College football is big business. It’s one of the main reasons the Pac-12 collapsed and the Power Five became the Power Four. While the Four Corner Universities are moving up to the Big 12 and Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are moving up to the Big Ten, we often forget that Cal and Stanford are joining the ACC, along with former Group of Five contender SMU. They now play in the All Coast Conference.
When I spoke to Atlanta Falcons center and former Stanford Cardinals star Drew Dalman on behalf of CoolMitt last weekend on The Blogging Dirty Podcast at FanSided, I couldn’t help myself. I know it’s a Falcons-focused podcast, and he plays for the NFL team I cover most closely, but I’m a huge college football fan. It’s my No. 1. I got the feeling Dalman put some thought into the move.
Although Dalman was sad to see the Pac-12 go, and worried about the trip, I appreciate the fact that he was able to see the bright side when it came to joining the ACC.
“As a fan growing up, I watched this conference when there was still Pac-10 and Pac-12 and so on. So I’m going to miss a certain nostalgia for that. But yeah, I’m happy for the team,” Dalman said. “My main concern is how much travel that means, and I’m sure that’s been talked about a lot. So we don’t need to get into that.”
He really wants to see the Cardinals play Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd, that would be a cool rivalry.
“I don’t think it’s on the schedule this year, but I’m really looking forward to them playing at Georgia Tech so I can go and watch the game, that’s going to be interesting,” Dalman said. “There’s going to be a lot of exciting matchups. So yeah, I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”
Here is the full YouTube video of my interview with Dalman on behalf of CoolMitt for FanSided.
What immediately stands out in the quote is that it sounds like Dalman wants to stay in Atlanta.
I was amazed by Dalman’s confidence in recognizing that pretty much everyone in the college football world is thinking about the end of the Pac-12 and how much traveling all 17 teams will have to do. Dalman looked for the positive in all of this, which I appreciated. To me, it just goes to show how much optimism there is in Flowery Branch.
I don’t know off the top of my head how the ACC will structure its schedule in a 17-team league with no divisions. I would assume Stanford will play Cal every year, forever. Although the Yellow Jackets have many rivals in the conference (Clemson, Virginia Tech, UNC, etc.), Georgia Tech is a prestigious academic institution in Atlanta, just like Stanford is in Palo Alto.
In response to Dalman’s answer about Stanford moving to the ACC and the realignment of the conference in general, I mentioned that another ACC school in Clemson isn’t too far away. It’s on the Georgia-South Carolina border. The other ACC schools might be a bit too far away for Dalman to get to a game during the season, but there’s a chance the three newcomers could make it in the new ACC.
I can’t wait to see Dalman make friendly bets on the Stanford-Clemson games with Grady Jarrett.
Drew Dalman spoke to FanSided on behalf of CoolMitt on the Blogging Dirty Podcast.
Next. New additions Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. are changing the game for ATL. New additions Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. are changing the game for ATL. dark
