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Haha, same for Virginia. We beat D-II Carson-Newman 124-65. You gotta watch out for those Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, man! Now, I've got some beachfront property in Kansas I'll try to peddle...

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I disagree in part. There is a good deal of overlap, especially among class A and AA in West Virginia and Virginia, if you go strictly by school enrollment. AAA may be a stretch, given some of the extremely large high schools in Northern Virginia and the Tidewater Region. [/ QUOTE ] you cant look at enrollments in wv and va at face value. enrollments in wv are 9-11 and enrollments in va are 9-12. to classify a wv team in va, you have to add another third i.e. a team in wv with 500 enrollment would have approximately 667 in va to classify a va team in wv, you have to subtract a fourth i.e. a team in va with 600 enrollment would have approximately 450 in wv. [/ QUOTE ] Fair enough. I did not know that; you learn something new everyday! However, under your system, there still is considerable overlap between the sizes in A and AA. It's been a while since I've examined this in detail, but in Virginia, special exemptions excepted, A goes to around 650, AA goes to around 1400, and AAA is anything above that. Again, I know there are schools bigger and smaller on both sides of all three classifications, but this is a rough estimate. Using your math on this scale (adding 1/3 for WV to VA, and subtracting 1/4 for VA to WV), there is a good deal of overlap until the far upper reaches of AA and beyond. Below that, I don't see how you can't compare them equally.

How true that is. Gardner-Webb, of all teams, just took 22nd-ranked Kentucky to the woodshed on their own floor to the tune of 84-68. In a separate note, Connecticut barely escapes Morgan State, 69-65. Surprising results GALORE!

I disagree in part. There is a good deal of overlap, especially among class A and AA in West Virginia and Virginia, if you go strictly by school enrollment. AAA may be a stretch, given some of the extremely large high schools in Northern Virginia and the Tidewater Region.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] its not even worth it to try to to defend it. We can beat any local va teams @##$ on a consistent basis if they had the guts to play us and they will always say VA ball is better. TOTAL MORONIC STATEMENTS. I'd love to see any of youyou local VA teams play wayne, james monroe, parkersburg, wheeling central, martinsburg, morgantown, yada yada yada. Let the tidewater area continue to carry you. And win your region 4 section 6 class a subdivision p championships. [/ QUOTE ] Its OK guys let em vent... I would prob be upset if I wasn't a beaver too... long story short Bluefield beat every VA team that had the guts to play us... but you are totally right we could never ever ever hang in VA...??? haha thanks for the good laughs!!! [/ QUOTE ] Against Virginia A and AA teams? Of course. Against Virginia AAA teams? Probably not good ones, and certainly not great ones.

What an *impressive* margin of victory, especially over a team the Spartans should beat by 45. Shouldn't they be able to fall in the polls for this nonsense? I think so!

[ QUOTE ] Here's Stewart Mandel's reasons for his predictions: [ QUOTE ] Q: Isn't the Rose Bowl supposed to match the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions? Why on earth do you have a Big East team (West Virginia) there??? A: If it were solely up to the Rose Bowl, there would in fact be a Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup in Pasadena every year, as was the case for more than half a century (1947-2001). However, in the age of the BCS, if the Rose Bowl loses one of the two leagues' champions to the national title game (like, theoretically, No. 1 Ohio State), the team it chooses as a replacement must be ranked in the top 14 of the BCS standings. It appears unlikely at this point that Michigan, were it to lose its final game to the Buckeyes, would qualify as such, and even if it did, the Rose Bowl would have a hard time justifying an Oregon-Michigan rematch if the Ducks win the Pac-10 [/ QUOTE ] He also has Tech way down in rank in the ACC. He explains that one too. [ QUOTE ] Q: Have you lost your mind, Mandel? You think Virginia Tech is going to finish fifth in the ACC????? The Hokies are way better than Clemson, Virginia ... A: I can't emphasize this point enough -- outside of the BCS, bowls DO NOT HAVE TO PICK IN ORDER OF CONFERENCE STANDINGS. Here's a point-by-point breakdown of how I arrived at the Virginia Tech-Music City Bowl projection: • I have Boston College winning the ACC championship and going to the BCS. • The Chick-fil-A Bowl, which has second pick, just hosted the Hokies last season. Clemson, due to its close proximity and reputation for fan travel, would be an ideal fit here if the Tigers finish at least 9-3. • If we're assuming the Hokies play in the ACC title game, then their fans would have just traveled to Jacksonville a month earlier and would be unlikely to return in droves. The Gator Bowl will want to avoid this after its experience with Georgia Tech last season. The choice here is Virginia -- the Cavaliers fans are enjoying their best season in years. • Finally, we come to the Champs Sports Bowl. Here, I have to admit: I messed up. The Orlando game would presumably kill to host Florida State, which, at the time of these projections, was coming off a big win over BC; however, I failed to notice that FSU, at 3-3 in the ACC, is two games behind the Hokies (4-1) in the conference loss column. By ACC rules, Champs Sports would be obligated to take Virginia Tech. (As you can see, I myself get confused about all this from time to time.) [/ QUOTE ] There's an explanation to some questions brought up here. Take it for what it is. [/ QUOTE ] At least Mandel has some justification for his questionable picks. I disagree on his rationale, however. First, regarding Clemson. They are 7-2 (4-2) at the moment. They have two remaining ACC games, Wake Forest and Boston College, then travel to South Carolina. I definitely see them losing to Boston College. Wake Forest is a scrappy team that could put an upset on Clemson; however, when it boils down to it, I see Clemson winning. The game against South Carolina is interesting; given the strength of competition in the SEC, and the absolutely awful out-of-conference schedule Clemson has played, I will favor the Gamecocks here. That puts Clemson at 8-4 (5-3). Boston College will likely win out, with games at Maryland, at Clemson, and against Miami. Virginia Tech has a fairly good chance to win out to "The Showdown", making them 6-1 by the conference title game. Virginia has a fairly good chance of beating Miami this weekend (the Florida curse excepted), especially with Kyle Wright playing at about 75% on a bummed knee. If this happens the winner of the Virginia Tech-Virginia game will have a conference record of 7-1. Boston College will also have a conference record of 7-1. The loser of the ACC title game will have a conference record of 7-2. Here is where Mandel is at fault, I believe. Implicit in his column is the bowl selection rules I mentioned earlier, stating that a team cannot leapfrog another when the difference in conference standings is more than 1 game. The difference for the loser of the ACC title game here is 1.5 games, more than the rule allows. Given my scenario above, which I believe is likely, the loser will be pretty much forced into the Peach Bowl. I just hope, if Virginia loses "The Showdown", Clemson wouldn't jump Virginia for the Gator Bowl, similar to 2002. Hoo fans are still steamed over that. Second, Virginia Tech. Given my scenario above, it is likely that Virginia Tech could finish with either a 6-2 or 7-2 conference mark. With a 7-2 mark, Virginia Tech is headed to the Peach, unless Virginia would leapfrog them at 6-2, and that would be unlikely. The following scenario applies for 6-2. The Tire Bowl is for the ACC's 5th-6th-7th ranked teams. In the Coastal Division, no one will be able to jump them if Virginia Tech loses "The Showdown". In the Atlantic, a few teams might. With a 6-2 finish, Clemson could possibly jump Virginia Tech at 5-3. The same would apply to Wake Forest at 5-3 in-conference, with a loss to Clemson and a victory over NC State. Florida State would be 4-4 in conference with a loss to Virginia Tech, so that's it. The teams remaining, in a worst-case scenario for Virginia Tech, that could leapfrog them would be: Clemson and Wake Forest. In this scenario, Boston College is in the Orange and Virginia is in the Peach. Virginia Tech has already beaten Clemson, and quite handily. It is theoretically possible for Virginia Tech to get shafted, and that's what it would be, shafted. However, I see Virginia Tech, with a loss in "The Showdown", with its fanbase known for traveling very well, going back to the Gator Bowl. I could see Clemson then in the Champs Sports Bowl, with Wake Forest in the Tire Bowl (given its penchant for taking North Carolina teams when possible). That's how I see it running down. I just disagree with Mandel's analysis.

If West Virginia does in fact make it to the Rose Bowl, I give you the honor to call me out on it, and I'll admit that I'm wrong. Sounds good to me.

Can you back that up at all? I don't see an effort on your behalf to reproduce any of my previous posts in an effort to show that my research has been a crock of manure, as it were. I've given you solid evidence stating that these bowl projectionists do little if any research regarding the teams themselves and their future opponents, and you give me back a teenage retort. Since you obviously have no basis on which to back it up, you're basically saying that: "I have nothing else to say, I concede the argument, but let me get one last parting shot before we end the discussion". I can live with that.

Will not happen. 1. Your proposed "experts" on ESPN also have Clemson going to either the Peach or the Gator Bowl. Clemson has a VERY realistic chance of ending up 4-4 in conference (games against Wake Forest and Boston College to go), and given bowl selection rules that I have seen (that a team can only jump another for a bowl selection if the conference win-loss total is within one game of the other team), Clemson would be unable to jump into the top 2-3 in the bowl bids for the ACC, unless the wacky 3-way tie at 5-3 played out in the Coastal Division. Even then, the Gator and Peach bowls would snub Clemson. I mention this, insofar as the same "experts", err...ding-dongs, are picking West Virginia for the Rose Bowl. They put honestly very little foresight into this. 2. Pertaining to your specific article by Stewart Mandel, this guy is equally as wacky in his projections. He has Virginia Tech as the FIFTH-RANKED TEAM IN THE ACC. Let that sink in. I would love to have whatever this guy is injecting/smoking/drinking, because there is a slim-to-none chance that Virginia Tech will lose out in order to accomplish this practical impossibility. Likewise, he also has Clemson in the Peach Bowl, which is highly improbable, given the situation I listed earlier. In conclusion, while yes, some people are predicting West Virginia going to the Rose Bowl, these same people have absolutely HORRENDOUS bowl projections elsewhere. These people fail to do adequate research, or else they would see such glaring inconsistencies. Therefore, I honestly believe their work cannot be trusted, as I have produced examples that obviously question their analysis. In turn, their projection of West Virginia in the Rose Bowl is a crock of manure.

[ QUOTE ] First of all, anyone can ramble on about how either conference is better. Fieldgeneral, if you want to make a point back it up with FACTS. I think i proved which conference plays the tougher teams and which one is stronger. Until you quit rambling on about things that arent factual your argument is not valid. If you believe the Big East is better then prove it with facts, not opinions. Until you can find stats that prove me wrong, the ACC is a better conference than the big east. END OF DISCUSSION. [/ QUOTE ] You're exactly right. Fieldgeneral just likes to flame, and seldom if ever provides insightful commentary to any subject he/she posts on. It would be better to ignore him/her.

[ QUOTE ] alright i will stop, I wish the rivalry was continued though provided great trash talking yearly for these teams. It was a shame the series had to end. I am hoping tech makes it to orange bowl...and wvu wins out...However if Ohio state wins out..rose gets first pick and says they are going to take wvu if available....personally I would like to go to orange and take on the hokies. [/ QUOTE ] It is doubtful at best that the Rose Bowl would take West Virginia with its first choice. I give a few reasons. First, you are assuming that West Virginia wins out. It's likely, but you fail to recognize that West Virginia still has to play a good Cincinnati team in Cincinnati, and a solid Connecticut team in Morgantown for the Big East title. You've said over and over that these teams aren't that good. Well, I could say that the New England Patriots stink until I'm blue in the face, but that doesn't change the fact that they are incredibly good. Cincinnati and Connecticut are solid teams; Connecticut has one loss by one point on the season, and Cincinnati handled South Florida, who just by chance handled West Virginia. It's not automatic. Second, for argument's sake, let's assume Ohio State and LSU win out. Oregon has the Pac-10 spot wrapped up. The Big XII presents a problem here. You have three teams with one loss or less: Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Kansas and Missouri play each other. Three scenarios arise that present problems for West Virginia. One, and the most problematic, if Kansas wins, and then Oklahoma wins in the Big XII title game, you have a one-loss Kansas team who has enough heft on the schedule to edge out West Virginia. Two, if Kansas or Missouri wins in the Big XII title game, you have a solid, two-loss Oklahoma team who has played a tough schedule, and could perhaps win the nod over West Virginia (see LSU last year). Three, if Missouri, a solid team with a very good quarterback in Chase Daniel and favorable national exposure, beats Kansas and loses against Oklahoma, this team has two losses and might take precedence over West Virginia. Third, if Hawaii wins out, with games against Boise State and Washington still to go on the schedule, the Warriors may just crack the top 12 in the BCS, and would be forced into one of the Big Four. The obvious solution? Send them to Pasadena, which is nearest to Hawaii, so the fans could travel much easier and so there is regional interest in the game, by associating Hawaii with the west coast. Fourth, the Orange Bowl has an affinity for taking Big East teams, so much so that many refer to the Orange Bowl as receiving the Big East's champion. The bowls themselves will talk amongst each other; it would be nonsense to say that the bowls would not keep correspondence with each other regarding potential bids extended. Therefore, the Rose Bowl would likely take a team from a more solid conference, and would likely keep West Virginia back east. Saying that the Rose Bowl would definitely take WVU is far too general a statement, with little to back it up. I honestly don't see it.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] STOP THE PRESSES! What current top 25 team has anyone in the big east beaten!?! UCONN- NONE Syracuse- None WVU-None Pitt-None Louiville-none rutgers-none Cincy-none south florida- WVU thr big east has one win against current top 25 oppponents. VT has beaten Clemson. BC has beaten VT UVA has beaten Uconn, FSU has beaten BAMA and BC NC State has beaten UVA GT has beaten Clemson Thats 7 to 1. WVU has zero wins over top 25 teams. Now, who has to prove themselves? I dont think VT does... [/ QUOTE ] That is pretty convincing. [/ QUOTE ] Yes, it is extremely convincing. Very nice research to dig those stats out. For the second time, I beg, let's stop it now. Both conferences have their merits. Let's not go down this road again.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Remember the big east was 5-0 in bowl games last year including wins over the ACC;s top two teams....Wvu has the #4 defense this year with a great offense and too much speed for tech...u saw what fsu did to bc because bc is sooo slow...don't get too excited about uva not that good,yes they beat uconn but wvu will murder uconn...I will throw these stats out there as well..wvu leads tech series 28-23-1, tech has never won back to back bowls ( 2 straight for some of you), wvu has a better winning percentage in bowl games (both are not good), sorry wvu would run past tech this year could almost be as ugly as lsu....remember tech has a little league offense and a big league (except for lsu) defense. [/ QUOTE ] remember when WVU lost 8 straight bown games? You wanna talk bowls? how bout the fact that VT has been to 14 STRAIGHT BOWL GAMES...Im pretty sure VT has the overall record in the last 10-15 games against WVU... And who has WVu tested their defense against? Total Offense USF-49th Marshall- 54th ECU- 69th MAryland- 103rd Rutgers- 16th... without a healthy QB WEstern Michigan- 71st Miss. St - 114th Syracuse- 116th [/ QUOTE ] Virginia Tech more than has the edge against West Virginia. Since 1990, Virginia Tech is 11-5 against the Mountaineers, which is fairly impressive. Also, your second point is very valid. Again, West Virginia fans who think UConn will be a pushover are in for QUITE the surprise...

Let's not go down this road again. West Virginia-Virginia Tech would be highly contested. I'm sure I'll repeat this multiple times. In terms of the Big East, the only team undefeated in conference play is Connecticut, whom Virginia beat. West Virginia fans ought to worry about going through them rather than pondering a fictitious matchup with Virginia Tech. Frankly, it's a dogfight for 5th and 6th between the Big East and the ACC in terms of the 6 power conferences.

[ QUOTE ] im the guy on the team that will beat richlands, im also the guy who most likely has a better life than you, and let ME guess youre the guy who thinks high school basketball is the nba and you are dwayne wade,, and youre probably the guy who is really self concious of himself and to compensate for that he tries to talk crap to ppl on message boards, and just guessing you most likely dont have a girlfriend, haha but its all good playboy you just keep doing your thing, youre a baller haha,, ohh and one more guess, you probably havent been educated much in grammar lol [/ QUOTE ] There are many, many things wrong with this post. I will just address one. There were twenty-six grammatical errors in this last post. Twenty-six, mind you. Run-on sentences, improper punctuation, incorrect capitalization, and incorrect spellings highlight this list. Considering that this was the least egregious of your statements, I'd stick to lurking if I were you. If this is just two people having fun, then disregard this post. Everyone have a nice day.

Very interesting analysis. To the first point, I totally agree. A 10-win season (which would be just the second in Virginia history), given the talent that Virginia has, makes Groh definitely deserving of that. To the second point, that all depends on how the rest of the ACC conference season turns out. Given the schedule, and who should beat who, the teams that would be bowl eligible are: Virginia Tech Virginia Georgia Tech Boston College Wake Forest Clemson Florida State I am not counting Miami yet, since a loss at Virginia, coupled with games at Virginia Tech and at Boston College, could make for a 5-7 season. 6-6 is very possible, however. Oddly enough, NC State may crack bowl eligibility at 6-6, with a 4-5 record and games remaining against North Carolina and Maryland. I see Maryland ending up at 5-7 or worse, with games against Florida State, Boston College, and NC State remaining. Barring a miracle, North Carolina is done. Winning out would put them at 6-6, but games against NC State and Georgia Tech do not bode well. Duke is almost a certain win, though. I see 4-8, perhaps 5-7. The ACC has 8 sure bowl bids. There are seven teams already assured of bowl eligibility. Honestly, I think either Miami or NC State has the best chance of joining them, but likely, only one will, and I'm leaning toward Miami. That's the 8 teams. With a 2-4 conference record so far, Georgia Tech has assured itself of San Francisco or Boise. That much is fairly certain. The rest is a virtual scrum right now. Next week, this picture will get a little bit clearer. With respect to Virginia, they are the only team so far with 5 conference wins, and that's a product of not having a bye-week until the week of November 17th. The Miami game is interesting, really. In one account, Virginia is assured of playing for a birth to the ACC title game against Virginia Tech. In another, a win greatly enhances bowl position. Six conference wins at the minimum, and I see the Champs Sports Bowl (ACC-4th) as as the absolute worst scenario. The Gator Bowl would be most likely, in my opinion. Two losses, and I see the Music City Bowl, with 5-3 in the conference. Another week will make this a lot clearer.

I have never said this about any other professional football team, but I have a gut feeling that the Patriots will go 19-0 this year. Even when they do leave Indianapolis a chance to win with uncharacteristically poor play, the Patriots still find a way to win. I honestly think Bill Belichick is far too arrogant to rest his players in the closing weeks of the season if the Patriots move into the 12-0 and 13-0 range (by this time, they will have the AFC East signed, sealed, and delivered). He's taken the media treatment this season as a personal affront to him, and I'm certain he will relish the opportunity to shove it in their faces.

That is indeed true. Virginia has: 1. Never beaten Florida State in Florida 2. Never beaten Miami in Florida 3. Lost in the 1990 Citrus Bowl to Illinois 4. Lost in the 1991 Gator Bowl to Oklahoma 5. Lost in the 1995 Carquest Bowl to Miami 6. Lost in the 1999 MicronPC Bowl to Illinois I reckon this similar to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' streak of never winning when the temperature at gametime was below 40, then absolutely crushing the Bears in 2002. Perhaps Virginia can put up a similar effort against Miami this weekend.

I would love to see Virginia win its first ever game in the state of Florida. I think Virginia Tech will take care of business against the Florida schools. Miami looks like a dead man walking right now; the win against Florida State was their only one since the first of October (the losses to North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and NC State in the process). Florida State had their characteristic "one game per year where everything clicks" (since about 2004, anyway) last week against Boston College, and I expect them to come out flat in Blacksburg, one place where you can't be flat and win. Two 9-2 teams would be just fine with me.

There's absolutely no doubt that those two teams are the two best in the National Football League right now, much less the AFC. Indianapolis is a fantastic team, but New England did what great teams, and champions, do: they found a way to win, regardless of the circumstances. Incredible game...the best professional game I've seen this year.

I think it's fair to say that this game has lived up to all the billing, so far.

Agreed. May the best team win in 19 days!

Sloan's a fantastic coach who has missed the playoffs just once in two decades, in the Western Conference, no less. He does more with less it seems, and that's why I see the Jazz that high. The Hawks are the "team who sneaks in" to me. They're young, with good, solid talent. True, it is a long season, and almost as long a postseason.

What is hilarious, is that Michigan State was ranked 8th in the preseason AP Poll. Incredible upset, though the Big 10 is frankly weak and grossly overhyped, in my opinion. See the ACC-Big 10 challenge for evidence. I'm happy to see Bluefield College do that well against Auburn. A gritty performance for a team that many wouldn't expect to keep the game close. I tip my cap to the smaller schools.