I tell myself not to get too excited. When the Cavaliers had ACC showdowns with Miami and Florida State, I got swept up into the excitement around Grounds and truly believed Virginia would persevere in those huge conference battles.
Here I go again, considering every possible scenario for how the Cavaliers can finish out the season. And of course the one that reoccurs most in my mind is Virginia getting the BCS bid from the ACC and a trip down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I know it's unlikely and I should learn from the past, but when you attend college and you're always around other fans of the same team, it's impossible not to believe.
In all my scenarios, the good ones begin with defeating the Hokies next weekend at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, which is no easy task. Virginia Tech is 5-1 at home, defeating their opponents by an average of 40.8 points in their victories, including a 55-6 win over Maryland last Thursday.
"I thought it was one of the most awesome performances I'd seen in a long time," Virginia coach Al Groh said of the Hokies' win over the Terps.
In my best-case scenarios I'm also accepting the fact that Tech will have to beat the Hurricanes in Miami in two weeks for us to have a chance to go to the Sugar Bowl. But Miami has already proven their vulnerability this season with losses to North Carolina and at home to Clemson. (The other thought that I'm avoiding, however, is that assuming we do persevere in Blacksburg, we'll have to cheer for the Hokies the following week in Miami. I hope Mr. Jefferson would understand. I feel like that should be grounds for an honor offense, but somehow it seems allowed in this special circumstance.)
Don't forget how much this game and series means to Virginia Tech. All Tech has is football. We're better than them in virtually every other area: academics, basketball, soccer, school traditions, guy-girl ratio, campus location, the list goes on and on. Oh, and how can I forget mascot. Okay, a Cavalier might not be the ideal mascot, but a Hokie? It's a turkey for God sakes. That's just embarrassing. I can't imagine attending a school that has to cheer for a turkey. And their burgundy and orange colors don't go well together either.
It doesn't matter where you'll be Saturday or what family is in town, you have to watch this game because it doesn't get much better than this. A game against a hated in-state rival with ACC title hopes, Bowl Championship Series hopes and bragging rights for years to come are all on the line.
"The sole purpose for being in the conference is to try to win the conference championship," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "And in this particular year, because what's at stake is first place, you can't have a much bigger pot on the table than that."
So have a good turkey feast Thursday, but don't stuff yourself. Save some for the weekend because we're going to be feasting on more Hokie come Saturday afternoon.
Read More
Wrestling gets blown out 34-9 on long road trip to Stanford
By Ryan Weiner | 23 hours agoSolid performances from its most reliable trio were not enough for Virginia.
Freshman excellence powers No. 5 men’s tennis past Boise State, No. 19 Alabama
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayVirginia, unlike many other regional hosts, held serve as its quartet's top seed.
No. 1 women’s swimming and diving destroys No. 2 Texas
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayOnce again, Virginia has proven to be head and shoulders above other top programs.
