced this thing to where you're going to have bigger rating because these teams have Notre Dame on their schedule. So you're going to have bigger ratings right there. Like that, anybody who knows anything about Notre Dame fans, there are some of the most passionate watchers, period. They're going to have some of the most view games every year, period. So you add that into these bigger brands. And of course, you're going to see higher viewership overall because the,

outliers that bring it up are guaranteed every year in having a Notre Dame on a schedule, even if your team is having a down year. So with that in mind, if the end game, or not the end game, if the end result, rather, is, hey, uneven revenue sharing, not based on wins nor achievement, just based on viewership and who you are, then yes, these, they have won by getting that as a concession as a part of the settlement to these losses. That world where that happens, it's objectively a win for Florida State and Cleveland. Yeah. And listen, again, a lot of folks out there just assumed, hey, you know, the SEC would take them in a heartbeat. The Big Ten would take them in a heartbeat because why not they

bring value? But the problem, like you could say they bring value, but with those TV deals, lucrative deals locked in by these other conferences, the members of those conferences aren't necessarily going to want to cut other teams into what they're paying and make less. So that might be why, you know, Florida State and Clemson landing at the Big Tenor SEC was not as guaranteed as some people thought. So I agree. I think that if it ends up playing out this way, I think the success initiative is definitely going to happen where, you know, you earn it by winning more games and championships.

But the brand initiative, that's really something that Florida State and Clemson wanted from the outset. And guess what? the ACC was not willing to give that to them until they got sued. And then it seems like the ACC is caving on that. So I would frame that as a victory. Thank you guys so much for making Locked on ACC your first listen in your first watch today. Kent and Gibbs, make sure you check him out.

Locked on Wolfpack and on X at TGIF underscore Kenton. Check me out. Oh, I got to do my sign then if you're doing yours. Check me out. Locked on Cains. and at Lockdown Cains on X. And we'll talk to you guys next time on another episode of Lockdown ACC

right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team, every day.