BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. — The question we’ve fielded most often over our years with SPEED SPORT is “How did you get to be a writer with them?”

And knowing the people who asked, many probably thought they should have had the slot instead of me, including one who was going to “put me out of SPEED SPORT, Stock Car Magazine and Open Wheel Magazine,” but soon disappeared from the scene.

Actually, getting started was relatively easy, though the motivation was extremely sad. In one summer, NASCAR modified kingpin Freddy DeSarro perished when he hit a sandbank at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway, Mike Grbac lost his life in a crash at Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds and my brother (Randy) broke his back at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway when a car spun and they hit nose to nose, sending Randy far enough skyward that he hit the crossbar on an infield light pole.

As a result, I sent NSSN a column on safety, which Chris Economaki liked and published, beginning an association that has lasted 41 years.

Economaki even chose the name for my column, saying the safety piece took a “long look” at the problems prevalent at most short tracks regardless of the classes competing. And until his last day in the editor’s chair, nothing was more valued than one of Chris’ typed postcards complimenting you on something you’d written, often with a suggestion of another topic to pursue.

Technology was different then and you had to mail your typed column so it arrived in Ridgewood, N.J., by Thursday in order to make the following week’s newspaper.

Results were phoned in Monday morning, with an amazing typist taking down the stories as you dictated unless you got to a name like Eddie Pieniezak, which always produced a quick, “Hold on, how do you spell that?”

For years, my first period auto shop class knew that on Monday in the spring and fall, they had to behave and help each other out with problems while I was on my office phone dictating stories.

Our first NSSN-supplied Tandy computer, though primitive, was a godsend and things have gotten progressively easier ever since.

Today, a race results story is often posted on SPEEDSPORT.com within minutes of being written and emailed. And the internet now makes getting photographs to go with the story a relative walk in the park. Gone are the days when after Super DIRT Week at Syracuse, we had to gather film from the photographers and hand it off to photographer Steve Peters, who would drop it off at the Ridgewood, N.J., office on his way home to Lansdale, Pa.

Looking back, it’s difficult to believe what a giant Chris Economaki was in the racing world. He knew absolutely everyone worth knowing and, in turn, could make almost anything happen. One time we were attending the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l as a family when we bumped into Chris, who wondered why we weren’t in the garage area gathering information.

When told we hadn’t applied for credentials, he simply said: “Follow me!”  We ended up at the garage entrance, where he told the lady at the window that I was one of his people and absolutely needed garage credentials right now. And within seconds, I had them. Who else could have made that happen?

Watkins Glen was also the site of another great experience while researching a Stock Car magazine piece on editor Chris. It was another era, when drivers and owners hung around the garage instead of hiding in their motor coaches and a rainy Saturday afternoon gave us the opportunity to ask a large number of insiders for their best Chris Economaki story.

The only one who refused comment was Benny Parsons, who may well have been the subject of a negative Economaki comment in his column, read weekly by everyone in the industry.

But on the other side of the coin, Richard Petty spewed out a seemingly endless stream of anecdotes involving the two of them. The most memorable, by far, was his description of riding around New York City with Economaki, notorious for his high-speed, somewhat erratic driving, to make radio and TV appearances on behalf of an upcoming NASCAR event.

Petty told of going the wrong way down one-way streets, driving on the sidewalk when they were late for the next appearance and parking on the sidewalk or in front of fire hydrants when no slots were available.

“The most scared I’ve ever been in an automobile was riding with Chris Economaki,” Petty declared.

Economaki and a loyal troop of associate editors built and carried on one of auto racing’s great traditions. How they got the paper out to the printer every Monday night after spending the weekend at far away races remains a mystery. But we do know that people are still lamenting the loss of the weekly print edition.

Today, instead of a postcard from Chris, you get an email from Mike Kerchner saying “take a bow” when you write something for the magazine that really impresses him. That was another of Economaki’s ways of telling someone they’d done well.

It also reminds everyone that Economaki’s spirit and unalterable dedication to getting the story right remains with us. The technology has changed over 85 years, but not the mission.

ENSENADA, Mexico — SCORE Trophy Truck stars Andy McMillin and Justin Lofton are among the latest entries for the upcoming inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400.

With 50 early entries from 14 states, Mexico, Denmark and Italy, SCORE Trophy Truck leads the way with 21 entries so far for the SCORE Baja 400.

McMillin, 32, a third generation desert racer from San Diego, who won the first two races of the year to lead the SCORE overall and SCORE Trophy Truck points, leads the newest entries in the inaugural race in his new Mason-built All-wheel drive Chevy Silverado that will debut in this race.

“I’m very excited to debut this new truck as it has a huge upside in potential,” said McMillin. “Mason Motorsports builds unbelievable race trucks. We have 800 test miles on the truck heading into the SCORE Baja 400 and we enjoy SCORE Baja racing so much its great to be a part of a new race in the SCORE World Desert Championship.”

McMillin now has 11 SCORE Trophy Truck wins, which ties him for second with Robby Gordon and brothers Ed and Tim Herbst.  Rob MacCachren is the all-time leader with 17 SCORE Trophy Truck race wins.

McMillin and his father, Scott, are two of just nine racers who are winners of the SCORE Triple Crown of Baja, having won the SCORE San Felipe 250, the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 1,000. Andy McMillin won three of his SCORE Trophy Truck races with his father Scott, two with MacCachren and one with Gordon. The Gordon win was his first in SCORE Trophy Truck in 2006 when he was 19 years old.

Andy McMillin’s cousins Luke McMillin and Dan McMillinare currently second and third in SCORE season points for the SCORE Trophy Trucks. Both drive Racer-built Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Trucks.

A second generation desert racer, Lofton has returned to his desert racing roots after spending several years racing stock cars, where he won the 2009 ARCA Menards Series championship. He also won a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway race before returning to the desert in 2013. He won this year’s Mint 400 in Las Vegas and drives the No. 41 Ford Raptor.

Bryce Menzies, who has five SCORE Trophy Truck race wins, including two in 2011 when he was selected the SCORE Rookie of the Year while winning the SCORE overall and SCORE Trophy Truck point championship. Also competing in a variety of international rallies, Menzies drives the No. 7 Ford Raptor. He is currently fourth in the 2019 SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings.

More than 200 vehicles are expected at the start line for the inaugural SCORE Baja 400, with racers from as many as 20 states and 10 countries anticipated. SCORE major sponsor BFGoodrich Tires has posted a $5,000 contingency bonus for the race winner to help commemorate the start of this newest race on the SCORE schedule.

The inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 is an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Sept. 21 will wave first for the motorcycles and quads at 6:20 a.m. (PDT) and approximately 10 a.m. (PDT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs. While the fastest vehicles are expected to finish in around eight hours, all vehicles will have a 16-hour time limit to become official finishers in the race.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has said he was "disgusted" by the abuse received by forward Tammy Abraham following their defeat to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.

Abraham's missed penalty during the shootout ensured Jurgen Klopp's side were the winners in Istanbul following a 2-2 draw and the ex-Aston Villa man was later the victim of abuse on Twitter.

Lampard praised Abraham's bravery in stepping up to take the fifth penalty and said it is "too easy" to send abuse on social media platforms.

"I am particularly disgusted by a so-called Chelsea fan," he said. "To see the different ends of the spectrum of the evening, Tammy Abraham asked me to take the fifth penalty, because he wanted to take it, wanted to stand up, wanted to be brave on a big night when the world is watching.

"At the same time, within moments, somebody sitting behind a keyboard or a phone has said the most disgusting things possible you can say.

"I don't know how on these platforms it's allowed that people can do it. It's too easy to be done so something needs to be done as well as changing people's mindsets completely.

"That might not be easy with everybody, but I'm so angry for Tammy, angry for us as a club because that's not what we're about. The club does a lot of work against discrimination at all levels and it's a setback when these things happen."

European football's leading anti-discrimination organisation Fare network have urged Twitter to take more responsibility in combating incidents of racism on the social media platform.

"The Fare network is aware of reports of racist abuse aimed at Tammy Abraham on social media after Chelsea's UEFA Super Cup match against Liverpool," a statement to ESPN FC read.

"Social networks such as Twitter continue to shirk their responsibilities when it comes to monitoring and preventing online abuse. It is all too easy for individuals to tweet hate speech with impunity. The measures being taken by the platforms are simply not effective, they need to do much more.

"Fare stands in solidarity with Tammy Abraham and other victims of racial abuse online."

Information from ESPN FC's Andrew Cesare Richardson was used in this report.

If New Zealand are the team that do great things that barely get noticed in the wider cricket world, BJ Watling is the New Zealand of New Zealand. Pull up to a cricket ground when he is in action and watch him closely. Take in his every movement, observe every run he scores, note the difficult takes and the fine catches, drink in his cuts and pulls, revel in Watling, breathe Watling in.

Then go home and describe Watling to a friend.

He was vital to the team's cause, and…. oh yeah, he contributed to key moments. But beyond that, be honest, you can't really remember much. I mean, were you even really watching him? Or were you too busy seething at a Ross Taylor dismissal? Or salivating over a Trent Boult spell? No one would really blame you. Least of all Watling himself. This is his calling in life - to do things that are in essence truly remarkable, but to do them with such utter banality that in the end they are barely remarked upon. You sense he wouldn't have it any other way.

In Galle, on day three, he struck one of those quintessential Watling innings, making 63 not out. Quintessential because, as is often the case, this good Watling innings came with his team in deep trouble, effectively 64 for 4. Quintessential, also, because although the scorecard says he hit five fours, you can barely bring them to mind. Was one of them off a sweep? Come to think of it, does he even play a sweep? A batting style so bland, so nondescript, if it ever committed a crime, you wouldn't pull it out of a police lineup.

And what he does for this New Zealand side, one packed with more great players than you suspect a New Zealand side ever has been, has routinely been the difference between victory and defeat. Specialising in crises is the making of many great players. It is inherently a magnetic and heroic endeavour. When Watling does it though - and man does he do it often - it's like he is doing no more exceptional a thing than walking down the road to buy groceries. The Galle pitch is treacherous. It has made a fool of all-time greats. Watling negotiated it, no fuss, no chances given, no look-at me shots. Just smart, scrappy batting, and concentrated stubbornness.

Ninety-nine innings into his Test career, Watling has six hundreds and 17 half-centuries, but where he really excels is at putting up partnerships. He has been part of two record sixth-wicket stands, with Brendon McCullum, and Kane Williamson, but because he played second fiddle in both, no one really remembers him being in them. When he does lead a partnership, it is generally one of those vital stands with a tailender, and as such do not send any meaningful records tumbling, so no one remembers those for long either. But then what if they had never happened? Where would New Zealand be in this game without the 54-run seventh-wicket stand with Tim Southee? When he bats with the lower order, even normally aggressive tailenders suddenly become workmanlike.

Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella is often accused of playing flashy and insubstantial innings, and is basically the opposite of Watling in every way. In this Test, as if even being in the same ground as Watling is enough, Dickwella produced a jaw-droppingly responsible innings (by his standards at least) and put up his own big partnership with No. 9 Suranga Lakmal.

All of this is to say nothing of Watling's keeping, which of course, as with everything, is sublimely proficient, and deeply unsexy. He doesn't kick up his heels on the diving takes, doesn't over-celebrate the great stumpings. His appeals are earnest but not pleading. Precise footwork, soft hands, good anticipation - this, instead, is where Watling makes his honest living. He has twice taken nine catches in a match, which is outstanding, but still two catches short of being a record. He has 2.05 dismissals per innings across his career, which again is super, but puts him at only fourth on the all-time list (for keepers with more than 200 career dismissals), behind Adam Gilchrist and Brad Haddin and a certain gloveman from Pakistan. How strange is the space Watling inhabits, that he is both statistically the greatest purveyor of his craft his nation has produced, and yet has slightly worse numbers than Kamran Akmal.

If the defining quality of this New Zealand team is to be better at what they do than most imagine they are, no one embodies those virtues better than their wicketkeeper-batsman. In an alternate universe, New Zealand were bundled out for 120, and Sri Lanka have already won this Test. This universe is no sexier for Watling's presence in it. But it definitely is better.

Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan will be part of West Indies' pre-series camp in Antigua ahead of the first Test against India.

Jimmy Adams, Cricket West Indies' (CWI) Director of Cricket, said Lara and Sarwan's involvement would help the younger batsmen in the side.

The 13-men West Indies squad for the two-match Test series includes John Campbell who has played just three Tests, and the uncapped Shamarh Brooks and offspin-allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall. Shimron Hetmyer, who made his red-ball debut in 2017, has featured in 13 Tests.

"We have some good young batsmen in the team who we believe will form the future of West Indies cricket," Adams said. "We saw some very good signs of development earlier this year in the Test matches when we played so very well to beat England and we want to see them grow and become outstanding players for the West Indies.

"We have taken the step to have Brian and Ronnie [Sarwan] work with these players, who have demonstrated a will to learn and succeed. We know they still have the passion and love for West Indies cricket and are eager to assist and share their information with the present generation."

The Test series, starting on August 22 in Antigua, will mark both India and West Indies' debuts in the World Test Championship. So far, India have been undefeated on their tour to the Caribbean, winning the T20I series 3-0 and the ODI series 2-0.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which oversaw the reappointment of Ravi Shastri as head coach of the India men's team, wants to have a say in picking his three assistants too.

The CAC has written to the BCCI expressing its desire to be involved in selecting the batting, bowling and fielding coaches, even though the senior selection panel, currently headed by MSK Prasad, is empowered to choose them as per the board's new constitution.

All three CAC members - former India captain Kapil Dev, former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad, and the former India women captain Shanta Rangaswamy - have signed the letter, which reasons that the task of picking the three assistant coaches should be given the same importance as the selection of the head coach, and to that end, the CAC's opinion should be taken on board. ESPNcricinfo understands that Shastri could also be consulted before finalising the three assistant coaches.

"Yes, we should have a say," Kapil said during the announcement of the head coach, in Mumbai on Friday. "If you ask me, we have a recommendation to the board from the three of us and [we have asked for it] to put in black and white in the minutes [that] it is not right if we are not doing that job also. We [have] given a letter to the board."

When asked if the CAC should exclusively be entrusted with the responsibility of selecting the support staff - as was the case with the head coach's appointment - Kapil disagreed.

"No, including [both the CAC and the selection panel]," Kapil said. "There should not be a communication gap. Their (the selectors') strength and our strength is the same for the team; we want to make sure that team should get benefited, and that's what we wanted. If we can help them (the selection committee), and the chairman of selection committee, and his team can help [us], and the board also want[s] the same and I have no doubt you (the media) also want the same [that] the Indian team should do well."

During the previous appointment procedure of the head coach and his support staff, in 2017, the CAC at the time - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman - also recommended to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) that Zaheer Khan (bowling consultant) and Rahul Dravid (batting consultant for overseas Test series) come on board. The CoA said these weren't official appointments, and that the CAC hadn't been empowered to make them. In the end, following the recommendation of Shastri himself, the BCCI appointed Sanjay Bangar (batting), Bharat Arun (bowling) and R Sridhar as his assistants.

Now, the BCCI will forward the CAC's letter to the CoA ahead of the interview process for the three assistant coaches, which will take place next week, tentatively from August 19 to 22.

The process of selection of the head coach and remainder of the backroom staff began last month with the BCCI putting out an advertisement to invite applications. The board had stated in the advertisement that Shastri and the rest of the existing coaching staff comprising Bangar, Arun and Sridhar would get automatic entries during the recruitment process.

Former chief selector Vikram Rathour and former Mumbai and India batsman Pravin Amre are understood to have also thrown their hat in the ring for the role of batting coach, while Venkatesh Prasad is among those vying for the job of bowling coach.

Stumps Australia 80 for 4 (Smith 13*, Wade 0*, Broad 2-26) trail England 258 by 178 runs

Jofra Archer snared his maiden Test wicket as England overcame a sluggish start to put Australia in peril on another rain-interrupted day during the second Ashes Test at Lord's. In Australia's favour, with two full days' play expected over the weekend, first-Test saviour Steven Smith was at the crease alongside Matthew Wade, who added a century of his own to Smith's twin tons at Edgbaston. The tourists' fortunes could rest largely on what happens with those two on Saturday's resumption after rain forced play to be suspended just minutes before the scheduled lunch break on Friday and abandoned at 5.25pm without another ball being bowled. Before that, Australia slipped from 30 for 1 - having lost David Warner late on Thursday, which was the first day's play following Wednesday's washout - to 71 for 4 after England had endured a frustrating first 45 minutes. Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja had the luxury of leaving a good many deliveries as England persisted with Archer's short-pitched bowling and Stuart Broad as opposed to calling on Chris Woakes under heavy skies, despite the latter two combining to take four and six wickets respectively to demolish Ireland in their second innings amid similar conditions at the same ground three weeks ago. But when Woakes was introduced to the attack, in the seventh over of the day, it was Archer who drew first blood, trapping Bancroft lbw with a ball that nipped back off the seam, prompting a huge roar of celebration from 24-year-old debutant Archer. Bancroft reviewed but the umpire's call was upheld and he was on his way back to the pavilion. Woakes struck three balls later, enticing Khawaja into a prod outside off stump to give Jonny Bairstow a straightforward catch behind the stumps. That had Australia teetering at 60 for 3. Travis Head stayed around for a little while and little reward, adding just seven before Broad had him out to a plumb lbw which England had to use DRS to affirm after umpire Aleem Dar was initially unmoved. Wade had to rely on an appeal to survive after umpire Chris Gaffaney judged him out lbw to a Ben Stokes delivery which the DRS showed had pitched outside leg, much to Australia's relief shortly before lunch was called slightly early with Wade not out nought, having faced 23 deliveries, and Smith unbeaten on 13.

BALTIMORE -- Lamar Jackson provided the highlight moment Thursday night when the Baltimore Ravens quarterback faked out one Green Bay Packers defender before leaping over another to reach the end zone.

The apparent 18-yard touchdown was nullified by an illegal block, but it led to a suggestion from Aaron Rodgers after the Ravens' 26-13 win over the Packers.

"I love watching you play, man," Rodgers told Jackson. "That was pretty spectacular."

Rodgers then added, "Have a great season. Slide a little bit."

Jackson smiled, pointed at Rodgers and responded, "I got you, baby."

Jackson's running has been a hot topic since he took over for the injured Joe Flacco last year. In leading Baltimore to the AFC North title, Jackson averaged 17 rushes per game and set the NFL single-season record for rushing attempts by a quarterback with 147.

In May, owner Steve Bisciotti told Ravens season-ticket holders that he expects Jackson not to do as much running, saying, "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that Lamar is not going to be running 20 times a game."

But at the start of training camp, it was brought up with coach John Harbaugh that Cam Newton's career high in rushes for a season was 139. Asked about Jackson, Harbaugh said, "Take the over."

Then Jackson said in early August on "The Rich Eisen Show" that he doesn't expect to carry the ball as much as he did in his rookie season.

During training camp, Jackson has occasionally run the ball but has been focused on throwing. With no designed rushes thus far this preseason, Jackson didn't run in the opener but took off twice for 14 yards Thursday night after initially dropping back to pass.

On the nullified touchdown run, Jackson said the four-man rush gave him a running lane that he had to take.

"If I am out there in the open field, one-on-one, I have to make you miss," Jackson said. "That's just me. That's how I always played. If I get tackled by one person, I am mad. I feel like I lost that play, could have gained more yards, could have probably scored. I don't know. If I am not passing, if I do decide to run, I am trying to score a touchdown or get a first down. I am not trying to get 2 yards and get tackled. That's not how I play."

Harbaugh was asked if he had any concern when he saw Jackson pull the ball down and run.

"What are you going to do? He's going to play," Harbaugh said. "He's going to play football. We're not trying to run him. We're not running those plays. He's in the pocket, and he's staying in the pocket a lot. It's not like he's trying to run, but sometimes ... what are you going to do? You can't hold him back forever."

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns coach Billy Napier wants to see each of his players become dues-paying members of the school's booster club, asking his team to spend a minimum of $50 to join.

Napier, a former assistant coach at Alabama who is now in his second season with Louisiana, said in a news conference Wednesday that the booster club memberships were "about gratitude" and a means to bond the players and school.

"That's probably a little bit unheard of and a little bit unique, but I think this is a place where I think that would be appreciated," Napier said. "I think it's part of the type of program that we want to have."

Napier said the memberships were "mandatory." The school, however, issued a statement Friday correcting that language, suggesting they were simply "strongly encouraged."

"The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Department of Athletics is thrilled that head coach Billy Napier's football program and its student-athletes expressed their collective desire to give back and show gratitude to the Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation," the school's statement said. "Members of the football program have started an initiative to demonstrate their appreciation to the RCAF, including its board of directors, staff and investors, when they are able to do so.

"Additionally, student-athletes will be encouraged to join the RCAF at the introductory level during their college careers, an initiative the program and its coaching staff supports in order to give back to the foundation that has done so much to support the Louisiana Football team and the Department of Athletics."

A school spokesman said every member of the coaching staff has already become a booster club member.

The urging to join the club at a price comes at a time when schools are under increased scrutiny about the current amateur model in which players cannot be compensated with cash or other outside benefits in return for their services, name or likeness. Several members of the U.S. Congress have voiced concerns about the amateur model and pushed for reforms, including paying players as employees.

Louisiana's policy appears to be unique within college football, with several other head coaches telling ESPN they were not aware of any similar rules at other schools.

You've heard the talk for months now. Really, for three years now.

The ACC is Clemson and everyone else. (And by everyone else, its critics mean nobody any good.)

This is why Alabama fans, and more generally, SEC fans, complain repeatedly about Clemson and strength of schedule, why Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses made headlines when he said Georgia was a tougher opponent than the Clemson team that steamrollered the Tide 44-16 in the national championship game.

What Clemson has done to separate itself is staggering, if only because a program that used to be the butt of jokes is now the one laughing. Clemson has four straight playoff appearances and two national championships and is a heavy favorite to play for another title this season. That has some to do with its ACC schedule and everything to do with the future NFL draft picks the Tigers have up and down their roster.

But distinguishing what Clemson has done seems to always get tangled up with what the rest of the ACC has done. As coach Dabo Swinney likes to say, "Used to be we couldn't win because we don't play anybody. Now we only win because we don't play anybody. That doesn't add up to me."

It's a double standard that always comes up with the ACC, in large part because the ACC struggled to produce a championship-caliber football program during the height of the BCS era. At the same time, the SEC produced four programs that won national titles. Though the ACC has never missed the College Football Playoff, Clemson cannot escape hearing the jeers that it simply did not play a worthy-enough schedule.

Even though Clemson had the No. 1 strength of record last year. Even though over the past three seasons, Clemson has played 15 games against teams ranked in the final AP top 25, compared to 17 for Alabama. Swinney is 14-1 in such games; Nick Saban is 14-3. The difference is two games, but sure, Clemson has played no one.

Yes, it is true the ACC had two teams ranked in the final AP top 25 last year (Syracuse was 15th). Yes, it is true it would help the league and the ongoing narrative for more teams to join the rankings and perhaps challenge Clemson for conference supremacy.

New North Carolina coach Mack Brown, who spent the past five seasons as a college football analyst for ESPN, knows it's not a problem unique to the ACC.

"There's a [national] gap between Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama and Clemson," he said. "Right now, we've got a group at the top that are looking down on everybody else."

We are in an era of the superpower team, and that truly has little to do with conference affiliation. In fact, ESPN Stats & Information projects that if Clemson played Alabama's schedule, the Tigers and Tide would be projected to have similar records. Clemson also is the higher-rated team in the FPI rankings. If that doesn't dispel the "they don't play anyone in the ACC" argument, not much else will.

There is one more case to be made here for Clemson and the ACC. It is far better to have an elite team at the top than to be the Pac-12, which might be the most balanced conference in the nation but is derided as a nonfactor because it hasn't been in the championship conversation since the first year of the playoff.

What has been good for Clemson has actually been great for the ACC, especially with the ACC Network set to launch on Aug. 22.

"It wasn't that long ago that we weren't in a position for this to happen," ACC commissioner John Swofford said recently. "That fact had a lot to do with our pursuit of expansion because we felt like looking ahead, that if we didn't expand, we just weren't going to be in a strong enough position to have the opportunities to really enhance our television. Football, more and more, has driven the train from a business standpoint and we've transitioned from a basketball-centric league to one that's extraordinarily well-balanced, football and basketball-wise."

Jimbo Fisher helped change the ACC football narrative as he built Florida State into a national champion in 2013, just before Swinney and Clemson turned the corner from good to elite. But expansion also changed the way the conference had to think, and programs beyond the more traditional football schools had to start investing in football.

The result has been a far better football product over the past six years. A program like NC State, for example, has produced 17 draft picks since 2016. In the nine years before that, the Wolfpack had 16 total players drafted. Louisville, new to the ACC, is in a slump now. But this is also the program that produced Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson only three seasons ago.

Syracuse is coming off its first 10-win season since 2001, and is one of two ACC teams to beat Clemson over the past three seasons. These are all tangible signs the ACC overall is better, even if the total number of ranked teams in 2018 doesn't necessarily show it.

"The gap is not as big as everybody thinks, but certainly it's there," Boston College coach Steve Addazio said. "They've had an elite quarterback and great defense [at Clemson]. I love their culture, or at least my perception of that. If you look back, there has been a segment of time, programs have been just a little bit up there. That doesn't mean you can't get beat. Everybody gets beat. It just means you're hitting it at all cylinders. I think they are hitting it at all cylinders, and I think it's great for our conference."

When Louisville coach Scott Satterfield was at Appalachian State, he and his staff would visit with Swinney and the Clemson staff during the spring. He saw firsthand how Swinney built the program, so now that he is in the same division, he has a complete understanding about what needs to be done to at least try to compete.

"It starts with how you run your program. I think we're very similar," Satterfield said. "We try to lead with love and not fear. Some programs are going to make you do things; I want these guys to want to do these things, and to me that's Clemson's model. After that, you have to get some talented players. That's the difference now with Clemson compared to six, seven, eight years ago. They're getting some of the best players in the country. Last spring, when I visited with them, of guys that early enrolled -- there may have been five or six different players of the year in their state. When that happens, you've got a chance right off the bat to be pretty good.

"So we've got to do a great job getting the right kind of players here, that fit what we do that will give us an opportunity to compete for a championship. You've got to start with one, then get two, then you win some games, and the next thing you know, it snowballs. I've seen that at Clemson and now they've got the facilities and the recruits, now it's rolling."

Perhaps it rolls all the way to another national championship. And if the Tigers do, it will be because they are the best team in the country, not because they somehow lucked out playing a softer schedule.