Various and sundry....

Greetings fellow Hokies. It's been a while. Tough couple weeks, so I have been somewhat absence in blog world. Instead of writing 10 new blogs to make up for it, I figured I would just list some highlights of the young season and my thoughts on where things stand for the Hokies.

So, the Alabama game has come and gone. There were some really good things to take away from it. The emergence of Ryan Williams as a legitimate playmaker would have to be at the top of the list. It was an out of conference game, so the Hokies' goals are still intact.

The Marshall game showed me a lot of good things. Before you poo poo the Marshall defense and tell me that 'it's just Marshall,' consider VT couldn't do anything NEAR that against the likes of Furman, Western Kentucky or even Northeastern over the past few years. Get used to watching Ryan Williams and David Wilson become a blur on your HD TVs. These guys are scary fast.

What can you say about Nebraska? For 58 minutes, the Huskers were the better team. But Tyrod dug deep and made two huge plays to will his team to a last minute, dramatic win. Does anyone have any faint memories of Syracuse in '98 when a visibly sick Donovan McNabb beat us in the waning seconds? I don't need to remind anyone of Matty Ice in 2007, do I? This one was big. Nice to be on the right side of a miracle comeback.

In case you didn't know, it's Miami week. Over the first two games, the Canes are starting to look like Butch Davis' old teams. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, the defenses of Georgia Tech and Florida State got precious little pressure on Jacory Harris. VT's success this weekend will be completely predicated on whether or not Foster can generate a pass rush and force Jacory into some mistakes. The Hokies will also need to improve greatly on its offensive output. Facing Alabama, Nebraska and Miami in the first month is rough, no doubt. Those defenses are solid. Here's hoping the crowd can make things tough for the visitors.

Conference picks coming tomorrow. Until gameday, GO HOKIES!

Does the ACC deserve an auto BCS bid?

The ACC got off to an inauspicious start on Thursday night when NC State lost at home to South Carolina and kept the underachieving going through Saturday night.

One can hardly lay the blame at the feet of Virginia Tech, who led #5 Alabama into the start of the fourth quarter. There are several reasons VT couldn't pull it off, which I will get into in detail in another post. The real embarrassment came at the hands of some of the lower tier ACC leagues that couldn't beat much lesser competition.

Let's check our scorecard below:

South Carolina defeats NC State
Baylor defeats Wake Forest
William and Mary defeats Virginia
Richmond defeats Duke
California defeats Maryland
Alabama defeats Virginia Tech

Boston College defeats Northeastern
Clemson defeats Middle Tennessee State
North Carolina defeats The Citadel
Georgia Tech defeats Jacksonville State

For anyone noticing a pattern, the four victories were against absolutely horrific competition, most of which isn't even FBS/Division IA. The ACC was a putrid 0-4 against the other BCS conferences, with the definite lowlights being Virginia and Duke being unable to unseat the other in state schools.

So, there is a reason why the ACC gets no respect. I mentioned this in a blog last week that there are two things keeping the ACC from being mentioned with the SECs and the Big 12s in terms of dominance - the lack of a national title contender and the inability to win ANY out of conference games. Both took it on the chin this weekend.

VT likely won't fall too far from the top 10 given how they competed and wouldn't give up through the game. A one loss ACC team doesn't have much of a hope, however.

Given how weak this league seems to be, I would be very surprised if VT did not win it. They are clearly the best team in the league, with all respect to FSU and Miami who don't play until tomorrow night.

So, does the ACC deserve an auto bid to the BCS? I bet that BYU, Utah, Boise State and TCU would all give you the same answer.

Absolutely not.

NCAA grants Tide a win, Hokies a loss before kickoff....

Ok, Ok, so the above is a LITTLE bit misleading, but if anyone has been following the media this week, all the Tide need do is take the field tomorrow night, and a convincing win is proffered. On one hand, it is hard to blame them. It was a mere two years ago when the #9 Hokies took the field in Baton Rouge against eventual national champion LSU and got completely clocked. I understand that perception is what it is for a reason; the ACC is God awful against out of conference competition, particularly the SEC. The ACC took a monumental step in the wrong direction last night, for instance, when at home, the Wolfpack couldn't beat a mediocre-at-best South Carolina squad.

Frank Beamer will be the first one to tell you that tomorrow night's game could mean big things for not only the ACC, but also for Virginia Tech who is 1-24 against AP top 5 teams all time. That's downright bad. But, also consider that VT has only really been relevant in big time college football for about 15 years or so. A lot of those losses came before Beamer's time. To say this is the biggest game in the history of Virginia Tech football might seem an overstatement, but it really isn't. We are at the precipice of something very great here; a national championship in the next 3-5 years is not really so far fetched. In fact, if it doesn't happen then, I fear it never will.

I do think that if VT is going to take the next step into competing for a national title and even being in the discussion, they must win games like this. When you consider the big time games that VT has played (#1 FSU in 99, #7 LSU in 2002, #2 Miami in 2003, #1 USC and #3 Auburn in 2004), there has been great opportunity for wins. Now is the time to make it happen.

Tech will field a vastly underrated team tomorrow night with a fast, athletic defense and an offense that is ready to take the next step forward, albeit without Darren Evans.

Don't get me wrong; Alabama fields a strong team in its own right. But what the media seems to neglect is the fact that they lost 3 starters from their offensive line, including an All American in the NFL now, an all conference running back, and an experienced quarterback. Sure, they have Julio Jones. Fine. No question. But who is going to block to get him space when Bud Foster sicks the dogs on all that inexperience? The offensive line is the most important part of any offense. Just ask VT. It has been our Achilles Heel until this year. Expect to see much better pass and run blocking then in season's past.

Will we run and thrown for 300 yards against Bama's tough defense? Doubtful. Will Bama roll over VT? Doubtful. Will special teams and turnovers dictate the winner? Almost certainly.

Nick Saban is a very, very good coach. He has recruited top tier talent to Tuscaloosa. The SEC is flat out better then the ACC. All the above our true. But it's time to change perception, and it starts now. The loss of Darren Evans is important, but not a deal breaker. You will meet Ryan Williams and David Wilson soon enough, and be impressed. I am predicting a low scoring, defensive football game between two teams that are mirror images of one another: a run first offense that loves to play ball control, control the clock offense setting up the play action pass. A defense that thrives on misdirection and confusing blitzes that force lesser quarterbacks into rough decisions and turnovers.

Thankfully, I am not a member of the media:

VT 17 Bama 13

GO HOKIES!

Weekend Pickoff - Week 1

Week One is FINALLY here. Aside from Miami and Florida State, all the ACC teams venture out of conference. Some of the premiere matchups include the SEC, Big 12 and PAC 10. There are two things that keep the ACC from being an elite league - the first is the lack of legitimate national title contenders year in and year out. The second, is how poorly they have fared in out of conference games. They can take a big step towards both this weekend

South Carolina at North Carolina State

Last year's game saw the Gamecocks shutting out the Pack. Russell Wilson is healthy, and the game is in Raleigh. Here's hoping they can get off to a better start then in year's past:

NC State 21 South Carolina 17

Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech

We won't learn much from this game. We know the Jacket's offense is highly prolific, and it's question marks at defense are not likely to show here. My bet is a LOT of touches for Heismann hopeful Jonathan Dwyer and tons of yards.

GT 49 Jax St 13

Northeastern at Boston College

This figures to be a down year for the Eagles. Word in Chestnut Hill is three quarterbacks may end up seeing the field for this opener. The defense should once again be fantastic, but settling on a quarterback in Spaziani's debut is job one.

BC 31 NE 6

Baylor at Wake Forest

Don't let Baylor fool you; they may have the best quarterback in the Big 12. And that includes Colt McCoy and Heismann winner Sam Bradford. The Bears turned the ball over five times last year, and Wake doesn't play particularly well at home. Not to mention Wake lost a ton of talent to the NFL from their defense.

Wake 28 Baylor 24

Middle Tennessee at Clemson

Don't get me wrong, Clemson is a good team. But we have all learned our lesson in praising them too early. They have Georgia Tech a week from today and might be looking ahead. Not to mention Middle Tennessee DID beat Maryland a year ago.

Clemson 35 Middle Tennessee 28

The Citadel at North Carolina

Sigh, another cupcake. Again, UNC is solid, and they could easily win their first 6 games without breaking a sweat. We won't learn much here.

UNC 41 The Citadel 13

William and Mary at Virginia

Virginia is installing a new spread offense and looks to have several quarterbacks in the backfield. William and Mary isn't BAD and Richmond did almost beat the Hoos in Charlottesville last year. Wins are at a premium, UVA. Get them while you can.

UVA 28 William and Mary 14

Richmond at Duke

This one looks good on paper. Don't let Richmond fool you; they won the national championship last year for their division and have a ton of talent on their squad. Duke will be looking to make a bowl game and will need every win it can get from their out of conference schedule.

Duke 27 Richmond 16

Alabama at Virginia Tech (in Atlanta)

Now THIS is what college football is all about. Eschewing the cupcake schedule for a bowl game in September. Both Saban and Beamer know that a win would mean tons in terms of getting to Pasadena in January, but a loss isn't necessarily a dagger. Expect a lot of line of scrimmage controlling, running and smashmouth defense.

Pick to come tomorrow

Miami (FL) at #18 FSU

This game used to be the game of the year when Miami was in the Big East. It has lost a lot of luster ever since. Miami hasn't been all that good since 2003. Miami has a new offensive coordinator and FSU has some new talent on defense. I think the team that limits turnovers and can run the ball more effectively, wins. Both teams sport super solid offensive lines.

FSU 31 Miami (FL) 21

Gazing into the Crystal Ball.....

So, this is how I see the teams RIGHT NOW. Not how I see them finishing the season.

Based on talent coming back, coaching, and schedule. I have put my best guess as to how their record will turn out next to each team. We'll see how wrong I really was come December.

ATLANTIC

Florida State (10-2)
NC State (9-3)
Clemson (9-3)
Wake Forest (8-4)
Maryland (7-5)
Boston College (6-6)

COASTAL

Virginia Tech (11-1)
Georgia Tech (9-3)
North Carolina (9-3)
Miami (8-4)
Virginia (6-6)
Duke (5-7)

The Final Countdown...

Is it really a week from TOMORROW until the first college football Saturday of the 2009 season? WOW. In a way, it has been a long time coming, but it also just feels like the Orange Bowl came to a close.

VT has looked good in preseason scrimmages and practices. But the proof will be in the pudding. How will they look under the lights against #5 Alabama in a week? Only time will tell.

Five things to know before this game -

(1) The first team defense is flat out nasty. The weakness (if you can even consider it that) of this group, is the linebackers. Only because they don't have experience. They are still playing aggressive though.

(2) The loss of Darren Evans hurts - but there is quality depth there. Ryan Williams will be a household name before you know it, and David Wilson will make his presence known too.

(3) The first team offensive line is FINALLY ready to assert itself. Most of the offensive woes over the past 4 years can be attributed to lack of depth and holes in recruiting. This group is finally gelling.

(4) This is FINALLY Tyrod's team. No looking over the shoulder. This is his offense to direct.

(5) This offense will finish in the top 60 in offense. That doesn't sound too good, but given the fact that VT has won the ACC in back to back seasons with offenses in the 100s.

HOKIE HOKIE HOKIE HI folks. It's time to kick it off!!!

Back in the swing....

Greetings, fellow Hokies!! The hiatus is officially over. The months from the end of March Madness to the beginning of summer football are long and arduous, it seems! The football team returned to campus to begin summer ball on Thursday and the season kicks off in less then a month. I can't believe it is almost here! Frank is very excited about what his team can do and hasn't shied away from questions about all the hype. There is even a huge banner on his tower on the practice field that reads 'A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.' Clearly, they understand the potential.

With early August also comes the preseason coaches poll, which was released yesterday. Clearly the coaches have much love with VT as well, pitting them 7th over all in the country. See the full rankings here.

In all, 4 of Tech's opponents are already top 25 teams. It is possible that Miami and NC State could sneak in there as well, by the time VT plays them.

So, camp has begun. Hype is everywhere. In the past, that has been a bad thing. I don't see any selfish kids on this team, though. No one who is more interested in a SportsCenter Top 10 play then gutting out a hard fought win. I think these kids get it. More importantly, they know the one thing Frank Beamer DOESN'T have is a National Championship trophy.

We'll see if the cards fall just right soon enough.