From where I'm sitting, it's probably a good thing my beloved Virginia Tech Hokies dashed their own National Title hopes the first week or so of the season. When they lost the opener to Boise State, in heartbreaking fashion, their title hopes were pretty much over. When they followed that loss up with an embarrassing defeat at the hands of FCS foe James Madison five days later, that sealed the deal. I was like "Well, there's always next year!" It could be easy for me to say they shoulda beaten Boise St. or they shouldn't have lost to JMU. But now, at the end of the College Football regular season, I am glad as hell that the Hokies did not go undefeated. I am happy as a clam that they finished the season 11-2, with an 11-game winning streak.
People may wonder "Scott, why would you ever wish for your favorite team in all of sports to lose any games?" Well, it's not like I WANTED them to lose a game or two, especially as the game is going on. What kind of fan would I be if that were the case. But what I am talking about has to do with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings, you know that computer system that determines who will go to the National Championship game. I look at it this way: If the only thing that was different this season was Virginia Tech would go 13-0, they still would not have gone to the National Title game. This is because Auburn and Oregon both went undefeated. At best, at the end of the season, the Hokies would have been ranked #3 in the BCS rankings if they went undefeated. Auburn and Oregon would still be 1 and 2, respectively. Auburn and Oregon would be going to the big dance together, and Virginia Tech would be left at home, with nothing to show for an unblemished record. That would piss me, and probably every other dieheard Hokie fan, off way more than losing to JMU. We would have been like, well, Auburn, in 2004, when they went 13-0 and still didn't get a chance to go to the National Championship game because of their #3 BCS ranking.
I know myself. If Tech had gone 13-0, I would not be able to live it down for a long time, knowing that they did their part to put themselves in a position to go for their first National Title, but thanks to some computer geeks computer program, they didn't get the chance. Brianne, my wife, would get tired of hearing about it, and would eventually divorce me, and because she is more intelligent than me, she would get the house. I would be homeless, living in my car, with my VT Fanatic mascot stuck to my rear window. I would lose my job because I would realize "Hey, I could just sleep there every night". When they realize I was staying there rent free, they would fire me. I would then turn to heroin use as a way of coping with life's disappointments, and eventually start prostituting myself to much older women. I would get arrested for doing so, and my parents would have to fly out from Colorado to bail me out, and on the flight back to Colorado, I would have to listen to my mom criticize me for my behavior, as well as for other things completely unrelated to my recent endeavors.
Okay, I probably took that a bit too far. But needless to say, I am very happy with what actually did transpire for the Hokies this season. The fact that they started 0-2 and still had the drive and determination to persevere gives me great hope for the future of this team. After the JMU loss, there was a players-only meeting that changed the tone of the entire season. Three months later, the Hokies are 11-2, ACC Champions for the fourth time since 2004, and headed to the Orange Bowl to face a talented Stanford team. No matter what happens in that game, this season has been one of the more exciting campaigns for the Hokies. Though the defense struggled at times, they got better each game, and they have some guys there that will make the defense even better next season. The only concern I have is the quarterback situation for next year. Tyrod Taylor graduates this year, and Logan Thomas will most likely be the starting QB next season. Though he probably won't need to pass much, due to the presence of three outstanding running backs, it will be his first season under center, and it will take him some time to develop in the position.
So, to my fellow Hokie fans/alumni, be happy the season went the way it did. The Hokies are the best two-loss team in the country, and going to the Orange Bowl is a great reward for this remarkable season. It's much better to be 11-2 and going to the Orange Bowl and being happy about it, than to be 13-0 and begrudgingly going to the Orange Bowl, and being pissed off that you are playing at the wrong game. GO HOKIES!!
