How do you go about choosing a Division 1 college team?

[Bearcat Bob 491]

Well there are other options...didn't Appy State go D-1?  Close by, good program.  ASU won in the Big House a while back.  Another option...James Madison University.  JMU will be going D-1 very soon.  They have already beaten the ACC champ a few seasons ago.  They are probably the best football program in VA at present.  Get in on the ground floor!

[Boomhauer 19]

On 8/24/2018 at 3:46 PM, UVAObserver said:

Sure thing.  Here’s my short pitch:

 

Being a Virginia fan is more than about following an athletic team.  It’s about embracing the culture.  It’s a culture that values the student-athlete, with each side of that hyphen meaning just as much as the other.  Virginia does not tolerate criminal activity or those who reflect poorly on the program.  Mike London might have been a poor football coach, but he did well at training men who are solid members of the community.  In many places, that would lead to borderline riot.  At Virginia, though we demand better performance, we respect the work he did in those players’ lives.  Bronco Mendenhall turns boys into men in a similar fashion (with greater coaching acumen).  Our fans may not outnumber fans from larger state schools (such as the one nearest us), but they are devoted, dedicated, and more realistic than most others.

 

As far as football, we are 3 years into a 5-year rebuild.  Mendenhall’s OC is Robert Anae, who runs an offense with Mike Leach “air raid” principles.  Problem is, our OL hasn’t been able to hold the blocks to execute it regularly.  When it does, you get this:

And now, we have speedy JUCO transfer Bryce Perkins behind center to execute some option styles (with an improved OL).  Interesting and exciting times ahead.

 

On defense, Mendenhall runs 3-4 and 3-3-5 bases with exotic blitzes.  UVA’s Pass D was 7th in the country last year.  However, the DL was 2-3 years away from being as he wants, so the Rush D was 101st.  The back 7 is promising this year, and is one of the best in the ACC.  The DL is equally as porous as last year, that is, should Ohio State transfer Dylan Thompson not be as advertised.  

 

We’re marching back to respectability, and I hope you join the ride!

 

I like this post, I'll definitely be following the Hoos a little closer this year to see how things go, I am a fan of their defensive scheme for sure.

[Boomhauer 19]

5 hours ago, Bearcat Bob said:

Well there are other options...didn't Appy State go D-1?  Close by, good program.  ASU won in the Big House a while back.  Another option...James Madison University.  JMU will be going D-1 very soon.  They have already beaten the ACC champ a few seasons ago.  They are probably the best football program in VA at present.  Get in on the ground floor!

Those are definitely different teams to consider. JMU is interesting, I wonder how they would perform at the FBS level.

[Ryan4VT 4,550]

13 hours ago, Bearcat Bob said:

Well there are other options...didn't Appy State go D-1?  Close by, good program.  ASU won in the Big House a while back.  Another option...James Madison University.  JMU will be going D-1 very soon.  They have already beaten the ACC champ a few seasons ago.  They are probably the best football program in VA at present.  Get in on the ground floor!

JMU will come up to FBS and get left in the dust. Just a middle of the road CUSA or FunBelt type team. They are successful in FCS, but I don’t think that constitutes “best football program in VA.” 

[swva_havok_fan 1,261]

4 hours ago, Ryan4VT said:

JMU will come up to FBS and get left in the dust. Just a middle of the road CUSA or FunBelt type team. They are successful in FCS, but I don’t think that constitutes “best football program in VA.” 

Yeah, Liberty pushed for years to go to FBS and to get into the Sun Belt and were repeatedly denied, so now they were granted the opportunity to move up as an independent.  Even though they have key wins in recent years, at Baylor, at App State (in a year when App State won the Sun Belt), it will probably be years before you see the Flames in a bowl game.

[swva_havok_fan 1,261]

On 8/24/2018 at 3:46 PM, UVAObserver said:

Sure thing.  Here’s my short pitch:

 

Being a Virginia fan is more than about following an athletic team.  It’s about embracing the culture.  It’s a culture that values the student-athlete, with each side of that hyphen meaning just as much as the other.  Virginia does not tolerate criminal activity or those who reflect poorly on the program.  Mike London might have been a poor football coach, but he did well at training men who are solid members of the community.  In many places, that would lead to borderline riot.  At Virginia, though we demand better performance, we respect the work he did in those players’ lives.  Bronco Mendenhall turns boys into men in a similar fashion (with greater coaching acumen).  Our fans may not outnumber fans from larger state schools (such as the one nearest us), but they are devoted, dedicated, and more realistic than most others.

 

As far as football, we are 3 years into a 5-year rebuild.  Mendenhall’s OC is Robert Anae, who runs an offense with Mike Leach “air raid” principles.  Problem is, our OL hasn’t been able to hold the blocks to execute it regularly.  When it does, you get this:

And now, we have speedy JUCO transfer Bryce Perkins behind center to execute some option styles (with an improved OL).  Interesting and exciting times ahead.

 

On defense, Mendenhall runs 3-4 and 3-3-5 bases with exotic blitzes.  UVA’s Pass D was 7th in the country last year.  However, the DL was 2-3 years away from being as he wants, so the Rush D was 101st.  The back 7 is promising this year, and is one of the best in the ACC.  The DL is equally as porous as last year, that is, should Ohio State transfer Dylan Thompson not be as advertised.  

 

We’re marching back to respectability, and I hope you join the ride!

 

 

14 hours ago, Boomhauer said:

I like this post, I'll definitely be following the Hoos a little closer this year to see how things go, I am a fan of their defensive scheme for sure.

Just be prepared that most days you wind up like this poor chap...

[Deleted Account 5,203]

1 hour ago, swva_havok_fan said:

 

Just be prepared that most days you wind up like this poor chap...

We have blown a large number of football games in mind-melting ways.  Most (not all) of those were defensive pants-crapping in situations where it’s harder to blow the lead than to retain it.  Here’s the short list this decade that comes to mind:

(1) Duke 2010

(2) Southern Miss 2011

(3) LA Tech 2012

(4) VT 2012

(5) Maryland 2013

(6) VT 2014 

(7) VT 2014*

(8) VT 2014*

(9) VT 2014*

(10) ND 2015**

(10) UNC 2015

(11) VT 2015

(12) UConn 2016

(13) Louisville 2016

(14) Miami 2017

(15) At least one in 2018, my bet is VT.

* - for emphasis

** - see above video

[Boomhauer 19]

The more news I read on Twitter about upcoming games, the more I dislike Tennessee fans for their irrationality.

[Boomhauer 19]

On 8/27/2018 at 3:03 PM, UVAObserver said:

We have blown a large number of football games in mind-melting ways.  Most (not all) of those were defensive pants-crapping in situations where it’s harder to blow the lead than to retain it.  Here’s the short list this decade that comes to mind:

(1) Duke 2010

(2) Southern Miss 2011

(3) LA Tech 2012

(4) VT 2012

(5) Maryland 2013

(6) VT 2014 

(7) VT 2014*

(8) VT 2014*

(9) VT 2014*

(10) ND 2015**

(10) UNC 2015

(11) VT 2015

(12) UConn 2016

(13) Louisville 2016

(14) Miami 2017

(15) At least one in 2018, my bet is VT.

* - for emphasis

** - see above video

I feel like there is something significant about UVA vs VT 2014?

[Deleted Account 5,203]

59 minutes ago, Boomhauer said:

I feel like there is something significant about UVA vs VT 2014?

Both teams were 5-6, so bowl eligibility was on the line.  We played in Blacksburg, on a frigid cold Black Friday night.  Virginia drove 89 yards in 10 plays to take a 20-17 lead with 2:55 remaining in the game.

 

Here’s how the next drive went:

(1) KO: touchback, ball at VT 25

(2) 1st-and-10: PF for roughing the passer (which was a borderline call that I disagreed with, but alas), ball at VT 40

(3) 1st-and-10: 50 yard pass to Bucky Hodges, ball at UVA 10

(4) 1st-and-10: 1 hard rush by Sam Rogers, ball at UVA 9

(5) 2nd-and-9: UVA pass interference, ball at UVA 4

(6) 1st-and-Goal: VT false start, ball at UVA 9

(7) 1st-and-GOAL: 9 hard TD reception by Bucky Hodges

 

Even after that catastrophe, Virginia drives to the VT 41 with :26 left.  Then, Matt Johns proceeds to eat 2 sacks on the final 3 plays of the game (with a false start sprinkled in) to end it.

 

That game was the entire Mike London era in a nutshell, and I for one and thankful it is over.

[Boomhauer 19]

55 minutes ago, UVAObserver said:

Both teams were 5-6, so bowl eligibility was on the line.  We played in Blacksburg, on a frigid cold Black Friday night.  Virginia drove 89 yards in 10 plays to take a 20-17 lead with 2:55 remaining in the game.

 

Here’s how the next drive went:

(1) KO: touchback, ball at VT 25

(2) 1st-and-10: PF for roughing the passer (which was a borderline call that I disagreed with, but alas), ball at VT 40

(3) 1st-and-10: 50 yard pass to Bucky Hodges, ball at UVA 10

(4) 1st-and-10: 1 hard rush by Sam Rogers, ball at UVA 9

(5) 2nd-and-9: UVA pass interference, ball at UVA 4

(6) 1st-and-Goal: VT false start, ball at UVA 9

(7) 1st-and-GOAL: 9 hard TD reception by Bucky Hodges

 

Even after that catastrophe, Virginia drives to the VT 41 with :26 left.  Then, Matt Johns proceeds to eat 2 sacks on the final 3 plays of the game (with a false start sprinkled in) to end it.

 

That game was the entire Mike London era in a nutshell, and I for one and thankful it is over.

That.. that is brutal. I don't recall that game. I would want London gone after mismanagement that bad. I hope that your VT friends weren't too harsh on you.

 

[Deleted Account 5,203]

33 minutes ago, Boomhauer said:

That.. that is brutal. I don't recall that game. I would want London gone after mismanagement that bad. I hope that your VT friends weren't too harsh on you.

London was the king of game mismanagement.  We lost the LA Tech game in 2012 because London sent out 12 players onto the field for a punt return with about 1:45 to go (when LA Tech couldn’t stop us in the 2nd half), the same drive as he earned a penalty for sending two players onto the field wearing the same jersey number.  

 

I didn’t catch a lot of flack for that one.  I didn’t in 2012 or 2015 either, because the Hokies knew we gift-wrapped those games for them.

[HurricaneWarning 212]

On 8/29/2018 at 9:56 AM, Boomhauer said:

The more news I read on Twitter about upcoming games, the more I dislike Tennessee fans for their irrationality.

What makes them irrational?

[Boomhauer 19]

5 minutes ago, HurricaneWarning said:

What makes them irrational?

Over confident may be a better term. They have the attitude that WVU is a pushover and that Tennessee should be favored in this game.

[HurricaneWarning 212]

2 minutes ago, Boomhauer said:

Over confident may be a better term. They have the attitude that WVU is a pushover and that Tennessee should be favored in this game.

I’m a Tennessee fan and I don’t think they should be favored at all. I do think that if they get a pass rush on Grier, it could be a good game. Tennessee should be able to run on WV, especially with their defense they have. 

[Boomhauer 19]

Just now, HurricaneWarning said:

I’m a Tennessee fan and I don’t think they should be favored at all. I do think that if they get a pass rush on Grier, it could be a good game. Tennessee should be able to run on WV, especially with their defense they have. 

I would say that you’re probably not in the audience I’m talking about. It’s just offputting for me to choose them as a team when parts of the fanbase are the way they are, and I know that they all have them but there seems to be a lot more with UT. But anyway, I think UT has a chance to win if they can keep WVU’s offense sidelined and control the pace. However, if WVU has it their way, it could be a long night for the Vols. Grier will dismantle that secondary

[Bearcat Bob 491]

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 6:21 AM, Ryan4VT said:

JMU will come up to FBS and get left in the dust. Just a middle of the road CUSA or FunBelt type team. They are successful in FCS, but I don’t think that constitutes “best football program in VA.” 

Of course you don't...because I didn't say VT was the best in VA!  Last time they played, JMU won (in Blacksburg) and VT won the ACC that year. So until VT shows they can beat the poor ol' Dukes...

The JMU powers that be are all in on football.  A few years after entering the FBS, they will be formidable, in my most humble opinion.  So why not get in early while the season tickets are reasonable and available?  UVA is just a soul crusher; VT and UT are wanna be's, "almost theres"; but in reality, neither will probably ever get into that elite level. But if having high expectations that go unmeet year in and year out, jump onto the UT or VT bandwagon..

[cavalieratmosphere 6]

For me, I break it up to the two football subdivisions: FBS and FCS.

 

For FCS, I'm a fan of JMU, because I originally planned on attending there, but ultimately didn't go in favor of Wise.

For FBS, I'm a bit unsure between UVA and VT. I tend to root for the entire athletic program, instead of just which university has the better team for each individual sport.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

15 minutes ago, cavalieratmosphere said:

For me, I break it up to the two football subdivisions: FBS and FCS.

 

For FCS, I'm a fan of JMU, because I originally planned on attending there, but ultimately didn't go in favor of Wise.

For FBS, I'm a bit unsure between UVA and VT. I tend to root for the entire athletic program, instead of just which university has the better team for each individual sport.

Historically, UVA’s athletic department wipes the floor with VT.  Currently, VT has drawn close to even, due to some lulls in UVA’s strong non-revenues sports.

[Ryan4VT 4,550]

3 hours ago, UVAObserver said:

Historically, UVA’s athletic department wipes the floor with VT.  Currently, VT has drawn close to even, due to some lulls in UVA’s strong non-revenues sports.

Close to even, huh? 

Back-to-back Commonwealth Clash trophies seem to think it's even, and maybe even tilted towards the good side of the state. 

[Deleted Account 5,203]

8 hours ago, Ryan4VT said:

Close to even, huh? 

Back-to-back Commonwealth Clash trophies seem to think it's even, and maybe even tilted towards the good side of the state. 

You tied in 2016-2017, and all because of a Men’s T&F DQ called by a VT coach far after the event had ended (a serious breach of etiquette in that sport, BTW), which threw the Men’s T&F title to VT.  We smoked VT in the NCAAs, for the record, finishing a program-best 3rd at the NCAA meet.  The tiebreaker was “total ACC titles”, which we actually won 4-3, but the Clash only counts sports in common between the schools (1-3).  Because your school fails to field a full compliment of sports, we got shafted yet again.  

 

Your only legitimate win in the history of your athletic department came in 2017-2018, mostly because VT won Men’s Tennis for the first time since I was a juvenile and because VT won Women’s Lacrosse for the first time since the creation of the sport.

 

I think “close to even” is maybe even a little too generous.

[Bearcat Bob 491]

8 hours ago, Ryan4VT said:

Close to even, huh? 

Back-to-back Commonwealth Clash trophies seem to think it's even, and maybe even tilted towards the good side of the state. 

 I guess he wasn’t talking about national titles?  But there is hope. Each year the odds increase that tech will hopefully maybe possibly win one.

[Boomhauer 19]

15 hours ago, Bearcat Bob said:

 I guess he wasn’t talking about national titles?  But there is hope. Each year the odds increase that tech will hopefully maybe possibly win one.

I love it. Give me the fodder.

[Bearcat Bob 491]

7 hours ago, Boomhauer said:

I love it. Give me the fodder.

VT has won exactly ZERO team national titles in any NCAA sport. UVA has won 25.  If you are looking for the most complete program...the numbers do not lie. 

[Ryan4VT 4,550]

5 hours ago, Bearcat Bob said:

VT has won exactly ZERO team national titles in any NCAA sport. UVA has won 25.  If you are looking for the most complete program...the numbers do not lie. 

#NoOneCaresAboutLAX #BoxingIsntASportAnymore