TECHSUPERFANS (TM) - THE NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 016 (2006.01.16)
Also available at...
http://groups.yahoo.com/techsuperfans
http://groups.google.com/group/techsuperfans
CONTENTS
The Next Step
Rap Sheet and Redemption
Looking for a good place to catch the game? Visit
this site to find Hokie-friendly places and more!
http://www.cwimedia.com/forfansbyfans.html
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Another Season Gone
Another season has passed giving Hokies fans a series of ups and downs that accompany any College Football season. We, the TSF staff, would like to thank you once again for reading our rants, raves, opinions, and sarcasm. Without you, the, "Calm and Beloved Reader," as "Mad" Jay puts it, we would have no TSF. See you next season.
-The TSF Staff
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The Next Step
by "Mad" Jay
"The Next Step" is my theme for Virginia Tech football 2006. The program has already taken two huge steps this year and it's only 1 week old – 1) Winning the Gator Bowl against a much tougher Louisville team than I expected. 2) Dismissing Marcus Vick from the football team. Let's examine these two steps and then evaluate what the next big steps are.
First of all, let's give a lot of credit to the Louisville Cardinals for playing so hard without two of their best players (QB Brian Brohm and DT Montavious Stanley). The backup QB was Hunter Cant(throw)well. Despite his terrible inaccuracy, this kid has enough heart for two QB's. He left it all on the field in an effort that I couldn't help but admire.
The Hokies were flat at the beginning of yet another big game – a characteristic that is developing into a habit and one that just has to come to an end. If the coaching staff can't get these players ready to go at the beginning of games, it will not be possible to win a national title. There are too many opportunities to slip-up during the course of a season. Now having said that, let me point out a player that gave his all the entire game and who I look to as an anchor on the offensive line next season – Brandon Frye.
For perspective, recall that I said that Elvis Dumervil was the best defensive end in the country last season in college football. Fortunately, Brandon Frye went up against two guys near Dumervil's level in practice every day – Darryl Tapp and Chris Ellis. Frye established himself as a presence limiting Dumervil to no sacks and two tackles in the Gator Bowl - an absolutely inspirational performance by an offensive lineman making his first start.
The team rediscovered its identity one quarter sooner than it did in the ACC Championship and by coming to play in the third quarter and playing very hard to close out the Cardinals, they ended up with a satisfying victory. This kind of win also was made more impressive by the fact that the secondary was without Jimmy Williams at corner from the first quarter on due to his ejection for bumping an official. Brandon Flowers made one of the smartest plays I've seen a DB make when he knocked down a pass at the 5 yard line on 4 th down instead of intercepting it which saved Tech about 35 yards in field position.
Players like Chris Ellis, Vince Hall, Roland Minor and Brandon Flowers all showed why next year's defense doesn't look to drop off much, if at all, from this year's national best.
So the next step in terms of the team was taken with this Gator Bowl win.
Regarding Marcus Vick's dismissal from the team this is another step towards the ultimate goal of winning a national title. I was on the phone with my good friend Dom the Italian Christmas Donkey shortly after the infamous Stomp (where, if you didn't see it, Vick intentionally stepped on the back of Elvis Dumervil's leg following a tackle of Vick). We both agreed Vick needed to be benched the remainder of the game. The program has since taken heat as having "too much swagger" and players that play "past the whistle". These are comments I've seen on sports shows and they sicken me. That type of behavior does not belong in the Hokie football program, it has not been what Virginia Tech football has stood for, for as long as I've been a fan, and now the media is trying to associate the Hokies with schools like Miami and Florida State. All because Vick couldn't keep his temper.
Following this in-game event, it was revealed that Marcus had also recently been arrested for driving on a suspended license. The combination of these two transgressions along with his checkered past made dismissal from the football team the obvious choice. I believe it to be true that Virginia Tech will be a better football TEAM without Marcus Vick, the greatest passer in Hokie history, taking the snaps next season.
How can I say that? Because a team takes on the persona of its leaders. As the starting QB, Vick's actions spoke louder than his words. Despite having unbelievable talent and ability, like his older brother, Marcus was without the class and poise of Michael. Where Michael was at his best in big games, Marcus was not. And I know that Michael was a competitor but I never saw him take a dirty shot at any player in a game. Quarterbacks lead their team in a variety of different ways, one no better than the other, but they all have one thing in common – they garner respect. A player who loses his cool and takes a dirty shot at a defenseless player is not going to have the respect of his teammates or coaches.
Sean Glennon, Cory Holt and Ike Whitaker are going to wage a whale of a battle for the starting QB position this spring and I am excited about it. I think Whitaker with his mobility vs. Glennon with his accuracy should be fun to watch and Holt seems to be a mixture of the two. Don't get me wrong.- I still think there will be some dropoff in QB play because Vick was a phenom at the position, but in terms of leadership there is definitely an opportunity for an upgrade.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of Michael Vick's public and private relationship with the school in light of how his brother was disciplined. I hope it continues to be strong. But even more importantly, I think the Hokies positioned themselves well on the recruiting front. The example of discipline set here plays well in mom's living room. We'll see just how well when the Hokies take the next step for 2006 2 weeks from now – Signing Day.
GO HOKIES!!
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Rap Sheet and Redemption
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
Sept 2, 2003: suspension from one game by head coach Frank Beamer for an undisclosed reason
May 14, 2004: convicted of three misdemeanors for giving alcohol to underage girls
July 8, 2004: charged with reckless driving at 86 mph, 21 mph above the posted speed, in a vehicle that stunk of marijuana
Dec 17, 2005: pulled over for speeding and arrested for driving on a suspended license
Jan 2, 2006: stomps on the calf of Louisville Cardinal's defensive end Elvis Dumervil during the Gator Bowl
Jan 9, 2006: warrant issued for arrest for brandishing a firearm in a fast food restaurant parking lot
If you've read or listened to the news over the past few days, these headlines only serve as dark reminders of the conduct of an ex-Hokie quarterback named Marcus Vick. This list doesn't include everything, but it provides us with highlights of some trying times in Hokie
history.
At the end of last year's season, I wrote an article about why I considered Bryan Randall my favorite quarterback ever to come through the Hokie Football Program. That reason has two components of the the utmost simplicity: he exceeded every expectation at his position and more importantly he showed us as fans how character counts. Marcus Vick has taken us as students and alumni of this university in the opposite direction from that, and rather than looking onward with a team poised to make itself a strong contender for a national title next season, the Hokies now have questions looming about whether their football program
will have an upcoming rebuilding season or a contender season.
Over the past several weeks, Vick has made some choices that have sent his career and his life on a roller coaster of uncertainty. After several blown second chances, he now faces a legal situation that could severely compromise his ability to reach the NFL. Even prior to his December '05 conduct, he really still needed another year of development at the college level. He needed and still needs it at the mental and gameplaying level, but that won't happen as a rookie in the NFL. Now, with all of his recent conduct, any NFL coach with his head not screwed on sideways knows that developing and mentoring Marcus Vick will not
proceed smoothly or possibly even at all. If Vick wants to play in NFL, he'll need to find a way to overcome this.
All in all, I still believe Marcus Vick to have a good personality at heart. I think that a lot of expectation, criticism, ridicule, and taunting got to him, and he reacted immaturely. He has more growing up ahead of him, some of that growing up I thought he already had behind him much earlier in this season, but clearly not. His actions will cost him, but he still has time to redeem himself in the NFL so long as a few legal matters do not proceed too unfavorably with respect to Vick. If he does reach the NFL, he will have to work twice as hard and with a much higher level of patience to make the prime of his career the best he can achieve.
To present himself as redeemable to the NFL, Vick must first clean up his behavior and then overcompensate. If the court sentences him to 80 hours of community service, he should do 120. If a stranger taunts him for his past behavior, he should look back and smile. And if his number comes up in the NFL draft, he should initiate a promise to that program that his character will not turn into that of his past and it will only make the team proud to have him as a member.
Virginia Tech's response to Marcus Vick's conduct gives me some feeling of comfort in a standard which my alma mater should achieve. I support the school's decision to dismiss him from the team on principle alone. That said, I also believe Vick can change from Darth Vader to Anakin Skywalker. I do hope to watch him play on Sunday sometime in the future. Marcus Vick, TSF wishes you the best.
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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Disclaimer:
This news magazine is in no way affiliated with, or supported by,
Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Athletic Department, the NCAA, the
BCS, the Big East Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference or any
other organization other than EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions
is an institution created by the author of TechSuperFans for the
further advancement of the media through electronic means.
TechSuperFans and TechSuperFans.com are trademarks of EhhTee
Productions. EhhTee Productions and its staff are in no way
responsible for any losses or actions taken by its audience.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Sunday, January 01, 2006
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 015
TECHSUPERFANS (TM) - THE NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 015 (2006.01.01)
Happy New Year!
Also available at...
http://groups.google.com/group/techsuperfans
http://groups.yahoo.com/techsuperfans
CONTENTS
Game Preview - vs. Louisville
Game Review - vs. Florida State/Season Review
The BCS Sham Cont.
TSF's Bowl Picks
Looking for a good place to catch the game? Visit
this site to find Hokie-friendly places and more!
http://www.cwimedia.com/forfansbyfans.html
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Game Preview - vs Louisville
by "Mad" Jay
The Big East conference would LOVE to see Louisville knock off Virginia Tech. The Hokies left the conference after the 2003 season and, along with the departures of Miami and Boston College, rendered it the worst BCS conference in college football. Revenge could come in the form of a Big East team beating the Hokies on national TV (the Hokies 11th appearance on national TV this season which is amazing).
The game brings an interesting matchup in terms of Louisville's offense against the Hokie defense. These two units rank among the best in the country but we will be robbed of a true elite matchup due to the fact that Louisville's starting QB - Big East Offensive Player of the Year - Brian Brohm won't play. Louisville is also missing a key player on their defense, Montavious Stanley, at defensive tackle. They do still have their All-Universe defensive end Elvis Dumervil. I can honestly say from what I've seen of Dumervil that he is the best defensive end in the country, but without Stanley in there to mix things up, the Hokies should be able to focus in Dumervil. I won't go so far as to say that Louisville is a one-man defense, but honestly, South Florida hung 45 points on them, and they kept Dumervil double-teamed the whole game, so I will say that if Dumervil is contained, the Hokies should have success on offense.
Virginia Tech has all their starters ready to play, with the exception of Mike Imoh whose ankle injury has led to a sad ending on the career of a solid running back. He isn't fast, or big enough to play in the NFL, and so this was to be his final ballgame. It is too bad he won't be able to play and Hokies fans everywhere need to appreciate Mike Imoh's contributions to the Virginia Tech program throughout his career - not the least of which is his Tech rushing game record 243 yards against North Carolina last season.
So let's be honest here (as I always try to be): there is no way that Louisville, without two of their biggest contributors playing, should be able to hang with Virginia Tech. Tech's offense is better overall than Louisville's (without Brohm), and Tech's defense is head and shoulders above Louisville's. But that doesn't mean anything as I have learned this year. The real issue is whether the Hokie football players can find the leadership and motivation to play this game at the level that is needed to win in today's college football. I'd like to think that the seniors will help guide the rest of this team to give their very best and beat a weaker opponent. I have seen evidence to the contrary, why almost a month ago, in Jacksonville, the site of this year's Gator Bowl.
Virginia Tech is in a tough spot psychologically. Not only are they playing in the same stadium where they laid an egg on national TV in the ACC title game against Florida State, but they are supposed to win this game considering all of Louisville's key injuries. If they lose it, it damages the psyche of the players for next season as well as the coaches and sets a pattern for continuing to lose in the post-season (VT is 6-12 lifetime in bowl games).
I can only hope and pray that if for nothing else, pride is what wills the team to play at the level at which they are capable and beat this Louisville team.
GO HOKIES!!!!
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Game Review - vs. Florida State/Season Review
by "Mad" Jay
Regardless of the outcome in the Gator Bowl that the Hokies are playing in this year, there is one fact that doesn't change - the team did not accomplish the goals it set for itself, nor did it reach the potential that the players, staff and fans all knew was there this season.
I have done some serious soul-searching in the past several weeks. A professional journalist would have given you a review of the ACC Title game and commentary on the season within a day or at most a week upon the conclusion of the game itself. As you can see, I am no professional journalist. I did not have the heart, nor the mental toughness to look at the game tape and watch the disgrace of the VT program on national television during the ACC titel game. Up until a week ago, I would still hear the echoes at night of that godforsaken Florida State fan chant - WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HOOOO-EH-UH-OOOOOHHH, WHOAAAAA-OHH-OHH-HOO-EH-UH-OHHHHHHHHHH. Hell, I was calling the Gator Bowl the WhoCares.Com Bowl until two nights ago.
Now, my Calm and Beloved Reader, you know that I will always stick with the Hokies as long as the players and coaches don't give up on themselves. My mantra is that a football game is 60 minutes long and, as fans, we should support the team for the entire game. But in the ACC Championship game against FSU, trailing 27-3 and facing a 4th and 6 at his own 41 with 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Coach Frank Beamer gave up and decided to punt the ball. He gave up on the game and I decided that if he and the team were quitting then we wouldn't continue to support them that night. Fortunately for all of us, Florida State had 12 men on the field for the punt and the Hokies kept the ball. The Blonde, her brother and I who were almost out of the stadium, came back in as we heard the penalty call, and thankfully sat back down to watch the team give a VERY gutsy performance that almost led to an amazing comeback. Credit to all the players for that, but lost in the outcome is that Beamer DID give up on his team at that point in the game. Turns out that was one of the things that really hurt.
Since then, most of the time I spent contemplating the game was focused on one question - Why? Why wasn't this team able to beat an outmatched Florida State team? Why were the Hokies so flat for most of the game, and then were able to dominate the game at the end? The easy answer is coaching, but it goes deeper than that. It goes to whether or not Virginia Tech is an elite-of-the-elite football program yet, even when so many fans claim it to be, and the answer is clearly no. What separates the elite, always-in-the-mix-for-a-Top-5 finish teams from the rest of the teams is mental toughness. In order to be among the very top programs, you have to win some of the big games. Not all of them, no program wins forever, and even the USC dynasty will fall someday (maybe January 4th who knows?). But you have to win some of the big games. And you have to exhibit mental toughness.
Let's examine Tech's football program since 1999 - the year that most people became aware of Virginia Tech through the exploits of one Michael Vick. Since 1999, Virginia Tech has won exactly two big games. Now by big games, I mean, everything's on the line, gotta-have-it, whole-country-is-watching, big games. Those two wins are both against the same program - Miami, in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, Miami was #2 and Tech destroyed them in one of its finest performances. The Hokie team that year had all the talent in the world, but really only played as a true team that one night. In 2004, this time with the ACC title on the line, Bryan Randall led Tech to play focused football on the road against the Hurricanes for 60 minutes and they won the game. Tech has been in many other big games since 1999 - Florida State in the title game, Miami in 2001 (granted Vick was hurt), Auburn in 2004, and Miami and Florida State this year. And they lost those games.
There has been a pattern in all of the big games that Tech lost. The opponent gets out to a big lead and then Tech starts to play and shows a lot of heart (and its competitive talent) in coming back. Why is that? Why can't Tech come out and play great football from the starting gun? It's mental toughness. It takes an expectation to win, and focused effort and concentration to win games against other top college football programs. At the consistently Top 5 level, the talent is too close to make the difference in win or lose. It's the mental toughness of the coaching staff that can devise and implement strategies that take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses, and the mental toughness of the players that can execute those strategies.
You want another example of mental toughness? Look at turnovers and penalties. Those are factors in a game that are 95% determined by the player's concentration and effort and very little determined by the opponent. If you only looked at the 10 games that Tech won, it would have led the nation in turnover margin and been 2nd in the nation in penalties committed. But against the two opponents in the big games that really mattered (Miami and Florida State), Tech committed 8 turnovers (and had 4 more fumbles that they were able to recover) and 25 penalties. Does anyone really believe that the Tech football was greased against those two opponents? Did Florida State or Miami players stick electric shock devices on our linemen to make them false start or jump offsides? Of course not - these are mistakes made by teams who do not have the mental toughness to win these games. The coaches and players just weren't ready for the game at that level yet. And give credit to Florida State and Miami and their players and staffs for being ready in those games. Those are two programs that have been there and done that when it comes to college football and that attitude shows when those teams are playing for very high stakes.
So is all lost? No. Reaching the top of the college football heap is a process and Tech is very much on its way. The first step is winning the games they are clearly supposed to win and Tech has definitely done a great job of that in the past 6 years. The next step is recruiting the talent to play against the very best in the country and give credit to Beamer and staff, they have certainly done that. Jimmy Williams didn't even have the best season on this defense (Vince Hall gets that honor in my book) and yet he was Tech's 5th Unanimous All-American. The talent is also evidenced by the play of the team once the pressure of the game is off. Against Auburn last year, Tech owned the 4th quarter when the game all but lost, and nearly won. Against Florida State, down 27-3, the team played all-out and just dominated the Seminoles in all phases of the game. The talent is there.
It is time to overcome the final obstacle to joining the best of the best in college football and win the big games. Come out firing on all cylinders and win a BCS bowl game, better yet a national title. This group of players has developed great chemistry and many will be graduating after next season or leaving early for the NFL. They will have a legitimate shot to win the national championship now that Marcus Vick has declared he is returning for his senior season. The first step is to beat Louisville and give the coaches and players some confidence. The next step is to make a change at offensive coordinator. Bryan Stinespring does not have the scheme or the game-feel to beat the top defensive coordinators in college football. He has learned a lot, but it is time to demote him to just offensive line coach (which he can certainly do well), or more likely, let him move on to a mid-tier program as either offensive coordinator or head coach, where he can continue his development without such high stakes. Finally, the team needs to retain what they had in 2004 and for much of 2005 until their confidence was shaken - a real sense of teamwork and brotherhood. The coaches need to raise the standards and provide the expectation for not only an ACC Title but a national title as well.
My theme for this year was "The Hunted". Tech did well in that role and won many games, avoiding many of the pitfalls that other programs with top talent this year could not (Tennessee anyone?). My theme for next season is "Next Step". It all starts in the Gator Bowl January 2nd.
GO HOKIES!!!!
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The BCS Sham Cont.
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
So another season as concluded with the BCS awarding bowl bids according to a teams ability to bring viewers and fans rather than their ability to play ball. We've listed to the complaints and rebuttals all over again as last year and years before. But if we fans really want change, then we need to make the BCS tired of hearing the complaints before we get tired of making them.
Getting down to the specifics, I'll begin with Oregon and Notre Dame. (You may notice TSF writers frequently replace the, "Dame," with "Lame." This topic contributes to why.) By the final standings and rankings, The Fighting Irish played a weaker schedule and earned a
poorer record than the Ducks of Oregon. The best game the Irish played ended in a near victory against USC. An almost victory against a team like USC means A LOT, but it cannot overshadow Swiss cheese of a schedule.
I stand by my conviction that Oregon deserves the bid to the Fiesta Bowl over Notre Dame despite their loss to Oklahoma. The Sooners only lost to strong teams of this season and steadily improved their young and inexperienced team and their schedule progressed. Oregon's loss to Oklahoma should in now way erase what they achieved in the regular
season. This Oregon team ran a dark horse race to finish behind USC in the Pac-10 capturing the number two spot in the conference. After all that hard work, they only have a bid to the Holiday Bowl to show for it.
By its own admission, the BCS doesn't not care. It exists as an entity to make money, so to keep this in perspective, we can't hate the BCS for this because they provide the product that we want every year: bowl games to watch. That said, if we as fans continute to tune
into the product they provide, they have no motivation to change. They worry about the bottom like just like you and I do at our jobs. Changing the BCS's special treatment of undeserving teams like Notre Dame starts with the fans.
So great, Where's the Ice?, this helps a whole hell of a lot. What can I do with this? First, and foremost, keep complaining. Keep sending nasty emails to the pundits. Keep voting the ESPN polls that query who should get the BCS bid and who shouldn't. But most
importantly, don't watch the sham!
Let's examine the match-up's we've got. USC and Texas have gone undefeated in the regular season. They've earned their appearances in the national title game. Although, FSU really didn't come out of the ACC as the true number one team, they came out on top of a conference playing by the system the conference established, not a fair system
but not too far from one either. Penn State finished the season two points from undefeated. They may even have a better team than USC or Texas. They've earned their trip to the Orange Bowl. Georgia might well have gone undefeated had DJ Shockley not sustained the injury that he did, and WVU's only loss came at the hands of the Hokies. So the Mountaineers captured the Big East title leading them to a Sugar Bowl appearance versus Georgia, well deserved for both of them.
This gives us three solid bowl games to watch over one sham. Notre Dame finished 9-2 with a schedule of one challenging game and ten middle of the road contests. Ohio State certainly deserves their bid for the Fiesta Bowl, but they shared the Big-10 title with Penn State.
Oregon just plain deserves the other Fiesta Bowl bid as the only team with one loss in the regular season not receiving a bid to a BCS bowl. If we ever want to have a BCS system that rewards teams based only on their achievement rather than partially upon their achievement and partially on their ability to bring fans to the game and to the tube, then we must make it a point not to watch Ohio State square off against Notre Dame thus reducing the value of the BCS product.
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TSF's Bowl Picks
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
The BCS has made their picks for the 2005 bowls, but not without TSF
getting our word about how they should have handled it.
Rose Bowl:
Texas vs. USC
The only two undefeated teams should play each other.
Orange Bowl:
Georgia vs. Penn State
Both of these teams could have finished just injuries and a few calls
short of an undefeated season. They would give us a great game.
Sugar Bowl
WVU vs. Florida State
Florida State really didn't finish the season as the most impressive
team of the ACC, and WVU won the conference title of the under
renovation Big East. Each conference champion has their own
respective handicap, and for that reason they'd make suitable
apponents opponnents in a BCS bowl.
Fiesta Bowl
Oregon vs. Ohio State
If you have any questions about this, refer to the BSC sham article in
this issue.
Peach Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. LSU
Let two conference championship game losers face off against each other.
Gator Bowl
Louisville vs. Notre Dame
Again, if you have any questions, refer to the BCS sham article in this issue.
Independence Bowl
Miami vs. Auburn
Cotton Bowl
UCLA vs. Alabama
Liberty Bowl
Texas Tech vs. Boston College
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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Disclaimer:
This news magazine is in no way affiliated with, or supported by,
Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Athletic Department, the NCAA, the
BCS, the Big East Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference or any
other organization other than EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions
is an institution created by the author of TechSuperFans for the
further advancement of the media through electronic means.
TechSuperFans and TechSuperFans.com are trademarks of EhhTee
Productions. EhhTee Productions and its staff are in no way
responsible for any losses or actions taken by its audience.
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 015 (2006.01.01)
Happy New Year!
Also available at...
http://groups.google.com/group/techsuperfans
http://groups.yahoo.com/techsuperfans
CONTENTS
Game Preview - vs. Louisville
Game Review - vs. Florida State/Season Review
The BCS Sham Cont.
TSF's Bowl Picks
Looking for a good place to catch the game? Visit
this site to find Hokie-friendly places and more!
http://www.cwimedia.com/forfansbyfans.html
*TSF*-*VT*-*TSF*-*VT*-*TSF*-*HN*-*TSF*-*VT*-*TSF*-*VT*-*TSF*
Game Preview - vs Louisville
by "Mad" Jay
The Big East conference would LOVE to see Louisville knock off Virginia Tech. The Hokies left the conference after the 2003 season and, along with the departures of Miami and Boston College, rendered it the worst BCS conference in college football. Revenge could come in the form of a Big East team beating the Hokies on national TV (the Hokies 11th appearance on national TV this season which is amazing).
The game brings an interesting matchup in terms of Louisville's offense against the Hokie defense. These two units rank among the best in the country but we will be robbed of a true elite matchup due to the fact that Louisville's starting QB - Big East Offensive Player of the Year - Brian Brohm won't play. Louisville is also missing a key player on their defense, Montavious Stanley, at defensive tackle. They do still have their All-Universe defensive end Elvis Dumervil. I can honestly say from what I've seen of Dumervil that he is the best defensive end in the country, but without Stanley in there to mix things up, the Hokies should be able to focus in Dumervil. I won't go so far as to say that Louisville is a one-man defense, but honestly, South Florida hung 45 points on them, and they kept Dumervil double-teamed the whole game, so I will say that if Dumervil is contained, the Hokies should have success on offense.
Virginia Tech has all their starters ready to play, with the exception of Mike Imoh whose ankle injury has led to a sad ending on the career of a solid running back. He isn't fast, or big enough to play in the NFL, and so this was to be his final ballgame. It is too bad he won't be able to play and Hokies fans everywhere need to appreciate Mike Imoh's contributions to the Virginia Tech program throughout his career - not the least of which is his Tech rushing game record 243 yards against North Carolina last season.
So let's be honest here (as I always try to be): there is no way that Louisville, without two of their biggest contributors playing, should be able to hang with Virginia Tech. Tech's offense is better overall than Louisville's (without Brohm), and Tech's defense is head and shoulders above Louisville's. But that doesn't mean anything as I have learned this year. The real issue is whether the Hokie football players can find the leadership and motivation to play this game at the level that is needed to win in today's college football. I'd like to think that the seniors will help guide the rest of this team to give their very best and beat a weaker opponent. I have seen evidence to the contrary, why almost a month ago, in Jacksonville, the site of this year's Gator Bowl.
Virginia Tech is in a tough spot psychologically. Not only are they playing in the same stadium where they laid an egg on national TV in the ACC title game against Florida State, but they are supposed to win this game considering all of Louisville's key injuries. If they lose it, it damages the psyche of the players for next season as well as the coaches and sets a pattern for continuing to lose in the post-season (VT is 6-12 lifetime in bowl games).
I can only hope and pray that if for nothing else, pride is what wills the team to play at the level at which they are capable and beat this Louisville team.
GO HOKIES!!!!
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Game Review - vs. Florida State/Season Review
by "Mad" Jay
Regardless of the outcome in the Gator Bowl that the Hokies are playing in this year, there is one fact that doesn't change - the team did not accomplish the goals it set for itself, nor did it reach the potential that the players, staff and fans all knew was there this season.
I have done some serious soul-searching in the past several weeks. A professional journalist would have given you a review of the ACC Title game and commentary on the season within a day or at most a week upon the conclusion of the game itself. As you can see, I am no professional journalist. I did not have the heart, nor the mental toughness to look at the game tape and watch the disgrace of the VT program on national television during the ACC titel game. Up until a week ago, I would still hear the echoes at night of that godforsaken Florida State fan chant - WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HOOOO-EH-UH-OOOOOHHH, WHOAAAAA-OHH-OHH-HOO-EH-UH-OHHHHHHHHHH. Hell, I was calling the Gator Bowl the WhoCares.Com Bowl until two nights ago.
Now, my Calm and Beloved Reader, you know that I will always stick with the Hokies as long as the players and coaches don't give up on themselves. My mantra is that a football game is 60 minutes long and, as fans, we should support the team for the entire game. But in the ACC Championship game against FSU, trailing 27-3 and facing a 4th and 6 at his own 41 with 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Coach Frank Beamer gave up and decided to punt the ball. He gave up on the game and I decided that if he and the team were quitting then we wouldn't continue to support them that night. Fortunately for all of us, Florida State had 12 men on the field for the punt and the Hokies kept the ball. The Blonde, her brother and I who were almost out of the stadium, came back in as we heard the penalty call, and thankfully sat back down to watch the team give a VERY gutsy performance that almost led to an amazing comeback. Credit to all the players for that, but lost in the outcome is that Beamer DID give up on his team at that point in the game. Turns out that was one of the things that really hurt.
Since then, most of the time I spent contemplating the game was focused on one question - Why? Why wasn't this team able to beat an outmatched Florida State team? Why were the Hokies so flat for most of the game, and then were able to dominate the game at the end? The easy answer is coaching, but it goes deeper than that. It goes to whether or not Virginia Tech is an elite-of-the-elite football program yet, even when so many fans claim it to be, and the answer is clearly no. What separates the elite, always-in-the-mix-for-a-Top-5 finish teams from the rest of the teams is mental toughness. In order to be among the very top programs, you have to win some of the big games. Not all of them, no program wins forever, and even the USC dynasty will fall someday (maybe January 4th who knows?). But you have to win some of the big games. And you have to exhibit mental toughness.
Let's examine Tech's football program since 1999 - the year that most people became aware of Virginia Tech through the exploits of one Michael Vick. Since 1999, Virginia Tech has won exactly two big games. Now by big games, I mean, everything's on the line, gotta-have-it, whole-country-is-watching, big games. Those two wins are both against the same program - Miami, in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, Miami was #2 and Tech destroyed them in one of its finest performances. The Hokie team that year had all the talent in the world, but really only played as a true team that one night. In 2004, this time with the ACC title on the line, Bryan Randall led Tech to play focused football on the road against the Hurricanes for 60 minutes and they won the game. Tech has been in many other big games since 1999 - Florida State in the title game, Miami in 2001 (granted Vick was hurt), Auburn in 2004, and Miami and Florida State this year. And they lost those games.
There has been a pattern in all of the big games that Tech lost. The opponent gets out to a big lead and then Tech starts to play and shows a lot of heart (and its competitive talent) in coming back. Why is that? Why can't Tech come out and play great football from the starting gun? It's mental toughness. It takes an expectation to win, and focused effort and concentration to win games against other top college football programs. At the consistently Top 5 level, the talent is too close to make the difference in win or lose. It's the mental toughness of the coaching staff that can devise and implement strategies that take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses, and the mental toughness of the players that can execute those strategies.
You want another example of mental toughness? Look at turnovers and penalties. Those are factors in a game that are 95% determined by the player's concentration and effort and very little determined by the opponent. If you only looked at the 10 games that Tech won, it would have led the nation in turnover margin and been 2nd in the nation in penalties committed. But against the two opponents in the big games that really mattered (Miami and Florida State), Tech committed 8 turnovers (and had 4 more fumbles that they were able to recover) and 25 penalties. Does anyone really believe that the Tech football was greased against those two opponents? Did Florida State or Miami players stick electric shock devices on our linemen to make them false start or jump offsides? Of course not - these are mistakes made by teams who do not have the mental toughness to win these games. The coaches and players just weren't ready for the game at that level yet. And give credit to Florida State and Miami and their players and staffs for being ready in those games. Those are two programs that have been there and done that when it comes to college football and that attitude shows when those teams are playing for very high stakes.
So is all lost? No. Reaching the top of the college football heap is a process and Tech is very much on its way. The first step is winning the games they are clearly supposed to win and Tech has definitely done a great job of that in the past 6 years. The next step is recruiting the talent to play against the very best in the country and give credit to Beamer and staff, they have certainly done that. Jimmy Williams didn't even have the best season on this defense (Vince Hall gets that honor in my book) and yet he was Tech's 5th Unanimous All-American. The talent is also evidenced by the play of the team once the pressure of the game is off. Against Auburn last year, Tech owned the 4th quarter when the game all but lost, and nearly won. Against Florida State, down 27-3, the team played all-out and just dominated the Seminoles in all phases of the game. The talent is there.
It is time to overcome the final obstacle to joining the best of the best in college football and win the big games. Come out firing on all cylinders and win a BCS bowl game, better yet a national title. This group of players has developed great chemistry and many will be graduating after next season or leaving early for the NFL. They will have a legitimate shot to win the national championship now that Marcus Vick has declared he is returning for his senior season. The first step is to beat Louisville and give the coaches and players some confidence. The next step is to make a change at offensive coordinator. Bryan Stinespring does not have the scheme or the game-feel to beat the top defensive coordinators in college football. He has learned a lot, but it is time to demote him to just offensive line coach (which he can certainly do well), or more likely, let him move on to a mid-tier program as either offensive coordinator or head coach, where he can continue his development without such high stakes. Finally, the team needs to retain what they had in 2004 and for much of 2005 until their confidence was shaken - a real sense of teamwork and brotherhood. The coaches need to raise the standards and provide the expectation for not only an ACC Title but a national title as well.
My theme for this year was "The Hunted". Tech did well in that role and won many games, avoiding many of the pitfalls that other programs with top talent this year could not (Tennessee anyone?). My theme for next season is "Next Step". It all starts in the Gator Bowl January 2nd.
GO HOKIES!!!!
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The BCS Sham Cont.
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
So another season as concluded with the BCS awarding bowl bids according to a teams ability to bring viewers and fans rather than their ability to play ball. We've listed to the complaints and rebuttals all over again as last year and years before. But if we fans really want change, then we need to make the BCS tired of hearing the complaints before we get tired of making them.
Getting down to the specifics, I'll begin with Oregon and Notre Dame. (You may notice TSF writers frequently replace the, "Dame," with "Lame." This topic contributes to why.) By the final standings and rankings, The Fighting Irish played a weaker schedule and earned a
poorer record than the Ducks of Oregon. The best game the Irish played ended in a near victory against USC. An almost victory against a team like USC means A LOT, but it cannot overshadow Swiss cheese of a schedule.
I stand by my conviction that Oregon deserves the bid to the Fiesta Bowl over Notre Dame despite their loss to Oklahoma. The Sooners only lost to strong teams of this season and steadily improved their young and inexperienced team and their schedule progressed. Oregon's loss to Oklahoma should in now way erase what they achieved in the regular
season. This Oregon team ran a dark horse race to finish behind USC in the Pac-10 capturing the number two spot in the conference. After all that hard work, they only have a bid to the Holiday Bowl to show for it.
By its own admission, the BCS doesn't not care. It exists as an entity to make money, so to keep this in perspective, we can't hate the BCS for this because they provide the product that we want every year: bowl games to watch. That said, if we as fans continute to tune
into the product they provide, they have no motivation to change. They worry about the bottom like just like you and I do at our jobs. Changing the BCS's special treatment of undeserving teams like Notre Dame starts with the fans.
So great, Where's the Ice?, this helps a whole hell of a lot. What can I do with this? First, and foremost, keep complaining. Keep sending nasty emails to the pundits. Keep voting the ESPN polls that query who should get the BCS bid and who shouldn't. But most
importantly, don't watch the sham!
Let's examine the match-up's we've got. USC and Texas have gone undefeated in the regular season. They've earned their appearances in the national title game. Although, FSU really didn't come out of the ACC as the true number one team, they came out on top of a conference playing by the system the conference established, not a fair system
but not too far from one either. Penn State finished the season two points from undefeated. They may even have a better team than USC or Texas. They've earned their trip to the Orange Bowl. Georgia might well have gone undefeated had DJ Shockley not sustained the injury that he did, and WVU's only loss came at the hands of the Hokies. So the Mountaineers captured the Big East title leading them to a Sugar Bowl appearance versus Georgia, well deserved for both of them.
This gives us three solid bowl games to watch over one sham. Notre Dame finished 9-2 with a schedule of one challenging game and ten middle of the road contests. Ohio State certainly deserves their bid for the Fiesta Bowl, but they shared the Big-10 title with Penn State.
Oregon just plain deserves the other Fiesta Bowl bid as the only team with one loss in the regular season not receiving a bid to a BCS bowl. If we ever want to have a BCS system that rewards teams based only on their achievement rather than partially upon their achievement and partially on their ability to bring fans to the game and to the tube, then we must make it a point not to watch Ohio State square off against Notre Dame thus reducing the value of the BCS product.
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TSF's Bowl Picks
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
The BCS has made their picks for the 2005 bowls, but not without TSF
getting our word about how they should have handled it.
Rose Bowl:
Texas vs. USC
The only two undefeated teams should play each other.
Orange Bowl:
Georgia vs. Penn State
Both of these teams could have finished just injuries and a few calls
short of an undefeated season. They would give us a great game.
Sugar Bowl
WVU vs. Florida State
Florida State really didn't finish the season as the most impressive
team of the ACC, and WVU won the conference title of the under
renovation Big East. Each conference champion has their own
respective handicap, and for that reason they'd make suitable
apponents opponnents in a BCS bowl.
Fiesta Bowl
Oregon vs. Ohio State
If you have any questions about this, refer to the BSC sham article in
this issue.
Peach Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. LSU
Let two conference championship game losers face off against each other.
Gator Bowl
Louisville vs. Notre Dame
Again, if you have any questions, refer to the BCS sham article in this issue.
Independence Bowl
Miami vs. Auburn
Cotton Bowl
UCLA vs. Alabama
Liberty Bowl
Texas Tech vs. Boston College
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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Disclaimer:
This news magazine is in no way affiliated with, or supported by,
Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Athletic Department, the NCAA, the
BCS, the Big East Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference or any
other organization other than EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions
is an institution created by the author of TechSuperFans for the
further advancement of the media through electronic means.
TechSuperFans and TechSuperFans.com are trademarks of EhhTee
Productions. EhhTee Productions and its staff are in no way
responsible for any losses or actions taken by its audience.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 014
TECHSUPERFANS (TM) - THE NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 014 (2005.12.01)
Available at...
http://groups.yahoo.com/techsuperfans
http://groups.google.com/group/techsuperfans
http://techsuperfans.blogspot.com
CONTENTS
Three Key Plays
Game Review - vs. North Carolina
Game Preview - ACC Championship
The Definition of Irony
Rants & Raves - The BCS Sham
TSF Trivia
ACC Standings
Rankings
Next Issue
Looking for a good place to catch the game? Visit
this site to find Hokie-friendly places and more!
http://www.cwimedia.com/forfansbyfans.html
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Three Key Plays
by "Mad" Jay
1) Darryl Tapp turns into a monster and rushes through the line blocking a UNC field goal that would have put the Tarheels up 3-0. The Hokies recover the ball and the ensuing momentum carries the offense to a TD drive.
2) Jesse Holley drops a sure TD pass from UNC QB Matt Baker that would have given the 'Heels the lead 7-6. They have to settle for a FG making it a 6-3 Hokies lead going into halftime.
3) Cedric Humes busts through and scores a tough TD to put the Hokies up 13-3 early in the third quarter. This ended a drive where Humes had almost all the yards and it genuinely set the tone for the rest of the game. Humes and Ore were able to run at will over the Tarheels defense even though the 'Heels knew what was coming.
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Game Review - vs. North Carolina
by "Mad" Jay
My first instincts Saturday night watching the Hokie game were sheer panic and utter disgust. In the second half those feelings subsided and I became joyous as VT assured itself of a shot to defend its ACC title. Considering Miami couldn't step up and beat Georgia Tech at home the week before when their ACC hopes were on the line, it goes without saying that some credit is due to the Hokies for winning this game first and foremost.
But having watched the game again, I think my first instincts (as is so often the case) were correct. This was a foreboding game by Tech. Make no mistake, this team has to make substantial improvement before facing Florida State or they will lose the ACC championship game badly. Why do I say this? Read on my Calm and Beloved Reader.
First of all, the offensive line for VT was able to just line up and run over UNC. In the second half, Vick threw ZERO passes past the line of scrimmage. He had two swing/WR screen passes that were almost laterals and the rest of the plays were running plays. The offensive line and the running backs were dominant and they just overpowered the Tarheels, running up the score on the overwhelmed, and in the 4th quarter, dead tired UNC defenders. While I do believe Tech can run on Florida State they will not just be able to line up and run snap after snap of off-tackle and dive plays and expect the same success.
Which brings me to the passing game. I have been known (once or twice perhaps) to exaggerate a little. But if you watch the game footage you will see that of Marcus Vick's passes, the SOLE pass thrown downfield that was on target was a slant to Josh Hyman. The rest of the completions the receivers had to jump up just to have a shot at them. And all of the incompletions were overthrown. All of them. I'll tell you why this makes me so nervous - I can't figure out why Vick was throwing them that way. His arm mechanics are never going to make a "How to Throw the Football" training video, but its been working all season and he was throwing high and long whether he was using a sidearm release or an overhead release. Yes on some of his throws his feet were too happy and shifty, but many of the throws he set his feet and stepped into the throw and still they were overthrown. This performance was on the heels of a passing clinic Vick put on against Virginia. Where is this inaccuracy coming from? The only conclusion I can draw is he's trying to throw the ball too hard, but even that is sketchy. QB coach Kevin Rogers and Vick are the ones who need to work this out this week and find out what the problem is, because obviously Vick has the ability to get the job done.
Before I move on to the defense let me pause and give credit to Cedric Humes. Wow, what a game he had. He very likely only has two games left in his football career and I genuinely hope he plays them like he has played the last two. It's been fun to watch him get back to how he ran before the foot injury in the spring of 2004. I also am going to give credit to offensive coordinator Brian Stinespring for recognizing how badly Vick was struggling and sticking with the running game for the entire second half. It wasn't exactly the most challenging analysis of the season to recognize this, but by God, I'll take any good signs coming out of the Stinespring camp that may indicate his possible improvement.
Oh and I would be remiss if I also didn't throw in a word about UNC QB Matt Baker. I'll tell you guys something - give me 11 players with the heart and fight of Matt Baker six days a week and twice on Saturday (I know, it's Sunday, but this is college football we're talking about here so talk to the hand). This Baker kid got the snot knocked out of him repeatedly throughout the game and he kept putting ball after ball on the money only to see his receivers repeatedly drop them. He also made some plays with his feet. And this entire performance was conducted in front of a very hostile crowd on national TV where most of the night was spent on the UNC side of the field. I just can't say enough about Matt Baker. I love the Hokies' QB and wouldn't trade him for anyone in the country, but the Tarheels have a winner taking snaps for them and I hope they know it.
Okay, now time for the defense. Just like in the Miami game, the defense played hard. But their lack of focus and execution in the first half was just so damn worrisome. It is only because the UNC players had much less talent than the Hurricanes that the results were different from the Miami game. Now, in the second half the defense played much better. I attribute a lot of that to Bud Foster. But with your shot at the ACC title game on the line, how do you come out and play that unfocused??? Receivers were open all over the field (they just kept dropping passes). Xavier Adibi made the wrong read on two runs that I saw, and he couldn't beat the block of a running back on a blitz he was on. Even Vince Hall dropped a VERY easy interception return for a touchdown. These are plays that, and I can't put it any more simply than this, HAVE to be made against FSU. The Seminoles will make some mistakes on offense, and the defense just has to capitalize. It takes focus and concentration to do it. I have nothing bad to say about Darryl Tapp's or Jimmy Williams' performance, but I bet it's no coincidence that they are seniors and understood what was on the line from the opening gun Saturday night.
Finally, a quick comment on the officiating is necessary. The comment is !*@(&#*(!@#$&*()&^%# (edited out due to the family nature of our audience). Seriously, both UNC and Tech can be sick at the officiating on Saturday night. Jeff King's TD pass wasn't a TD, and it didn't even get the instant replay review. Marcus Vick's fumble wasn't reviewable (down by contact was the ruling by the official and that is not reviewable), but the official made the wrong call. Vick fumbled. There was a terrible holding call on Tech offensive lineman Jason Murphy. They may as well not even let lineman block if that was holding. But even that was trumped by the insane pass interference call against Hokie safety Justin Hamilton at the end of the game. Between that call and last week's horrid pass interference call against D.J. Parker, I have concluded that the officials just are not capable of making this call in real time. This must become a reviewable play. Similar to the down-by-contact ruling, the rule should be that if the referee does not call pass interference, you cannot review the play and decide there was pass interference. But if the ref calls it, the replay booth needs the right to overturn blatantly wrong calls.
The score of the UNC game suggests it was a big win to build on, but I disagree. I think it was only a good win in terms of where it puts the Hokies, which is obviously in position to defend their ACC crown. I wish I could say that Tech was just looking past UNC but they couldn't have been because they had to beat UNC to make it to the ACC title game. Emotion goes a long way in college football and I am sure the Hokie seniors will have the team fired up. They certainly have the talent. But the coaches need to make sure that the team is very focused from the beginning of the game. We have seen what happens when the team is focused and when it isn't.
Well, I am headed to Jacksonville to see what happens, so GO HOKIES!!!
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Game Preview - ACC Championship
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
In the ACC's inaugural championship game this Saturday, the Florida State Seminoles will face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies. ACC fans have waited more than two full seasons to watch this event come to fruition, and now it will finally happen.
College Football fans of two seasons ago would have felt very comfortable in their own skin predicting a Miami vs. FSU contest and the Hokies just beginning to emerge from mediocrity. However, after the Hokie's triumph over the ACC last season, many predicted an almost sure appearance by FSU but an equal chance for a Miami and Virgina Tech appearance representing the Coastal division. With a win against UNC last week and a very big helping hand from Georgia Tech last week, the Hokies have secured the right to defend their ACC title.
So what do the Hokies have up against them in this year's FSU squad? Let's start with a broad look at the team's season. The Seminoles began the season with a hard fought win over Miami. Quarterbacks Kyle Wright and Drew Weatherford made their starts as very inexperienced newcomers to their respective high profile roles. The game progressed with a number of rookie erros on offense. Neithers team's scoring units had very much to show for their offensive stats. Defense decided this game, and FSU came out on top when the clock reached 0:00.
FSU continued their season with a strong opening claiming a win against Boston College, and then continuing to increase the number under their wins column against Syracuse and Wake Forest. Then came Virginia who handed them what many thought would turn out as the biggest upset in the ACC all season. Little did College Football fans know, FSU would only squeak by Maryland and then drop another game to NC State. While their season opener opponent, Miami, had shown steady improvement, the 'Noles had shown a contrasting steady decline. Their offense didn't come together to put up the numbers needed to put FSU-like points on board despite productive numbers in stats. And all the while, their defense didn't play up to the FSU standard of seasons past. This trend continued as they ended their regular season with a three game skid losing to Clemson and in state rival Florida. By their good fortune of Boston College slipping up against North Carolina, FSU still got the bid to the ACC championship based on the head-to-head tie breaker.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, over the season, FSU's overall defense falls towards the middle of the ACC. Their pass defense does a little better than okay, but it doesn't come very close to that of Miami or our beloved Hokies. The Seminoles allowed 2023 yards in receiving during the regular season, exceeding that of the Hokies by nearly 500 yards. FSU's defense against the run game yielded better stats for the year at 1230 yards. This only trails Virginia Tech's stat in this category by a little more than 200 yards.
Examining Florida State's offense gives 'Noles fans some reason for optimisim. In overall offense they nip right at the Heels of the Hokies who lead the conference in this category as well as in defense. FSU leads the ACC in passing offense. They've amassed a whopping 3203 yards in passing. This beats the Hokies by more than 1000 yards. Rushing, on the other hand, doesn't fair as the 'Noles best offensive facit. They finish the season near the bottom of the league with only 1149 yards, more than 1000 yards less than the Hokies.
As FSU has not firmly established a solid running game, Weatherford will utilize wide receivers Chris Davis, Greg Carr, and Willie Reid. Each of them has 500 or more yards in receiving on the season. Hokie wide receivers Josh Hyman, Eddie Royal, and Josh Morgan don't have these kinds of numbers. Only David Clowney has comparable numbers in this regard. More on receiving, FSU Tight end Anthony Hill has 137 yards in receiving; not a Jeff King, but he definitely can do some damage to the Hokie defense.
In rushing, FSU has 5'11" 187 lbs running back Lorenzo Booker. He has amassed the kind of rushing yardage that Mike Imoh, Cedric Humes, and Branden Ore have throughout this year. However, FSU only has one such player while the Hokies have three. The number two tailback for FSU, Leon Washington at 5'9" 202 lbs, has acrued a little less rushing yards than the aforementioned players. Notably the FSU running backs don't have the size of Ore and Humes, so that's one dimension of the rushing game in the Hokies' favor.
FSU will probably lean on their passing game more so than their running game. They don't have as many options that the Hokies do on offense, but you certainly can't call them a one-dimentional squad. The FSU wide receivers will keep Virginia Tech corners Jimmy Williams and Roland Minor quite busy, but if Bud Foster keeps his players in line, organized, and focused, they should handle the FSU offense just fine. FSU's offense has only faced one defense comparable to that of the Hokies, Miami. And they faced that squad during theirs and Miami's first game of the season.
At it's best, Virgina Tech's offense simply has too much firepower for the FSU defense to contain. Quite simply, Virgina Tech will probably get the ball into the paint a number of times. The real question on FSU's end lies in how well their offense can perform against Bud Foster's Hokie defense. As for the Hokies, if they show up the way they did for their game against UVA and the second half of the UNC game, it doesn't matter what FSU does. The Hokies will win. If Virgina Tech doesn't show up to play that way, expect a messy game on both sides.
Virginia Tech (10-1, 7-1 ACC) vs Florida State (7-4, 5-3 ACC)
8:00 pm, Saturday, December 3, Alltel Stadium (77,497)
ABC
Other Games to Watch:
Big 12 Championship Colorado vs. Texas: Sat, Dec 3, 1 p.m., ABC
UCLA vs. USC: Sat, Dec 3, 4:30 p.m., ABC
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The Defintion of Irony
Dictionary.com's:
1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning
2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning
3. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect
4. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
5. An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity
Steve Bucemi's:
Bunch of idiots danicing on airplane to a song made famous by a band who died in an airplane crash.
"Mad" Jay's:
The situation Miami fans find themselves in. After purchasing ACC championship game tickets upon defeating the Hokies in Lane Stadium these fans are now selling their tickets on Ebay at a 50% discount to none other than Virginia Tech fans. I purchased my four tickets there (thank you Ebay seller "deercreekgolf" from Coral Gables, FL). The only thing that could be better than this is if it had happened to Virginia fans instead.
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Rants & Raves - The BCS Sham
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
Yes, TSF visited this topic last season, in seasons prior, and now again this year. Yes, commentators, sportswriters, and game announcers have raised this issue. Yes, many people tire and tire and tire from reading, hearing, and thinking about this subject. However, as college football fans we must raise it each year to hold some shred of hope that this will change. Of what topic do I speak? Notre Lame will get a bowl they do not deserve, and that goes part in parcel with the fact that the BCS, even admittedly by those of whom it consists, exists as a big fat sham.
I'll begin applying this yearly defense of the theme by addressing who will get the short end of the BCS stick. Oregon has lost only one game this season, and they lost to a team who has almost completed a third season without a loss (you may have heard of them - the USC Trojans). Oregon has earned an at-large BCS spot along side of Ohio State, but they won't get it because Notre Dame will get higher ratings on the tube. The BCS big wigs don't hide it; they don't have to do so. Fans will tune into the game and watch just because of the perception that the Blue and Gold colors claim a monopoly on all Catholic college sports fans. Well, let me add one little point to this: I'm Catholic, and I ain't pulling for a conference-less Notre Dame. I'll put my Catholic pride in BC, distantly behind the Hokies of course.
The way things will shape up this BCS post season, USC will probably play Texas in the Rose Bowl. As a matter of fact, this looms as a near certainty. Why? These two teams share the top three media favorites for the Heisman Trophy: Reggie Bush, Matt Lionart, and Vince Young. The media wants to see two top five offenses slug it out against respective not-so-top-twenty-five defenses because unfortunately a good story with good hype sells better than a good game. USC has more firepower on offense, so they should win this contest. If Texas has a good day and USC has a mere so-so day, the clock (i.e. last possession) will most likely decide the game. Nonetheless, this game also goes down as a sham because the media has planned this matchup since Week One. Don't expect a fun game. Expect USC to completely choke or make complete fools of the Longhorns.
While not of direct consequence from the BCS, another relevant sham to discuss lies in conference championships, and the ACC's inaugural one serves as a great whipping boy for this pitiful charade. Will the two-loss Hurricanes get to compete for the title? No, the sub-top twenty-five Semiols will, even though they have three in-conference losses and four overall. Now, I don't mean to overlook FSU. They have a formidable outfit (who has albeit slipped deep into mediocrity this season), and they do have the talent and potential of taking the ACC title. But the sham in their title game appearance lies in the question of who has earned it and who deserves it more. So how does this little blurb fit into the BCS sham? FSU, a four loss team, could earn a BCS bowl bid against a one-loss team. Rediculous.
Let's examine one more potential BCS crisis. If, a VERY big if, USC drops to UCLA and Texas drops to Colorado, the BCS will have a rather large PR problem in nine one-loss teams, if you include TCU. So who deserves to play in the game coined as the national championship now? Not that the BCS decision makers will care; they've already got their plans set. But in this scenario we have eight teams who play in conferences with BCS bids, so wouldn't a three round playoff just make sense? I'd go for it, even at the expense of eliminating conference championships.
So now, you're asking, "So for what reason should I care, 'Where's the Ice?' All this complaining won't change a thing!" And on that you make a correct observation, so what do I suggest? DON'T GIVE THE BCS WHAT THEY WANT: MORE DINERO. When Notre Lame gets their undeserved bid to the Fiesta Bowl or Sugar Bowl this year, don't watch. Aside from the sheer satisfaction of their opposition running up a landside score on them, you probably won't get a whole lot of excitement out of the game anyways. Notre Dame played one excellent game this year and nine others a little better than the opposition. While this year's team does have a better squad than those of most recent years, they don't have a single win over a team currently ranked in the top twenty five.
Jesus still loves you if you don't pull for Notre Dame.
GO HOKIES!
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TSF Trivia
(1) You will never read te word "undefeated" in any issue of TSF until the Hokies have lost in the season or if the Hokies did in fact complete an undefeated season.
(2) The ACC has named Frank Beamer the conference Coach of the Year. Read more here: http://www.hokiesports.com/football/recaps/20051129aaa.html. This makes two years in a row!
(3) The ACC named Marcus Vick, Jason Murphy, and Will Mongomery to the First Offense of the All-ACC Football Team, and they've named Jeff King and Jimmy Martin to the Second Offense of the All-ACC Football Team.
(4) The ACC named Darryl Tapp and Jimmy Williams to the First Defensive All-ACC team, and they've named Jonathan Lewis and Vince Hall to the Second Defensive All-ACC team.
(5) The ACC has only had three teams ranked in the top 10 throughout this entire season: USC, Texas, and Virginia Tech.
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ACC Standings
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Rankings
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Next Issue
Only two more issues left in this season's volume of TechSuperFans. Next week, "Mad" Jay and "Where's the Ice?" will break down our picks for who should go to what bowls. And ofcourse you'll get the usuall game reivew, game preview, and complaints about Notre Dame.
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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Disclaimer:
This news magazine is in no way affiliated with, or supported by,
Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Athletic Department, the NCAA, the BCS, the Big East Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference or any other organization other than EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions is an institution created by the author of TechSuperFans for the further advancement of the media through electronic means.
TechSuperFans and TechSuperFans.com are trademarks of EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions and its staff are in no way responsible for any losses or actions taken by its audience.
VOLUME 006 ISSUE 014 (2005.12.01)
Available at...
http://groups.yahoo.com/techsuperfans
http://groups.google.com/group/techsuperfans
http://techsuperfans.blogspot.com
CONTENTS
Three Key Plays
Game Review - vs. North Carolina
Game Preview - ACC Championship
The Definition of Irony
Rants & Raves - The BCS Sham
TSF Trivia
ACC Standings
Rankings
Next Issue
Looking for a good place to catch the game? Visit
this site to find Hokie-friendly places and more!
http://www.cwimedia.com/forfansbyfans.html
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Three Key Plays
by "Mad" Jay
1) Darryl Tapp turns into a monster and rushes through the line blocking a UNC field goal that would have put the Tarheels up 3-0. The Hokies recover the ball and the ensuing momentum carries the offense to a TD drive.
2) Jesse Holley drops a sure TD pass from UNC QB Matt Baker that would have given the 'Heels the lead 7-6. They have to settle for a FG making it a 6-3 Hokies lead going into halftime.
3) Cedric Humes busts through and scores a tough TD to put the Hokies up 13-3 early in the third quarter. This ended a drive where Humes had almost all the yards and it genuinely set the tone for the rest of the game. Humes and Ore were able to run at will over the Tarheels defense even though the 'Heels knew what was coming.
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Game Review - vs. North Carolina
by "Mad" Jay
My first instincts Saturday night watching the Hokie game were sheer panic and utter disgust. In the second half those feelings subsided and I became joyous as VT assured itself of a shot to defend its ACC title. Considering Miami couldn't step up and beat Georgia Tech at home the week before when their ACC hopes were on the line, it goes without saying that some credit is due to the Hokies for winning this game first and foremost.
But having watched the game again, I think my first instincts (as is so often the case) were correct. This was a foreboding game by Tech. Make no mistake, this team has to make substantial improvement before facing Florida State or they will lose the ACC championship game badly. Why do I say this? Read on my Calm and Beloved Reader.
First of all, the offensive line for VT was able to just line up and run over UNC. In the second half, Vick threw ZERO passes past the line of scrimmage. He had two swing/WR screen passes that were almost laterals and the rest of the plays were running plays. The offensive line and the running backs were dominant and they just overpowered the Tarheels, running up the score on the overwhelmed, and in the 4th quarter, dead tired UNC defenders. While I do believe Tech can run on Florida State they will not just be able to line up and run snap after snap of off-tackle and dive plays and expect the same success.
Which brings me to the passing game. I have been known (once or twice perhaps) to exaggerate a little. But if you watch the game footage you will see that of Marcus Vick's passes, the SOLE pass thrown downfield that was on target was a slant to Josh Hyman. The rest of the completions the receivers had to jump up just to have a shot at them. And all of the incompletions were overthrown. All of them. I'll tell you why this makes me so nervous - I can't figure out why Vick was throwing them that way. His arm mechanics are never going to make a "How to Throw the Football" training video, but its been working all season and he was throwing high and long whether he was using a sidearm release or an overhead release. Yes on some of his throws his feet were too happy and shifty, but many of the throws he set his feet and stepped into the throw and still they were overthrown. This performance was on the heels of a passing clinic Vick put on against Virginia. Where is this inaccuracy coming from? The only conclusion I can draw is he's trying to throw the ball too hard, but even that is sketchy. QB coach Kevin Rogers and Vick are the ones who need to work this out this week and find out what the problem is, because obviously Vick has the ability to get the job done.
Before I move on to the defense let me pause and give credit to Cedric Humes. Wow, what a game he had. He very likely only has two games left in his football career and I genuinely hope he plays them like he has played the last two. It's been fun to watch him get back to how he ran before the foot injury in the spring of 2004. I also am going to give credit to offensive coordinator Brian Stinespring for recognizing how badly Vick was struggling and sticking with the running game for the entire second half. It wasn't exactly the most challenging analysis of the season to recognize this, but by God, I'll take any good signs coming out of the Stinespring camp that may indicate his possible improvement.
Oh and I would be remiss if I also didn't throw in a word about UNC QB Matt Baker. I'll tell you guys something - give me 11 players with the heart and fight of Matt Baker six days a week and twice on Saturday (I know, it's Sunday, but this is college football we're talking about here so talk to the hand). This Baker kid got the snot knocked out of him repeatedly throughout the game and he kept putting ball after ball on the money only to see his receivers repeatedly drop them. He also made some plays with his feet. And this entire performance was conducted in front of a very hostile crowd on national TV where most of the night was spent on the UNC side of the field. I just can't say enough about Matt Baker. I love the Hokies' QB and wouldn't trade him for anyone in the country, but the Tarheels have a winner taking snaps for them and I hope they know it.
Okay, now time for the defense. Just like in the Miami game, the defense played hard. But their lack of focus and execution in the first half was just so damn worrisome. It is only because the UNC players had much less talent than the Hurricanes that the results were different from the Miami game. Now, in the second half the defense played much better. I attribute a lot of that to Bud Foster. But with your shot at the ACC title game on the line, how do you come out and play that unfocused??? Receivers were open all over the field (they just kept dropping passes). Xavier Adibi made the wrong read on two runs that I saw, and he couldn't beat the block of a running back on a blitz he was on. Even Vince Hall dropped a VERY easy interception return for a touchdown. These are plays that, and I can't put it any more simply than this, HAVE to be made against FSU. The Seminoles will make some mistakes on offense, and the defense just has to capitalize. It takes focus and concentration to do it. I have nothing bad to say about Darryl Tapp's or Jimmy Williams' performance, but I bet it's no coincidence that they are seniors and understood what was on the line from the opening gun Saturday night.
Finally, a quick comment on the officiating is necessary. The comment is !*@(&#*(!@#$&*()&^%# (edited out due to the family nature of our audience). Seriously, both UNC and Tech can be sick at the officiating on Saturday night. Jeff King's TD pass wasn't a TD, and it didn't even get the instant replay review. Marcus Vick's fumble wasn't reviewable (down by contact was the ruling by the official and that is not reviewable), but the official made the wrong call. Vick fumbled. There was a terrible holding call on Tech offensive lineman Jason Murphy. They may as well not even let lineman block if that was holding. But even that was trumped by the insane pass interference call against Hokie safety Justin Hamilton at the end of the game. Between that call and last week's horrid pass interference call against D.J. Parker, I have concluded that the officials just are not capable of making this call in real time. This must become a reviewable play. Similar to the down-by-contact ruling, the rule should be that if the referee does not call pass interference, you cannot review the play and decide there was pass interference. But if the ref calls it, the replay booth needs the right to overturn blatantly wrong calls.
The score of the UNC game suggests it was a big win to build on, but I disagree. I think it was only a good win in terms of where it puts the Hokies, which is obviously in position to defend their ACC crown. I wish I could say that Tech was just looking past UNC but they couldn't have been because they had to beat UNC to make it to the ACC title game. Emotion goes a long way in college football and I am sure the Hokie seniors will have the team fired up. They certainly have the talent. But the coaches need to make sure that the team is very focused from the beginning of the game. We have seen what happens when the team is focused and when it isn't.
Well, I am headed to Jacksonville to see what happens, so GO HOKIES!!!
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Game Preview - ACC Championship
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
In the ACC's inaugural championship game this Saturday, the Florida State Seminoles will face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies. ACC fans have waited more than two full seasons to watch this event come to fruition, and now it will finally happen.
College Football fans of two seasons ago would have felt very comfortable in their own skin predicting a Miami vs. FSU contest and the Hokies just beginning to emerge from mediocrity. However, after the Hokie's triumph over the ACC last season, many predicted an almost sure appearance by FSU but an equal chance for a Miami and Virgina Tech appearance representing the Coastal division. With a win against UNC last week and a very big helping hand from Georgia Tech last week, the Hokies have secured the right to defend their ACC title.
So what do the Hokies have up against them in this year's FSU squad? Let's start with a broad look at the team's season. The Seminoles began the season with a hard fought win over Miami. Quarterbacks Kyle Wright and Drew Weatherford made their starts as very inexperienced newcomers to their respective high profile roles. The game progressed with a number of rookie erros on offense. Neithers team's scoring units had very much to show for their offensive stats. Defense decided this game, and FSU came out on top when the clock reached 0:00.
FSU continued their season with a strong opening claiming a win against Boston College, and then continuing to increase the number under their wins column against Syracuse and Wake Forest. Then came Virginia who handed them what many thought would turn out as the biggest upset in the ACC all season. Little did College Football fans know, FSU would only squeak by Maryland and then drop another game to NC State. While their season opener opponent, Miami, had shown steady improvement, the 'Noles had shown a contrasting steady decline. Their offense didn't come together to put up the numbers needed to put FSU-like points on board despite productive numbers in stats. And all the while, their defense didn't play up to the FSU standard of seasons past. This trend continued as they ended their regular season with a three game skid losing to Clemson and in state rival Florida. By their good fortune of Boston College slipping up against North Carolina, FSU still got the bid to the ACC championship based on the head-to-head tie breaker.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, over the season, FSU's overall defense falls towards the middle of the ACC. Their pass defense does a little better than okay, but it doesn't come very close to that of Miami or our beloved Hokies. The Seminoles allowed 2023 yards in receiving during the regular season, exceeding that of the Hokies by nearly 500 yards. FSU's defense against the run game yielded better stats for the year at 1230 yards. This only trails Virginia Tech's stat in this category by a little more than 200 yards.
Examining Florida State's offense gives 'Noles fans some reason for optimisim. In overall offense they nip right at the Heels of the Hokies who lead the conference in this category as well as in defense. FSU leads the ACC in passing offense. They've amassed a whopping 3203 yards in passing. This beats the Hokies by more than 1000 yards. Rushing, on the other hand, doesn't fair as the 'Noles best offensive facit. They finish the season near the bottom of the league with only 1149 yards, more than 1000 yards less than the Hokies.
As FSU has not firmly established a solid running game, Weatherford will utilize wide receivers Chris Davis, Greg Carr, and Willie Reid. Each of them has 500 or more yards in receiving on the season. Hokie wide receivers Josh Hyman, Eddie Royal, and Josh Morgan don't have these kinds of numbers. Only David Clowney has comparable numbers in this regard. More on receiving, FSU Tight end Anthony Hill has 137 yards in receiving; not a Jeff King, but he definitely can do some damage to the Hokie defense.
In rushing, FSU has 5'11" 187 lbs running back Lorenzo Booker. He has amassed the kind of rushing yardage that Mike Imoh, Cedric Humes, and Branden Ore have throughout this year. However, FSU only has one such player while the Hokies have three. The number two tailback for FSU, Leon Washington at 5'9" 202 lbs, has acrued a little less rushing yards than the aforementioned players. Notably the FSU running backs don't have the size of Ore and Humes, so that's one dimension of the rushing game in the Hokies' favor.
FSU will probably lean on their passing game more so than their running game. They don't have as many options that the Hokies do on offense, but you certainly can't call them a one-dimentional squad. The FSU wide receivers will keep Virginia Tech corners Jimmy Williams and Roland Minor quite busy, but if Bud Foster keeps his players in line, organized, and focused, they should handle the FSU offense just fine. FSU's offense has only faced one defense comparable to that of the Hokies, Miami. And they faced that squad during theirs and Miami's first game of the season.
At it's best, Virgina Tech's offense simply has too much firepower for the FSU defense to contain. Quite simply, Virgina Tech will probably get the ball into the paint a number of times. The real question on FSU's end lies in how well their offense can perform against Bud Foster's Hokie defense. As for the Hokies, if they show up the way they did for their game against UVA and the second half of the UNC game, it doesn't matter what FSU does. The Hokies will win. If Virgina Tech doesn't show up to play that way, expect a messy game on both sides.
Virginia Tech (10-1, 7-1 ACC) vs Florida State (7-4, 5-3 ACC)
8:00 pm, Saturday, December 3, Alltel Stadium (77,497)
ABC
Other Games to Watch:
Big 12 Championship Colorado vs. Texas: Sat, Dec 3, 1 p.m., ABC
UCLA vs. USC: Sat, Dec 3, 4:30 p.m., ABC
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The Defintion of Irony
Dictionary.com's:
1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning
2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning
3. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect
4. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
5. An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity
Steve Bucemi's:
Bunch of idiots danicing on airplane to a song made famous by a band who died in an airplane crash.
"Mad" Jay's:
The situation Miami fans find themselves in. After purchasing ACC championship game tickets upon defeating the Hokies in Lane Stadium these fans are now selling their tickets on Ebay at a 50% discount to none other than Virginia Tech fans. I purchased my four tickets there (thank you Ebay seller "deercreekgolf" from Coral Gables, FL). The only thing that could be better than this is if it had happened to Virginia fans instead.
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Rants & Raves - The BCS Sham
by Brian "Where's the Ice?"
Yes, TSF visited this topic last season, in seasons prior, and now again this year. Yes, commentators, sportswriters, and game announcers have raised this issue. Yes, many people tire and tire and tire from reading, hearing, and thinking about this subject. However, as college football fans we must raise it each year to hold some shred of hope that this will change. Of what topic do I speak? Notre Lame will get a bowl they do not deserve, and that goes part in parcel with the fact that the BCS, even admittedly by those of whom it consists, exists as a big fat sham.
I'll begin applying this yearly defense of the theme by addressing who will get the short end of the BCS stick. Oregon has lost only one game this season, and they lost to a team who has almost completed a third season without a loss (you may have heard of them - the USC Trojans). Oregon has earned an at-large BCS spot along side of Ohio State, but they won't get it because Notre Dame will get higher ratings on the tube. The BCS big wigs don't hide it; they don't have to do so. Fans will tune into the game and watch just because of the perception that the Blue and Gold colors claim a monopoly on all Catholic college sports fans. Well, let me add one little point to this: I'm Catholic, and I ain't pulling for a conference-less Notre Dame. I'll put my Catholic pride in BC, distantly behind the Hokies of course.
The way things will shape up this BCS post season, USC will probably play Texas in the Rose Bowl. As a matter of fact, this looms as a near certainty. Why? These two teams share the top three media favorites for the Heisman Trophy: Reggie Bush, Matt Lionart, and Vince Young. The media wants to see two top five offenses slug it out against respective not-so-top-twenty-five defenses because unfortunately a good story with good hype sells better than a good game. USC has more firepower on offense, so they should win this contest. If Texas has a good day and USC has a mere so-so day, the clock (i.e. last possession) will most likely decide the game. Nonetheless, this game also goes down as a sham because the media has planned this matchup since Week One. Don't expect a fun game. Expect USC to completely choke or make complete fools of the Longhorns.
While not of direct consequence from the BCS, another relevant sham to discuss lies in conference championships, and the ACC's inaugural one serves as a great whipping boy for this pitiful charade. Will the two-loss Hurricanes get to compete for the title? No, the sub-top twenty-five Semiols will, even though they have three in-conference losses and four overall. Now, I don't mean to overlook FSU. They have a formidable outfit (who has albeit slipped deep into mediocrity this season), and they do have the talent and potential of taking the ACC title. But the sham in their title game appearance lies in the question of who has earned it and who deserves it more. So how does this little blurb fit into the BCS sham? FSU, a four loss team, could earn a BCS bowl bid against a one-loss team. Rediculous.
Let's examine one more potential BCS crisis. If, a VERY big if, USC drops to UCLA and Texas drops to Colorado, the BCS will have a rather large PR problem in nine one-loss teams, if you include TCU. So who deserves to play in the game coined as the national championship now? Not that the BCS decision makers will care; they've already got their plans set. But in this scenario we have eight teams who play in conferences with BCS bids, so wouldn't a three round playoff just make sense? I'd go for it, even at the expense of eliminating conference championships.
So now, you're asking, "So for what reason should I care, 'Where's the Ice?' All this complaining won't change a thing!" And on that you make a correct observation, so what do I suggest? DON'T GIVE THE BCS WHAT THEY WANT: MORE DINERO. When Notre Lame gets their undeserved bid to the Fiesta Bowl or Sugar Bowl this year, don't watch. Aside from the sheer satisfaction of their opposition running up a landside score on them, you probably won't get a whole lot of excitement out of the game anyways. Notre Dame played one excellent game this year and nine others a little better than the opposition. While this year's team does have a better squad than those of most recent years, they don't have a single win over a team currently ranked in the top twenty five.
Jesus still loves you if you don't pull for Notre Dame.
GO HOKIES!
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TSF Trivia
(1) You will never read te word "undefeated" in any issue of TSF until the Hokies have lost in the season or if the Hokies did in fact complete an undefeated season.
(2) The ACC has named Frank Beamer the conference Coach of the Year. Read more here: http://www.hokiesports.com/football/recaps/20051129aaa.html. This makes two years in a row!
(3) The ACC named Marcus Vick, Jason Murphy, and Will Mongomery to the First Offense of the All-ACC Football Team, and they've named Jeff King and Jimmy Martin to the Second Offense of the All-ACC Football Team.
(4) The ACC named Darryl Tapp and Jimmy Williams to the First Defensive All-ACC team, and they've named Jonathan Lewis and Vince Hall to the Second Defensive All-ACC team.
(5) The ACC has only had three teams ranked in the top 10 throughout this entire season: USC, Texas, and Virginia Tech.
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ACC Standings
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Florida State...5-3 7-4
Boston College..5-3 8-3
Clemson.........4-4 7-4
NC State........3-5 6-5
Maryland........3-5 5-6
Wake Forest.....3-5 4-7
COASTAL DIVISION
Virginia Tech...7-1 10-1
Miami...........6-2 9-2
Georgia Tech....5-3 7-4
North Carolina..4-4 5-6
Virginia........3-5 6-5
Duke............0-8 1-10
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Rankings
--+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------
|AP |USA Today |Harris |BCS |TSF
--+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------
1|USC (50) |USC (49) |USC (98) |USC |USC (2)
2|Texas (14)|Texas (13)|Texas (15)|Texas |Texas (1)
3|LSU |LSU |Penn St |Penn St |Penn St
4|Penn St |Penn St |LSU |LSU |Va Tech
5|Va Tech |Va Tech |Va Tech |Va Tech |LSU
6|Ohio St |Ohio St |Ohio St |Ohio St |Oregon
7|Notre Dame|Notre Dame|Notre Dame|Oregon |UCLA
8|Oregon |Oregon |Oregon |Notre Dame|Miami (FL)
9|Auburn |Auburn |Auburn |Miami (FL)|Auburn
10|Miami (FL)|Miami (FL)|Miami (FL)|Auburn |WVU
11|UCLA |UCLA |UCLA |WVU |Ohio St
12|WVU |WVU |Georgia |UCLA |Notre Dame
13|Georgia |Georgia |WVU |Georgia |Alabama
14|Alabama |Alabama |Alabama |TCU |Texas Tech
15|TCU |TCU |TCU |Alabama |Georgia
16|Louisville|Texas Tech|Texas Tech|Texas Tech|Boston Col
17|Florida |Louisville|Louisville|Florida |TCU
18|Texas Tech|Florida |Florida |Wisconsin |Florida
19|Boston Col|Boston Col|Boston Col|Michigam |Wisconsin
20|Michigan |Wisconsin |Wisconsin |Boston Col|Clemson
21|Wisconsin |Michigan |Michigam |Louisville|Michigan
22|Clemson |Fresno St |Fresno St |Northwstrn|So Carolina
23|Fresno St|Clemson |Clemson |Oklahoma |Ga Tech
24|Ga Tech |Ga Tech |Ga Tech |Ga Tech |Louisville
25|Iowa |Iowa |Iowa |Fresno St |Colorado
--+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------
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Next Issue
Only two more issues left in this season's volume of TechSuperFans. Next week, "Mad" Jay and "Where's the Ice?" will break down our picks for who should go to what bowls. And ofcourse you'll get the usuall game reivew, game preview, and complaints about Notre Dame.
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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn
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Disclaimer:
This news magazine is in no way affiliated with, or supported by,
Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Athletic Department, the NCAA, the BCS, the Big East Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference or any other organization other than EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions is an institution created by the author of TechSuperFans for the further advancement of the media through electronic means.
TechSuperFans and TechSuperFans.com are trademarks of EhhTee Productions. EhhTee Productions and its staff are in no way responsible for any losses or actions taken by its audience.
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