It may come as no surprise to most, but Virginia Tech once again defeated Virginia 37-7 Saturday in Blacksburg.
Rivalry games are a funny thing and past dominance is in no way an accurate predictor of future outcomes—just ask USC.
When it comes to UVA of course, they're still really, REALLY bad. In fact Saturday marked day 2,191 of Tech's continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup. The gap, or shall I say chasm between the two programs grew wider by the minute under former head coach Al Groh and new head man Mike London has his work cut out for him in the coming years.
The biggest thing London has in his favor is that he isn't Groh. That by default leads me to believe the Wahoos will improve during his tenure and that bodes well for the rivalry. One-sided affairs aren't fun after several in a row—just ask Notre Dame.
Ultimately, the only poor decision made by Tech yesterday was the choice to drink from that dirty ol' cup. And don't worry, it's just Gatorade, see?
Volnation.com is the place to go for independent Tennessee football and basketball coverage, message boards and the personification of the general ignorance of their entire fan base. However, it's been struggling to handle all the web traffic of the past few days.
The shocking resignation and hiring of Lane Kiffin at USC started the disaster. As students took to the streets, literally blocking Kiffin from leaving Tennessee's athletic complex for several hours until a police escort was put together, the internet ran wild with rumors.
So far, it would appear that Tennessee has been turned down by Texas defensive coordinator and "head coach in waiting" Will Muschamp and Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun.
There are plenty of rumors surrounding Mike Leach and David Cutcliffe, but my gut tells me UT will be reluctant about Leach, another high-profile, big-ego guy.
Most sources indicate Cutcliffe still doesn't have any interest in the Vols. You may remember they approached him last season, but he elected to continue building the Duke program. I can't see anything changing in one season, if anything Duke is a much stronger team and has a bright upside.
Here's a link to a Huffington Post article that includes some great pictures of the students and their handy work on one of those free expression rocks found on many campuses that students can repaint.
Also, word now is that my boy Al Groh is likely going to be the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins.
It's a big week for both programs as the Hokies take on their arch-rivals and Charlie Weis hopes to cling to his job as the Fighting Irish travel to battle a very solid Stanford team.
Brian and I both picked Stanford in that one and it certainly looks like the smart pick right now. We'll have to see just how much fight is left for the Irish.
Saturday, Tech will bid farewell to longtime friend of the program Al Groh who will likely be coaching his final game for the Wahoos. The Hokies should roll in front of mostly their own fans in Charlottesville, but anything can happen in the battle for the Commonwealth Cup.
It's going to be a great, busy week. I'll have quick picks up tomorrow.
You can thank that man (Timmy Tebow) for an excellent win, and me having an above .500 record this past weekend.
I personally am a big fan of Tim Tebow, even though he's overly perfect and I constantly have to hear about it, I'm glad Urban Meyer didn't get his brain smashed in down in Baton Rouge.
My overall record is now 21-19 and creeping ever so slightly towards respectability.
There's an excellent slate of games this weekend, but two of them feature the Irish and the Hokies so I won't pick them. Though Virginia Tech will win this weekend as opposed to my preseason prediction. Gah tech is not who I thought they were...preseason predictions are stupid.
No. 8 Cincinnati @ No. 21 South Florida
The 'Nati is just too good offensively for anyone else in the Big East. Tony Pike is a great QB. USF is coming off a win over Florida State, but who hasn't beaten them lately?
Cincinnati Wins
No. 20 Oklahoma @ No. 3 Texas
As I recall, this rivalry game is still played at the Texas State Fair and the classic Cotton Bowl. My heart says I hope Oklahoma wins, but my brain is telling me as usual that Texas is too good. Should be a nice game.
Texas Wins
Minnesota @ No. 14 Penn State
I'm almost contractually obligated to pick one questionable upset per week and this time I look to Happy Valley. Penn State just isn't very good. They've got talent, but outside the Big Ten and their embarrassing non-conference slate, the Lions rarely play anyone capable of proving how mediocre they are. Minnesota and wideout Eric decker are quite capable.
Minnesota Wins
Virginia @ Maryland
I chose this game because it's so damn difficult to pick. Both these teams are in the midst of miserable seasons that may well see both Al Groh and Ralph Friedgen unemployed at seasons end. UVA has won two in a row over really bad teams though, so why not make it three?
Virginia Wins
No. 22 South Carolina @ No. 2 Alabama
This looks like a carbon copy of the Alabama-Ole Miss game last week. On paper it should be close, but reality for these two teams is quite different. If the game were at home for the Gamecocks I'd give them more of a shot, but 'Bama is on a roll and shouldn't falter at home. Alabama Wins
So there are five picks. Remember to watch No. 25 Notre Dame and No. 6 USC at 3:30 on the Notre Dame Broadcasting Channel (NBC), then switch over to ESPN2 at 6pm to catch No. 4 Virginia Tech and No. 19 Georgia Tech.
Well I'm 5-2 this week and just an impressive finish by LSU away from 6-1. That was one of the most boring 20-14 games I've ever seen. Really brutal, physical football.
I didn't have a good feeling about the UVA-UNC pick. Virginia was poised to get out of their own way at some point. Carolina's offense is truly miserable. They won't win many more games without some production. Not more production mind you, any production. Hopefully that victory will help keep Al Groh around another season.
So my overall record now sits at 18-17. Still not very good but I think we can get on a roll now.
On a side note, The Notre Dame-Washington game was absolutely crazy, but the end of the broadcast really bothered me. Of course as we all know Jake Locker's (side note: I love me some Jake Locker) pass intended for D'Andre Goodwin at the last second was broken up by a sandwich-style hit from two Irish defenders. The hits were legal, I have no issue with that. It was just incredibly unfortunate that poor D'Andre was literally knocked stiff and the announcers barely made mention, instead choosing to focus on the Irish post game celebration. Granted Tom Hammond and Pat Haden are miserable announcers, I just thought that was a pretty inconsiderate move. Also, I don't think Jimmy Clausen really knows the words to his alma mater.
So we need a big week this time around and there's a very solid slate of games starting with an interesting Thursday night match up. I will give fairly careful consideration this time around. I'll at least take more than the thirty-seconds per game I took last week.
Colorado @ West Virginia
This sounds like a cool match up when you read it, but these two teams are certainly falling short of their collective reputations. I watched Colorado look completely incompetent against Toledo a few weeks ago and while they seem to have righted the ship a bit, there's bad trouble in Boulder. By the same token, the Mountaineers are reeling a bit after a tough loss at Auburn in their last outing. I think they've found a solid QB in Jarrett Brown and they'll really dig deep in the playbook tonight. West Virginia Wins
Virginia @ North Carolina
This one worries me. Neither team has any sort of offense whatsoever. the Cavaliers rank 113th in total yards while North Carolina is 106th. The final score in this one will probably be 10-6, and Carolina has a much better defense than the 'Hoos. What worries me is UVA considers UNC to be their "true" rival, probably because it's the only rival they can consistently beat. Since I was born in 1985 UVA is 18-5 against Carolina. With that said, this UVA team is really, really bad. This one will be close, no thanks to Al Groh.
North Carolina Wins
No. 4 LSU @ No. 18 Georgia
This is a very interesting match up. LSU is ranked a little too highly for my tastes. They have an excellent defense but I think their offense has some room for improvement. Georgia is flying under the radar somewhat as quarterback Joe Cox and wideout A.J. Green have developed a nice little rhythm. Home field is crucial and I like the hedges in this one by just a little bit.
Georgia Wins
No. 7 USC @ No. 24 California
After Cal thoroughly embarrassed themselves (and me for picking them) last week, I have a hard time justifying picking them again. Is that reason enough to pick against them? No, not really. I like Cal a lot. They have a classic stadium from 1923 that is still standing despite being built directly on top of the Hayward Fault (the fault line runs almost exactly from goalpost to goalpost). A 1998 seismic study considered the building and "appreciable life hazard" in the event of an earthquake. There's also a fine view of Strawberry Canyon from the stadium, which is just an awesome name. Man I like Cal.
USC Wins
No. 8 Oklahoma @ No. 18 Miami
After being thoroughly dressed down last weekend in Blacksburg, the media lovefest for Miami has died down to a whisper. The thing is, they're still good, they simply ran into a buzzsaw last time out. Oklahoma will still be without Sam Bradford, and while Landry Jones has played terrific for a freshman, he hasn't done it against any opponents of note. I like Miami to rebound at home in south Florida.
Miami Wins
Auburn @ Tennessee
Auburn has been impressive on offense and Tennessee has not. I actually like Lane Kiffin for some reason, but I don't think this first season is going to go particularly well. It hasn't hurt his recruiting though.
Auburn Wins
UCLA @ Stanford
This should be a good game. I like both of these teams, but I think Stanford has a few more weapons to work with (first time I've ever said that). It's shaping up to be a big season for the Cardinal.
Ugh. 3-5 was my total for this weekend's games. I told you something didn't feel right. I mean things were screwy all over the place. Notre Dame won but lost their best receiver Michael Floyd for the season. Elsewhere, Virginia Tech had less than 50 yards of total offense in the second half, then managed an 88-yard "drive" to beat Nebraska (Video below...thank you Danny Coale!).
I managed to get fooled into thinking Georgia Tech didn't suck. I love how after Miami thumped a lethargic group of Yellow Jackets, suddenly the "swagger" is back and "the U" jumped 11 spots in the media bowl. Give me a break. The football media has really been getting on my nerves this season, but more on that as the week progresses.
My overall season record now stands at a miserable 11-10. On the bright side, UVA still sucks. Thanks as always coach Groh!
This is really the only part of the Tech game you needed to watch. Absolutely one of the most exciting plays in Lane Stadium history. Here's the link as it will likely cut the video off. Pretty outstanding HD quality.
So I had to post this after seeing it just now. This is a great UVA "highlight" video from their opening losses to TCU and William & Mary (Go Tribe!). As my good friend Eric pointed out, after four years at Virginia Tech and this being his first semester at William & Mary Law School, his school has still never lost to UVA in football.
I've got a strange feeling about this weekend. Things are too quiet. I sense turmoil brewing, probably because No. 19 Nebraska at No. 13 Virginia Tech will only be viewed by about 16% of the country. We aren't getting the weekend's only top 25 match up here in New York, so we had to order ESPN GamePlan. Bastards. Something's afoot though, we'll see if it's reflected in my picks.
No. 14 Georgia Tech @ No. 20 Miami
Georgia Tech ran for a crazy amount of yards on the 'Canes last season, and I don't really see any reason why they can't repeat that. Miami is much improved, but I'm not putting too much stock in their Labor Day win over Florida State, because FSU sucks (more on that later). Look for the option to run wild in Miami, no doubt the least important "home field advantage" in sports. Miami fans are terrible and often fail to show up. I've seen it first hand.
Georgia Tech Wins
East Carolina @ No. 24 North Carolina
I thought UNC would be much improved this season, but after what I saw from them in their 12-10 win over UConn, I'm not sold. I had the Pirates in an upset over WVU which didn't pan out, but I've got a better feeling this time around.
East Carolina Wins
Louisville @ Kentucky
I don't think either of these teams are particularly good despite being 1-0. But of course it's a rivalry game so it should be close and hard-fought. Kentucky shut out a Miami (OH) team that has yet to score on offense this season and Louisville only beat Indiana State by 20 points.
Kentucky Wins
Virginia @ Southern Miss
I feel like this one is kind of cheating, but it's too tempting to pass up and I wanted an excuse to post that video. Virginia is just awful. I'm not just saying this as a Hokie. Watching part of the UVA-TCU debacle showed me that the 'Hoos just don't have much going in their favor. The spread offense appears to be a disaster and the only real question in Charlottesville is does Al Groh get fired now or at the end of the season?
Southern Miss Wins
Arizona @ Iowa
Iowa has had their share of adversity early in the season, losing running backs to injury and nearly losing their opener to FCS opponent Northern Iowa. Ricky Stanzi is a good quarterback though and he gives the Hawkeyes a chance. Arizona has posted some good early season stats and beat a good Central Michigan team in the opener.
Arizona Wins
Florida State @ No. 7 BYU
Florida State couldn't stop Miami if they wanted to on Labor Day, and they struggled to stop Jacksonville State in their last outing. FSU just isn't very good at all and now there are reports trickling out of Tallahassee saying there is unrest among the players, with some negative feelings directed at the coaching staff. The 'Noles are going to get embarrassed in this one, at home no less.
BYU Wins
Navy @ Pittsburgh
It's no secret to frequent readers that I like Navy and their offense. Pitt looked good against Buffalo, but I'm not sure how they'll defend the tricky offense of the Midshipmen. Navy Wins
Northwestern @ Syracuse
This is it folks. This is the week that Syracuse breaks into the win column. The Orange probably should have won their opener, and didn't fare too badly last week against Penn State in Happy Valley. I think Greg Paulus will have a break out game and 'Cuse will scratch one out against the Wildcats.
Oh Al Groh, that NFL savvy architect of the budding (any time now) football dynasty at the University of Virginia. While Al takes breaks from ironing his sweatshirt to continue to recruit and scheme for the 2010 national championship run that he's been building towards for nearly a decade, his team has become the worst in the ACC football conference. After losing to an up-and-coming Duke squad (that's the only non-sarcastic part of this post) this past Saturday, the 'Hoos look to rebound against a surprisingly game looking Maryland squad.
The website linked below was started by some Hokies. The aptly named, "Dontfirealgroh.com" pokes fun at one of the easiest targets in college football. Since his hiring as UVa's head football coach in 2001, Groh has helped to insure that Virginia Tech has a lockdown on recruiting in the Commonwealth of Virginia and on good football. His help will not soon be forgotten.
The website is now set up like Facebook, the comments Al's "friends" leave him are great. For example after being fired by the Oakland Raiders today, the fake Lane Kiffin had this...
Lane Kiffin Wrote: Hey, quick question...may seem out of the blue. Just out of curiosity, would you mind emailing me the dimensions of your office? Thx.
