There are a lot of bowl scenarios out there but going with the most likeliest scenario being that Clemson ends up going to the Orange Bowl and that the 3 top non-BCS ACC bowls will pick between Duke, VT, and Miami. I think the Chick Fil-A will go with Miami because of brand name that casual fans recognize and if the CFA bowl gets Texas A&M the bowl reps would want to pick the ACC team with the best offense to have a made for TV offensive shoot out. The Russell Athletic Bowl is likely to get Louisville from the AAC and I believe the obvious ACC choice is VT.
There is a history between VT and Louisville with their most recent matchup in the infamous Gator Bowl known for the Marcus Vick stomp and Hunter Caldwell getting beat up to a pulp. I believe most VT fans have fond memories of how dominant the defense was that year and I'm sure there's still a grudge from Louisville fans. There's been a total of 7 matchups between VT and Louisville since 1979 with the next matchup not being until 2020 unless they meet in an ACC championship game or this year in Orlando. I also understand there's some animosity among older alumni towards Louisville because of the belief that Louisville was one of the schools responsible for kicking VT basketball out of the Metro conference. Even this year Louisville has been tied with Virginia Tech because of reports that Louisville tried to take VT's place against Alabama.
This year Louisville would be the best opponent VT has faced besides Alabama and a very compelling matchup. Louisville has only lost 1 game by 3 points this year and is ranked #16 in the AP poll. Teddy Bridgewater is viewed as being the #1 pick in the draft and if Louisville played better pass defense he would likely be the frontrunner for the Heisman. This game would be a great chance to matchup up Teddy Bridgewater against the lunch pail defense which would be the best defense he's faced all year. There would be a lot of NFL fan attention to see how Teddy Bridgewater handles a secondary that features NFL level talent. There's also the storyline of the comparisons between LT and Bridgewater as QBs getting ready for the NFL remembering some of the early projections that predicted Logan Thomas being close to where Bridgewater is now projected by the NFL.
The game will be well attended this year by Virginia Tech fans who didn't make the trip last year because of a less appealing opponent and dissatisfaction with offensive coaching staff. This year has seen a 2 win regular season improvement with the offensive coaching changes that we all have wanted and I know many that would want to see VT play a bowl against an opponent that there are fond memories of playing previously. I just don't see Duke fans traveling to Orlando against a team that the only history they have with is a forgettable blow out regular season loss over a decade ago.
I'd personally love to make the trip to the Russell Athletic Bowl this year after skipping out last year. It's an extremely convenient Saturday after Christmas date with potentially the best opponent that VT fans could hope for. I'll be asking for this trip as my Christmas present if VT makes it.
P.S. If this post is taken as something to politic for Russell Athletic Bowl attention in the selection process it is partly that and everyone should follow the best bowl game twitter account in @RussellAthBowl.
Comments
I'd rather the Chic-fil-A because I think the Louisville is a trap game. What is the overall record against them anyways?
VT is 5-2 against Louisville. I don't think you can consider it a trap game because Louisville would be the favorite to win. In the scenario for the top 3 non-BCS ACC bowl games I would see VT as the underdog to Texas A&M, Louisville, or UCLA.
A bowl game can never be a 'trap game'. If VT can't prep for a team with weeks to prepare, we deserve what happens. I don't think there will be a lack of motivation for this group. L-Ville joins the ACC next year, this team wants to let them know who runs the ACC (despite not winning the coastal this year). This could be the perfect opponent for this group.
No Way.... Sun Bowl vs UCLA would be much preferred.
WHY? way to far to travel!
This is Bullshit
Any one of those match ups would be interesting.
I'd prefer to see less mobile QB play and more traditional drop backs with an RB, though. It seems we are kind of susceptible to getting gashed with a mobile QB.
I'm happy we are in a bowl, but honestly it means a hill of beans. I'd love to kick #2 from ATM in his hind parts, though. I really do dislike Johnny Noseball.
I could be down with that.
I'd like to get after him too, but considering this defense made CJ Brown look like Vince Young 2.0, I'd don't want to give that a-hole a chance to strut around and recently ATL is where Hokie dreams go to get crushed. But that is the pessimist in me, if we had a chance at him I hope the D would seize it and dominate.
First off, VY was overrated. Even in college. I think Johnny football is just a bit better than he is. Secondly, what would be better than to have our nasty D knock him put of the game (not on purpose of course). I'd love a crack at him. Expose him. Hell, after bamy he basically got plowed by the rest of the Ds from the $ec (case in point, LSU). LSU is practically begging for him to come back next season because they p*wn his sorry ass. Foster and Co can take him.
Not sure how you can say that VY was overrated. Go back and look at his line for the National Title game against USC. His NFL career yes, total bust. But the guy was a great college QB.
That would be awesome but the more I look at the more I think the Russell Athletic Bowl will not pass up on Miami. It makes too much sense, it would be the only game that their fans might travel to (probably not though) since it is in Florida and Tech just went there last year so I doubt that they will be chosen to go there again. Sun or CFA makes more sense for the Hokies right now.
Dude, Miami doesn't go to their own games in Miami. The last two years that we've been down there, the stands have been empty, and that's just what I've see by watching on ESPN.
At least the RAB knows what they have in Tech based on last year, and with us being 8-4 instead of 6-6, we might have a better showing.
Yeah I know but it just makes sense for Miami to stay in Florida then go out of state in which it would be an embarrassment to their university with literally no fans showing up. So if they stay in Florida they will bring a little amount of fans but still more if they go out of state.
None of the Miami fans live in Miami. And the stadium is 45 minutes off campus. If you were 20 in Miami with the teams they've fielded the past few years, you wouldn't make that effort either. (Heck, there are schools that can't get students in the stands with 10 wins and an on-campus stadium. Michigan was probably 15k light at kickoff Saturday.)
I would love to go to CFA, but I don't think we will go that High think dook will go. I would rather go to belk then sun
Hokies have bad luck in ATL. Besides beating GiT our lone win to come out of there recently was against UT and LOLane Kiffin in the 2009 CFB. I don't care where we go as long as we win and build some momentum for next year and send the Seniors out with two consecitive bowl wins and #DecadeofDominance.
Leg for LOLame Kiffin, but not for not going to A*town. What are you talking about? We've had plenty of success there. Most of it, yes, is against GiT, but that still counts.
I can't help but want the Peach bowl as well, simply for the fact that in my head, it's a higher tiered bowl than the Sun or the RAB.
See this is basically how I feel about it.
Honestly I think that Russel Athletic Bowl could be our spot again. If you look at last year as any indication there was a lot of Chicago Maroon and Orange in the stadium and it was a good game. Not to mention all the good press they got out of it with Exum showing his amazing heart with the best buy gift card stuff. I could see it being the UL vs VT for sure.
And Miami fans traveling... that is a joke, if I remember correctly they played Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl a year or two ago and it was all Gold n Blue from what I saw. Miami fan's can't even stay/watch their team lose against VT or win against UVA. lol
I might be a little biased since I am in the Orlando area and would love an excuse to take the day off of work and tailgate like I did last year.
Last year's RAB was not a good game. In fact it was quite possibly the worst game I've ever watched. It was a close game, but I doubt anyone besides the die-hard Rutgers & VT fans actually watched that debacle.
I know I watched it. I grew up about half an hour away from Rutgers and basically my whole family (except for me) attended RU. It was bittersweet when the announced the game. Basically it ended up my whole family in Rutgers gear and me in Orange and Maroon. Then we all watched the game and wished we hadn't. Though I imagine I was really the only one that was just a tad bit happier about it.
I was so confused by RU for the longest time just now.
Haha yeah sorry, Rutgers University. I was so confused for most of my first semester at Tech when I saw cars driving around with the Radford stickers. In fact, writing that post I even forgot that Radford is RU as well. The Radford "RU" is somewhat similar to old school "R" from Rutgers. So I would walk around and say things like damn there sure are a lot of Rutgers fans around here. Soon to realize what a dope I was being.
You're right, that game set football back....1 year
Because if you thought that was bad, you should go find a replay of the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl between Illinois and UCLA. It is the WORST FOOTBALL YOU WILL EVER SEE. It's like one of those movies that you know is just so bad you can't stop watching. It's epic.
A friend of mine and I watched every bowl we could in 2011. If there wasn't another bowl on at the same time we watched. I think we missed at most two bowls. That game. The KFHB. We were willing to start a charity to end the KFHB charity.
To put it in more concrete terms, this is the only game I can recall where you'd see (not that it happened, but this is pretty much how the game went):
1st & 10: QB trips on center as he takes snap. Loses two yards.
2nd & 12: QB now in shotgun to avoid tripping. Takes snap. Throws short pass. Bounces off receiver's facemask.
3rd & 12: QB no longer in game. Direct snap to running back. Running back runs towards sidelines, but stops for throwback. Receiver not there, didn't realize this was the play call. Running back throws a cross-field lateral anyway. Ball about to be recovered by defense with nothing but green in front of them and no offensive players within 17 yards, but the defender trips on ball, kicks it out of bounds, suffers game-ending injury.
4th & 31: Punter enters game even though they're in field goal range. Bad snap, punter drops ball, tackled by defense. Defense cannot recover fumble. Offensive lineman recovers ball, attempts a kick, shanks it, suffers career-ending injury. Ball ricochets off back of receiving team player's helmet, knocks player out. Punting team attempts to recover, ends up deflecting ball into end zone. Receiving team picks it up, kneels down for touchback. Safety. Coach gets fired. Athletic director resigns. The world of college football beings to laugh, hangs its head in collective shame, begins crying.
Now, I have got to go see if I can find that and watch it.
Sounds like a train wreck I won't be able to take my eyes away from.
After last year's Russell Athletic Bowl I don't think those bowl officials want to put themselves or TV viewers through that pain and agony all over again, because it will be a similar result.
defensive battle
but yeah, the offense was painful to watch.
I want the Chick-fil-a bowl so bad. Doubt it'll happen, but it'd be nice.
Same here.
It'd be sweet to take over the ATL once more... looks like Clemson could get the Orange Bowl vs. Bama - which is what ES(ec)PM said yesterday....
The RAB sucks, nobody wants to play a Big East team again in front of a sparse crowd and a bowl game with no recognition.
I don't know why people say things like "Miami has name recognition and will be selected ahead of us" when there is a decade of bowl selections that prove this statement incorrect. VT has plenty of name recognition and comes with the added benefit of actual fans! The Peach may not select us, but that will be more because we were just there in August. I really don't think they would pick Miami over us and question whether they would pick Duke over us since Duke can't sell out their high school stadium (and would have awful TV appeal).
That said, the Sun Bowl is much preferable to the RAB. Playing a quality opponent like UCLA in a bowl game with historic name recognition and appeal. We also get a break, as a fanbase, regarding tix sales (remember, we sold like 483 tix to the RAB last year) since nobody expects actual fans to attend a game in El Paso Texas on Dec 31. That's a good thing for our fanbase, who is still a little uncertain with the current status of our program.
The more I think about it the more I agree with you. Assuming Clemson is BCS, how could the CFA possibly pick Duke or Miami over Tech? Duke would be a nightmare for TV ratings, and Miami would bring no fans. Tech makes the most sense for the CFA by far.
We were just there in August, in the CFA "Preseason" Bowl. So, that is going against us.
But how many times has Miami played in the CFA Preseason game? None times. Why? Because they don't have fans. Real live fans. They don't have any. (I also think the conservative CFA corporation protects their brand and Miami's "values" are .....um....divergent)
Duke's an interesting story. They certainly have fans, but they aren't football fans. Maybe all those Duke hoops fans would buy bowl tix? Maybe. But nobody would watch them on TV because Duke football is literally a joke. Lets see how much FSU embarresses them too.
10-2 with wins against 2 ranked teams this year is no joke. Their lineage is a joke, but these guys can play. Evidence by a win @ Lane.
No doubt this team is legitimate, but you can literally hear the chuckles when its mentioned that FSU is playing them. That means their program is a joke, or at least that they aren't considered valid on a national scale.
We've all got a lot of respect for them and Cutcliffe. But SEC fans don't, B10 fans don't, B12 fans don't. Those are the fans you need to believe in them if they are going to tune in to see them on NYE on TV.
Duke definitely needs to earn some respect to prove that this season isn't a fluke. Their history works against them. Anyone who follows the ACC closely can see that there has been significant improvement in their team. The guys that scan the box scores and standings probably think, "This has to be a mistake, they spelled 'Virginia Tech' wrong." If Duke can continue to play well, they will recruit better and maintain it. If not, they're a flash in the pan. Cutcliffe knows what he's doing, so I suspect Duke will hang around for a while and compete. They had a great year, good for them.
No matter who faced FSU in Charlotte this year, there would be chuckles.
Lets not forget the contingent of VT fans who were GLAD that we didn't have to face FSU. That is a joke; Duke winning an outright Coastal title is not.
If you are counting: Duke has 1 coastal title, Miami has ZERO, and hasn't finished higher than 3rd. THAT is a joke.
Oh yeah, that post. When did people become so, as Jadeveon Clowney very eloquently put it, scared?
Also, Miami finished 2nd in '05 and '10. But still, they haven't ascended to the lofty heights that Duke has just attained. Who saw that coming in the first expansion?
They would have finished 1st last year, if not for the self imposed ban.
Duke Athletics would probably tie the football postseason tickets to their NCAA ticket sales or something to that effect. I know their bball season tickets are tied to football season tickets in some respect. Also, wealthy alumni might go crazy and buy a bunch for the students or something. Otherwise, I agree VT makes the most sense from a $$ perspective, which is all the bowls care about.
Totally agree. Remember, the bowl selection picked us for a BCS bowl a few years back. We bring the fans, bring in TV ratings, and we beat Miami by double digits. If Miami had Duke Johnson, they could market the game as Jonny Football vs. Johnson as an offensive battle. Logan Thomas is a recognizable figure (not the best college QB, but people know the name). This D is top 10 and can contrast the high scoring offense with an aggresive defense, which builds in some story lines. Miami is a bigger historic draw, but people know now what they are, a mid level ACC team, as evidence by never finishing higher than 3rd in the Coastal in the last decade.
2009 - VT started and ended the season in a Chick-fil-a game...Alabama, and then Tennessee. Plus, we had the trip to GT in the middle.
2012 - Clemson bookended their season with games in Atlanta vs. Tiger teams from the SEC.
So, Chick-fil-a doesn't care if a team was in the kickoff game when picking for the bowl game.
What about the fans that want to go to a bowl game? Closer by?
well, quit being so lazy. get yer ass up and drive to texas!
I am seeing us being pushed all the way down to the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.. That is crazy.. they rank Miami and GT over VT thats hilarious.
That's not going to happen. Especially any projections of GT to the Sun, they have gone twice in a row. Most likely, in my opinion:
BCS Champ: FSU vs. Ohio St
Orange: Clem vs. Bama
CFA: VT vs. atm
RAB: Miami vs. L Yeah
Sun: Duke vs. UCLA
Belk: UNC vs. Some Big East team nobody cares about
Music: GT vs. Ole Miss
Military: Pitt vs. Who Cares
Independence: Syracuse vs. I have no idea
Left to fend for themselves because they are leaving the conference Bowl: Maryland vs. I don't give a Fleck
This is just from a band standpoint, but I really hated the RAB.
SO. MANY. GODDAMN. PARADES. Also, I'm pretty sure there was a homeless colony like a block away from that stadium.
Fingers crossed for CFB
#alltheparades for like the two fans
110% agree. Chick-fil-a bowl at least gave us chicken sandwiches.
If we have any parades this year, the only way they'll get me down that damn street is like this:
#thingsiblamethemvsfor
I don't know if duke would be a nightmare for ratings. Everyone loves an underdog
im hoping we play either Texas A&M, Mizzou, or Auburn in the CFA Bowl
CFA has 5th pick of SEC, so the teams in the title game probably won't fall that far.
Wish we would play aTm.
Wish we would spark a yearly game with them. Two schools with military on campus. Should be a no brainer.
Dont know if this has been mentioned but I'm pulling for any matchup besides Louisville. A little boring with them joining the ACC next year anyway.
Well, we won't play them for about a decade anyways...
Except for most years in the ACCCG
There's a big garnet and gold roadblock in the way for Louisville.
I doubt they'll keep playing at this high of a level for long, not with the dramatically increased competition in the conference. Just in their division, they have to get past Clemson and now Louisville, and BC looks to be back on the upswing again.
My point is, while my post was intended to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I firmly believe that we'll face them at least once in the ACCCG before we ever face them in the regular season. And I sincerely hope that we revisit the 9-game conference schedule soon.
Am I the only one here that would be cool with the Music City Bowl?
It would be cool, but I don't think VT falls past the Belk bowl in the worst case scenario.
Only if it was a repeat of the Inaugural Music City Bowl.
Music city would be cool
I am hoping russell.
CFB, especially if FSU really embarrasses duke in the acc title game. Russell Athletic makes sense for Miami geographically. And I'm just not sure duke has enough appeal to go to the CFB. It's disappointing and I feel bad for cutcliff and duke after a SPECTACULAR season. They really don't deserve to get the shaft, but fortunately for us it might mean a marquee matchup vs SEC to put a stamp on this season. 9-4 and a bowl win over SEC? I'll be ecstatic with that. Go Hokies.
The Chicken Bowl vs SEC would be awesome, but I'm feeling 50/50 about whether we end up there. A week ago, I really thought we would (assuming Clemson goes to BCS bowl). But, the more I've read this week about the Sun Bowl potential, now I'm less certain.
Sooo is this looking like we could go to the Chik-Fil-A bowl now? With Duke getting pounded FSU in the NCG and Clemson going to the Orange Bowl what do you think guys?
NIU losing the other day helps, but at this point, I'd say everything is up in the air with the way today played out. Only guarantee I see is FSU and Auburn in the title game. After that it's a crap shoot with at large picks.
There is a good chance IMO. Miami to the RAB makes too much sense, so it will probably be down to Duke and us. I think at the end of the day the Hokies will be in Atlanta though.
EAT MORE CHIKIN.
I think it's EAT MOOR CHIKEN
Miami vs UGA in Chick fil a, Duke vs UL in the RA. The Hokies are almost definitely headed to El Paso against UCLA.
That was weird, if went so called sources confirming Miami in the CFA and then just like that it switched to Duke.
Swofford petitioned hard to get Duke in instead of Miami.
Duke beat Miami and they may never get a chance to go to a nice bowl game again. I'm glad they got the Peach Bowl bid.
May Duke always beat LOLUVa, but never again beat the Hokies
Amen...it was just too much.
Well, hoping wasn't enough. Should have hoped AND prayed. Hokiejoe3, you're just going to have to take the blame.
Thanks for taking that role. We appreciate it.
Haha, well look at the comments to see most of TKP community apparently didn't want the Russell Athletic Bowl last week so a lot of people are getting the match up they wanted. I was resigned to the fact that VT probably was going to go to the Sun Bowl but was hopping for Russell.
Looking forward to the challenge that VT is going to face. Will have a lot of exposure to recruits in the game. Would be great if the Color vs Color movement got going and it's all Maroon vs Bruin's blue and gold.
0-3 on the ACC bowl predictions...