Conference realignment has become geographically confusing. With two pacific coast teams joining The Atlantic Coast Conference, it has jokingly been renamed The Any Coast Conference. The first cross-country ACC contest featured a 2,800 mile journey from California to New York. Stanford’s first ACC tilt would take place in the famed JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.
Pregame on The Quad showcased a wealth of spirit and confidence for the Orange on this Friday night. Coming in undefeated, fans felt assured that The Loud House would deliver an intimidating experience for the visiting Cardinal that they would not be able to endure.
But, Stanford emerged undaunted. A strong first half shifted Syracuse confidence to concern. Despite some costly turnovers and sacks, The Orange managed to take the lead on a Kyle McCord touchdown pass with just over three minutes to play. The Cardinal strung together a few plays that put their solid kicker, Emmet Kenney, in field goal position. With three seconds on the clock, Kenney launched a 39-yarder that drifted effortlessly through the goal posts giving Stanford a walk-off win in their ACC debut.
While these new conference clashes are head-scratchers for traditionalists, they are introducing new fan bases to each other along with intriguing matchups. While some fear that the United States is growing toward being one oversized college football league, the new era of postseason playoff welcomes the league diversity as it aims toward leveling the playing field and bringing more programs out of the shadows.
