#acc

#acc

BERKELEY - The Cal football team, which doesn't seem to know what kind of season it's going to have, gets its highest-profile chance yet to make an impression when No. 15 Virginia visits Memorial Stadium for the first time on Saturday afternoon. If the inclination is to wonder if this is when the Bears (5-3, 2-2 ACC) head south for good with a third loss in four games, there is another side to the story.

The Blue Devils were 1-2 after losses to Illinois and Tulane but responded with victories over NC State and Syracuse to open ACC play. Quarterback Darian Mensah, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Tulane, leads the ACC with 1,573 passing yards (329.3 per game) and 13 touchdowns. He has just two interceptions. Mensah's favorite target is wide receiver Cooper Barkate, a graduate student and Harvard transfer who averages 19.5 yards for each of his 21 catches.

We've seen some stretches of good football,

When Stanford lost its first two games, interim coach Frank Reich told the players to wash away the stench of the loss in the post-game shower and come into the next week with the mentality of starting 1-0. After the Cardinal won its home and ACC opener last Saturday against Boston College, Reich had the same message don't let the result impact the way you prepare for the next game.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is reducing its 20-game men's basketball schedule to 18, giving teams two more spots for marquee nonconference games in a bid to boost a league getting a dwindling haul of NCAA Tournament bids.

The Tigers lost two key contributors from a team that made a run to the Elite Eight in 2023-24: PJ Hall and Joe Girard III. Yet, coach Brad Brownell effectively regrouped, leading Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin to stardom in the ACC, securing 27 wins, and a NCAA 5-seed, demonstrating resilience and skill in the roster adjustments.

Jonas Sanker is a versatile, high motor safety with high instinct and intelligence, having led the ACC in solo tackles over the last two seasons.