ACC Realignment Rumors

A modest proposal

College Game Balls pointed out yesterday that rumors abound about possible realignment of the ACC's football divisions. What he found was talk of Boston College and Maryland moving from the Atlantic to the Coastal with Miami and Georgia Tech moving from the Coastal to the Atlantic. This would create more of a true North-South division alignment.

I'm all for it as long as it means the Hokies don't have to play at Miami and at BC in the same season every two years. The new divisions CGB found would help a lot with travel and look like this:

Atlantic
Clemson
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Miami
NC State
Wake Forest

Coastal
Boston College
Duke
Maryland
North Carolina
Virginia
Virginia Tech

And my best guess for Interdivision Rivals:

BC -----> CU
DU -----> WF
MD -----> GT
NC -----> NCST
VA -----> FSU
VT -----> UM

If the Hokies continued to play Miami every year, the only real change to the schedule would be playing Maryland every year and playing Georgia Tech two out of every five years. The problem that arises is how to keep Tech from going to Boston and Miami every other year. The answer is simple. The Hokies will just need to do what Georgia Tech did when it played at Virginia Tech in consecutive years. I'm willing to have the Hokies travel to Boston back-to-back seasons in order for that to happen.

As Brian and Jeff at BC Interruption mention, none of this would happen until after the 2015 football season. But until then, it's fun to speculate.

BCI takes it one step too far

Brian's proposed division realignment looks similar to the one above, but he swaps UNC for Wake as well, which in my opinion would never fly because it makes too much sense. Brian backs up his proposal with all these "facts" and "numbers". But on paper, just looking at the names, the ACC South looks MUCH more difficult than the ACC North. Therefore, it would never pass inspection if it were ever voted on.

Brian's ACC Divisions:

ACC North
Virginia Tech (.781)
Boston College (.656)
Wake Forest (.563)
Virginia (.500)
Maryland (.469)
Duke (.031)

ACC South
Georgia Tech (.656)
Clemson (.563)
Florida State (.531)
Miami (FL) (.469)
North Carolina (.406)
NC State (.375)

Those numbers to the right of each school are winning percentages since BC joined in 2005. But if you factor in tradition and the average North Carolinian's perception of ACC football, Brian's divisions suddenly look like this:

ACC North
VIRGINIA TECH
yankee invaders
wake forest
virginia
maryland
worst team evar

ACC South
GEORGIA TECH
CLEMPSON
F$U
DA U!!!
NORTH CAROLINA
NC STATE

That doesn't seem like a balanced ACC now, does it? It'll never happen. So, while Brian's divisions would be nice, let's just hope for the first ACC South-North alignment that was discovered by CGB. At least then the conference doesn't have to worry about trying to explain why teams are in their current confusing divisions.

Why wait?

What I would prefer is for the conference to expedite the realignment. Just because it announced the football schedule through 2015 doesn't mean it has to let it run its course. Hell, the schedule's enough to figure out it could announce the schedule through 2050 it wanted to. The schedule repeats itself every five years. It's not the square root of pi.

The ACC should just do what everyone else in the country is doing. Blame the economy. But placing the blame on "travel budgets need to be scaled back" the conference can implement new North-South divisions without any batting an eye. Hell, it would be applauded. Get it done.

Putting it off seven seasons would hurt realignment. By then, Obama could have the economy fixed and ACC fans would forget why we were going to realign in the first place and put the kibosh on the whole thing. The ACC needs to act now in case a perfectly good excuse to fix the mess it put us in in the first place goes away (hopefully).

ACC Best of the Blogs: Scheduling and Hoops

Because it's the off-season, these posts are infrequent and irregular. But, here's what's going on around the ACC. Sadly, the ACC lost a great blogger last week when Jeff from BC Interruption decided to end his own life ... by getting married. Our condolences to Brian.

BOSTON COLLEGE

BC All Access: Boston College Upsets Duke
"The atmosphere in Conte Forum was electric as the Eagles dazzled the sellout crowd. Fans packed the arena early and created a hostile environment throughout the game. The victory brought upon a massive rush of students as they stormed the court in celebration."

BC Interruption: Role Play: BC Hoops, ACC Football Sched and Gaylord Hotels
"Brian as ACC scheduler: Well, we had to wait to see how some of these out of conference games were going to pan out. We wanted to wait until the teams from North Carolina gorge themselves on creampuff opponents in early September. And we also want to take an extra amount of time to ensure teams like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami (FL) have the most favorable schedule possible. Because those programs sell! Some say we have a football perception problem. What better way to fix that than give those programs the easiest schedule possible in terms of when who plays who and screw the little guys! I'm looking at you, Duke, Wake Forest and Boston College!"

Eagle in Atlanta: First (delayed ) reaction to 2009 schedule
"Considering we already knew the opponents this is a dream slate for Spaz's first year. I think we get nearly every team when and where we want them. We don't deal with any awkward trips or Thursday night games. Seven games are at home. The toughest road game is at Virginia Tech, but we know we can win there (neutral fields with the Hokies are a different story)."

CLEMSON

Block-C: 2009 Clemson Football Schedule
"The Tigers will face out of conference foes from Middle Tennessee State, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, and Sakerlina. The Tigers will face their regular Thursday embarrassment early this year, traveling to Atlanta on September 10 to face Georgia Tech."

FLORIDA STATE

Tomahawk Nation: How can FSU fill their wide receiver void?
"We discussed Jimbo's extensive use of the depth chart throughout the season and despite our concerns (that Ponder and his wideouts couldn't get in rhythm because the reps were spread too thin), it looks like it might be paying off. Many players got significant reps last year, and despite losing three more wideouts than we expected (Carr was a senior), those losses might not be as bad because of the valuable experience gained by the backups."

GEORGIA TECH

The Legacy x4: 2009 Yellow Jacket football schedule is out
"I kind of wrinkled my nose at the idea of not playing Clemson closer to mid-season, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. We get a nice warm up game, then hit the ground running by playing people we love to hate and hate to love."

MARYLAND

Testudo Times: 2009 Football Schedule Announced
"It's going to be tough to open the season at California. It would have been nice to get a game against James Madison under our belt first, but it will be a good, early test for this team."

Turtle Soup: Franklin to Replace Friedgen (Eventually)
"I think it’s a great move for all the reason’s they discussed above and Franklin seems to have a passion for the University, saying he can’t think of another school that can offer all the things Maryland can offer a student-athlete. Will that be enough to get the blue chip recruits? It hasn’t so far, but with the class we just got and this ‘continuity’ announced today, perhaps we can take that next step."

MIAMI

The 7th Floor: Like a doll's eyes
"Aside from former linebacker Brandon Marti joining Robert Marve in proving that we really, really, reeeeeeeally need to stop recruiting white guys, all of yesterday's news comes from Lovett's presser. Lovett acknowledged the challenge of arriving 12 days before the start of spring ball, but said he's already hit the ground running and "all the kids I have met have exceeded my expectation in terms of how to present themselves." Team MVP Matt Bosher will shatter this illusion later when he uses his entrée fork to eat a salad, and suffers the humiliation of being shown to the door by the footman."

All Canes: What's new at the U
"Kirby Hocutt joined Shannon at the function and it was stated that Miami's athletic department raised upwards of $4.5M last year with the move to Dolphin Stadium. Though the stadium needs more bodies in seats, it's hard to argue with the bottom line. The Canes left the Orange Bowl for money and for a strapped program, it's hard to argue with almost a $5M increase... in a down economy, no less."

NORTH CAROLINA

Carolina March: UNC 101, Duke 87
"Four straight wins at Cameron. With the turnover in college basketball, there won't be that many players at UNC next season who have played with guys who have lost in Durham. There's no fear there. Thompson and Davis both, 60% free throw shooters that they are buried four from the line in the faces of a screaming crowd. Neither of the freshman seemed lost for long - only Drew when he kept losing his footing on the wet Duke floor - and Thompson was positively gleeful for most of the first half."

Tar Heel Fan: Oh Yeah…The Football Schedule Came Out
"There is also the matter of UNC playing two I-AA teams this season. The 2nd game came about when Butch Davis canceled a home-and-home with Colorado but could not find a suitable I-A opponent willing to come into Chapel Hill. Playing two I-AA teams means only one of those games can count towards bowl eligibility. At least Duke and NCSU are doing the same thing sparing us any trash talk about the schedule."

NC STATE

StateFans Nation: 2009 Football Schedule Released
"End with Carolina, so it looks like the ACC is finally starting to see the marketability of this rivalry rather than the contrived nature of the Carolina-Duke football “rivalry.” Also, since we’re apparently marked for a Thanksgiving Weekend home game every season, then making it the biggest game of the season is the most practical solution to ensure a max-capacity crowd."

Yet Another...: A look at the 2009 football schedule
"What a wonderful, wonderful site to behold: The front offices of the ACC acknowledging that this game -- not the Duke/Carolina matchup for the Victory Bell -- is the state's most significant college football game."

VIRGINIA

From Old Virginia: The schedule, obviously
"No long stretches of home games or away games - only two each consecutively. The only time we don't have a home game after a road game is early, after the Southern Miss game, which I feel like we should win. All this strikes me as a good thing. As schizoid as we were last year, and for the most part still pretty bad on the road, I think coming home after all the road games is a good way to re-align the psyche if/when we take another dump on somebody's field."

VIRGINIA TECH

Beer Control Offense: Putting the Beer back in Beer Control Offense
"The dual party ass clowns might actually do something to help out us Beer drinkers ... via helping the brewer's themselves. Not sure how the BCO feels about this since I think 70% of the stimulus bill is horseshit, this looks like it may actually give some relief to breweries. Either way it's beer news."

College Game Balls: CGB Off-Topic: The Types of Drivers I Hate
"She sees you coming from 500 feet away. Plenty of time to turn onto the road you are barreling down. 400 feet. You can see it’s clear both ways yet she isn’t turning. 300 feet. If you want to turn now is the time. 200 feet. She must be extra cautious and is waiting for you to pass. 100 feet. She decides to turn now. You slam on you brakes to avoid an accident and curse."

Tech Sideline: Can I rant for just a second?
"Schmadtke’s mistake, assuming I’m interpreting his comments correctly (always a dicey assumption), is a common one made by college sportswriters, who also like to write that the difference between a school winning a conference championship and not winning one is the $17 million paid out by the BCS bowls. No, it’s not — BCS money goes to the conferences, not the schools. Get it right!"

VT Fan: I Picked a Bad Game to Watch the Hokies Up Close
"I’ve watched this team all year, and frankly that was the worst I’ve seen the Hokies so far. It wasn’t any one thing, they just didn’t have the enery, focus, or sharpness they’ve had most of the season on Saturday. Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen especially had bad first halfs. In many ways, it was a case of Maryland just coming out more ready to play, fresher, more energetic, and shooting the lights out."

WAKE FOREST

Blogger So Dear: Startling Statistic: Jeff Teague's last six games
"With Ish Smith on the floor, Teague far too often watches Ish and does not look to score. The two are good on the floor at once, but they could be better. In addition to this, it is incredibly hard to keep up the pace that Teague had. He was seeing a huge hoop and finishing a high percentage of his shots."

Annette is at it again

This time, she thinks we need to watch out for the Dukies in Lane Stadium South Wallace Wade Stadium.

and watch out for Duke (seriously). The Blue Devils came dangerously close to beating the Hokies with their backup quarterback in Blacksburg last season.

At this point I'm starting to wonder if she is trying to get fired from ESPN so she can go back to covering the Terps. The two games she singles out as being difficult are our games against Duke and UVa. That's right, the only two ACC teams that didn't go bowling last year.

We have to play at Georgia Tech and Maryland and those are the only two games she singles out? She loves her some PJ and Fridge, so you'd figure those would be the two games she'd pick us to have trouble with. Nope. We better watch out against Dook and the 'Hoos.

Then again, maybe Annette is sneakier than I thought. She knew we would criticize her love of Georgia Tech and Maryland if she mentioned those two as our toughest games, so she went the other way with it. In the words of Muldoon from Jurassic Park, clever girl.

In other news...

- The N&O's Luke DeCock (snicker) writes that our game with Alabama is the best game involving an ACC team this year.

- Tech Hoops previews tomorrow's game at france. As always, it's a must-read before watching the game.

- The Sabres get another shot at Justin Pogge tonight. We gave him a thorough ass-kicking thanks to porous defense and never-ending odd-man rushes last time around. Hopefully the "Hockey Gods" don't punish us after his defense forsakes him again:

Your 2009 Hokie Football Schedule

(click for larger)

If the Hokies are going to keep making barrels in 2009, they're going to have to face three distinct and equally challenging parts of their schedule. Get ready, because I'm going to be running the barrel metaphor into the ground all season long.

September

Tech's schedule is conveniently divided into three equal parts by the calendar. September is the most convenient travel month with three home games and a neutral-site game. However, Tech will face three of college football's premier programs in Alabama, Nebraska and Miami. Alabama saw a resurgence in 2008 under second-year coach Nick Saban. However, in 2009, Alabama will have a new quarterback, running back and a revamped offensive line. I think the Hokies luck out by facing them to start off the season.

Nebraska is the same slow Nebraska we saw last season. And this year the Huskers will also have a new quarterback and lose their best running back and receiver. Again, I'd rather face them early. Same with Miami, which is still a young team. Later in the year, the Hurricanes will be a force to be reckoned with. But facing the Canes early and at home strongly favors the Hokies, in my opinion.

October

October sees the Hokies' first two true road games. The month starts with a trip to Lane Stadium South to face the Dukies. A week later, Tech faces a team it hasn't beaten in the regular season since 2005. The BC game won't be on a Thursday night in Blacksburg for the first time in a while. With all that the Eagles lost on defense and with Dominique Davis getting the reigns full time, it will be interesting to see how both teams are playing going into this game.

The month ends with the Hokies facing their two main competitors in the Coastal, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Tech has won its last two trips to Atlanta, but the Jackets and their triple-option played very well at home last year. The schedule of the North Carolina game I feel favors Virginia Tech. The Hokies have a bye week before facing the Tar Heels and catch them on a Thursday night, when Lane is at its fiercest.

November

The season ends with Tech playing three of its final four on the road. That's the exact opposite situation of last season, when the Hokies had three of four at home to close the season. Conveniently, Tech won its three home games and dropped its one road game in that stretch.

These road games include a Thursday night non-conference game against ECU, Tech's first trip to Maryland since 2005 and the traditional post-Thanksgiving game against UVa. Sandwiched between the Maryland and UVa games is a home game against up-and-coming NC State.

Overview

So what's the hardest portion of Tech's schedule? Well, by the end of the season it may very well be November. While on paper, the teams don't seem as challenging as Tech's opponents in September and October, don't discount the fact that three of them are on the road. Dowdy-Ficklen will be a hornets nest for the national TV game and the Hokies aren't used to traveling to College Park. And of course the 'Hoos will be motivated to get the Hokie monkey off their backs.

No matter what, the Hokies are certainly going to have to earn their barrels this year. By the time November runs around, they will have already faced three powerhouse programs, a team that has their number in the regular season and the two teams likely to be their main competition for the division crown.

It will be anything but easy.

CRuhland's 2009 Desktop Schedules

Clark is at it again. Almost as soon as the schedule was released, he also released four good looking desktops for your perusal. Below is my favorite. Click here to go download these from Clark's site.

VT's Schedule Features Brutal September

The Hokies finally have their football schedule, so we can all start making travel plans. I'll have more on it later today.

2009 Virginia Tech Football Schedule
(* - ACC games)
Sept. 5: vs. Alabama (Atlanta)
Sept. 12: Marshall
Sept. 19: Nebraska
Sept. 26: Miami*
Oct. 3: at Duke*
Oct. 10: Boston College*
Oct. 17: at Georgia Tech*
Oct. 24: BYE
Oct. 29: North Carolina* (Th.)
Nov. 5: at East Carolina (Th.)
Nov. 14: at Maryland*
Nov. 21: NC State*
Nov. 28: at Virginia*

What Others Are Saying:

ACC Now: Ken Tysiac assumes we will lose to Alabama.

Tech Sideline: The Hokies may be on the road a lot toward the end of the season, but those games are winnable.

Schedule to be Announced Thursday

From the league office:

We know that many of you are anxiously awaiting the release of the 2009 ACC Football Schedule. We are happy to let you know that your wait is nearly over. TheACC.com will unveil the 2009 ACC Football Schedule on Thursday, February 12 at 11 a.m.

Football Schedule Coming Tuesday?

UVa filled its non-conference schedule today by adding Indiana and according to JP Giglio at ACC Now, the full conference slate will be announced manana.

Rumors and such on the TechSideline.com message board have Tech's game with ECU getting moved to Thursday, which would mean the Hokies would have four days to prepare for a trip to play the Pirates after playing Nebraska. So, I kind of doubt that will happen. Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow.

Giglio has a good breakdown of the conference schedules in preparation for tomorrow's presumed announcement. He says Tech is one of the teams getting a good break.

Va. Tech: The Hokies avoid FSU, Wake Forest and Clemson and go to Duke, which is basically another home game.

Quit using "Va. Tech"!

How I'd like the schedule to look

Those of us who make our travel plans for football season as far in advance as possible are eagerly awaiting the ACC to release its 2009 football schedule. We know who the Hokies will be playing the first four weeks of the season and we know the UVa game will likely be the weekend after Thanksgiving. The rest of the schedule, including which games will be on Thursday, is a complete mystery. However, I know how I'd like the schedule to look.

What We (Sort of) Know:

Schedule
Sept. 5: Alabama (Atlanta)
Sept. 12: Marshall
Sept. 19: Nebraska
Sept. 26: at East Carolina
Nov. 28: at Virginia

2009 ACC Home Games: Boston College, Miami, North Carolina, NC State

2009 ACC Road Games: Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia

Teams I'd Rather Catch Early:

Boston College. The Eagles will likely have Dominique Davis under center in 2009. He didn't play very well in the games he started last season and I'd rather face him before he gets seasoned. Also, the Eagles will be replacing key cogs on defense.

Maryland: The Terps have a great running back returning in Da'Rel Scott. But they have three offensive linemen to replace.

Teams I'd Rather Catch Late:

NC State: The Pack were the most improved team in the ACC from the first half of the season to the second. This year, they're a known commodity and could contend for the Atlantic. Catching them late means we'd have a full season's worth of film on Russell Wilson to prepare with.

Duke: Last year's ACC race was a complete fustercluck at the end of the season. Having Duke as our second-to-last conference game helped in 2008 because it gave the Hokies a near automatic W while chaos ensued around the conference.

How I Hope the Schedule Looks:

Sept. 5: Alabama (Atlanta)
Sept. 12: Marshall
Sept. 19: Nebraska
Sept. 26: at East Carolina
Oct. 3: at Maryland
Oct. 10: Boston College
Oct. 17: BYE WEEK
Oct. 24: North Carolina
Oct. 31: at Georgia Tech (Thursday?)
Nov. 7: Miami (Thursday?)
Nov. 14: NC State
Nov. 21: at Duke
Nov. 28: at Virginia

What do you guys think? The Hokies would close the season with two road games, but other than that I think something that looked like this would be beneficial to Tech. What do you want the schedule to look like? When would you like the bye week? Who do you want to play on a Thursday (one road, one home)?

2009 Schedule Due in 'Early February'

The ACC's Beyond the ACCtion blog has an inside look into how the conference's football schedule is made. According to the blog, the 2009 ACC football schedule will be released sometime in early February.

Some conferences, including the Big 12 and SEC, already have their conference games scheduled. However, because the ACC gives the television networks so much input into the schedule, we won't get ours for another two to three weeks.

Also, the Hokies will only have one bye week next year as conferences with title games have to play 12 games in 13 weeks in 2009. Personally, I'd like Tech's bye week to be Oct. 17 (OU/Texas Weekend), but it would probably be most beneficial to the Hokies to have a bye week between its non-conference and ACC slates on Oct. 3.

Hokies vs. Tide to Open 2009

Virginia Tech finally knows its opponent for the Chick-fil-a College Kickoff. The Hokies will face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 5 in the Georgia Dome to open the 2009 season.

Alabama went 12-1 this season and faces Utah in the Sugar Bowl. It will be the second consecutive season the Hokies will open their season on a neutral field. They played ECU in Charlotte to kickoff this season.

The Hokies have the chance to play in Atlanta three times in 2009. They open with the Tide in the Georgia Dome and later travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech during ACC play. A trip to the Peach Bowl at the end of the season would make Hokie fans very familiar with the ATL by the end of the season.

The Tide will be formidable foe for the Hokies. Alabama will likely have much of the same great defense back for next year. However, it will be debuting a new quarterback in the game next year. Virginia Tech was a very young team this year and will likely have all of its skill position players back.

The announcement of the date with the Tide also sets the Hokies non-conference schedule for 2009. Like in 2007, the Hokies will get all of their non-conference games out of the way before opening ACC play, which is how I'd prefer things every year.

2009 Schedule
Sept. 5: Alabama (Atlanta)
Sept. 12: Marshall
Sept. 19: Nebraska
Sept. 26: at East Carolina

FSU gametime set for 3:30

The Hokies' game at Florida State on Oct. 25 will be at 3:30. This was the best we could hope for since no ACC contest will be a night game that week.

The FSU game will on ABC regional with ESPN2 as the reverse mirror. If You're in the ACC viewing area, the game will be on ABC. If you're in the Big Ten viewing area, the VT game will be on ESPN2. Everyone else will have to buy GamePlan.

News

In other ACC news, Tommy Bowden got fired and the Harper family couldn't be happier. I'll be checking Block-C for its DSOT this week. Should be spectacular.

Also, North Carolina's Brandon Tate tore his ACL and MCL and is out for the season. Tate's college career is unfortunately over. He had combined with Hakeem Nicks for the best WR combo in the ACC before the injury. Now, the Heels need a new No. 2 wideout and return man.

Can VT fix its schedule?

The Hokies travel to Boston next weekend, like they do every even-numbered year. However, in a few more weeks they'll also head to Miami to face the 'Canes. The Hokies are the only team in the ACC that have to travel to the conference's farthest two outposts in the same season.

It puts a burden on the Hokies' travel schedule and the fans who want to follow the team. One of the two road trips (BC or Miami) should be switched so the Hokies don't have to do both trips in the same year.

Florida State is the only other ACC team that plays both BC and Miami every season. The Noles travel to South Florida on even numbered years and to New England in odd numbered years.

A schedule switch isn't without precedent. Georgia Tech traveled to Blacksburg in both 2005 and 2006 to change its schedule rotation. In 2005, the Jackets had to go to Virginia Tech, UVa and Miami in the same season.

However, the switch can have its drawbacks. Thanks to moving it schedule around, the Jackets now travel to VT, Clemson and Georgia every even numbered year. The trips to Miami and UVa don't seem so bad now.

But the reason for a switch of Miami or Boston is based more on economics and logistics than balancing the difficulty of the schedule.

So how could the switch be done? It won't be easy (if not impossible, unfortunately). You don't want to mess with Georgia Tech again. The backlash from VT and UVa having to play in the same place twice in a row wouldn't be fun to deal with. The logical choice would be to switch with Duke, even though it would require the Devils to travel to both Commonwealth teams every other year.

Tampering with the schedules in 2005 and 2006 was easier because it was the first two years of the 12-team ACC and the league simply fiddled with the Atlantic teams GT played. In 2005, all three of the Atlantic teams it faced (including every-year rival Clemson) went to Atlanta.

Doing so with Duke now that the schedule rotation has been established could mean messing with every team's schedule for two years. The Hokies may not be able to get BC and Miami on a different home/away rotation until the ACC decides to reevaluate the divisional structure. And as of right now, it doesn't look like that will happen before 2019. The future schedule page on HokieSports.com has Tech's ACC slate set through 2018.

BC Game Will be at 8 pm

The ACC released game times for the weekend of Oct. 18 and the VT-BC game will be at 8 p.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2. This is fantastic news. The Hokies tend to sleep-walk through games played before 3:30 p.m. It's also another game where I can spend the whole day getting into the proper frame of mind before heading to the stadium.

See you at Mary Ann's.

Nebraska is a Night Game

I couldn't be happier. And entire day to tailgate in Lincoln on the 27th. The Nebraska game will start at 8 p.m. EDT, 7 p.m. EDT in two weeks.

I didn't get a chance to watch the DVR of the Georgia Tech game over the weekend. I'll get that done this afternoon and then post a review of both the offense and defense.

I Like Ike Update: I Love Ike

Blow, you savage hurricane, blow. Unleash the fury of your ancestors onto the plains of central Texas. Feast upon a multitude of nourishing gulf water and grow strong and prosperous as you approach the Lone Star.

Seriously, hurry up and postpone this bogus little Arkansas-Texas drubbing-in-waiting so I can see the Hokies without having to cough up money that had previously been allocated for Wild Turkey 101.



Right now, I'm slated to see the Horns and Hogs Without Nixon Coming at 2:30 on Saturday. If that game gets wiped off the slate, chances are the Oregon-Purdue game will be seen in my area. Then, the Hokies and Jackets will be on ESPN, instead of the Ducks and Boilers.

With the Reverse Mirror game, the Ducks and Boilers are shown on ABC in the blue area above and on ESPN everywhere else. The blue area gets VT and GT on ESPN. So without that pesky game between Texas and Arkansas, the coverage area for the Oregon-Purdue game increases, along with my odds of seeing VT-GT on ESPN.

Weather.com is predicting heavy wind and rain for the Austin area around gametime on Saturday. The "Spectator Index" is listed at 1, which is at the bottom of its 1-10 scale.

Is it morbid that I want a hurricane to strengthen in order to see my favorite football team on TV for free? Yes, but at least I'm willing to admit it. The best case scenario for everyone is for the thing to strengthen, the Texas game to get postponed and then for the hurricane to weaken and not kill anyone. There, that's the politically correct statement, right?

Go Ike!

UPDATE: Phase one is complete. Texas-Arkansas has been postponed. Now all we have to do is get ABC to put the Oregon-Purdue game in my market and it's Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

So help me, God, if ABC shows that lame Penn State-Syracuse nonsense I will shit a Frisbee. The wrath of that hurricane will have nothing on what I will unleash if I have to see Syracuse's pumpkin uniforms instead of the beautiful bastion of orange goodness the Hokies will unveil against the Yellow Jackets.

UPDATE: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!





All areas in yellow (read: me) will see Oregon-Purdue on ABC and VIRGINIA TECH-Georgia Tech on ESPN. Thanks, Ike!

6-Day Option Taken on VT-UNC

Tech's game against UNC Sept. 20 will be at either noon on Raycom or 3:30 on ABC/ESPN. However, we won't know until Sunday.

Obviously, it will depend on how the ACC teams fare this weekend. UNC play at Rutgers on the Thursday night special and the Hokies host Georgia Tech at 3:30 on Saturday.

It doesn't matter which time-slot the Hokies are on, it means I won't be able to see them without paying for it on Game Plan. Full season of Game Plan isn't exactly worth it where I live because I already get the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports Net, ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN Networks and Raycom SEC games. The only games I miss out on happen to be the ACC games. Good luck getting your roommates to pony up over $100 just so you can see out-of-market ACC games.

2008-09 Hoops Schedule Announced

The 2008-09 men's basketball schedule was announced today. The Hokies have bulked up their non-conference schedule after being one of the last teams left out of last year's NCAA Tournament.

Tech opens the season against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 14 in Blacksburg. It's the same Gardner-Webb team that upset Kentucky to start the 2007-08 season.

The Hokies will spend Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico, playing in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off. All of the tournament's games will be shown on the ESPN family of networks, mostly ESPNU. Tech's first round opponent is Fairfield and they will play either Missouri or Xavier in the second round. The other side of the bracket includes Memphis, USC, Seton Hall and Chattanooga. The Hokies are definitely on the easier side of the bracket.

Unlike last year, when Tech opened against Elon the day before the football team hosted Florida State, there is no weekend where you can see the hoops team and football team in back-to-back days.

The Hokies' schedule gets more difficult after the Thanksgiving holiday. They face Wisconsin at home on Dec. 1 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. On Dec. 9, they travel to Athens, Ga., to face Georgia, the team that probably burst their bubble last season by winning the SEC tournament.

Tech opens ACC play on Jan. 4 at Duke on Fox Sports Net. The Hokies play three home games during Christmas Break. However, I fully expect the students to be in Cassell Coliseum in full force when they play UVa on Jan. 10. It's a Saturday and it's the rival so the house better be packed.

However, the Hokies also have home games against Richmond (Jan. 14) and BC (Jan. 17) during the break. The BC game is also during a three-day weekend, so I'm not sure how attendance is going to be for that one.

The home stretch of Tech's schedule is brutal. They have a road game against Clemson, home games against Duke and North Carolina and a road trip to Tallahassee to close ACC play against Florida State. Going 2-2 over that stretch would be a success.

ACC Opponents
Play Twice: BC, Clemson, Duke, FSU, UVa
Home Only: GT, UNC, NC State
Road Only: Maryland, Miami, Wake Forest

The Hokies play two up-and-comers (Miami and Wake) once, but it's on the road. They also face the odds-on-favorite to cut down the nets once, but fortunately it's at home. Last year, VT's conference schedule was fairly easy. This year's is slightly more difficult playing Duke twice.

This year's ACC tournament will be held in Atlanta, Ga.

Click here for the full schedule

Ranking the 2008 ACC Games

The Oklahoman ran a similar feature Sunday ranking all the games involving Big 12 teams. I thought it was a good idea. But then I tried to rank every ACC game, but then decided to limit it to a Top 25. Here they are, with pithy comments.

1. Alabama vs. Clemson (Atl. - Aug. 30)
- We find out pretty quick how good Clemson is.
2. Virginia Tech at Nebraska (Sept. 27)
- Finally, we get a chance at revenge for the 1996 Orange Bowl! BWAHAHA!
3. Clemson at Wake Forest (Oct. 9)
- The CU-WF-FSU round robin will be fun to watch. This Thursday-nighter is the best of the bunch.
4. Virginia Tech at Florida State (Oct. 25)
- First trip to Tally since 1990 for Tech.
5. Notre Dame at North Carolina (Oct. 11)
- Two teams that are supposed to be among the most improved in 2008. A win here would be huge for the ACC.
6. Clemson at Florida State (Nov. 8)
- Why hasn't anyone mentioned that Clemson's three toughest games are away from Death Valley?
7. Miami at Florida (Sept. 6)
- Could get ugly in a hurry. Or could the 'Canes call upon the ghost of Brock Berlin to pull off the upset?
8. Wake Forest at Florida State (Sept. 20)
- Yup, the Deacs have won two in a row against FSU.
9. Southern California at Virginia (Aug. 30)
- I'll be taking USC and the points.
10. Miami at Texas A&M (Sept. 20)
- Another trip to Big 12 country for the ACC.
11. North Carolina at Rutgers (Sept. 11)
- No Ray Rice for Rutgers. Can UNC return the favor after Rutgers won in Chapel Hill?
12. Virginia Tech at North Carolina (Sept. 20)
- The VT-UM-UNC round robin will likely decide the Coastal. Tar Heels luck out and catch the Hokies early.
13. California at Maryland (Sept. 13)
- Another Pac 10 at ACC match up. Like the first one, likely won't be close. If Maryland had a quarterback, they would be scary.
14. Virginia Tech at Miami (Nov. 13)
- Hard to believe it won't be in the Orange Bowl.
15. Wake Forest at Miami (Oct. 25)
- Wake's last trip to Miami was 2004 when the Deacs lost, 52-7.
16. South Carolina at Clemson (Nov. 29)
- I think the Gamecocks will be the spoiler of the SEC. Could they also spoil Clemson's season?
17. North Carolina at Miami (Sept. 27)
- Miami's biggest inter-division games are at home.
18. Connecticut at North Carolina (Oct. 4)
- Another Big East contest for the Heels.
19. Mississippi at Wake Forest (Sept. 6)
- Should be a great Week 2 match-up.
20. Mississippi State at Georgia Tech (Sept. 20)
- We'll know by Week 4 how well GT's offense works. It gets a big test against the SEC.
21. Colorado vs. Florida State (Jax. - Sept. 27)
- Both teams are supposed to be vastly improved from last year.
22. Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina (Char. - Aug. 30)
- Upset alert?
23. South Florida at NC State (Sept. 27)
- USF is supposed to be a contender in the Big East.
24. NC State at South Carolina (Aug. 28)
- First game of the season.
25. Boston College at NC State (Oct. 4)
- TOB faces his old team a year after losing big to them.

By the Numbers

Conf Games: 9
OOC Games: 16

BC: 1
CU: 4
DU: 0
FSU: 4
GT: 1
MD: 1
UM: 5
UNC: 5
NCSU: 3
UVA: 1
VT: 5
WF: 4

Update on 2009 Opener

Several news outlets have reported that Alabama as Tech's opponent in next year's opener in the Georgia Dome is far from a done deal. The Tide apparently don't want to open with the Hokies with a rookie quarterback and are thinking about opening the 2010 campaign against Duke in the Georgia Dome.

So what happens if the Hokies don't play the Tide? Here's some speculation on my part:

Jim Weaver told The Virginian-Pilot's Kyle Tucker that if Alabama backs out, the opponent would be a Top 25-caliber opponent. That' doesn't exactly narrow it down in the SEC, but when you start looking at the 2009 schedules in the conference, some likely candidates pop up.

LSU, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas already have 12-game slates for 2009.

However, both South Carolina and Auburn have an open date to fill. South Carolina already has two ACC teams on its 2009 schedule, NCSU and Clemson, so they're likely out.

That leaves Auburn, who's non-conference schedule in 2009 includes West Virginia, Southern Miss and Furman.

Unless another team from the SEC moves a game like the Hokies did with Cincinnati, it looks like Virginia Tech will be facing Alabama or Auburn. The Hokies lost to Auburn in the 2005 Sugar Bowl.

Either that, or Weaver considers Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss or Vanderbilt to be Top 25-caliber. Mississippi State has a full slate for 2009 while Kentucky appears to have openings.

Who do I hope we end up playing? Here's my ranking in order:
1. Tennessee - Would love get a shot at the Vols.
2. Florida - They're Florida.
3. Georgia - Rematch of Peach Bowl. Won't have Stafford.
4. Alabama - Big-name drawing power.
5. Auburn - Rematch of Sugar Bowl.

Who do I think it will actually be? Again, with rankings:
1. Alabama - Already in negotiations.
2. Auburn - Room on schedule.
3. Kentucky - Room on schedule.
4. Florida - Has games that can be moved.
5. South Carolina - Room, but already two ACC teams.

B'ham News: Alabama Unlikely to Play VT
AJC: Alabama at Dome in 2009 far from done deal
V-P: Tech-Tide deal hits snag