Hokie Tracks are Trotting Around the ACC

Waiting on you Florida State. The 'Noles are still trying to fill the vacant spot on their schedule left by West Virginia. The Cousins paid three-fifty large to back out of their trip to Tallahassee because they didn't want to play a challenging non-conference game in addition to nine Big 12 league games. It's assumed that once FSU finds their replacement the ACC will release the schedule. However, there's the slim possibility Syracuse and/or Pitt pony up $20M and make a last second attempt to leave the Big East for the ACC in 2012. That could delay the schedule more.

Conference realignment, ♫it's all about the Benjamins baby♫. My three takeaways from Koo's terrific summary of six years of wheelin'-and-dealin' are as follows. ESPN runs college football and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Unless the ACC expands again, the league probably won't get another cash bump until 2026; that's a long effing time. The future of college athletics on television is conferences have their own networks. ESPN knows this, and is doing everything they can to prolong it.

Last Friday, Maryland secured the commitment of consensus five-star receiver (and early Tech target) Stefon Diggs. Diggs joins his Our Lady Of Good Counsel teammate, and bluechip running back, Wes Brown who committed to Maryland in January. Good Counsel is quickly developing into a powerhouse program. Two 2013 prospects (and Tech verbal offers) Kendall Fuller and Dorian O'Daniel are listed in the initial Rivals100 (4th and 37th respectively). While Maryland may be bringing in the players of future, but their current roster is depleted. Quarterback Danny O'Brien is considering transferring, he'd "be the 11th player with eligibility remaining to leave the program for various reasons since Edsall's first season".

Boats, money, hookers, and... Nevin Shapiro isn't done talking and writes that he'll, "pop off pretty soon with regards to them [Miami] and the NCAA".

"The public is going to hate me worse in the next coming months," Shapiro, serving a 20-year sentence for a Ponzi scheme, wrote in numerous e-mails over the past few months. "It's going to be severe and catastrophic. My feelings are getting inflamed and I'm going to pop off pretty soon with regards to them and the NCAA. I'm coming for them both [UM and former players] and I'm going to be successful.

"I'm taking that program down to Chinatown and the former players and links to that program. Why? Because the U.S. government lined up 47 former players to testify against me in open court if I went to trial. That in itself is motivation to shove it up their collective [butts]."

Miami doesn't seem particularly worried, and expects a reduction of scholarships and 1-2 more bowl bans.

They're shipping out of Boston. Frank Spaziani has lost three assistant coaches this offseason. They must value job security.

My made-from-scratch victory cake contains two-and-a-half sticks of butter. Dorian Finney-Smith's tip-in with 4 seconds left delivered a 66-65 victory for the hardwood Hokies over Boston College. Doe-Doe came off the bench and accounted for 17 points and 8 boards. So now there's this:

Joel Caleb signed with the Hokies inpart because he doesn't like playing in cold weather. This is the part where we all pause and laugh. The STRAIGHTBURNER was instrumental in his recruitment too. Roth's piece on one of the newest Hokies is a good one.