Running 2011 Bowl Season Thread- Match-ups on Page 1

I disagree that VT wasn't expected to do much. They were 13th in the preseason AP poll and were 11th before the bowls. That's pretty accurate.

And while Beamer may have soft-pedaled things regarding Thomas, he was the only one. He was touted as the next Cam Newton before he started a game.

Can't disagree with anything else you said, though. The Hokies definitely outplayed Michigan. I think you're right about Miami and FSU, as well as UNC, although the NCAA could still take some of the wind out of their sails.

 

I think the preseason rank was based on reputation more than anything ... internally, though, lots of the fans/alums I know weren't expecting a whole lot out of this season, aside from a trip to the ACC title game.

The expectations will be very high next season, even with the departure of the two receivers, who put up big numbers but aren't irreplaceable. The defense will still be good. And another running back will emerge if Wilson leaves (and I think he will). The schedule again won't be anything to write home about -- at Pitt, Cincy at FedEx, Bowling Green, Austin Peay (ugh). But Tech does get the two big Coastal contenders -- UVa and GT -- at home.

Cranium, I won't argue against you on this. Tech has had multiple opportunities to pull off big wins in recent years and has choked down the stretch each time -- Alabama, Boise State, Michigan all come to mind. People are starting to get a little antsy with Beamer. He's an icon, but there's a large chunk of the fan base that feels Tech can't go any further under Beamer.

 

To those fans (I'm assuming you're not one of them) I'd say "Careful what you wish for." I remember thinking the game had passed George Welsh by. Then Al Groh dug the Hoos into a deep hole.

Having said that, I'm well aware that those fans aren't making the decisions and that Beamer is staying until he wants to leave. Taking a program from an independent afterthought to the cusp of the national elite gets a guy that kind of job security.

As an aside to another part of your post, I'm damn glad to see Danny Coale use up his eligibility. That guy absolutely MURDERED UVa. Maybe it's because he wanted to go there but didn't impress Groh enough to get an offer.

 

My VT-trashing aside, I still think you have to go with the devil you know there. It's not like Beamer's only been tossing out 8-4 season after 7-5 season lately.

 

I agree, Circus. Running Beamer out of town isn't going to solve anything, and the only "upgrades" in the eyes of fans would be people that would have no interest in coming to Blacksburg (i.e., Saban, Miles, Stoops, Meyer). Personally, I'd like to see Shane Beamer take a head coaching job somewhere and cut his teeth, because I think he's Frank's successor at Tech, not Bud Foster. By the time Frank retires, Bud is going to be in his 60s.

 

I think people are looking at the AQs the wrong way.

So the ACC may not deserve an automatic bid. The Big East may not. Does the Big Ten? Does the Pac-12?

Does it matter? We don't want to replay the SEC season in the bowls. We don't even want to play an SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Even if we're lining up the Big East champ for a 54-23 loss, it's preferable.

My point is this -- perhaps the most appealing thing about the bowl season is seeing matchups you wouldn't see any other time. So I don't care if the Mountain West is 5-17 in BCS bowls (made that up). I'd like to see what their champion in any given year can do against one of the "name" schools.

 

Both of those are awesome.

 

I honestly think that the ACC has just gone through a decade where its best programs have been way down because of either transition from a fading Icon to a new era (FSU) NCAA issues (Miami) or poor coaching hires (Clemson).

I think it is just a down cycle.

FSU appears ready to go - they have 18 of 22 coming back, the defense should be back to what FSU defenses had been in the 1990's and the offense should improve as well as long as the QB is healthy.

Miami is a few years still but has the right coach to bring that program back.

And Clemson's success should lead to better recruiting classes and this could be the start of a run for the Tigers as well.

And then you look at UVA is improving, NC State seems to be improving finally, UNC seems to have hired a pretty good coach - and all of the sudden the league looks like it could be on the move forward into the next decade.

The Big East's future is a little more murky because they just don't know what their membership really is for the long term with teams like UConn, Rutgers and Louisville still looking to jump somewhere else.

 

The ACC has to start winning big games. The best OOC win for this conference as a whole the last few years is something like either Miami/Oklahoma 2009 or Georgia Tech/Georgia 2008.

 

Ahem.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312530084