VT #15 in ESPN's Preseason Power Rankings

That's quite a bit higher than I'd have this team, but I'll take it.

Others of note:

Clemson #2
Miami #9
Notre Dame #11
FSU #18
WVU #20

Link

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Comments

ESPN has to have to ranked teams for opening weekend. Mid teens looks a lot better than bottom 25.

Always believed we have been inflated the last few years to begin the season to get bigger audiences

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

I will take the SEC advantage. You know, the one where several SEC teams get overrated in the preseason and then win all of their weak-ass OOC scrub games and start losing to the other preseason ranked SEC teams but still manage to be Top 25 with a 4-4 record because all of their losses are to other 5-3 "ranked" teams.

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

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders via Ricky Bobby

Definitely has nothing to do with the SEC having winning records against every other conference for the last 20 years and winning 9 of the last 12 National Championships I'm sure, including 7 straight from 2006-2012.

I see we are content to keep pretending in 2018 that is still just media bias.

And those biased computer formulas and biased bookies making biased money in vegas

This is an even better example. Nothing funnier than listening to all the Clemson fans around me claim SEC bias when Alabama was favored over them each game (or literally any time they are the underdog to anyone, it's always bias bullshit and "Vegas hates us"). It's a level of ignorance that can't even be explained away through legitimate discussion. You can't change someone's mind when they are that stubborn.

You can't discuss football logically with Clemson fans...it hurts and takes too much effort. lol

"Take care of the little things and the big things will come."

His point still stands that we see a lot of 5-3 type ranked SEC teams due to the various scenario he described.

Meh, it's a top heavy conference and the bottom 60% ride the coat tails of Bama

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

SEC

Chris

Not just the SEC. That's the B1G also. Past couple years, making up your top 10, you have Alabama, than Clemson, than 4 B1G teams mixed in with other B12, P12, and ACC floaters that rise. They just seize those top 10 spots, and I am not convinced all the B1G favoritism is warranted. 2016 Bowl season the B1G lost a lot of there Bowl games, but when that 2017 preseason poll came out anOSU, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, were right where they left off.

...and then the B1G almost went undefeated this bowl season. So maybe ranking them in preseason wasn't so silly...

True, 2016 was better example of my point though.. Year after year the same teams occupy similar spots with little movement. And by the second half of the year they are only playing their own conference, and they were in such a tight cluster in '16 and '17, that if they beat one another it had little impact on their ranking.. 2016 was an example where it might not have been warranted for the B1G teams to have those spots, occupying so many new years 6 bowls and capitalizing on all that money. To further my point (or to just jab at the B1G) Michigan doesn't even want to play us.

Get this to go plaid.

ESPN staff clearly has not been reading enough TKP this offseason.

Yeah, Mayonnaise should definitely be ranked in the top 5.

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

"Yes I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff." - JMFF

Agree or disagree with this comment, it was well played. I'll crack a Bush Light to that.

(add if applicable) /s

If your purpose in cracking a Bush (sic) Light is to pour it down the sink, then I heartily approve.

"Yes I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff." - JMFF

As I sit here at work eating lunch, you are making me very envious of your sink.

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

Don't know why you'd be envious of my sink. Busch Lite wouldn't pass the threshold of my home, much less make it to the sink.

"Yes I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff." - JMFF

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

I shot-gunned a can @ a party couple wknds ago. It ain't Blue Mtn, but I made do.

(add if applicable) /s

"Yes I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff." - JMFF

Fuck it. I'm Team Busch Lite. Joe, when can we put this on our profiles?

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

Wasknick is clearly trying to take this thread off the rails early. lol

I should clarify that I myself am not big mayonnaise fan. It was just to bring up that we probably have talked about mayonnaise this off season about as much as anything else.

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

Wasknick, i just received this pic of you...

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

Man, it's crazy to see Boogie looking like this now. Anyone who doesn't know, this guy is a youtuber who does skits. Has had a real rough few years, wife left him, big health complications, etc. Good news is, he's dropped a ton of weight.

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

Probably stopped eating globs of mayo... that is the most disgusting gif of all time.

What's
Important
Now

So, he did have gastric bypass surgery, but that gif isn't "really" him. He has two internet personas. Boogie2988 is him as a person.

The gif above is of "Francis" who is an exaggeration of the basement dwelling video game nerd. See videos like:

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

I am kind of amazed after the draft and our off-season that anybody would have us anywhere near the top 25 let alone 15. Realistically we have a defense wearing diapers (they are that young and untested) and a lot of unknowns on offense.

An organization interested in clicks and week 1 viewership numbers might do something like that.

The Orange and Maroon you see, that's fighting on to victory.

#15 VIRGINIA TECH TRAVELS TO #18 FSU FOR OPENING DAY TOP 10 IMPLICATIONS

-ESPN probably.

(add if applicable) /s

They use AP rankings until the CFP rankings come out.

If true, it hasn't always been true. I've seen them use whichever ranking is higher between ap, coach's poll, and espn rankings. Not recently, but when I was in school (gasp, 10+ years ago) I remember noting that they had the "wrong" rank up for one of our games and then looked it up. I started paying attention after that.

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)..

At one point the Coaches' Poll was officially the "ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll", but ever since they dropped ESPN from the name I feel like the network has officially stopped referencing that poll across the board, aside from their Rankings page. And ever since the Playoff started in 2014, since ESPN is a major partner with the CFP they use the CFP rankings above all others when available.

When the Coaches' Poll took themselves out of the BCS rankings, ESPN started using the AP Poll exclusively. Then, when the CFP came about, they went to using the AP Poll at the beginning of the season until the CFP rankings come out.

"Nope, launch him into the sun and fart on him on the way up"
-gobble gobble chumps

"11-0, bro"
-Hunter Carpenter (probably)

Nobody uses the coaches poll for anything any more. Not sure why it even it still exists.

The AP isn't out yet, that will be about two weeks before the season starts. ESPN will switch to that until October when the CFP starts. It ends up being an important point of emphasis on their part, using the AP, because that determines which schools get included on the scroll. And if you're on the scroll, you're relevant. If you're not on the scroll, you're in the Stony Brook section of scores and you're only seen once an hour if you are lucky.

Maybe, I dont know and this is just spit balling here - many are too close to the program and are over-blowing an offseason that consists of:

Losing a transfer DB to injury
Losing two starting DBs to academic/arrests
Losing an incoming freshman DT
Losing a secondaries coach to infidelity

Maybe they dont really see that as a dumpster fire...

You're leaving out that we also lost all 3 of our linebackers (including Whip here) and they are being replaced by freshman or sophomores. And we lost one of our DTs with very little depth behind him. The sky isn't falling, but it's reasonable to think this team should not have a preseason ranking.

"That move was slicker than a peeled onion in a bowl of snot." -Mike Burnop

Combine that with losing Settle, Edmunds x2, Stroman, Facyson, Motu on Defense and I think it's fair for people to have some major concerns.

Hokies United l Ut Prosim

I'm not saying there aren't legit concerns on the depth of the defense. There are legit concerns for depth compounded with losses to the draft.

But people are acting like this off-season is dramatically abnormal.

We've lost 2 starters, a potential starter, a true freshman and an assistant coach.

It just happens those 3 players were from one position group, which already was depleted from graduations/draft.

Losing 2 starters, a transfer and an incoming freshman is not that abnormal.

Maybe they dont really see that as a dumpster fire...

Counterpoint- Bud Foster.

...for basketball, right?

Have they not been paying attention to our off-season?

They back!

Is coronavirus over yet?

Well hey there, Mama Giraffe, haven't seen you 'round these here parts for a good while.

Hey, that's my line!

Lmao

This is probably why she allegedly hates the Hokies.

Dang it's been a while, haven't thought about Heather in a while.

It's been a long time since I regularly checked the ACC blog while I was in high school, but last year all Dinich's greatest dreams came true when Miami and Clemson finally met in the ACCCG.

Haven't thought about you in a while either, so the feeling is mutual.

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

15 vs. 18 with the underdog favored by 5. Well done ESPN... you have my attention.

"What are you going to do, stab me? - Quote from Man Stabbed

Um...underdogs aren't favored.

We put the K in Kwality

"What are you going to do, stab me? - Quote from Man Stabbed

lol I love our fans. If we're not mentioned and unranked prior to the season, we're bitching endlessly about how disrespected we are by sports media for ignoring us completely.. If we are mentioned and ranked, we're bitching endlessly about how disrespected we are by the sports media for using us for ratings.

"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 just need that sweet spot of #18-22 so I can feel respected but also outraged.

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

This guy TKPs

the numbers don’t lie and they spell disaster

JUST NOT #17 PLEASE.

"Yes I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff." - JMFF

Last year #17 was the unluckiest spot in all of college football. I think the number #17 team lost like 5+ times.

Is that the LATE GREAT Charlton Heston??

No, that's Spencer Trilby, Director of U.S. Counter-Terrorism task force "Omega Sector".

"Yes I am going to have favorites. My favorites are high production and low maintenance players, coaches, and staff." - JMFF

But he does have cold, dead hands.

/ssssoylentnotsoylent

the numbers don’t lie and they spell disaster

annnnnd there it is

Because we're blatantly overrated. Last season we were ranked, what 22? You can't tell me we have more reason to feel confident this season than last.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Jet Sweep

QB experience?

I'll hang up and let you discuss amongst yourselves...

Why are we ranked?

Because e'v'body else got problems too.

What do 3 DBs and a Freshman DT do to the average W-L record? Imma guess not much. I understand we lost a DT and 3 LBs, as well as those listed above, but we do return 4 veteran DL players, the 2 highest rated LBs in the 247sports era and the #6 highest rated, and many quality DB recruits.

Never Forget #1 Overall Seed UVA 54, #64 UMBC 74

ESPN watched our hype videos before making their top 25 so that is why we are 15th

1-0 every week

I think #15 is entirely too high. I'd rather be unranked or 25ish and improve. I just don't see all the youth getting going like we hope they can until later in the season.

I would rather be ranked 15th or improved.

Or, hell, 2nd and improve.

Think about it this way. We're probably worth of a 20ish ranking. A case can be made for 15 or for 25 (maybe even 30th) but ESPN has to look at the bigger landscape and they see us as a #15. That's great! I'd rather be #15 and improve than #25 and improve.

Also think about it this way... we play FSU week 1. We're likely going to lose. If we do, our ranking will be right where you want it to be... 20-25th or unranked.

20th and we lose, we're definitely out of the top 25 and have to try and earn our way back in by playing against scrubs the next 3 weeks

15th and we lose, we're down to that 20-25 range but we stay in the rankings, stay in a bigger spotlight for the next 3 weeks minimum

the more time we spend in the top25 rankings the happier I am...

The Coaches Poll does still exist for some reason and it came out today and VT is 17th.

I haven't studied the teams below or above us that much so far, but I don't see any below that are obviously better:

1. Alabama (61 first-place votes)
2. Clemson (3)
3. Ohio State (1)
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma
6. Washington
7. Wisconsin
8. Miami
9. Penn State
10. Auburn
11. Notre Dame
12. Michigan State
13. Stanford
14. Michigan
15. USC
16. TCU
17. Virginia Tech
18. Mississippi State
19. Florida State
20. West Virginia
21. Texas
22. Boise State
23. UCF
24. LSU
25. Oklahoma State

LSU always intimidates the hell outta me...but idk if they're any better.

Amateur superstar and idiot extraordinaire.

They still some things to figure out offensively.

Ahhh...the Orgeron way!

Amateur superstar and idiot extraordinaire.

Well that's a bit high I think.

Brett McMurphy tweeted out his 1st week ap poll rankings. He has Boston College is 20th and he doesn't have us in

He has Boston College as 20th

Wut?

Using /s is for cowards.

there's a lot of hype surrounding Boston College, oddly enough.

Yeah the excitement around Anthony Brown and AJ Dillon to provide a competent offense in addition to what is usually a stout defense seems to be the driving force behind the BC preseason hype.

Still, Scot Loeffler is calling the plays... we'll see.

Florida, BC, and Texas (probably) too high. All three are 7-8 win teams that have serious questions in the passing game. Florida in particular was bad on offense and has been for a while- I don't think that gets solved in one year.

I can see Texas. If a QB for them steps up they should be in the top 25.