https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...nship-game

Article on the ACC changing its schedule to benefit ND and Clemson.

To me, as a member of the committee, that would be a tiebreaker to eliminate those schools. If Clemson didn't want to play, they should have a forfeit.

"...Among the scheduling changes to note: Both Notre Dame and Clemson now will have an open date Dec. 12, a week before the ACC championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Irish had been scheduled to play Wake Forest, while the Tigers did not have a game scheduled for that day. Though Florida State wanted to play Clemson on Dec. 12 after their game was postponed, the Tigers did not want to go back to Tallahassee to play. As a result, the ACC decided it would evaluate the three teams in contention for the championship game -- Notre Dame, Clemson and Miami -- on a nine-game conference schedule...."

Clemson had a reason to not want to go back to Florida State. They were literally there on Saturday and Florida State cancelled at the last minute. I'm not saying Florida State wasn't right or legitimate in doing so, but I can certainly see why Clemson wouldn't want to go back to FSU after what happened last time (and Florida State literally hasn't played a game since and canceled on Virginia at the last minute too). Now the ACC could have scheduled Clemson to play another ACC team Dec. 12 instead of Florida State but chose not to. But penalizing Clemson for not wanting to go through the Florida State mess again seems unfair.

Let's be honest, does anyone think the canceled games would've changed anything (other than maybe infected a few players with COVID-19)?

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. FSU or possibly Duke

Also, much bigger problem: had they evaluated based on 10 ACC games instead of 9, Miami doesn't play their 10th conference game until Championship Weekend (their 9th game is next week).

(12-06-2020 08:41 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Let's be honest, does anyone think the canceled games would've changed anything (other than maybe infected a few players with COVID-19)?

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. FSU or possibly Duke

Also, much bigger problem: had they evaluated based on 10 ACC games instead of 9, Miami doesn't play their 10th conference game until Championship Weekend (their 9th game is next week).

Probably not, though Wake Forest had a chance vs Notre Dame.

Still, it's the principle - you don't let a school that doesn't want to play a game dictate conference policy.

No, I would not punish Clemson or ND if I was a member of the committee, but if the report is true it was a bush-league move by the ACC.

(12-06-2020 09:00 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-06-2020 08:41 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Let's be honest, does anyone think the canceled games would've changed anything (other than maybe infected a few players with COVID-19)?

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. FSU or possibly Duke

Also, much bigger problem: had they evaluated based on 10 ACC games instead of 9, Miami doesn't play their 10th conference game until Championship Weekend (their 9th game is next week).

Probably not, though Wake Forest had a chance vs Notre Dame.

Still, it's the principle - you don't let a school that doesn't want to play a game dictate conference policy.

No, I would not punish Clemson or ND if I was a member of the committee, but if the report is true it was a bush-league move by the ACC.

So you're the ACC office, Clemson tells you what happened with Florida State and Florida State did cancel last minute to Virginia. I'm not going to choose sides or say FSU was wrong here but you're basically telling they should have told Clemson screw you, you have to go to Florida State knowing darn well FSU could cancel on them at the last minute again and they would have made two trips to Tallahassee and played zero games. You heard Dabo Swinney talk about it. If Alabama didn't want to play Arkansas this week or Florida didn't want to play LSU, that could be fishy. But you really blame Clemson for not wanting to go back to Florida State? At the very least work out an alternative. Make Florida State go to Clemson or have Clemson play someone else. Anything except make Clemson has to go back to Florida State.

Wait, am I actually agreeing with/defending Clemson? Hell just froze over! Someone tell Kaplony!

(12-06-2020 08:41 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Let's be honest, does anyone think the canceled games would've changed anything (other than maybe infected a few players with COVID-19)?

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. FSU or possibly Duke

Also, much bigger problem: had they evaluated based on 10 ACC games instead of 9, Miami doesn't play their 10th conference game until Championship Weekend (their 9th game is next week).

Every other conference but the Big 12 has the same issue of different numbers of games. If the Big 12 plays the 3 games scheduled next week, everyone will have completed their schedule. ACC knew tiebreaks could be complicated with Covid and putting 15 schools in one division.

Wake Forest and FSU are two of the handful of teams that actually have a punchers chance against those two. Wake Forest has a high powered offense and FSU has talent. They're basically passing on games because they are afraid they would lose or get players hurt (and Clemson partly because they are ticked off-which is not a legitimate reason). Other teams are continuing their schedules. ND beat UL by 5 and 3 others by 2 TDs. Clemson beat BC by only 6.

(12-06-2020 09:23 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(12-06-2020 09:00 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-06-2020 08:41 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Let's be honest, does anyone think the canceled games would've changed anything (other than maybe infected a few players with COVID-19)?

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. FSU or possibly Duke

Also, much bigger problem: had they evaluated based on 10 ACC games instead of 9, Miami doesn't play their 10th conference game until Championship Weekend (their 9th game is next week).

Probably not, though Wake Forest had a chance vs Notre Dame.

Still, it's the principle - you don't let a school that doesn't want to play a game dictate conference policy.

No, I would not punish Clemson or ND if I was a member of the committee, but if the report is true it was a bush-league move by the ACC.

So you're the ACC office, Clemson tells you what happened with Florida State and Florida State did cancel last minute to Virginia. I'm not going to choose sides or say FSU was wrong here but you're basically telling they should have told Clemson screw you, you have to go to Florida State knowing darn well FSU could cancel on them at the last minute again and they would have made two trips to Tallahassee and played zero games. You heard Dabo Swinney talk about it. If Alabama didn't want to play Arkansas this week or Florida didn't want to play LSU, that could be fishy. But you really blame Clemson for not wanting to go back to Florida State? At the very least work out an alternative. Make Florida State go to Clemson or have Clemson play someone else. Anything except make Clemson has to go back to Florida State.

Wait, am I actually agreeing with/defending Clemson? Hell just froze over! Someone tell Kaplony!

They've changed the policy. It was the ACC's fault for the way they measured things.

Clemson and Notre Dame have both played more games than the rest of those in contention.

To paraphrase what Wes Durham said on the air .... "That's a little HOA-ish from Sankey. Guess the ACC should check with him next year on what color the mailboxes should be painted?"

(12-06-2020 08:41 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Let's be honest, does anyone think the canceled games would've changed anything (other than maybe infected a few players with COVID-19)?

Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. FSU or possibly Duke

Also, much bigger problem: had they evaluated based on 10 ACC games instead of 9, Miami doesn't play their 10th conference game until Championship Weekend (their 9th game is next week).

Marketing 101!
#1 You have a week to build anticipation of the re-match of Clemson-Notre Dame.
#2 You create a marketing buzz about the "Battle for the Orange Bowl" played in the off week before the championship game to provide a prime time opportunity as a preliminary and to showcase Miami in case a disaster happens and Notre Dame beats Clemson by a lot.

Most people I see are continuing to focus on the wrong team. This wasn't a Clemson issue as I see it, but a Miami issue - they literally won't complete their schedule until the day of the ACC Championship. Reducing the number of games by one actually leveled the playing field.

Of course, had Clemson lost to FSU next week, that would've opened up a can or worms, so they needed to cancel that game, too. It was an imperfect solution for a very imperfect season.