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11 years 5 months
# | Bitter blog - UNC-Wake agreement might not start a trend but at least puts spotlight on ACC's scheduling problem 
Illinois Hokie's Recent Comments
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11 years 5 months
# | Bitter blog - UNC-Wake agreement might not start a trend but at least puts spotlight on ACC's scheduling problem I'll confess to feeling a hint of panic when I read that AMo was gonzo. The names of our potential candidates to replace him have erased any of that panic I still felt. There are some really good names coming out and I think this coaching search is going the way all coaching searches at a program of our caliber should.
I really, really wish we had done it this way after the 2005 season.
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11 years 5 months
# | Bitter blog - UNC-Wake agreement might not start a trend but at least puts spotlight on ACC's scheduling problem I know there's a generally favorable fan opinion of nine conference games a year, but the idea of having to play five conference opponents on the road every other year is concerning to me.
I think it's time to drop the cross-division rival altogether and just rotate through the seven cross-divisional teams on a home and home basis. It will take division realignment to preserve some rivalry games, but the yearly cross-division rival doesn't work in a 14 team league.
I really don't think that's a flag today at the collegiate level. The block was from the front, Ward led with the shoulder and went for the other guy's sternum instead of his head. The player was not defenseless. That was a textbook block then and today.
In the NFL, Ward looked at an opposing player and thought about blocking him hard, so that's a flag.
At this point I expect Bucky to be head and shoulders above Touchdown Jesus when we play ND in 2016, the rate he's growing.
There's also the possibility that the coaching change altered Isaiah's decision. I imagine playing for JJ and playing for Buzz are two different experiences.
I think Isaiah should focus on the weight room, watching film, practicing proper technique and burning OSU's secondary come Labor Day. The kid had the goods to be one of the best we've ever had.
It always seemed odd to me that Buzz was okay with two sport athletes on his team. He strikes me as a guy that expects a lot of commitment to his system and his vision, and having a guy not go through boot camp and join the team halfway through the season seems out of character for him.
I don't care what the viewership numbers say, and I don't care what our record is
But I quite assure you, the ACC does.
I lived over the pit, and one evening someone decided their desk was going out the window. Because, reasons I guess. Well that was just the match that lit the flame, because for the next hour we were serenaded by the sounds of everything that could fit out a window crashing down into the pit. VTPD arrested a buddy of mine trying to push one of the Pepsi machines toward the window.
FSU is still drawing national audiences and makes the conference millions in revenue. That's really what it's all about. Which programs can the ACC bank on to draw an audience and generate revenue through ticket sales and merchandizing. We are still one of those programs after three years of just above .500 football. Bit after another three? I don't see a nationwide audience caring much about us. So yeah, I think we're at a crossroads in our program's history. Right the ship and make it back to an ACCCG and the last three seasons were just a rebuilding period, just like what FSU went through when Bowden was forced out and Jimbo rebuilt the program. Continue to post 7 and 8 win seasons and hope for a second tier bowl, and we become just another ACC also ran. We haven't built the legacy to endure a protracted down period in the program. It's essential for us to return to form, as soon as we possibly can.
"But what have you done for me lately?"
There are two sides to this argument.
1. The ACC is best served by ensuring matchups of its premiere programs
2. VT deserves special consideration in scheduling
The latter is am entitled mindset, but you can argue 1 without supporting 2. In fact, you could argue that VT is in serious danger of losing its status as a premier ACC program.
BC was an ascendant program under Jagodzinski as coach and Matt Ryan under center. Matt went on to the NFL of course, but BC really shot itself in the foot with their mishandling of Jags talking to the Jets and the decision to promote Spaziani to head coach. However, now with a good head coach in Adazio, they might improve. It was not that long ago that they played in back to back ACCCGs. I'd welcome a return to prominence for them.
A QB WHO MOVED TO SAFETY, YOU SAY?
Remember that we were a bit of an afterthought when we joined the ACC, as the original driving force of ACC expansion was making FSU/Miami am ACC affair and adding the NY market through Syracuse. When Mark Warner (may his name be forever glorified by Hokies everywhere) went to bat for us, it changed the math a little and the ACC's answer was to just lump the two new guys together. We were going to be in the same division as UVA so we didn't have a natural Atlantic rival to pair against. Also, the ACC had no idea what they were getting with us. Had they known, I think we would have gotten a more premier cross-division rival.
FSU plays Clemson and Miami every year, as do we play Miami every year. So the only other thing that needs to happen is for us to get Clemson as our cross-division rival. The Georgia Tech-Clemson rivalry isn't an ACC institution like FSU/Miami, so it's not like we'd be going against history in trying to make the switch.
The shoulder stripes are my favorite uniform since I started at VT in 97. There's something about them that just kind of seems classic to me. But I think now would be a good time for a redesign, to give a visual cue to associate with the "rebirth" of Hokies football.
We've always had speed. If we get size and speed, we're going to hurt people.
True enough, and "burnt orange" is a pretty generic moniker. But "Chicago maroon" is actually named after the University of Chicago, so in that particular instance I'd say you'd have to be the same Pantone code to claim the name.
Granted, I'm splitting hairs.
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11 years 5 months
# | Bitter blog - 2014 in review: Tight ends rapidly became a focal point of the offense Maybe he's an...
We wear it better.
Just like my liver.
That's not irrational.
Is FSU/Miami even a ratings draw anymore? The ACC went to 12 teams during the Wide Right era, but lately I don't think it's been the anchor the ACC was betting on. I don't have the ratings numbers, but I'm confident saying it's definitely no OSU/Michigan or Iron Bowl in terms of audience draw.