We move into the @AP_Top25 at No. 19 ✊ pic.twitter.com/5XHtnUqsgB— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 7, 2021
GO HOKIES!
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We move into the @AP_Top25 at No. 19 ✊ pic.twitter.com/5XHtnUqsgB— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 7, 2021
GO HOKIES!
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Let's go!!!!
HOKIES!!!
Time to prove that we earned it. The last decade has been marred by too many instances of making the voters regret ranking us shortly after they do so.
I'm struck by a quote from Fuente from his presser on Saturday when asked about the last big opening win against FSU a few years and NC State and how the team faltered in the weeks after:
I am paraphraising but basically "This team has nothing to do with those teams"
IF the Hokies can win the next 2, could make for an extremely interesting October
To stay ranked, you have to first be ranked. It doesn't mean much until five or six weeks in but if we do prove to be a top 25 team this year, I would rather VT show up on the polls the maximum number of times. The team is going to have to embrace the target that comes with it.
I'm fine with the ranking - it's good for perception for us to be ranked and in the conversation. It's where I believe we belong anyway. The first few weeks are meaningless but to your point, we need to learn to play with a target on our backs. If we come out and absolutely stomp MTSU that will be a step in the right direction.
I think I get what you are saying, but the mentality I would prefer is "COME AT ME!" I dont want a team that's constantly looking over their shoulders - I want a team that's constantly looking for a fight.
Alabama doesn't have any problem with that - they're still hungry - why can't we adopt that mentality regardless of ranking?
I think its just mincing words... I dont think they view it as a target on their back - i think they are legitimately always out there looking for a fight, and very rarely do they find themselves in one because they are always mentally ready for one.
Disagree. Seen videos of staff at Alabama preaching the "they don't believe in us spiel". Same with little ole Clemson. Every program drums that up.
Sure. Same with Ohio State.
"They don't believe we belong here." From all the teams that somehow end up there every year.
I mean, you are technically correct, but actually pulling off that mentality change has proven difficult across the spectrum of college sports history. Its one of the reasons that Saban is looked at as potentially the best of all time: He imbues his teams with that mentality.
Not saying we shouldn't do it also, but it is likely much harder done than said, even by good coaches.
"Potentially"? There's no debate
Coaching has to be part of it, but I think at least another part of it is that they churn elite athletes so effectively. The current crop of Bama starters haven't won a natty before, for the most part, so they still have something to prove. Most other teams can't survive that kind of turnover, but they can with the level they recruit at.
Similarly, I think the bama 2 and 3 deep is so competitive that if the starters don't perform consistently, there is a chance they get passed on the depth chart. They are a different machine given the coaching resources and talent pool they've assembled - and the fact that its been like that for 10+ years is pretty amazing.
I have a theory about this that I haven't researched. We have historically aimed to be televised as often as possible. In doing so, our crappy matchups historically fall to a snoozer nooner. It seems SEC teams more often play their cream puff schedule under lights. This week is an ACC streamer, why arent we playing in Primetime? I know we wouldnt get a UNC type atmosphere but it would have to help to have a day of tailgating to energize things. I may be off base and it may cost a lot of money, but just a thought.
SEC gets so many night games because of the parameters of their TV deals. CBS has the over-the-air rights. Up until the SECN launched a few years ago, CBS had the exclusive on SEC games at 3:30. So that means ESPN had the rights to anywhere from 6 to 12 games that they had to fit into either noon or primetime slots and they couldn't put any of them on ABC. That 3:30 exclusive window relaxed with SECN, and of course, in a few years, ESPN will have full control of SEC rights, so it won't matter.
VT has been part of TV deals where one or two entities controlled the entire package and didn't have any stipulations on network vs. cable or timeslots. The word from ESPN a few years ago was the reason that VT got so many noon games was because we got big ratings in those slots.
For streaming-only games, schools have control over the kickoff time. Weaver picked 1:30, and the story was to appease the 757 and 804 fans who wanted to make the game a day trip without having to get up too early or stay out too late. Whit asked the fanbase a few years ago and went with 3:30 for a while, but slid it back to 2, probably for similar reasons to Weaver.
For certain games, it doesn't matter how much time you have to tailgate beforehand, the crowd is only going to get but so pumped up.
You do know that VPIhokieME doesn't play for the team, right?
Stomp Middle Tennessee, then stomp every team after them.
a few rankings I have issues with:
- Iowa St. should have fallen further given the stinker they had this weekend
- Given the ineffectiveness on offense Clemson should have fallen a bit further (#10 is where I would put them)
- Coastal Carolina - congrats, you destroyed the Citadel. That doesn't warrant jumping 5 spots in the polls, especially when you allowed them to even get on the scoreboard.
Jaded me says look at the coming matchups:
Iowa vs Iowa St = top 10 match up for game day, Kansas vs Coastal espn top 25 march up.. Higher rankings =higher viewings for upcoming TV weekend.
I'm a cynical being.
So you are saying the Mouse is influencing the coaches rankings now too? He's in the pockets of the GAs that are filling out the coach's rankings?
Where do you think the coaches are getting their info from on the other teams?
No one is going to get buried just for getting shut down by Georgia, they've had maybe THE powerhouse defense for the last couple years. Also, Clemson didn't give up an offensive TD to Georgia. Given their history the past few years, it's not surprising they get the benefit of the doubt, and they probably should.
I think Clemson not giving up a TD on defense had more to do with Georgia's offensive gameplan which was unbelievably conservative. They had like their top 4-5 receiving options out or playing injured, and it was very clear they did not trust their WR's at all as a result. They didn't really test Clemson outside at all, and it allowed the Clemson defense to play a sandbox game where they basically didn't even have to defend the whole field.
They returned the entire secondary, minus their best corner who was actually playing for Georgia in this game, that got absolutely roasted and toasted all night by Ohio State, and which showed signs of being weak to the pass against BC, Notre Dame, and even UVA last year. Booth is a good player, but the rest of that secondary can be got at.
OT: Can anyone explain why UNC doesn't play Miami (and vice versa)? I thought every Coastal team played every other Coastal team, with some crossover games with Atlantic teams, changing over the years.
I think they play October 16th? I have the same understanding regarding coastal scheduling.
Umm, don't they play on 10/16 at Chapel Cheat?
Edit: Drinking.
UNC plays the candycanes on 10/16.
Edit: drinking 🍺
as far as I can tell they play on Oct 16th?edit: a minute late and a dollar short
10/16
edit:
Wow, 4 simultaneous drinks.
My blind eyes have enjoyed this thoroughly lol
I heard the play each other on October 16th. Can anyone confirm? Big if true
Ryan Willis may know the answer. I don't have Ryan's mobile number to ask him though. Does anyone know who his roommate may be? Maybe I could ask them to get ahold of Ryan for us.
21 in the Coaches Poll. I'm fine with both at this point particularly after a lot of the foreboding discussions last week, but as has been mentioned earlier the polls don't mean much until mid-season.
While your last line is true, it's also true that if you hope to be in the polls come mid season, it's certainly helpful to be in them after the first week.
Agreed. It's always better to be ranked than not ranked. I'm just trying to stay level about it. VT football roller coaster rides over the years have made me perma-woozy.
via GIPHY
UNC and Miami with the two biggest drops after week 1
So before I start, I didn't have Miami at number 14 in my mental top 25. HOWEVER, if you're gonna have them 14th, I dont think getting stomped by Alabama is reason enough to drop them as far as they did...it's Alabama, they stomp everyone outside of the top 3 teams in the nation.
The expectation was that Miami would keep the game close for at least a half, with Bama running away in the second half. I think that's a reasonable expectation of any legit top 20 team.
With the level Alabama is on right now, I'm not so sure that's a reasonable expectation currently
People always focus on this, but rankings should have NOTHING to do with "dropping" or "rising" x spots. The voters should be saying, "okay based on what I have seen so far this season, this is my order of the best teams." They should not be saying, "oh Miami lost to a good team, so let's only drop them 4 spots." That's not how rankings work. The number of spots you rise or fall is dependent on how far into the season we are, how the other teams looked, etc.
Thank you. This is especially true when we're basing the "dropping/rising" off of preseason rankings which were generated out of nothing.
(None of it means anything till like week 5 anyway. If I had an AP ballot I'd rank all the undefeated teams in alphabetical order till the end of week 4. Congrats Air Force.)
Miami's loss was a better performance than OU's and Iowa St.'s win
Of those still ranked. Others dropped farther, I think; LSU, Indiana, Washington
fair point
19 is the new 25!
Fun fact...we are the highest ranked, undefeated ACC team!
4 ranked ACC teams with a combined record of 1-3
#GOACC
Why can't we get a good TV deal? /s
#AllianceRespekt
4 ranked acc teams scored a whopping 26 points in the opening weekend of CFB
what's more impressive is that there are 3 ACC teams in the top 25 sitting on 0-1
ACC, we get quality losses now. What a smart move to combat the SEC
If someone calls a me a loser, I will quickly remind them that I'm a quality loser.
There was only 3 ranked ACC teams the first weekend. UNC, Miami, and Clemson.
It is funny that there are more ranked ACC teams this week than last week, after all three ranked ACC teams lost, and our combined record is 1-3 lol. One of those idiosyncrasies that makes college football so unique.
to be fair, there aren't that many undefeated ACC teams in general right now
Anyone notice how we're the only team on the AP Top 25 website without a logo/link to team info?
Valid complaint.
Must be run by a Hoo.
Well we used to be big on the internet while we were inventing the future, but now not so much
Maybe we were so busy inventing the future we forgot to put ourselves in it?