Let me apologize for not having a weekend preview, but the toll of driving through the night to Virginia and watching the Hokies upset Clemson put me out of commission on Friday.
Without a doubt, the highlight of my trip was watching the game from a Lane Stadium luxury box. I have to give credit to my boy Ty and his family for letting me watch the game from warmth with an open bar and full buffet. After spending years in the press box, I found myself thinking the suite wasn’t so bad…
As for the rest of the games…I’m still trying to figure out what we learn each weekend. I just keep going back to the insane amount of parity this year. But, is it parity? I keep going back to mediocrity (sans SEC and Ohio State).
One thing I’m glad about…we’ll start seeing what the Big East is all about beginning this Thursday.
Let me do the poll, and I’ll wrap up with a few more thoughts:
1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. Michigan
4. Auburn
5. Louisville
6. Texas
7. Louisiana State
8. Arkansas
9. Southern California
10. West Virginia
11. Tennessee
12. Boston College
13. California
14. Wisconsin
15. Notre Dame
16. Rutgers
17. Clemson
18. Georgia Tech
19. Boise State
20. Iowa
21. Virginia Tech
22. Wake Forest
23. Oklahoma
24. Texas A&M
25. Oregon
- I’ve said this around the office since last week, and I’m going to stick to it. If there’s a one loss team in the SEC, they need to be the national championship game…over an undefeated Big East team.
- I watched Miami-Georgia Tech. The U has no heart. None. And why is Lance Leggett playing? The kid plays lazy football and I got the impression he doesn’t care when he’s on the field.
- I’ve waited all season for this Thursday night’s game.
- It’s weird to think that the ACC team in the BCS will probably be Boston College.
- If Southern Cal loses to Cal, but beats Notre Dame, does that two-loss Notre Dame team earn a BCS bowl? A lot can happen between now and then, but now I say no.
I gotta run and get ready for work. We’re pretty short staffed around the office for the time being, so, once again, blogging can’t be high on my priority list. Stuff like running the website trumps it (I don’t make the decisions). But, I will do my best to stay true to previews, recaps and my Heisman watch.
Comments (5)
Okay, my friend and I were having this discussion and we came to an agreement. Now I want you to weigh in, especially after that SEC/mediocrity comment.
If SEC teams beat each other (Arkansas over Auburn, Vandy over Georgia, et al.), that conference is described as strong with parity among teams. However, if ACC teams beat each other (GT over Miami, NC State over FSU, et al.), the conference is described as weak or unpredictable and doesn't garner the respect from critics and sportswriters. Why the love for the SEC and not the ACC? With the exception of perenially weak teams (Duke, UNC), the ACC is a strong conference with some pretty good teams. So, why the Rodney Dangerfield-esque lack of respect?
Lastly, you can have your open bar and comfy suite (much love to Ty, though). I much preferred my hidden flask and Section 13, Row B seats, right behind the Clemson bench. I lost my voice and don't remember much of the first half, but it was a great game (and probably the second-best I've seen in Lane, right behind Miami '03).
RE: The National Championship. We can talk all day about which conferences feels slighted but I think we all agree that the SEC is heads and tails above everybody else.
That said, West Virginia of the revitalized Big East is capable of beating any SEC team. Last year, everybody predicted Georgia would humiliate them. It was quite the opposite. They have proven themselves worthy of a title shot if they can beat Louisville, Pitt, and Rutgers.
Adam, just like you, I've waited all year for Thursday night's game. But, as it gets closer, I'm not sure what it's going to tell us. My guess is that both teams will play their hearts out, and Louisville will squeak by (at least I hope since my boyfriend is an '04 WVU graduate and ranks the Wednesday night in '03 when the Mountaineers defeated the Hokies in Morgantown as the best of his life. Funny how that was the worst night of my life, followed by a bad day fighting the effects of pepper spray after having to cross that field of morons). Does a well-played, exciting football game make the Big East a formiddable conference though? I don't know. I don't think that can be decided until bowl time, and I think you have to look at overall Big East bowl record, not just whoever makes the BCS game. I look at WVU's win over Georgia last January in the Sugar Bowl as more of an inspired, once-in-a-lifetime victory rather than a statement for the conference (How can this be an overall statement when no other Big East team won a bowl game?). If its teams go over .500 in bowl play against solid opponents, I'll give the Big East some credit. Unfortunately, with the exception of Louisville playing Miami, we haven't gotten to see Big East teams play decent non-conference opponents this season. So, we're stuck playing a guessing game until bowl time.
Jeff, I've thought the same thing. The SEC is better than the ACC, but I don't think the ACC is as bad as our media constituents make it out to be. The ACC teams beat up on each other just like the SEC teams do, but the media perception is much different. I don't understand.
As for my favorite game in Lane, I have to go with '04 against UVA when we defeated the Cavaliers to claim at least a share of the ACC title. My roommate and I sat in the UVA parents' section with her friend whose boyfriend played for the Wahoos. Needless to say, we weren't well liked in our VT gear eating our turkey legs, but we got the best of them. Texas A&M during Hurricane Isabel ranks a close second.
Best game ever home or away: Definitely standing on the field with Adam as we took down Miami in '04 for the ACC title, followed by the comeback at Georgia Tech in a close second. I don't know if Tech will ever see a classier team than that '04-'05 team.
Sorry for the rant; I'm bored at work, and this gave me something to do.
Two more points that I forgot to make and that Jana reminded me of:
First, it's interesting that people question WVU's schedule strength when, at the end of the year, they will have played the same number of currently ranked Top 25 teams as Ohio State. From Ohio, love the Buckeyes, love Tressel, just making an observation. The difference, as it was pointed out, is that OSU plays in the Big 10 and WVU has the Big Least (as I believe it was called a few times when VT and Miami were still members).
Second, the ACC has the same number of ranked teams as the SEC. Now, it's a matter of relativity as to where those teams are actually ranked from 1-25, but the fact that they're on the board counts for something. I like SEC football, always have, but I'd love to see the ACC get props for more than just basketball.
Jana, I see your TAM/Hurricane Isabel game and raise you the WVU '04 game with the passing rain storm. Or UVA '02, with the snow blowing into Lane over the old pressbox as I sat in the second-best seats I've ever had, Section 12, Row T. Worst game? My first ever: Temple, Homecoming, 1998. No three words make a lifelong Hokie fan cringe more than those.
I want to read a little about the Thursday night bashing VT put on Clemson.