Decision day: Where will the Hokies go bowling? (UPDATE: Beamer’s website tweets that it’s Orlando)
Despite a valiant effort, Georgia Tech could not pull off the upset of Florida State in the ACC championship game Saturday night. Now the ACC’s bowl dominoes can start to fall.
Florida State (11-2) will go to the Orange Bowl. Clemson (10-2) will go to Chick-fil-A. The Russell Athletic Bowl is next, and that’s where it’s still muddled.
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The Orlando-based bowl will choose among N.C. State (7-5), Virginia Tech (6-6) and Georgia Tech (6-7) to pair with the Big East’s No. 2, which most likely will be Rutgers (9-3) or Cincinnati (9-3). Conversations with people at Virginia Tech earlier this week indicated there’s a good chance the Russell Athletic Bowl could be the Hokies’ destination.
For a bowl accustomed to taking teams with 8 or 9 wins, the under-.500 Yellow Jackets would be unpalatable. The Wolfpack has the best record of the trio but, despite hiring Northern Illinois’ Dave Doeren as its new head coach Saturday, will have an interim coach for the bowl after firing Tom O’Brien. N.C. State also played in Orlando two years ago.
Despite a less-than-stellar regular season record, the Hokies have never been to the game, which could make them an attractive pick for bowl officials. It would be unusual for the Russell Athletic Bowl, which hasn’t selected a six-win team since Georgia Tech in 2004. Then again, there are extenuating circumstances this year, with 8-4 North Carolina and 7-5 Miami not eligible for postseason play.
Another potential hangup would be if the Russell Athletic Bowl picks Cincinnati over Rutgers. Since the Bearcats and Hokies already played during the regular season, it’s unlikely the bowl would set up a rematch.
If the Russell Athletic chooses N.C. State, the Sun Bowl will have to take Georgia Tech, which was granted an NCAA waiver to be bowl eligible but, as the title game loser, can’t fall below fourth in the selection order, per ACC rules. That would leave Virginia Tech and Duke to fill the ACC’s fifth and sixth slots, the Belk and Music City bowls.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm updated his bowl projections late Saturday night. He had Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Rutgers.
The bowl announcement will be made sometime Sunday.
UPDATE: ESPN’s Brett McMurphy tweeted Sunday afternoon that the Hokies will play in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Rutgers.
A Russell Athletic Bowl official would not confirm, saying the ACC and SEC requested that the game not publicly announce its pairing until after the BCS selection show tonight. Expect a formal announcement sometime around 8:30 p.m.
UPDATE 2: Virginia Tech still won’t officially confirm it, but whoever runs the Twitter account for Frank Beamer‘s website certainly thinks the Hokies are going to the Russell Athletic Bowl. For reasons I cannot explain, we’ll continue to wait for the official word a little later.
December 2, 2012 - 12:13 AM
New Jersey wants the Hokies!
Where will the Hokies go bowling? Is there not a bowling alley in Blacksburg?
Maybe there is one in Radford, or Christiansburg.
The hiring of Dave Duerson might have impacted the Russell Bowl selection as much as the firing of Tom O’Brien. Prior to that, it seemed VaTech was a certainty for the slot. Now, it might be a good angle to play up the ‘new’ Wolfpack & their new head coach.
Despite all that, I still think the selection for Orlando will be VaTech. State has been several times already, and the difference in a 7-5 team & a 6-6 team is not that great. Also, the Hokies have more national recognition than NC State, for what that matters.
With the reputation for weakness owned by the Big East, I’d say that the focus is more on selecting the ACC team first, then filling in with a Big East team. Either Rutgers or Cincinnati will give you a 9-3 team to trumpet, to offset the mediocre records of the ACC possibilities. I say it will be the Hokies & Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
Oops, Dave Doeren.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz……zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Even if the bowl game was played in Blacksburg it would not be a sell out. It’s the begining of the end for VT football.
With the very poor showing this entire season, I can’t believe any bowl would want the Hokies this year.. When the home attendance has many, many empty seats, do you think The Hokie Nation would travel anywhere to see them lose once more..Maybe a pre-bowl announcement that the entire offensive coaching staff has been fired and replaced would cause some fans to travel to see them.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1227032.html
Fire the entire offensive staff!
Leadership is essential for renewed VT football. Unfortunately Frank Beamer must be removed from all contact/interdiction with the football program. Someone else will have to do the dirty work of rebuilding and replacing the entire coaching staff.
We will always be grateful to Frank for putting Tech on the map. Give him the credit he deserves by naming the stadium after him as it should be. Anything short of that would be disrespectful.
But with all things change has to come. Frank cannot be objective with his loyalty to staff and his deception to players. I now have my doubts about Foster. For years after a winning season he was always looking to leave? How does that help the recruiting of defensive players? He has done a great job but has clearly sent the wrong message to recruits.
Notice how we always talk in past tense? I grew up in Frank’s community and his era, so that dates me. Sadly, as someone else has said,…..”Frank cannot invent the future in VT football”……
New recruiting slogan for UVA … “Come to UVA! We play teams that go to bowls!”
This is like hiring family to work for you. When there is a family member that needs to be fired it is a difficult decision to make. Bud Foster is the best defensive coordinator in the nation. Think about the ability that he has to put players in position to stop the multiple offenses that are currently in the ACC. How many other teams limited Clemson and Florida St. to as few yards as the VT defense. When our offense is able to consistently move the ball and score points, we will be undefeated. As long as Frank or Jim allows this to go on we will continue on a downhill slide.
Alabama won the SEC championship on coaching. The players were not as talented as Georgia, but Alabama was able to exploit the weakness in defensive line coaching. This was not the only issue, but allowed them to run all over Georgia. If we have the current offensive staff next year, Alabama will put 70 points on us. Even though we have the ability to go head to head with them.
Hopefully the leadership will step up to the plate at Tech, and we will at least be competitive next year.
UVA head coach cleans house. Gutless, mindless Beamer does nothing ! ! Get ready for years of more of the same, or less ! !! . . . and nothing!!
I agree with Jim Russell, fans will not travel to whatever bowl game we are offered. As to the future, I really do not believe that coach Beamer will make the changes needed to our awful “O” staff and replace the Special Teams coach (aka Fancy Gap Frank) with someone with only that responsibility. As a season ticket holder since 1970, I have seen the Good-Bad and now the Super Ugly in VT football.
GFB VT’63
I’m not sold on London as head coach material, however he does recognize that he has to make changes to his program and can readily admit the responsibility starts with him. I can only hope that Frank Beamer will admit the same with his program. That is a play Frank could copy from London. I’m sure VA’s AD has lit a fire under London’s rear end, and London is not wasting time because he needs a new staff in place in order to recruit. Please Santa…bring Frank to his senses for my Christmas present!
You kinda wonder if CFB is still believing that ‘it will get better’, and not make any changes. Or he makes only minimal changes, which leads to more of the same next year. I would hope he considers whats best for VA Tech and the athletes he has recruited as he makes the needed changes. I would hope that he considers his loyalty to VA Tech FIRST as he contemplates what to do.
We can only hope.
At this point, 15 posts and all are 100% negative. Thanks for pointing out what the term “fair weather fan” really means. You guys continue to amaze me.
If the coaches on the staff are moved around in the program the results will be the same. Unless some of the coaches on the offense are replaced completely and new coaches brought to Tech, things will be the same, and may get worst.
This has been coming at Tech for several years and it is here now.
Weaver needs replaced also. He is an old dog that is out of tricks, and has been for years, and he will not learn new tricks. He needs replaced also.
Frank, how can you blame any football woes on Weaver? He’s an administrator, not a coach. What new tricks does he need to learn?
Danny there is a difference between fair weathered and fed up. It seems alot of people actually pay to go to the games therefore giving them a right to voice there opinion. I would be curious to know what VT’s ‘signature’ win was this year? Was it against GT in overtime (1st game of the season). Maybe it was Beamer’s biggest all time comeback when we were 20 points down to the consistent powerhouse that is Duke. Coulda been BC where we overcame a hostile road crowd of 3,000 and managed to dig deep within and beat that powerhouse team in only one overtime no less. Nah musta been UVA because that was there bowl game and we had no business beating them but we did. I actually sat at that game trying to keep warm while people were filing out because I can’t get enough of short hop passes and qb draws. So this 6-6 team has beaten two bowl eligible teams this year. Your right dude fire Frank? nah give that man a contract extension and all the assistants raises. Not an attack on you Danny simply saying we have been enduring some pretty bad losses the past few years and this year it all came to a head and fell apart. Now I’m not calling for FEMA but the program could use some help.
To all you nay sayers, jt and crooked road, etc, the Hokies are not done. They will be back and it will be with Beamer. Face it folks, Hokies are good. There is only a few like Alabama that play at the TOP. Since I’m only an hour away, I might just go to the(what was it? Jack Russell bowl). PS, Isn’t the crooked road somewhere near Floyd where they have more bluegrass than Kentucky?
Weaver and Beamer turned down the chance to join the SEC …. BC they dont think they can compete and dont want the pressure. Football school staying in a bball league makes no sense to me. Yes it would be harder to win but with more money and SEC status comes SEC players…. They will do nothing and watch their 1950′s era football mentality take them down to nothing……..As a VT grad ,”young one” something ** has to change … Watching the SEC champ game compared to the ACC game was ridiculous and sad. VT scared to lose or not be the big fish ? Turning down close to 30 million a year in a football league to stay in the ACC makes no sense to me. The rumors of UVA and GA Tech leaving to the BIG 10 have already started. MONEY IS EVERYTHING. If you old folks think I’m crazy watch and see….
DANNY – You amaze me ! I can agrue any point you want to make. Wake up , The 1999 champ game is over and the 5 or 6 great seasons that followed are over as well. Alum and students are fed up. And if you say 10 win seasons , then why when VT plays in the bowl game do they lose every year ? Cant play ACC teams in the bowl game! and the great OCC teams we play we lose. Some have been close , others havnt….
Interesting how London has a bad season at UVA and immediately sees that he staff needs a shakeup by replacing 4 assistants! Wish Beamer would wake up and realize when these things need to be done! Until then the a Hokies will continue to spiral downward!
Frank Beamer is out of touch …. Fire Frank Beamer before he bobby bowdens VT.
#16, I knew you were a blind apologist for Frank Beamer, and now you’ve proven it. Either that or just a fool, since you labeled my two previous posts as negative. The same could be said for a couple of other folks’ posts, too. Most of the posts are indeed negative. Since the season has been hugely negative, that would stand to reason. Except for blind apologists like you. Keep your head in the sand, it seems fitting.
One more time, danny — the folks here who are complaining about VT football are mostly long-time fans who want to see the team succeed. That success isn’t measured by a bowl streak with a bunch of losses or a 10-win season against a bunch of cupcakes. The success will be measured by winning games that should be won (Kansas, Boise State, Michigan, et al), not losing games that shouldn’t be lost (James Madison and others), and improving the win record against top-10 teams. Jim Weaver has a role in this by going for money over success, by scheduling weak teams (largely at Beamer’s direction), and by changing seating several times in the last few years. His role should also involve directing one of his coaches to make changes on the coaching staff to ensure the success of the team.
This is from the CBS web site: “Taylor Heinicke threw for six touchdowns and rushed for two more while leading Old Dominion over Coastal Carolina 63-35 in a second-round Football Championship Subdivision playoff game Saturday.” In that game, Heinicke set several records while moving his team along in the playoffs. If the VT program continues on its path of mediocrity, it could get its butt kicked in Tidewater recruiting. An ODU recruiter can easily approach a top prospect with the line, “Do you want to go to backwoods Virginia to play for a struggling program with a lousy offense? Or do you want to play for an up-and-coming program right here, where your family and friends can come see you play without investing a whole weekend?”
Danny, I prefer to be called an optimist, I have the hope that things will change for the better at VT. I want the Hokies to be a contender for a Nat’l Championship, but as it stands right now, we are not even a viable threat to win the ACC. In case you didn’t notice, we barely beat Virginia and Duke this year, and the Hoo’s are god awful. At least VA recognizes they need changes. Things couldn’t be much uglier for us. Unlike some Hokie fans, I appreciate FB and what he has done for the program in the past. But one cannot rest on his past, we have to look forward and I truly believe FB is past his prime time. I have been a fan for over 40 years, so I am not just a “fairweather fan”
No blind apologist here Crooked Road. But we should all know in the sports worls things dont always work out the way we want them to. True fans stand behind their team and wait for better days ahead. That’s me.
You on the other hand are always a critic to the nth degree. As soon as the Hokie hoopsters hit a tough stretch you will sail in on the them as well.
But me being a blind apologist for Frank Beamer? Let’s look at this – Beamer’s record is 257-127-4, 20 consecutive bowl games, a record of 185-58 (76% winning percentage)during the bowl streak. What on earth is there to apologize for?
I love the phony BS of ‘True Fan’ status. I would expect that from danny. Yeah, danny, according to you – ‘true (blind) fan’ never questions anything, and just meekly accepts the pablum shoved down their throats. Good luck with that. I’ll continue to expect more as long as Frank keeps that dusty but empty trophy case up for display. When he takes the display down, then talk to me about our 1-19 record against Top Ten teams, about his weak record in bowl games this decade, about his misplaced loyalty to Stinespring, about his nepotism in trying to leverage Shane as his replacement, about all of it. You lemmings like to be shoved over the cliff, some of us don’t care for it.
I’ve been wanting to say this for quite awhile now to Crooked Road and so many others. Have you ever considered that Shane Beamer and Bryan Stinespring have young children that go to school and are often reminded and teased about the derogatory comments made by you guys. Just wondering if that would matter or not?
How about if the ones that don’t like being pushed over a cliff such as you find another team to follow? That’s about all I can say partly becaause I dont understand the complicated words you use crooked road. You wouldnt be trying to prove your intelligence would you crooked road?
Crooked Road I want to hear about the college football team and/or the coach who has never experienced a bitter loss or a bad season.
And I’m sure Mr. Beamer didn’t intend to offend you by building that trophy case.
Frank’s got an empty trophy case, danny, and I’ve been a fan longer than he’s been the coach here. I’ll be a fan after he’s gone, too, even though he might have to be drug away – ala JoePa & Bobby Bowden. So, danny, keep your head in the sand where you can’t see the empty trophy case. As long as Frank keeps the empty trophy case on display, he’s sending the message that he pretends to care about winning more than he does now. I’ll keep posting as long as the trophy case stays empty.
Danny, if you can look in the mirrow and tell yourself everything is fine at VT then so be it. But many of us cannot do that and I am a huge fan of VT. but I have eyes and have watched the team floundering around all season like a sailing vessel on the water with no wind. Ask yourself if teams like Alabama, GA., Fl, OK and so many others would ever lose against/to teams like JMU or East Carolina. Not in a million years. We are not even close to being a powerhouse team when we can barely win against some of the worst teams in the ACC or FBS teams.
danny, Stinespring claimed in the past that his son gave him some plays to run, so perhaps his son could teach him how to be an Offensive Coordinator. You know, like the big boys and call his own plays…
Shane’s kids are too young for school. Although, I think Frank has his eye on the older one to be OL line coach in 3-4 years. To keep the lineage alive, you know. So he can replace Shane after Shane replaces Frank. That way the dream will never die. And the trophy case will remain empty.
Dannny, are you seriously suggesting that classmates of the offensive staff are going to read these comment and then pick on those kids? Really, Danny, really? I like Frank Beamer. I do. I simply assert that he has issues maintaining professional boundaries. This makes it very difficult for him to fire an assistant that has also become a friend. Can you not see the systemic woes on offense over the past decade? They seem obvious to me. I want Frank to stay albeit with a new offensive staff. If he doesn’t replace them, and this goes on for two more years, then he must go too. Is that not fair? After all, I can’t ride previous exemplary job performance at my job very long. Can you?
#21: when was VT offered a chance to join the SEC? The only mention of VT and SEC that I’ve heard has come out of Blacksburg. Vt has stated consistently that they are happy in the ACC. The SEC has expressed no interest in VT.