Stewart Mandel Projects Hokies to the Fiesta Bowl

FOX Sports Stewart Mandel dropped his preseason bowl projections, and he pegged Virginia Tech (11-2) to win the ACC and head to Fiesta Bowl.

DATE BOWL LOCATION MATCHUP
Dec. 31 Peach Atlanta Notre Dame (at-large) vs. Boise State (Group of 5)
Dec. 31 Cotton Arlington, Texas Texas A&M (CFP No. 2) vs. TCU (CFP No. 3)
Dec. 31 Orange Miami Ohio St. (CFP No. 1) vs. Auburn (CFP No. 4)
Jan. 1 Fiesta Glendale, Ariz. Virginia Tech (ACC) vs. Arizona State (at-large)
Jan. 1 Rose Pasadena, Calif. Michigan St. (B1G) vs. Oregon (Pac-12)
Jan. 1 Sugar New Orleans Alabama (SEC) vs. Baylor (Big 12)

The complete projections are here: http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/bowl-predictions-notre-d....

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Comments

A&M the second seed? Did Chavis take LSUs entire defense with him?

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

aTm at #2, wow. I don't follow them at all so I have no idea how close that is to reality but I guess it can be. So then i'm guess that it's aTM and Auburn in the SECCG and aTm wins and Auburn still gets in??

I'm still not sold on ND being awesome this year either, of course I don't follow them so I guess I don't really know.

If you don't want to recruit clowns, don't run a clown show.

"I want to punch people from UVA right in the neck." - Colin Cowherd

Notre Dame should be disappointed if they don't get a NY6 game. They have elite talent at several positions (Fuller, Stanly, Smith) and the starting lineup consists of experienced upper classmen. This is a big year for Kelly

If they don't make it to a NY6 game, Kelly may pop a blood vessel and curse people. Oh, wait, that will happen anyway.

Nope. They're both SEC West. So Auburn wouldn't even play in a championship, yet still gets taken over the ACC and Pac-12.

Stewart Mandel has been pumping up TAMU's chances a lot. Think one thing that helps them is that TAMU only leaves the state of Texas once before November 21st.

It would be really hard to see 2 teams from the same conference make it to the playoffs in my opinion.

I think I read that they also only have 3 actual road games... 3

Seems they are fitting in nicely with the rest of the SEC.

I thought the same thing about the BCS before 2011, and that was both #1 and #2 going to the same conference.

aTm and Auburn can't play in the championship. Auburn would have to lose on the road at aTm, aTm go undefeated and win the SEC and Auburn beat Bama week before the SECCG.

Unlikely that aTm goes undefeated, but undefeated aTm and 1-loss Auburn (at aTm) would both make it IMO.

Outspoken team cake advocate. Hates terrapins. Resident Macho Man Gif Poster. Distant cousin to Dork Magic. Frequently misspells words.

I don't see two SEC teams in the playoff barring absolute chaos. And I don't know how the bowl selection process works for conference champions displaced by their contract bowl hosting a playoff game, but I would bet if we win the ACC, the Peach Bowl would do anything in their power to get us. First off just from the proximity of our school and fan base, the fact that we've shown out well there before, and there is somewhat of a contractual relationship already with the ACC SEC kickoff being hosted there by Chick-Fil-A.

Our bowl tie ins are as follows:

1 - Orange
1a. - If Orange is in playoff, Fiesta or Peach

2 - Russell Athletic

3 - Music City - Belk - Pinstripe - Sun

4 - Quick Lane - Military - Independence - St. Pete

Notre Dame gets to take one of these spots.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

Hmm, then I guess the Peach and Fiesta would have to fight it out for who gets Notre Dame and who gets the ACC champ, if Notre Dame actually warrants a NY6 bowl. Obviously whichever one gets the first pick of the two would go for Notre Dame with their enormous fan base. I don't know if there's a clear order between the Peach and Fiesta or if they just have to battle it out. I would think that in this case, since the ACC champ is displaced, they would have to be chosen by a NY6 game before Notre Dame, since they would sort of be an at-large bid and they can't just take the place of the ACC champ.

If I remember correctly (and there's a decent chance I don't) ND can take the ACC NY6 bowl, pushing our champ to the Russell Athletic

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

Wow. Yeah, in that bowl lineup you posted, it certainly doesn't say that can't happen. That would be an outrage. Screw ND, in that case. I guarantee there would be such an uproar they would be forced to join a conference.

Edit: I found an article about the ACC lineup from ESPN. It is kind of vague, but it looks like ND doesn't get into the ACC bowl lineup UNLESS they aren't chosen for a NY6 game. And it clearly says the ACC champ or next-highest ranked team if the champ is in the playoff will appear in either the Peach or Fiesta. So it doesn't appear ND could take the ACC's NY6 spot.

http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/82568/game-times-for-acc-bowl-tie-ins

Want part #2 about the ND screwjob? They keep 100% of the bowl revenue they get. If they take our NY6 spot, the ACC misses out on those funds that year.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

Not true. Per ESPN

Starting in the 2014 season -- and coinciding with the new college football playoff -- Notre Dame could step over an ACC team and take its place in one of the non-BCS bowls if its record is better than, equal to or within one win of the ACC team or ranked higher in the BCS standings. Notre Dame would share in the revenues if selected to any of those bowls, and get an expenses allowance. If Notre Dame is picked for a BCS game, it would keep its revenues from that appearance.

When the Orange Bowl hosts the national semifinals, the ACC champion and the highest-ranked available team from Notre Dame, the Big Ten or the SEC will be placed in an access bowl instead.

Edited for a more topical exerpt.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best, not the other way around.

F those guys.

So it looks like:

A. Notre Dame only gets into the ACC bowl lineup if they aren't chosen for a NY6 game.
B. They share bowl revenue with the ACC if they take a non-NY6 bowl spot.
C. The ACC champ or next highest-ranked team is always guaranteed a NY6 spot
D. The ACC representative, if displaced by a playoff game, will still be obligated to play the best team available out of ND, the Big Ten, or the SEC in another NY6 game.
E. Notre Dame receives 100% of the revenue if chosen for a NY6 game.

So if they are selected for a NY6 game, and they are ranked higher than the next best available Big Ten or SEC team, wouldn't we have to face ND in either the Peach or Fiesta if we win the ACC? My god, this is overly-complicated.

Yes. Always. Think of it this way:

  1. The SEC and B1G get their automatic bids. (Up to four teams total if both conferences make the playoffs.)
  2. All remaining teams.from both conferences get dumped into a pool together along with ND.
  3. The highest ranked member of that pool will be the ACC's opponent in our NY6 bowl.

The confusing part is were dumping two conferences and an independent into our selection pool. Just remember, when picking our opponent, conference affiliation doesn't matter. Only ranking matters.

"I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you you were terrible." -Justin Fuente

I don't think point D is quite right. I think both teams that would have been in the Orange Bowl would get into the NY6, but not necessarily against each other.

No, that's incorrect. ACC is guaranteed the Orange when it isn't hosting a playoff, and guaranteed another NY6 bowl in place of the Orange when it is hosting a playoff. ND's only access to the NY6 bowls is through at-large selection. They might be our opponent, but they cannot take our place at the table. This is a significantly better arrangement for the conference than what the Big East had.

"I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you you were terrible." -Justin Fuente

Fuck ND. If they're 6-6 they will get athletic bowl because of the ND fan pull.

On another note how is our bowl drop off so bad Jesus. It's pretty piss poor IMO.

I want to know why the ACC has bowls in Shreveport and Detroit while the MAC has one in the Bahamas!

Wet stuff on the red stuff.

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because while, not great destinations, at least ACC fans could drive there. It's all about putting butts in seats and making folks shell out for a plane ticket is a sure fire way to ensure a small crowd.

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Bowl games don't care about butts in seats. It's about TV revenue and forcing schools to pay for tickets whether they sell them or not doesn't matter. Games in El Paso and Detroit and Shreveport and Birmingham and Mobile are not cheap,to get to either. In fact when Tech played in El Paso tickets from Richmond and DC were cheaper to the Bahamas than to El Paso.

Wet stuff on the red stuff.

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The MAC title game is in Detroit. The winner of that game gets to go to a bowl game in Detroit...

The losers go to the Bahamas... NCAA may want to sniff around these games to see if the kids are throwing it lol.

The funny thing is, I don't understand how the Russell Athletic bowl is ahead of the Music City bowl in the pecking order. Who wouldn't want to hang out in Nashville for a few days and play an SEC team? Of course that's just me thinking. I guess you could go to Disney World in FL.

Fuck ND.

This. Leg!

If they're 6-6 they will get athletic bowl because of the ND fan pull.

Umm...isn't this exactly what happened to us in 2012?

Not the bagman VT deserves, but the bagman VT needs right now.

And 2011

Our fans are why we went to the Sugar and not someone else

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

There are record stipulations for ND to displace an ACC team for a lower tier bowl. I think it's that they can have up to one less win than the team they're displacing, but it might be up to two.

"I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you you were terrible." -Justin Fuente

I swear ACC has the worst set of bowl tie-ins ever, having Notre dame possibly take one as well makes it even worse.

Bleeding burnt orange and chicago maroon

The more you look into the ACC's deal with ND, the more you feel like the rest of the ACC got shafted. They either will get a NY6 bowl spot or take one of the ACC's top bowls every year. All they have to do is finish ranked higher than at least the 3rd best SEC or B1G team and they get a guaranteed NY6 slot. Say if we are playing them in the Orange Bowl, we have to share our cut of that bowl revenue with the rest of the conference, while they keep their half for themselves. I'm willing to bet all the other conferences have similar bowl revenue sharing systems. So they are the only team getting a disproportionately larger share of bowl revenue. Sooner or later, everyone else in the Power 5 will hopefully figure this out and get sick of their preferential treatment. All it would take is for the playoff committee to rule that you must be a conference champion to be eligible for the playoff.

This is false, though I understand where you're coming from.

First, ND will NEVER take a NY6 bowl away from the ACC. Our champion will always get the Orange, and if our champion makes the playoffs, the ACC will always have two NY6 bids. ND CANNOT take either of those away from us.

Second, John Swofford got ND to agree to revenue sharing, something ND did not have to do with the Big East. If ND bumps an ACC team from a lower bowl, we get our share of that bowl revenue just as if it were an ACC team playing in that bowl.

The actual details of the ACC's arrangement with ND are very much to the benefit of ACC member schools. We really aren't losing anything except for individual fanbases of also-ran programs being upset that MD bumped them down the totem pole. The objections to the agreement are more driven by emotion than economics.

"I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you you were terrible." -Justin Fuente

Kind of odd he picked two SEC West teams for the playoff...i don't see any way a selection committee selects a non-conference champ for the playoff. As far as the Hokies winning the ACC and headed to the Fiesta Bowl? I'll happily climb on that hype train.

Looking at he and Feldman's picks... It's like a designed point/counter point, instead of actual prognostics/picks. If you want to hear something, you can find one who agrees with you. Pretty cynical.

It was a catch

Once again, other things ol' Stewie says makes me question his opinion of us. Again with the A&M hype (which as someone who roots for A&M also, I simply don't buy), and then he throws in a second team from the same division to also make the playoff instead of his predicted ACC or Pac-12 champ (which should have been USC).

2 SEC teams in the playoff? Highly unlikely.

Logan 3:16

Did anybody see what bowl UVA was in? I couldn't find them anywhere.

Hang on, let me call a plumber...

"Exit light..."

I found their trophy, it was behind Timecops Recruitment letters

"Welcome to the Terror Dome." -- Corey Moore

You really think they'd win that bowl?

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It's more of a participate award. Everyone got one. I heard that's how London kept his job. He brought home a trophy.

Poor LOLUVA, they don't see many football trophies so they didn't know better.

"Welcome to the Terror Dome." -- Corey Moore

I mean... would you really consider UVa football 'participating' in the ACC?

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

I always thought of a toilet bowl game as a game where the worst two teams in college football play. So the champion of the game would be 2nd to worst.

What would you rather be at the Toilet Bowl?

A Number 1 or a Number 2

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Legged every post in this sub-thread; Awesome!

"It's a Hokie takeover of The Hill ... in Charlottesville!" -Bill Roth

I don't see VT at 11-2 being left out of the playoffs over an 11-2 SEC team (assuming we put up a fight on Labor Day).

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The perception of our conference will keep us out of the playoff at 11-2. If we play anOSU close and they wipe the floor with the rest of the teams on their schedule I could see us getting in at 12-1.

@CaptKirkVT10

I suppose it would depend on what the other loss is. I can't see the ACC champs being left out over a non-champ from the SEC.

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SEC team has to be 12-1 in the case. Auburn 1-loss at aTm and aTm undefeated.

I don't think aTm goes undefeated, so it's probably a moot point.

Well we know one thing for sure now. Tech wil not be playing in the Fiesta Bowl this year.

Ohio State will lose to us.

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Is there anything in particular that says that ND can't play the ACC champ in a bowl game? I would think that ND vs VT in Atlanta and Boise vs ASU in Phoenix are much better matchups from a regional standpoint. ND-VT would sell out pretty quickly.

It would essentially be two at large bids, since the ACC champs are being displaced by the CFP. But there would be a lot of moving pieces going on, including if ND is scheduled to play that ACC team this year or next.

But I don't think Boise/ASU would have the national appeal, which is probably why the writer picked them that way.

I'd love to see us go to the Fiesta Bowl. Wasn't it thought back in MV7's last season, VT should have gone there instead of the Gator Bowl?

VT '10--US Citizen; (804) Virginian By Birth; (979) Texan By the Grace of God.

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We were supposed to go there, but Notre Dame lobbied hard for the bid, and the Big East didn't lift a finger in trying to help us out.

That conference stabbed us in the back so many times, it was nice to return the favor in 2004, essentially dealing them the death blow

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

Another plus is we got to stop playing wvu annually. eff them.

VT '10--US Citizen; (804) Virginian By Birth; (979) Texan By the Grace of God.

Rick Monday... You Made a Great Play...

I also root for: The Keydets, Army, TexAggies, NY Giants, NY Rangers, ATL Braves, and SA Brahmas

VT 12'... Exit light, Enter night.

I'm feeling much worse about VT now.

Mandel consistently underrates the Hokies

Had us at ACC 7/8/9 last year (we were 9)

ACC 6 in 2013 (we were 4).

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