CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Latest on ACC media days (all times local):
12:25 p.m.
The Clemson Tigers decided not to send quarterback Trevor Lawrence to ACC media days.
The national champs sent a ”stunt double” instead.
Offensive guard John Simpson, who will represent Clemson’s offense at the annual media day, decided to wear a blonde wig to resembling the popular quarterback’s signature hairstyle, knowing everyone would probably rather talk to Lawrence. The Tigers posted a video of Simpson trying on the wig on their football Twitter site.
While the 330-pound lineman may not look a whole lot like Lawrence, at least he’s got the hair flip down.
—
12:05 p.m.
Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford says Clemson’s recent run of success has been ”great timing” leading up to next month’s launch of the league’s TV channel.
The Tigers have won two of the past three national championships along with four straight league titles. Speaking during his annual forum to start the league media days, Swofford said Wednesday it’s impossible to measure the impact of that success as the ACC Network prepares for its Aug. 22 launch.
Clemson’s opener against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29 will be the channel’s first football game.
The league needs the channel to close a growing financial gap with its power-conference peers.
The ACC’s 14 full-time members for the 2016-17 season received $26.6 million with football driving the revenues, according to the league’s federal tax filings. But the Southeastern Conference which launched its own ESPN-partnered channel in 2014 distributed nearly $41 million per school that year and while the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 all averaged more than $31 million.
—
2:20 a.m.
The Atlantic Coast Conference opens its preseason media days Wednesday with a focus on reigning national champion Clemson and the rest of the Atlantic Division.
The Tigers have won two national championships in three seasons and four straight league titles while going 34-2 against ACC opponents dating to the 2015 season.
Syracuse is coming off a 10-win season, but there’s plenty of uncertainty throughout the division. North Carolina State is the only league school with no starting experience at quarterback, while Florida State is coming off its first bowl-less season since 1981.
There’s also a new coach in Louisville’s Scott Satterfield, while Wake Forest and Boston College are both coming off seven-win seasons.
The two-day session concludes Thursday with the Coastal Division teams.
—
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
Add A Comment