Last week it was the SEC, and before that, it was the Big 12. Now it’s the ACC’s turn at the mic as much of the nation’s college football media descends on North Carolina. And the Big 10 will also be holding its media days this week.
The Big 10 will get some extra looks as Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA make it 18 teams in the conference.
Bright Lights and Uncomfortable Topics
But the extra bright spotlight will shine on the ACC. It is as unavoidable as the tumult with which the conference currently lives. Having two of your top football programs litigate in order to leave the conference is going to do that. So as we go through ACC media days in the week ahead, there are going to be a lot people spending too much time reading body language and side eyes in the various rooms.
There are now 17 schools in the conference. That means the event grows from three days to four at the Hilton in Uptown Charlotte, NC from Monday through Thursday this week.
The Q&A
It is customary for the commissioner of the conference to give remarks from the main podium at the opening of these events. But according to the schedule sent to the media over the weekend by the ACC, conference commissioner Jim Phillips is not scheduled to do so. Instead, he will hold a “Commissioner’s Forum” in another room from where the coaches and players do their Q&A with the media.
The irony is that he is doing the forum at approximately the same time Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key will be on the main stage in another room. So, sorry to Key and his three player representatives, Zeek Biggers, Jamal Haynes, and Haynes King. There may be a bunch of reporters who get up and leave to go talk to Phillips. There are just too many compelling questions for the commissioner.
The Landscape
The primary story of the off-season has been court hearings in four different lawsuits in three different states. Florida State is suing the ACC in Leon County, Florida. Clemson is suing the conference in Pickens County, South Carolina. And the ACC is countersuing both of them in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, just minutes from the media days event.
In a small twist, the kind that gets a “hmmm” from the media, Phillips’ media chat will come right after the Q&A with the Florida State contingency. Clearly, head coach Mike Norvell will have nothing to say about the lawsuit. It is above his responsibilities as the head coach. College football is the driving force in the finances of the conference. And the efforts of Clemson and FSU to leave. But the coaches play no role in any of it. Still, the juxtaposition and the timing are amusing to the onlookers.
The Week
In addition to FSU, and Georgia Tech, ACC newcomer SMU will be the third team to meet with the media on Monday.
Big 10 media days are also this week, (Tuesday through Thursday), in Indianapolis. So, in addition to providing complete coverage from the ACC event, we will also provide coverage of the Big 10 event. Our Washington Huskies reporter Nick Lemkau will be on hand to provide color and details from that event.
