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.

Great Expectations

There's no getting around it.

People are expecting great things from the 2009 edition of the Hokie football squad.

Throughout the entire spring, much was made of redshirt freshman phenom Ryan Williams. If you didn't see his Playstation-esque moves, you soon will. Chances are he will make several Sportscenter highlight reels come October.

Frank found himself a backup quarterback, which was the major goal of spring ball. JuJu (as he is called) at times looked crisp and prepared, and at times looked like deer-in-the-headlights. Against our defense, wouldn't you?

Bud will field his typical stout first team defense, but the issue comes, as usual, with depth. If any linebacker or secondary player goes down, there is cause for concern. Of course, we don't play a snap until September, so there is still time.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN ranked his post-spring Top 25 going into fall. You can see it here.

It won't be the last time you see something of great expectations for the Hokies this fall. The heavyweight bout between fellow top-10 Alabama to start the season has ESPN salivating, and for good reason.

Should be a good one. Bama starts a new tailback, a new offensive line and a new QB. Think Bud is excited to unleash his defense on those newbies?

For a change, the offense grabbed the headlines from our spring practices, and it could be fun to watch them work. We've missed that since about 2002.

Here's to a season with Great Expectations. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' Dickens said.

Let's hope for the best of times.

Spring Fever

The basketball season has quietly come and gone and now us Hokie fans are relegated to months of anticipation before the 2009 football campaign begins in full swing. In case you hadn't heard, the upcoming season could bring some great things. There are a lot of expectations now for this crew, and if you have been following Hokie football over the past 10 years, you know that is not where the Hokies shine. However, this team seems focused and not too high on themselves, so time will tell.

Spring football has begun in earnest and VT has its first official scrimmage tomorrow. Tyrod looks good, but the challenge is finding quality depth behind him. The battle is between JuJu Clayton and Marcus Davis; both bring strengths to the position.

Heather Dinich, ESPN's blogger to the ACC, recently wrote the below entry regarding the ACC's defensive tradition. A good read, especially if you are a Hokie fan!

Happy Easter all!

Getting defensive.

Drink your water

As if Louisville head coach Rick Pitino needs reminding of one of the most nightmarish sequence of seconds in his life, word is he and Christian Laettner are going to be sharing TV time promoting Vitamin Water. It has promise to be pretty clever.

For any basketball fan who needs a refresher on the most iconic play in college basketball history, here you go.

And as March Madness officially begins Thursday, why not?

Since the site doesn't appear to want to cooperate....

the schedule is below:

September 5 - @ Alabama in Atlanta (neutral site)
September 12 - Marshall
September 19 - Nebraska
September 26 - Miami
October 3 - @ Duke
October 10 - Boston College
October 17 - @ Georgia Tech
October 29 - UNC (Thurs)
November 5 - @ ECU (Thurs)
November 14 - @ Maryland
November 21 - NC State
November 28 - @ UVA

Powerful non-conference slate highlights Hokies 2009 football schedule

Well, we knew who we were playing and where. The question was when. Now the mystery is over.

For those of you who have diligently followed VT football over the last 10 years or so, you know that one of the major complaints that come from outside the VT camp is how soft their non-conference schedule is and how they don't play a meaningful game until October. You remember the song - Start 5-0, finish 7-5. That has changed since VT joined the ACC, and not only are the Hokies going to be playing one heck of a non-conference schedule, but they do it early.

September finds VT playing at Alabama, and home against Marshall, Nebraska and Miami. That's some month! The good news is while most teams are yawning through their I-AA opponents, Tech will be forging the steel.

As usual, Tech has 2 Thursday nighters, including a surprising late trip in November to ECU. What is disappointing somewhat is 3 of the last 4 games on the road, but on the whole, a nice schedule.

With VT sure to be a top 10 preseason pick, expect the majority of the matchups to be nationally televised again.

Is it August yet?

Is Malcolm Delaney any good?

Seriously this kid is scary good, and only a sophomore. How he got out of Gary Williams' clutches at Maryland is beyond me. The Baltimore native impresses once again and earns ACC player of the week honors and Rivals.com national player of the week honors.

The future is bright.

Don't look now, but VT is currently in 2nd place behind league-leading Duke in the ACC standings. I know, I know it's early. But the team is hitting its stride at just the right time. March Madness could be a reality soon enough.

What is it about #1's?

OK Hokie fans, admittedly I have been on a rather LONG hiatus from writing. I was sick for a while around the Orange Bowl and crazy busy since BUT I promise to get back into the swing. I will be writing on the Orange Bowl and the preview for next season soon, but I feel we need to get into the 'other' sport that has us Hokie fans crazy right now and that is men's hoops.

Sure, the Hokies LOVE to lose those clunkers to Penn State and Georgia and Richmond and Marshall. It happens every year. But on the other side of the pendulum are those crazy games when the level of desire and hard work match the best teams in the country they are playing and they unseat a top-ranked leviathan.

Consider this.

2005. Virginia Tech is in Krzyzewski-ville taking on the #1 Blue Devils. It's a back and forth affair, but Tech finds itself up 1 with 1 second remaining. Game over right?

Wrong. If you can bear to watch it again, please do, but Sean Dockery hits a half court prayer with time expiring to beat the Hokies. BUT we came close.

2006. You remember the dream season where we went to the NCAA tournament. The Hokies dethroned #1 North Carolina in Blacksburg.

2007. Who could forget the ACC tournament where the Hokies had the #1 Tarheels on the ropes AGAIN and needed a miracle baseline jumper from Hansbourough to beat VT by 2.

2009. VT at Wake. Wake lead for all of 26 seconds. VT outrebounded them, outhustled them and outplayed them for the whole of the game and FINALLY stole a road win against the #1 team in the country.

It's a long season. No question. We will lose some we shouldn't and win some we shouldn't. A 10 win ACC season is not out of the question yet and shouldn't be. This team could still be dancing in March.

If only the rest of our games were against #1's.