Roundtable with Candace Cooper and Kenton Gibbs

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I was about to say you can't be canceling my co-host now. You guys are the locked on ACC podcast so I'm glad we got both of you at the same time. Candace I'm going to tell you what happened about was it five six weeks ago on a Friday. Kenton came on and told us how Florida State was gonna blow out Duke. He created this he created this scenario clearly out of a fantasy world where Duke was gonna drive down the field to score a touchdown late in the game to lose by 30.

Something like that. Fourth quarter Kenton. Duke had the ball at the three-yard line. Fourth and goal from the three. Riley Leonard sadly went to the bench with an injury.

Henry Beelen the fourth could not get it in the end zone. Duke had the lead was looking to pad the lead and from that point on it was all Florida State. But Florida State was losing that game until that point. Just saying. So here's the thing about that. Just saying.

If ifs and buts were berries and nuts squirrels would never starve. But we live in the real world brother. Right. And in the real world Florida State won this game by how many points now? Oh it's like 17 right? 18. 18 points. Nearly three touchdowns.

So right. So it may not have been them winning by 30 but I think 18 points is enough to cover. Totally and that's what that's what happened when Notre Dame's next quarterback has to leave the field. Frankly he shouldn't have played. Well.

He should he should not have played. But you were nervous. Just didn't just just admit you were a little nervous. Like wait a second. If Duke thinks he's in we're down 10.

How are we gonna do this? I had faith in Jared Verse. I had faith in Jordan Travis. I had faith in Braden Fisk.

I had faith in that Florida State team to do what needed to be done. Candace take me inside the take me inside the group chat. You know I it's really funny that our group chat only consists of like what is someone doing or what happened or dang it sucks that Riley got hurt. You know it really does we kind of have like very dry reactions. But I didn't know that he had blown so much smoke out of him.

I would have probably checked him about it. It was hysterical. I thought I thought about that as I'm as I'm watching the game and I'm going and I think I was actually at a hockey game when this game was going on. This was in a run of Duke primetime games which has never happened before. Like four weeks in a row.

Why are the Blue Devils on in prime time again? Yeah but that was that was a shockingly competitive game and Leonard was hobbit. We could tell right away Leonard couldn't play. How was that game even that close with Leonard having no ability to do what he does best? Let's not talk about Duke football other than we're gonna talk about Manny Diaz in a minute.

But first I'm gonna start with Candace here because I know where I know where Kenton's going. On a scale of one to ten how ten being really bad and one being not so much. How badly did Florida State get screwed by the committee? I would say eight. An eight in terms of thinking about just who we are. I don't even know if it's Florida State or it's ACC at this point because I just think that by proxy Florida State is just the one that got the brunt of it.

But as a conference I think ten because it just makes us look ridiculous. But I'm also just really upset at Jim Phillips. I'm not over it. I'm still not over it.

Okay Kenton you were talking about that too. Before I get it we get into the nuts and bolts of their decision. You're also upset with Jim Phillips. Why?

Absolutely. He's not doing enough as a commissioner and I know that everybody wants to laugh and point at Florida State right now and say haha you guys got out. People who don't like Florida State whatever the case may be.

The same thing to make you laugh will make you cry now. The reality is it could be any one of you because Jim Phillips is not beating the table for anybody. You got Sankey on college game day doing Sesame Street bits. You got whoever is in the Big Ten is always finding a way to work an angle, to get themselves on TV, to tell everybody how the Big Ten is that deal.

Where is Phillips beating on the table in that same regard? And by all means I don't want this to be me cascading him as a human being because everybody I've talked to about him as a person he's a wonderful man. I love Jim. But I love to quote Marvel movies so I'm gonna do one right here.

As T'Chaka told T'Challa you're a great man but that makes it hard to be a great king. He has to be that God is willing to cut some throws, be that God is willing to pound the table, be that God is willing to take a shot at another conference to say oh the SEC is so good why do they have a losing record against us this year? Oh the Big Ten is so good why are they not part of the one of the only two conferences with a winning out of conference record against the rest of the power five? You got to be willing to do that if you want to be push your narratives and your agendas in the same way that the Big Ten and SEC do. Candace what what kind of what kind of blame do you put on ESPN in this? Oh so much blame because I think I just I guess I don't understand how you don't build up the ACC network and make it you know competitive in that in comparison to the SEC in terms of your shows your hosts and all the things and so if you're really gonna pour into it just speak on it but maybe it's just that grant of rights where they feel like we've got you so we don't have to pour into it it just feels very much like I don't I'm trying to find the nice words but they sort of own the ACC they could do whatever they want but they right what are you gonna do about it? It is the difference between it's the difference between being it's not really controlling but you own the rights as opposed to being a partner and they are more of a partner with the southeastern conference I am NOT I am NOT a conspiracy theorist but because I'm not I don't believe there is a conspiracy I don't believe there was a red phone in Bristol that you know whoever picked it up and there was Boo Corrigan at the other end probably Ted the phone turned upside down but I don't believe that there was that kind of kind of communication but I do believe was that boo picking up the phone was that I think that was Boo Corrigan picking up the phone and that that just brilliant comedy right there if my ADM picked up that phone we got to talk brother we got to talk because they got you out here looking crazy as the chair of that committee is you need to say something to well boo he's in a tough position absolutely every committee chairman is in a difficult position because there's nothing you can say yeah and boo all Boo Corrigan's answers were kind of word salad and they didn't mean anything other than he could have just said because that's the way we felt and that would have exactly been sort of what he said without using all of the words he used it's like well we felt we just felt Alabama was better at this time which is what he tried to say you know they came up with all these all these reasons and schedule and they're like no man every reason you're using is a reason to say Florida State was as good as the other team they disrespected the players which is really a problem I want to talk to you about that in a second as well but I believe that ESPN is the biggest mouthpiece for college football specifically it's not just the SEC and the narrative has been driven home for everybody that the SEC is lucky land casino asking people what's the weirdest place you've gotten lucky lucky in line at the deli I guess I hide my dentist's office more than once actually do I have to say yes you do in the car before my kids PTA meeting really yes excuse me what's the weirdest place you've gotten lucky I never win Intel well there you have it you could get lucky anywhere playing at lucky land slots calm play for free right now are you feeling lucky no purchase necessary by law 18 plus terms and conditions apply see website for details the be-all of college football and that somehow we can't have a college football playoff that does not involve the SEC somehow we can now we have never had one and there was only one member the last time they an SEC team wasn't part of even a BCS championship game was 2004 when we had three unbeatens and Auburn from the SEC was the odd team out right Oklahoma Cadillac waves on them right and it was Oklahoma and Florida State was the Oklahoma Florida State no Oklahoma Southern Cal played for the title Southern Cal beat him by it beat the brakes off him and Auburn was left not playing for a national championship and that was the last time an SEC team did not play for a title that was it it's a long time ago that we've that this has happened so we're just conditioned and ESPN is part of it I we didn't need a conspiracy it's just sort of it's just part of the it's part of the recipe now a long time ago I had a firm hairline and my belt loops were much closer that's a long time ago is a long time ago two times they are a changing the reality is you can say what you want to say about oh the SEC is this the SEC is that you go by the player records you go by this net I want to know how do we judge the conference because we judge by bowl records and then the SEC fans and the SEC mouthpieces the Paul fine bombs right they get on TV well as easy just have too many players going pro right you know they don't care about the bowl game and then you say okay well let's judge you by your out of conference record during the regular season well no you didn't play our best we played the Heisman winner we beat him he made him look human he scored less points against Florida State than he did against Alabama so I I very seriously have that question of how do we judge who belongs and who doesn't when you're out of conference schedule for the most part is the island of misfit toys University Community College of Delta Valley State right and that's what all of your teams are playing out of conference but when you do play out of conference another power five you lose those games and somehow we're still supposed to believe you're the best based on what exactly they based on that this is the way that this is the way it is you're right mm-hmm you're right but it doesn't matter when it's the southeastern conference because they do have Greg Sankey pounding the table and they do have Nick Saban and it almost worked last year when a to loss Alabama had the world convinced that they were one of the four best teams right let me quote Travis Scott ACC Network pick up the phone baby give me a call cuz y'all need a Paul fine ball you need somebody's go go be totally unique I'm that guy and it's not just the SEC Network where does Paul fun bomb basically apply his wares every single day yes he's on with Greenberg he's on with greeny in the morning by the way greeny had the best take college football became figure skating yes with with what they did they became figure skating because it now it just became it just became random random judging I enjoy Kristi Yamaguchi a lot more than I enjoy seeing the Alabama uniforms ain't changed in 90 years I mean that's that's just a I know mr. Kristi Yamaguchi really I'm very good friends at mr. Kurz there you go Candace Cooper you were a college athlete yeah she sounds like depressed that I bring him I think Jim Phillips has got me off the line I want you to put yourself in for all I know Kenton you were also a college athlete but I know NC State football NC State I was endorsed first a green glass mm-hmm why don't I know this but I'm gonna ask this question of Candace first put yourself in the position of every single football player for Florida State that went 13 and oh how how does that work yeah it's pretty sickening right because you're taught that like all you're supposed to do is achieve achieve achieve and work hard towards the goal you achieve that goal you do the thing that you know winning you undefeated you meet you meet the mark and then you're told yeah actually no so they've met the corporate world a little bit earlier than they thought they would ever have to where as good as you are as hard as you work it still doesn't necessarily mean that you're gonna get the gold prize and really unfortunate and hard lesson to learn so quickly but I guess in this NIL world that we live in now you're learning the you know negative side of business where it doesn't necessarily always matter how good you do or how hard you work don't necessarily always be rewarded for that that's very good I mean it's true I didn't I had I'd not put it in a business standpoint but it is true all right Kenton I didn't my bad for not knowing you you were recruited by Doran as a player like if you're Jared verse if you're Keon Coleman if you're that whoever that monster number 55 is for Florida State I mean I just braided oh my gosh is he good yeah first of all why would you play I don't I don't think they'll play I don't think those guys will play in the arms ball but why would you why wouldn't the team just go you know what nah I'm gonna tell you this if Florida State wants to pull the ultimate power move because Florida State keeps talking about they have the money to leave the ACC no that's fine but if they if you wanted to pretend right if you want nobody does if you want to do a little bit of peacock and say oh we don't need the money I would as a as a university say nah we're good get somebody else to do the ball game right let's do it and let me tell you the reality is you say how would I feel about your verse Jared verse said that he came back for one specific reason he was projected as a first rounder last year right why did he come back to win a national championship he didn't say I came back to improve my draft stock he didn't say I came back because I wanted to work on my game and aspect X Y & Z he said I came back to win a national championship if that's off the table why would he play right why would he play and so with that being said if I'm the other guys in that locker room I'm feeling absolutely defeated and deflated and downtrodden because how else can you feel when you look up and you say I've done everything we've beaten two SEC teams right the conference where it just means more away from home both of them away from both of them away from home one of them in the swap the toughest at all it gets no worse than here Austin stadiums good the big house is good nobody does it like the swamp right well you beat him oh well it did you didn't beat about a second string quarterback you beat him with a sexy quarterback by more than Bama beat Auburn who got beat by New Mexico State in Jordan had a week they got dropped by New Mexico State the wheels off them boys yet and still we hear well you know Florida State just did the committee just they just weren't there if I was those players I would very seriously know the fix was in this was not a situation where we had a fair and equal shot because even if you did play extremely well offensively against this team right let's just be honest you judge Brock Glenn and that all right and said they won't be good I'm sorry there's take Rottamaker have a torn ACL PCL MCM broke up back something like that no he had a concussion the average concussion you're cleared in 7 to 14 days average being 10 y'all thought he wasn't gonna be cleared in 30 days yeah you know so if I was one of those players in that locker room I would feel extremely downtrodden especially especially with my Heisman Canada quarterback who should be going to New York by the way saying I wish I broke my leg earlier so you knew this thing was more than a quarterback that was that was absolutely bone-chilling to hear I want to actually we're we don't have time to get into the Manny Diaz thing just real quick did you do you like the higher Kenton you know I don't think it was a terrible hire I don't think it was a great hire I think this was a time will reveal higher okay time oh yeah Candace what do you feel about the if you can't beat your rival why would you hire someone who also can't beat your rival so I just felt like maybe maybe not maybe not many you know can't beat people down the street but really it was only at Miami for three years yeah but I'm saying Mac has his number well he is a former Mac assistant which I mean listen they should have beaten they should have lost the Duke this time they probably should have lost the Duke last year exactly Candace Cooper Kenton Gibbs I appreciate both of you guys the locked on ACC podcast does he make you laugh like this on a regular basis I tried not to laugh because they will never have a show you know I try to stay serious she tells everybody don't entertain me don't encourage yeah don't encourage him good stuff both of you I appreciate your time that gives you can follow him on twitter at TGIF underscore Kenton Candace D Cooper because she is the professional of the outfit absolute outstanding work