It's Virginia-Virginia Tech week and this is the first time since I've followed the rivalry that the game means something more than bragging rights for both schools - a conference title is on the line.
But I'll leave the Xs and Os for later in the week because I wanted to bring up something else.
There's no denying Virginia's reputation for being one of America's top educational institutions, public or private. And there's no denying that its athletic department is among the country's best. But the football program is still catching up with the modern curve, whether people in Charlottesville want to believe that or not.
I've been to multiple games in Scott Stadium, Virginia Tech and non-VT games, and it's not the most hostile of environments. I don't want this come off as a bashing of UVA during rivalry week. I just want to point out that the culture needs some retooling. This goes for the athletic department as well.
I brought along some screen grabs to highlight my point. So click below and check them out. At the bottom I'll explain more.
Virginia Tech
The Hokies expect to have a Dec. 1 rematch with Boston College in Jacksonville.
Virginia
No mention of a game even existing after Nov. 24.
Kansas
Even for a program not familiar with raging success on the football field, they know how important attitude is. They know there's a game on Dec. 1 that they expect to play in.
Missouri
I'm sure Missouri wishes it could put that it was playing Oklahoma again Dec. 1 rather than winner of Big XII South
Tennessee
Much like Virginia Tech, nothing is decided until the Vols play Kentucky this Saturday.
Oklahoma
The team on this list with as big a winning culture as anyone gets it.
Virginia is the only school without reference to the fact it could be playing on December 1. While that doesn't seem like a big deal, it is. It's attitude. Maybe Virginia doesn't want "attitude." Maybe the Cavaliers are above it. But you can't have your cake and eat it, too.
Today's game has become such big business. And as much as dollars and cents count, the biggest business is the business of winning. Everything else falls into place if you're winning.
Not having a date against Boston College on your schedule means you don't expect to win on Saturday. It's not about the looking past this weekend. The days of the "one game at a time" cliche are over. While it's an attitude held by most coaches, by fans and athletic departments it's about championships.
A win for Virginia this weekend could go a long way in changing the culture. A loss could set the Cavaliers back even further in this department.
It's more than about bragging rights. It's even more than making it to the title game. This is a huge weekend, especially for Virginia (and they might not even know just how huge).
Comments (1)
not to mention even their fan site (thesabre) doesn't show the ACC championship game.. versus VT (techsideline) fan site has shown the ACC championship game since the start of the season. So not only does the university doubt it, so do the fans.