Would Clemson look to leave the ACC?

This is the best of the Adam Gold Show Podcast brought to you by Coach Pete at Capital Financial Advisory Group.

Visit us at capitalfinancialusa.com. This is the Adam Gold Show. We spent a few days at ACC Football Kickoff where I was privileged to sit behind the ACC Network set and watch star of stage and screen Eric McLean work his magic.

He of course gets second billing on the Gramlich and McLean Podcast, but that's okay because he's a gentleman and he joins us on the Adam Gold Show. How are you my friend? Hey G, I am just living the dream. I'm out on my driveway, garage area. I'm building some walls. I'm making some pantries.

Life is good before we get ramped up for football season. Wait a second. You're building a pantry?

Building a pantry, man. It's going to be really cool. I'll send you some pics once it's done. I need to see this.

It'll be big time. Hey look, I love a man that can work with his hands. That's right. That's right. So we'll have a little wine cooler in there, a cabinet, and then some really nice shelving. So I'll send it to you when it's done.

Very nice. Look, I might hire you to make a pantry for me. I don't know. This will be the audition. This will be the audition.

We'll negotiate terms later. Alright, Clemson gets picked in the Atlantic, Miami in the Coastal final year for both divisions. I appreciate you and Jordan Cornett pouring one out for the final year. So, no surprise there. Were you surprised at all by the margin maybe for, really for both? In the Coastal, yes. Atlantic, no. I think that at the end of the day, Clemson has been the king of this thing for so long. And I mean, they absolutely wrecked the Atlantic champion from a year ago when they played. So, you know, I think that it's something where Clemson is going to be right back. I think that they're going to really, you know, just flex their muscles. But I do think there'll be better competition. I think at the end of the day, it comes down to that, you know, October 1st game in Death Valley for who's going to be playing in Charlotte. At least on the Atlantic side.

And then for the Coastal, man, I just, the disrespect for Pittsburgh is crazy to me. I mean, I know they lost Kenny Kickett, but man, they've got a lot back. And they have a pretty good quarterback in Keaton Slobus, who, you know, I think is going to be running that ship. Now, they haven't announced that.

And I'm not sure why. I'm sure in this transfer portal era, everybody wants to keep their guys as long as they can. And once a decision's made, you know, everybody's worried someone else is going to leave. So I think they're going to be, I think they're going to repeat, man. And I think it's going to be a great battle. And the good thing about the way the schedule shapes out is we see Miami and Pitt play at the end of the year. And I think that's essentially going to be a play in game for the Coastal.

Eric McLean from the ACC Network is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. We haven't had a repeat winner of the Coastal since, I believe, what, 2011? Virginia Tech, probably. Back-to-back Virginia Tech there. I think, I mean, Duke won in 2012, and then that started a string of, obviously, other than the pandemic year, where we had a different Coastal winner every year. Every single year. I did say that out loud, that Duke won the Coastal in 2012.

So, like, it's almost impossible for this division to produce, you know, back-to-back champions. But I do think that Pitt, they are probably on that side strongest on both lines. And it's not just Kenny Pickett, it's Addison the wide receiver also that they have to replace, who moved on to transfer to Southern Cal. I wonder if he's staying in Keaton Slovis' room. I think, you know, based on what we've heard, he can probably afford a little bit more than Keaton could.

So I have to think that he's not in that same apartment. But, yeah, I mean, when I look at Pitt, man, if we just want to stay here for a second, the entire offensive line back. Three really good running backs back. I know that Addison is gone, but Mumfield comes in, and that unit with tight ends included is really strong. It would have been that much stronger with Addison, but, man, it's a good-looking group. And then you've got a couple of guys that are kind of on the tweener, if they're eligible or not.

I think Coach said he was. And so going to be a great addition there as well. And then defensively, here's the thing with me, Adam. Defensively, Pittsburgh is always going to be great, right, just because of their scheme, what they do.

It's very hard to pick up. They're always going to be that team that you don't really want to play defensively. Now, they have the stars with it. You know, I know three deep on the Pittsburgh defense that are playmakers, that it's very Clemson-like. I don't think it's quite there at that elite, elite status where you're talking about three or four first-round picks. But it is deep, man. And these guys are going to make some noise, you know, led by Big Khalija, Kansi, and Baldonaldo there.

It's going to be impressive. And so that's why I'm just baffled by the disrespect. We did the FBI, which I hate that thing.

I'd love to know exactly what it is. But they had Pitt like third best in the Coast. I'm just like, guys, use your eyeballs. Don't use these numbers.

It's really easy. I actually, I picked Pitt second behind Miami, but maybe I'm just, you know, drinking the... Who's going to catch the ball for Tyler Van Dyke? Tyler Van Dyke. He's going to throw it to himself. He's really, really talented.

What is the... He's good, man. He's good. That's my biggest thing for Miami. It's just, who's going to be the guy? Charleston Rambo gone.

Harley gone. And I saw a bunch of drops in that spring game. And that's, it's something you can fix, but it takes a lot of effort.

It takes a lot of work. And, you know, I think it's going to come down. Like I said, that last week of the season, or second to last week, Miami Pitt.

It's going to be fun, man. Maybe he'll just throw to the tight end all day long because Mallory, I think, is really good. The difference between Clemson and NC State defensively is what in Eric McLean's eyes? Defensive line, for sure. I don't think anybody is close to sniffing Clemson's defensive line. And it's not just the star power of, you know, Brzee, you know, Miles Murphy, Xavier Thomas, KJ Henry, Tyler Day.

It's not just the star power. It's the depth behind them. And guys that, you know, like Ruka Rororo, that are just destroyers, man. And these are guys that, you know, I would not be surprised at all, man, if Clemson has, you know, five or six guys, if they all leave, that are drafted in the first three rounds on the defensive line alone. I mean, that's how deep it is.

And so it's a scary sight. Linebacker, man. I give the nod to NC State as a unit. I think they're one of the best, if not the best in the country, and all stay healthy. But I give individually the lean to, you know, Trenton Simpson as a linebacker. I think he's the best linebacker in the ACC. Probably one of the best in the country, right up with Sewell out of Oregon. So I think when you look at, you know, that way, it's something that Clemson is a little bit uphill battle there in regards to the depth that they have. And then just to be honest, when you look at the secondary, you know, I think Clemson's replacing a couple, but they're going to have to figure it out and really get it going. Look, that's the position on the field you can hide if the other positions on the field are great.

Especially if you can pressure the quarterback up the middle, then nobody's going to have enough time to throw the ball very deep. Adam Gold in studio with my friend Coach Pete DeRuta with the Capital Financial Advisory Group. We are talking retirement. Coach, how does longevity risk figure into our retirement and income plan?

This is the best of times and the worst of times, Adam. The longevity risk means we're going to live too long, but to me, every day I live is not too long. So we want our money to outlive us. And unfortunately, many people have seen you out there listening, maybe one of them, your money is not designed to outlive you. You might outlive your money and that's not what we want to have happen because when we get to that day after you run out of money, it's not going to be a fun time. So let's design a plan that guarantees you'll never run out of money. We call it the GPI plan, Growth Protection Lifetime Income, for the next 10 people. This is a golden ticket, Adam. $1,000 value, we're going to do it at no cost or obligation. And all you have to do is call, we make it so easy, would you like financial independence into your retirement and beyond it?

800-661-7383, that golden ticket is a $1,000 value. Or you could text Adam to 21000 for Coach Pete DeRuta. I don't know who you voted for and you are free to not say it for whatever reasons that you want. No, come on. I actually, I voted for Tyler Van Dyke for ACC Player of the Year. I thought about Brian Brazee, I really did.

I love Brian Brazee and everything he brings to Clemson's defense. But so many guys got support. Devin Leary won and three times as many people voted for somebody not named Devin Leary. So it could have been anybody in the top four or five that could have won.

Who did you vote for? Yeah, I was with Devin Leary, man. I think that he is going to have a Kenny Pickett-like year. And when I say that, I mean 4,000-plus yards, 40-plus touchdowns through the air. And he's going to be, I think, the best quarterback in the league. Now, when you look at pro prospects, a lot of people, I go back and forth with them on this, I think Tyler Van Dyke is the better pro prospect. But I think Devin Leary is going to win the year.

I really do. And I think he's going to get his wolf pack in a really fun position that they haven't been in in quite some time when it comes to the level of bowl game that he can get them to and maybe a playoff if they take care of business in Death Valley. So he's my guy. I think that, man, he can do everything you want from a quarterback. He has unbelievable leadership qualities. He's going into year three as the starter. And, Adam, that's where I see the most growth in guys is from year two as a starter to year three.

You see this massive leap of knowledge and understanding. And it's not just what he's doing. It's what the entire offense is doing from the offensive line, receivers running back, and then, of course, where he needs to get the football. And so I'm expecting a massive, massive year from Devin Leary there. And just when he, the way he throws the football, the arm strength, the touch, he's got it all. And so I think he's going to put together a really solid year.

Final thing for Eric McLean before we let him go in, go back and install some drawers and maybe some side shelving in his pantry that he's building. Your head, your former head coach, Dabo Swinney. Not that you know exactly what his thoughts are in this, but with all of the money that is definitely going to go to the SEC and the Big Ten. And I think we're kind of done here with expansion until Notre Dame decides they want to join a league or not. I really think that we're basically going to sit tight here. What do you think your former head coach is thinking about in terms of, do I need another $30 million? Or can, I mean, because I don't know. Or can we kind of squeak by between $35 and $40 million?

I'm just, I've always been curious, why do we need the additional $45 million? Yeah, the one thing that if I know about Dabo Swinney, if I know about Clemson is they're not going to fall behind that they will find ways. And if that is happening to go to another conference because of all the underlying reasons that we know, uh, then Clemson is going to find a way to do that. And so I think that he'll be the first one to tell you that, you know, Clemson belongs with the big dogs.

Clemson is a big dog and they're one of the few, you know, I think there's four or five that are at this elite level that we've seen for the last six years, and they're one of those players. And so they're not going to relax. They're not going to take a back seat. They will find a way to continue to be relevant.

And as we all know, that takes money. And, you know, so whatever way that looks, I hope and pray that it's with the ACC for quite some time. This conference has been tremendous for the last 70 plus years. And I hope that they can continue to be a leader in the space with all things, you know, championships, uh, producing great young men and women.

And then of course the revenue side of it. You, you, you just, you just said out loud that if, that if Clemson feels like they need to get to the, to another league that they will figure out a way to do it, um, that grant of rights does look pretty solid. Yeah. Yeah. So are we talking about waiting 10 years? No, no, no. I think if, if there is not a legitimate answer and we're seeing a hundred million dollar paychecks going to other schools, I think a nuclear button is going to be pressed and who tests it first. That'll be interesting to see even in North Carolina, I wouldn't be shocked to see something like that.

Who is a, a premier founder of this league. Yeah. Um, these schools aren't going to fall behind and the leadership that they have not going to let it. And so I hope there's a common solution that makes sense for everybody.

But like I said, these, these premier schools that we have, they're not, they're not fallen by the wayside. Do you need an additional $40 million to not fall behind? Adam, I always need an additional $40 million.

So I, yeah, yeah, you do. It's an arms race, man. Everything is getting bigger, better, more staffs.

I've heard whispers that there's going to be the elimination of, of staff numbers and scholarship numbers. All that takes money. And so it takes a lot of money.

And so that 40 million, uh, that, that Georgia and Clemson, or excuse me, Alabama and Ohio state have that Clemson, Florida state, Miami, North Carolina don't have, you fall behind and you start losing and you start not being able to develop the same way. And it might not be a five year, 10 year thing, uh, but you'll notice it in 2025. And so to not get to that point, you have to take care of yourself. And man, I just hope that we can all do that together.

That's my biggest hope. All right. My, uh, I lied final thing. How many, how many in the playoff when they eventually announce it in, let's say 20, the middle of 2023.

Yeah, man, I, I'm man, I don't know. And you know, 12, 16, whatever it is, I'm good with expansion, man. Let's get as much as we can. Let's eliminate some of the BS games. Let's make games that are important that people want to watch and let's get the best product we can because as you and I both know, man, there's nothing like college football.

Everybody wants to watch it. Let's just give them better games. Yeah. We do need to give them better games.

We need to get away from the Charleston Southerns at whoever. There's no question, but sorry, it's a different league. Gramlich and Mac Lane, the podcast episode, how many episodes were like 200 billion episodes close to two plus we're getting close to 200, which is crazy to think about, but we're right there. All right. Next episode.

You need to talk only about your pantry. I'll do it, man. This Friday. Actually, we're coming out.

We have all the coaches in the ACC and uh, I believe steer cues or Louisville's next up. There'll be Friday. So check it out. All right, we will. I need pictures of the pantry when you're done.

Eric Mac Lane. You're the best. I appreciate your time. Thanks brother. You got it.

Great talking to you too. I would like to see what, uh, the pantry that Eric Mac Lane creates. Likewise. I mean, is it, is it laminated or we using Oak or we're using, uh, I don't know, I know you're not going to make a pantry and a pine.

Are you? I was about to say nice pine. Oak pantry.

It all depends. Uh, is it, uh, is it going in the kitchen? Is it in a, like a little, uh, a little butler's alcove? Those are very cool by the way, butler's alcove here, June 19th, 2006, but it all started May 6, 1997 with the announcement that the Hartford Whalers were coming to North Carolina.

It's a story of transition, of heartbreak, of figuring it out on the fly. The canes corner. Look at the 25th anniversary of the move presented by the aluminum company of North Carolina. Listen now find Kame's 25th anniversary wherever you get your podcast, we've got a pretty good week one matchup with Ohio state hosting Notre Dame. I think that's a pretty good matchup.

Yeah. I may be wrong, but sounds like a game I'd like to watch. The ramifications for an Ohio state loss are very different from the ramifications of a Notre Dame loss though. If Ohio state loses the game, it does not damage them in the big 10. If they were to win out at that point and win the big 10, which would mean wins over the likes of Penn state and Michigan, plus whoever came across the field in the big 10 title game, they would end up 12 and one and almost certainly would be in a college football playoff. But Notre Dame, a loss for them while theoretically they could win out and be in the college football playoff, they wouldn't be 12 and one, they would be 11 and one. They don't have a conference championship game. And without that extra call it a data point and without that conference championship behind them, they are really at the mercy of the Ohio states of the world or any other of the major conference champions, including a Clemson. Now does Notre Dame and Clemson play this year?

I think. They don't play because I think Clemson's non-conference game, good non-conference game, not South Carolina, although South Carolina I don't think will be bad, but it's a more difficult, I guess, equation for Notre Dame. Clemson at Notre Dame, November 5th. Right. And that would ultimately be an eliminator game for Notre Dame if Notre Dame is to also lose at Ohio state.

Right? There's no, I've always said this about Notre Dame, competitively speaking, you run the risk of playing what amounts to an exhibition schedule if you lose early, especially if you lose a second time, like there's nothing else to play for. You could lose two games early and win your conference if Ohio state were to do that or any other school were to do that. You could lose twice and still win your league, whether that gets you into a college football playoff or not.

I'm not like that's a silly conversation at this point. Anyway, Marcus Freeman, the brand new head coach at Notre Dame, and I think he's going to do a phenomenal job, was asked about joining a conference. There's been a lot of talk about Notre Dame and we love that, right? And our university loves that. And we love our independence.

That's where this program was built on. You look at the past, the history of this university and this football team, we were built on being independent, playing teams across the country. Now, our president, our athletic director is not going to put us in a position to not be successful. They're not going to put us in a position where we're going to hurt our university or our football team. So if that ever becomes the case, I'm sure we'll have to join a conference. But until that point comes to a fruition, then we're going to continue to be independent. All right. Now there are pluses and minuses to either staying independent or joining a conference.

Marcus? For us, the biggest advantage of not being in a conference is that you get to play this schedule that's coast to coast. You get to play the best teams across the country. Every year we have a game we call a shamrock series game where we go and play in NFL stadium.

This year we'll be playing in Las Vegas versus BYU. But that's who we are. That's that national global brand that we continue to be and continue to try to maximize. But as you said earlier, Max, is that we have goals to continue to move that needle to try to be national champions. And I think our conference, our schedule helps us achieve that goal.

But it's the development of this team that's going to help us ultimately achieve that goal. I think in the second clip, he accidentally said our conference. Yeah. Right.

But they play five ACC games a year. So let's be honest. Let's call it what it is. It's an open relationship.

It is a very open relationship. Look, I've said this before about the ACC right now. I know people don't want to believe this. The ACC gets more out of their relationship with Notre Dame than Notre Dame gets out of the ACC.

Oh, yeah. Like, Notre Dame does realize a huge benefit from playing other sports within the Atlantic Coast Conference. It probably helps basketball, right? And they play other sports at a very high level.

Their baseball has become very good. And the playing in the ACC has helped that. But the association that the ACC gets improved bowl relationships, probably a little bit of a juiced TV deal because you know that you're going to get five, well, maybe not five ACC games with Notre Dame, but two or three each year on ACC fields. So you control the TV for those.

Those are important. Ultimately, I think down the road competitively, Notre Dame will have to be in a league, but we'll see how it shakes out. This is the Adam Gold Show. Over the crossbar, and the Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup. June 19th, 2006, but it all started May 6th, 1997 with the announcement that the Hartford Whalers were coming to North Carolina. It's a story of transition, of heartbreak, of figuring it out on the fly. The Cane's Corner look at the 25th anniversary of the move, presented by the Aluminum Company of North Carolina. Listen now. You can find Cane's 25th anniversary wherever you get your podcasts.