Pigskin Glory

Virginia Tech’s softball stepped up to the plate Wednesday night and defeated the US Olympic softball team 1 - 0.  Rock star Angela Tincher doled a no hitter to the U.S. in ending the national team’s 185 game winning romp through pre-Olympic exhibitions.

What better day than Super Bowl Sunday to consider what could have been in the world of Pigskin Glory?

The Hokies season ended in yet another bowl loss as the Kansas Jayhawks outcoached and out-gameplanned Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Though I still believe the Hokies are the better team per se, the Jayhawks came prepared to do what they needed to do. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, got too cute with their offense, abandoned the run which was the only consistent success they had, and gave up entirely too many third or fourth and short plays.

The Redskins season ended in a playoff loss to Seattle….again. If you recall, the last time the ‘Skins made the playoffs, the season went terminal with a loss to the Seahawks. In this game, the ‘Skins struggled for the entire first half, made a run to take the lead in the third quarter and early fourth, and let a missed field goal propel Mr. Momentum to the Seahawks bench as they scored 22 straight points to win 35 -14.

With all that said, two very good seasons. An ACC championship and a playoff berth. And with the way Daniel Snyder is handling this head coach search, a playoff berth may not be in the ‘Skins new future. The Hokies, meanwhile, will probably be in a slight rebuilding mode as the defense will be losing a few folks. With that said, another ACC championship is not out of the question given the recent mediocrity of the conference as a whole….

LSU will be taking on Ohio State in the National Championship game this year.  This is what the BCS system has come up.  These teams are considered the best that this country has to offer. 

Of course, if any of you reading this have perused before, you know that I’m partial to Virginia Tech, being an alum and all.  I spent a good part of yesterday watching my Redskins give up a heartbreaker (17-16) to the Bills; but in the back of my mind, I was slowly trying to build a case for why the Hokies have earned (a key word here) a chance to play for the big pretty sparkly football.  By the time, the BCS Selection had started, I had actually convinced myself, or maybe just got my hopes up really really high, that the ‘experts’ would see that Va Tech is as deserving of a National Championship if not more so. 

Needless to say, I was disappointed.  At first, it was just disappointment born of my own blown-out-of-proportion hopes.  Then the internet trolling began….what’s that you say?   The computers have ranked Virginia Tech first in 4 out of 6 computer tallies?  But the humans showed no love, no respect?  Disappointment has slowly marinated into anger at this point. 

So let’s go through some things in regards to Va Tech’s argument to be in the National Championship game — and what better place to start with than our two losses.

@ #2 LSU - Week 2 - LSU soundly beat the Hokies 48-7.  There is no denying that.  The Hokies came in with an inexperienced and injury riddled offensive line, a qb with growing confidence but easily rattled, and an atmosphere rarely replicated anywhere else.  The perfect storm for just such a blowout.  Given that, the Tigers may have played their best game this year that night.  That, for all the talk of SEC superiority, has been their statement game this season.  They have simply looked like a good to very good team since that game.   Virginia Tech has improved week in and week out.   An early season loss is rarely used as the validation for keeping a team out of the national title hunt…but this year, as I will soon prove, is all the human voters have.

@ #2 BC - Week 8 - The Boston College Eagles strode into Lane Stadium as one of the hottest teams in the country.  For 53 minutes and 59 seconds, the Virginia Tech Hokies put them in their place.  A breakdown physically, mentally, and strategically led to a 14 - 10 loss to BC at Lane Stadium.  Though an interesting game, what is more interesting is the number of stories last week — before the ACC Championship game, a rematch of BC-VT — that made note of the implications of that game.  Essentially, had VT won that rainy Thursday night, the ACC Championship game would have been VT playing to get in the National Championship game.  With that being said, the Hokies showed that they were indeed better than Boston College with a win in the ACC Championship game. 

So that begs the question:  If Va Tech would have been in the Championship  game if they had won in October and they avenged that loss in the Conference title game, why exactly are they not going to the National Championship game?  Ah, the answer lies in hypocrisy my dear fellow.  Apparently, simple logic is not at play.  If you say a win at BC in mid-season is enough to make you forgot a week 2 loss, then it would be fair to say that a win against BC in a title game should make the pollsters forget about a week 2 loss, correct?  Chew on that, I’ma move on.

OSU vs LSU -  I firmly believe neither of these teams deserve this shot.  LSU has been ranked number one twice this season and managed to lose that standing twice — including once to an unranked team.  Do you think pollsters would be as sympathetic to a team they hadn’t picked as their preseason favorite?  LSU is a remarkably talented team.  But let’s face it, they haven’t gotten any better since that week in September.  And quite frankly, they’ve been pretty lucky a few times as well.  OSU, well, I hate to join the cacophony of Buckeyes haters, but their strength of schedule is ridiculously unimpressive.  I know I know, they should be penalized because other members of their conference can’t keep up.  But what about their non-conference slate:  Youngstown St, Akron, Wash, and Kent State.  I hear you Bucks fans with the ‘they schedule years in advance’.  But be real with yourselves, years ago your athletic director knew that Youngstown (Div I AA), Akron, and Kent State were not going to be powerhouses!  And quite frankly, with a loss to an unranked Illini team, I’m not sure you earned a trip to the big one.  Who is your keynote win?  Where was your statement game?

And LSU fans, for all the talk of SEC superiority, LSU’s opponents’ win - loss record (91 wins to 67 losses) is exactly one game better than VT’s (90 wins to 68 losses).  And the Ohio State university can’t even be included in this analysis as their opponents win-loss tally is 73 - 71 — and that includes Div I AA Youngstown State’s 7-4 mark which means your DIV I win-loss ratio would 66 wins to 67 losses.

So with all that said, who do I think should be in the National Championship game?  I believe it should be Virginia Tech vs Oklahoma.  I am a fan of winning your conference championship in order to play for a National championship. It’s as simple as that.  There’s the ACC, SEC, Big 12, and some smaller conferences with the courage to have their conference champion be declared on a neutral field.  LSU reppin’ the SEC is out for reasons stated above.  That leaves Va Tech and the Sooners to battle it out.

Congratulations to the 2007 ACC Champion Virginia Tech Hokies.  The Hokies, playing for the ACC crown for the third time in their four year membership of the ACC, defeated the Boston College Eagles 30 - 16 in what many of us in the Hokie family considered a revenge game.  Earlier in the season, BC completed in improbable Thursday night comeback to beat Tech in the ‘burg 14 - 10.  As the Tech mantra was for the entire week — ‘A minor setback for a major comeback’ — the Hokies showed heart and determination after being manhandled for much of the first half.

From a broader perspective, VT had a slim, very very slim, chance at possibly playing in the National Championship.  All they needed was for #1 Missouri to lose to favorite #9 Oklahoma, #2 West Virginia to lose to unranked and lowly Pitt, and, to a smaller extent, Tennessee to upset #7 LSU……we got two out of three.  Missouri was no match for Oklahoma for the second time this season.  West Virginia scored it’s lowest total of the season in an embarrasing 13 - 9 loss to the 4 or 5 win Panthers in the Backyard Brawl.  LSU did beat Tennessee, but not nearly as convincingly as some would have thought. 

So now we have a conundrum in the BCS.  Most do not dispute Ohio State getting in.  They are #3 with a fairly weak schedule and one loss as the only real chink in their armor.  After that, the picture gets pretty muddy.  Georgia as the number 4 team is hoping the BCS operates as it has promoting in a direct line which would make them number 2.  I oppose that not only because I’m not a Georgia fan, but also because they didn’t win their division much less their conference.  Of course, the more bullheaded Dawgs fans claim they were ‘co-champions’ of their division, a joke to all but UGA fans.  So after number 4, you have Kansas.  Kansas was a surprise one loss team this year, although once they played a reputable team they were not nearly as successful. Also, no conference or even division championship for Kansas.  Though there is no specific rule that says a team must win it’s conference in order to play for a National Championship, I personally feel that a National champion that doesn’t win their conference cheapens the whole process.  Many folks argue that there have been Super bowl champions that didn’t win their conference — but they have a playoff!  After Kansas, we have the Hokies.  Conference champions.  Two losses both to teams ranked number two in the country at the time the game was played.  The real chink in our armor is the 48-7 loss to LSU early in the second week of the season.  It was a horrible loss, but we are nothing like that team in September.  In fact, I would love the chance to play LSU again, especially in a neutral site.  Speaking of LSU, their are the layman’s pick to jump to number two.  Given that they won their conference, and have only lost games in multi-OT games many believe they should catapult to the number two spot. 

I believe it should be either LSU or VT.  Trying to be objective, I understand that LSU has had the tougher schedule and they did beat Va Tech — in Death Valley on a Saturday Night; one of the toughest venues in the country.  However, LSU also lost to unranked Arkansas (last week!) and a Kentucky team that didn’t pan out as being as good as originally thought.  Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has lost to BC in a nail biter that they easily should have won.  In fact, if not for a complete meltdown in the last 6 minutes of that game, Virginia Tech could likely be looking at a number one or two ranking…no controversy.    If shoulda coulda woulda……In any case, Kansas and Georgia with no conference championship to their names, should not be playing in the National Championship.

The Redskins lost a member of the family early this morning.  Sean Taylor succumbed to injuries sustained during a suspected burglary.  We send our best to his family and loved ones.  Sean was 24.  Rest in peace.

How much will revenge play in Saturday’s upcoming ACC Championship game?  If a single onside kick is recovered, Virginia Tech would very likely be playing for a right to go to the National Championship right now.  How’s that for motivation?

After a furious fourth quarter ‘rally’ — is it really a rally if you’re down by 1 — the Hokies earned their first victory over the Seminoles in 32 years, 40 -21.  The fourth quarter was marked by Beamer Ball — a beautiful thing indeed.

Most are saying this weekend’s game against rival Miami is meaningless and consequentially speaking that’s true.  However, I have never been a fan of losing whether it’s an NFL or NBA preseason game or a ‘meaningless’ non-conference game.  Losing screws with a player and a team’s mind. 

With that said, the only true worries I have going into the game with the ‘U’ is letdown.   With a trip to the ACC Championship on the line next week against our original rivals UVA, it would be easy for the Hokies to overlook this game.   With the ass whipping that Miami took in their Orange Bowl farewell game last week (UVA dropping 48. . . .on anybody???!?!), the ‘Canes would love nothing more than to get a little revenge on somebody else.  Not to mention, Randy Shannon’s team is still not yet bowl eligible so the game is far from meaningless for the Hurrricanes. 

Let’s hope Beamer and the Boys can come in and quell in upstartiness from the ‘U’ early, sit some starters and stay injury-free.  On a side note the Hall Monitor — Vince Hall — will be back in action after what seems like forever.  So hopefully he can ‘get the rust out of his cleats’ before the big game next week against the ‘hoos.

Well Mr. Glennon, it appears I owe you an apology.  Last night, you looked like the quarterback that I see in NCAA 2008.  You were efficient, accurate, and smart.  I apologize for previous commentary in this blog with reservations.  I know that sounds like a cheap apology however……

Since coming off the bench, you have been a different player.  Where before indecision led to you getting sacked, now you take off (still a little late sometimes but you do).  Where before a pass to the flats would make it to the flats only 60% of the time, now passes are getting to the wideouts.  It looks like it took a little adversity to get your confidence shaken and then strengthened. 

I’ll admit, when T-squared went down, I was less than optimistic.  But then you had a pretty decent game and I said to myself, quality backup is good to have.  After all, you were lighting up Duke so that’s not exactly a proving ground.  Then came the BC game, and you strode onto the field, and again my optimism was shaken but nearly as much as it was when you strode onto the field against LSU.  Faith was building.  Then you played a solid game, no huge numbers but what was good was that there weren’t any huge mistakes.  I think that’s where my faith was weakest in you, your inability to get sacked without fumbling bothered me (particularly blindsided sacks — which is somewhat understandable — but still). 

Alas, you rolled into Bobby Dodd stadium.  No jersey, sharpie all over the opponent’s loaned threads like you were an underprivileged quarterback playing for Goldie Hawn in Wildcats.  I didn’t shutter when I saw you take the field.  In fact, I didn’t think about you at all, which is a good sign that you are not my concerns for the game.

Then work calls, I have to leave the watering hole to go make the bread.  I work furiously, checking Foxsports.com and I see you’re 13 of 15.  Whoa….where’d that come from?!?!  I finish work and head back to the watering hole.  And your performance inspired me, brought confidence back that had been shattered by LSU. 

At this point, even if T-squared is healthy, I think it may be your job to lose.  And remember that feeling of being replaced against LSU, remember that plane ride home.  And you let that be the spur in your ass. 

Sean Glennon, I apologize.

It’s called pro football.  For the New England area, the ‘pro’ is short for professional as in professionalism.  Something the Pats haven’t showed…..

Running up the score is an iffy situation.  As a coach, you don’t tell your team to stop playing when you’re up 38 - 0 in the fourth quarter.   As a coach, though, you also don’t call bombs and go for it on fourth down….twice….when a field goal is a chip shot.   Unless you’re Bill Belidick.  Whatever chip is on his shoulder will come back to his team, whether it’s an injury or an opposing coach running the score up.  But it will happen,  and I pray that there are Pats fans around me when it does.

Oh, and according to ESPN, the Redskins headsets malfunctioned as well…odd that would happen against a team that has already been caught cheating dontcha think?

As far as everybody else’s golden boy Tom Brady is concerned, I would love to see how many of his touchdown passes this season have come long after the game is decided….there’s an asterisk worth adding to any records accumulated by him this year.

It hurts to be so close.  It hurts to know you were the better team but not the winner.  It hurts to not have something or someone to blame.

For 56 minutes, Virginia Tech manhandled Boston College.  Completely owned them.  Unfortunately, the games last 60 minutes.  Two touchdowns in the last three minutes of the game sealed the deal for the ‘officially’ overrated Boston College Eagles.

All is not lost but right now it hurts.  I don’t want to watch football, don’t want to talk to anybody….