The conference's TV contracts are in place through the end of the 2010-11 academic year. Any serious tinkering with the ACC's schedules will come when the TV deals expire, so that the conference can maximize the financial payoff of its changes.

The conference feels that they don't want to give away extra games for free.

After all, they know that the ACC is still damn good TV. Five of the top ten college hoops games on ESPN involved at least one ACC team. The second North Carolina-Duke game was ESPN's highest rated game -- ever. As for football, Clemson-Florida State was the World Wide Leader's top rated college game ... while Boston College-Virginia Tech was ESPN's highest rated Thursday game -- ever.

ACC Shuts Up All That Extra Games Talk originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 20:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you have watched the ACC tournament, you have been endured to this video above. It is some dude standing in a gym singing about the ACC in Charlotte.

"Wearing the colors proud-ly!"

This has been one of the worst intros in the history of intros. Not only is it grating but it sticks in your head long after the fact. My wife and I ran a few errands and I caught myself singing "representing the ACC in Charlotte". I think she wanted to slap me.

Thank god the tournament is over and that we don't have to be subjected to it again. As someone who lived most of my life in Charlotte, that song sucked beyond belief. If you live in Charlotte (which my family still does) then you weren't subjected to any of this. You got to see the WBTV broadcast of the game and ESPN was blacked out. So, watch above and get ready to cringe.

ESPN Needs to Stop With the Horrible 'ACC Tournament in Charlotte' Song originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speedo Guy III came and went in the UNC-Duke rivalry ... and hopefully he will never come back.

ESPN spent all day on its family of networks showing a feature on the original Speedo Guy. He was a Duke grad student who, back in 2003, stripped down to his skivvies and danced while UNC's Jackie Manuel shot (and missed) two free throws.

ESPN thought it'd be neat to do a feature on his which saw Speedo Guy (who is now a minister), Jackie Manuel and Mike Krzyzewski (who said that no one should ever do that again) discussing the incident. No one listened because Speedo Guy II appeared in 2005 while UNC's Marvin Williams shot (and missed) two free throws.

ESPN's Reece Davis noted that UNC has missed all free throws that Speedo Guy has danced to. Trap set. As you can see in the video above, the bait was taken.

The only difference is that this Speedo Guy failed where other Speedo Guys succeeded. Deon Thompson (who already is a poor free throw shooter) was on the line when he got up to do his thing. Thompson did miss the first foul shot, but made the second. Statistically, this makes the Speedo Guy III the worst ever.

Visually, he takes it too. The first two just did a little dance. This one just decided to point at his junk which was ... considering the emotions of the evening ... inappropriate. ESPN's play by play man Dan Shulman even offered an apology on air to anyone that may have been offended by that.

Hopefully, the Speedo Guy will adhere to the Comedy Rule of Three and retire a joke after its third try.

Speedo Guy Returns to Duke-UNC originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 09 Mar 2008 12:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

"Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. I thank you and God bless you all."

15 Years Since Jim Valvano's "Don't Give Up" Speech at the ESPYs originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN's Mike Patrick on Duke-Maryland: 'What's the Word I'm Thinking Of?' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Duke-North Carolina Gets ESPN Huge Ratings originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 10 Feb 2008 06:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Around the country, fans will see the return of ESPN's Dick Vitale to announcing when Duke takes on North Carolina on Wednesday. Either you are excited to see him back ... or a bit bent that you have to hear all that pent up emotion just waiting to explode. The fact that he will be paired up with Mike Patrick might just make you want to watch the game with the sound off.

Maybe you rather be in ACC country? In ACC markets, the game will be carried by Raycom sports ... who will have Tim Brando (of "the iron unkind" fame) and Billy Packer calling the game. In those markets, ESPN's coverage will be blacked out and ESPNews will be shown instead. No Vitale for you!

Who would you rather listen to: Dickie V waxing poetic about Duke, Michaelangelo (aka, Dean Smith) and the rivalry? Or Billy Packer ... who hates everything?

Who Would You Rather Hear: Dick Vitale or Billy Packer? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Duke's Greg Paulus Pretends He Got Hit originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A scope and analysis of Vitale's throat by Dr. Steven Zeitels in Boston revealed that the broadcaster has recovered sufficiently after the removal of the non-cancerous lesions.

"I was in tears when he asked me to speak my first words since the surgery," Vitale wrote in a letter to fans. "Believe me, it was very difficult to go 3½ weeks without speaking! When he had me count to 10, I was so relieved."

Dick Vitale is Targeting Duke-UNC Game for Return to Broadcasting originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We Get It Coach K - You Don't Care About the Duke Football Team originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Iowa State University, Basketball -- 2 scholarships
• University of Cincinnati, Basketball -- 1 scholarship
• San Jose State University, Football -- 7 scholarships
• University of Arizona, Football -- 4 scholarships
• UNLV, Football -- 3 scholarships
• University of Toledo, Football -- 4 scholarships

So a university trying to improve on-court performance can't just consider whether its coach won enough games in his third year on the job. It has to factor in whether moving him out will be sufficiently disruptive to lead to a slip in APR performance. That can lead to embarrassment -- ask Bob Huggins about what a dubious 0 percent grad rate did for him at Cincinnati -- and the competitive disadvantage of losing scholarships, practice time and possibly postseason eligibility.

Presidents and athletic directors must begin to consider whether firing that coach is worth the cost not in contract buyout dollars. They should examine whether it puts their school in APR jeopardy. And they should inform their boosters there are other factors to consider beyond an elusive NCAA Tournament bid.

• BYU
• Florida State
• UNC
• Notre Dame
• Villanova
• Wake Forest
• Xavier

• Boston College
• Duke
• Rice
• Stanford

APR Reports Generate Anxiety and Relief originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 May 2007 02:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At FanHouse, We're Wearing Our Hokie Colors originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I walked right up to it at first, but it was like jumping straight into hot water. Realizing I was going to have to ease myself in I stepped back 10 feet or so to look at the site as a whole. Many were gathered around either signing the multiple pieces dedicated to those lost or silently paying respects. Eventually I approached a second time and began reading what people had written. Some of the most heart-wrenching words I have ever read were hitting me by the minute. Most were students and families briefly reminiscing over favorite moments together, inside jokes, and their favorite activities.

We then walked over to the larger signing boards, of which there were 7 I believe. They were 4x8 sheets of plywood painted white and they were all covered in signatures by this afternoon. Auburn University sent one over and it stood elevated over the rest with their college's logo in the bottom right corner. After reading through the boards for some time I wrote another generic comment and moved on to a larger memorial of candles and flowers. I'll be back there too to write something meaningful.

Those are 24 of the 32 "Hokie Stones" surrounding the memorial. Those stones were used to build a vast majority of the buiIdings on campus including West Ambler Johnston and Norris Hall. I literally froze mid-step as I broke the imaginary boundary created by these rocks. I felt as though I were entering an area of paramount importance, like I should have fallen to my knees and cleared my head of all thoughts. Almost immediately the entire week came together inside of me all at once. Running from buildings, hearing the death tolls, seeing the faces of victims, hearing their families grieve, hearing about how great they were and how much they were going to accomplish, it all came together in a single second and I broke down for the first time.

Now that all of the victims have been identified I'd like to extend a most sincere apology to all those who lost a loved one or, God forbidding, several loved ones. I assure you their spirits are alive in Virginia Tech and they always will be. They are alive in me and every single other member of this community. We are proud to call them family.

I now know what I'm going to write on those memorials:

"A life that ends in Virginia Tech lives forever in Virginia Tech"

Through Hokie Eyes: Paying Respects originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chairman Brian France:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their family members, their friends - and the entire Virginia Tech community. We wanted to make a simple, but strong, gesture of remembrance. We are grateful the university gave us clearance to display their logo."

The logo will be displayed against a black background on the "B-post" - the area just to the right of the driver's side window net - of cars competing in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series events at Phoenix International Raceway (Friday and Saturday), Talladega Superspeedway (April 28-29) and Richmond International Raceway (May 4-5).

Additionally, trucks competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event April 28 at Kansas Speedway also will display the logo.

NASCAR to Honor Virginia Tech Shooting Victims originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies! We will prevail, we will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!"

Through Hokie Eyes: Convocation and Vigil originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grubb:

"We had a lot of phone calls and emails going around when Virginia Tech beat Duke and UNC this year in basketball and always with football. We've always had a pretty strong following in the garage. It's amazing how many Hokies are actually in the garage when you get to know them.

"There's a lot of people in the garage that went to Tech one year before I did or one year after that I never knew because it's such a big campus and there's so many people there. But it's a tight-knit community once you find a fellow Hokie and you have a lot to talk about because everybody enjoys their experience that they have at Virginia Tech and it's something that they cherish and would love to go back and relive."

Yesterday's experiences won't be ones that any VT alum will want to relive:

"I remember having classes in Norris Hall, probably in some of the same classrooms where those people were killed. It's just amazing. I can't believe what those families and those people that were actually in those classrooms, that survived, what they are going through having to relive it."

But for Grubb, yesterday wasn't a trip down memory lane, it was more about the immediate situation at hand--his mom works on campus as an academic advisor. He was on his way to the Hendrick Motorsports shop yesterday when first learned the news:

"It was very disturbing. I talked to mom several times yesterday. Her office building is actually next door to the dorm where the first shooting occurred. She was in lockdown when I called to talk to her after I heard the news. She was still pretty upset then. It was just unbelievable. Right after that, is when all the news started coming out about what actually happened. It just got worse as the day went along."

Grubb says it won't be easy, but that the tightness of the community will help it to heal:

"I don't know how anyone can say they'll just get past this because it's such a huge tragedy. You'll never be able to get past this but because it is a tight knit community - basically Virginia Tech is the town of Blacksburg and the entire town revolves around that university so it will be a little easier to pull together to mourn and grieve the loss and help out the families there in need but it's still not going to make it easy.

"You have the feel of the people you know. It's a small town. It's so close knit where everyone feels like neighbors and friends it will make it a little easier to find someone to talk to and someone to lean on as you need it."

NASCAR Garage Hokie's Mom Works on Campus originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ashley Speegle, the former girlfriend of NASCAR heartthrob Kasey Kahne, was immediately on the minds of those who religiously follow the comings and goings of the drivers' wives and girlfriends.

On Monday afternoon, I was able to reach Speegle, currently a junior in the university's liberal arts and human sciences college, via email and confirm her safety:

"I appreciate everyone's concern. I am safe, as are all of my very close friends. They still haven't sent out any sort of list of the ones killed/hurt in the shootings, but as you can imagine we are all anxiously waiting. This is just scary beyond belief for everyone here... just praying for now for everyone and just sitting tight. Thanks again for your concern."

Even though it's been well over a year since Kahne and Speegle broke up, I wasn't surprised at all by the outpouring of concern from NASCAR fans--nor am I astonished by the sympathies being expressed in the Fanhouse by all sports fans.

A tragedy like this shatters the emotions of the entire country, not just those who attend or have students at VT or on other college campuses. Making a personal connection helps to hasten the healing process.

Fans looking for first hand account from campus should check out blogger Fanhouse blogger Nick Dallamora, a VT student who is blogging through Hokie eyes:

Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After at Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes

I join other Fanhouse bloggers and readers in extending my own condolences and offer prayers to the families of slain students.

It is a sad day indeed. And on this sad day I am proud to be a sports fan.

Concerned NASCAR Fans Find Connection To VT Tragedy originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I knew today was going to be a lot harder than yesterday. Sometime around nine o'clock last night I saw a picture of the first confirmed victim, Ryan Clark. He was a Resident Advisor in the dorm where the shootings began, which is connected to my dorm. Goosebumps shot down my back and my breath let out and took a few seconds to return. That was enough for one day.

I had my alarm set, but woke up more than an hour before it would ring. A plethora of e-mails, voicemails, and text messages filled with warm sentiment and concern awaited me, and I honestly haven't even checked them all yet. My roommate seemed to have been up for quite some time as he gave me all the major updates I missed through the night. I turned on the television and more names and pictures of victims were being shown. This has to be the most heart-wrenching morning of my entire life.

CNN just showed a picture of who they believe to be the gunman, Cho Seung-Hui. Yesterday I probably would have spat at the screen and flipped him an emphatic middle finger, but now I just stared, creased my lips to the corner of my mouth, dropped my eyes, and patted the back of my head.

I'd like to thank everyone who has linked to the small piece I wrote yesterday: Dan Shanoff, We Are the Postmen, Larry Brown Sports, Running with Scissors, Sports by Brooks and anyone else I'm missing in this blur of a morning. A few classmates of mine read it and seem to carry the same state of mind. My largest concern was portraying our feelings accurately and it seems I was close enough. We all appreciate the amount of sorrow our nation has expressed as we can all relate to how sad this really was.

I know every fiber of fashion sense in your body is telling you it's a terrible idea, but try to throw on some maroon and orange today. Wear it with the same pride we wear it with every day.

Previously on FanHouse:
The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter
The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes
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Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After at Virginia Tech originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"A shooting incident occurred at West Amber[sic] Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating."

"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows"

The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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