A-Mac’s bowl guide, some injury updates and a look at the payouts involved in non-conference scheduling
One more grab bag blog post before I start to jump into the bowl lead-up over the next week …
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** Aaron McFarling and I did another podcast this week. If you missed it yesterday, here’s a link.
** Aaron teases his annual bowl guide in the podcast. Well, here it is in full, picking against the spread in all 35 bowl games … for recreational purposes of course. It’s an entertaining and potentially lucrative read.
Spoiler: he likes Notre Dame at +10 in the BCS title game against Alabama. (And yes, we both Googled “rubberband banks” to produce the picture on our posts.)
** Trainer Mike Goforth gave a few injury updates to Frank Beamer‘s website the other day. He said tackle Nick Acree, safety Michael Cole, receiver D.J. Coles, fullback Riley Beiro, center Andrew Miller and punter Ethan Keyserling are all out for the bowl game.
He said the team will start to bring Coles (knee) along in terms of running routes. Acree (knee) and Beiro (shoulder) will be able to run. Miller (ankle) is still in a boot and on crutches. The team is taking all the precautions going forward with Cole’s neck injury.
Offensive linemen David Wang and Caleb Farris, who were both in blue, limited jerseys Thursday, are being eased in. Wang also has a shoulder issue. Defensive tackle Antoine Hopkins‘ knee has been bothering him.
Receiver Kevin Asante (toe), linebacker Alonzo Tweedy (shoulder) and safety Kyshoen Jarrett (shoulder) are also working through some pain.
** When Virginia Tech and Old Dominion announced their future 2-for-1 scheduling agreement, they also revealed the financial terms of the deal.
When the Monarchs come to Blacksburg in 2016, they’ll be paid $175,000. When the Hokies go to Norfolk in 2018, they’ll get the same figure. Virginia Tech will pay ODU $375,000 for coming back to Blacksburg in 2019.
That’s about the going rate for lower-end non-conference games. While some FBS teams from middle-of the-pack conferences command larger payouts that can even exceed $1 million, Virginia Tech has been able to keep down the cost of those one-time deals in its scheduling.
Home-and-homes against Ohio State, Wisconsin and East Carolina don’t require a one-time payout (or evens out over the course of the series), since each side gets a home game and the gate that come with it.
The Hokies’ payout games against FCS teams generally fall in the $325,000 to $350,000 range. Many of their scheduled FCS games are paid out according to the average of the prior year FCS payouts from North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Because of that, Western Michigan, an FBS teams, is the only payout in the future that is noticeably higher than the rest, at $500,000 in 2014.
Here’s a look at Tech’s future schedules and payouts, when applicable (for comparison’s sake, Tech paid $318,750 to host Austin Peay and $400,000 for Bowling Green this season):
- 2013: Western Carolina, ($335,938, FCS average)
- 2014: William & Mary (FCS average), Western Michigan ($500,000)
- 2015: Furman (FCS average)
- 2016: Liberty (FCS average)
- 2017: none
- 2018: William & Mary (FCS average)
- 2019: Charlotte (FCS average, despite being FBS team), Old Dominion ($375,000)
- 2020: Liberty (FCS average)
- 2021: Richmond (higher of FCS average or $400K)
** Lastly, former Hokies and current New York Giants running back David Wilson said he’s retiring his trademark back flip.
“I think it’s for the team’s best interests,” Wilson told ESPN.com. “I don’t want to make anyone upset or nervous or scared. I want to do something that people enjoy rather than worry about.”
Translation: Tom Coughlin and the Giants management told him to knock it off.
December 15, 2012 - 10:36 AM
I just wish the Hokies would play fewer or no FCS teams. I understand “everyone does it”, I just don’t like those games.
If David Wilson can keep running back kickoffs, gaining 100 yards on the ground and stop doing back flips, he might get a smile out of Tom Coughlin.
Has Tom C ever smiled? Note to Hokie coaches; let em play, throw the ball, use some imagination, do some thing different, tired of hearing that Thomas doesn’t have receiving corp that he had last year, throw it to this years corp and given them a chance to catch it, use the players who want to play, if Davis doesn’t want to then let someone else. Game plan hasn’t worked 50% of the games this year, let the bowl game plan be all or nothing and let the kids have fun. A long pass play that doesn’t work is almost as good as a 2 yard run. Let it be a game, give em a shot.
Wilson needs to stop being Flip Wilson; he is good at it but it could prove to be disastrous and embarrassing.
Anybody who is honestly worried that a backflip is the biggest danger he faces on a given day is clueless. NFL players regularly participate in much more dangerous activities…and like he said, he has had it down since he was 3…wonder if he every had a “reportable” injury from a flib? It is a pretty ‘simple’ celebration, and good trademark that, if he continues to perform well, will honestly earn the team more money (possitive attention is always a good thing). Now, if the staff is telling all players “no celebrations that draw excessive attention to yourself regardless of what the League says…” that is a different story, and I’m OK with that.
Watching the New Mexico Bowl as the Hokie basketball game is making me sad. Actually a pretty entertaining bowl game if you love offense. Funny part is when there is a score the crowd is so small there is just a “smattering” of applause. Reminds me of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon where they are playing for Wassamatta U against Hard Knox and when a TD is scored “the crowd goes wild!” (and one guy in the bleachers says “yaaaay!”)
I recall Ted Guinn was doing backflips and somersaults before the National Championship Florida – Ohio State game and messed up his ankle and did not play. The same thing could happen to Wilson.
Entertaining bowl game as Arizona has huge comeback. Looks like only parents in the stands. A Texas high school game gets more in the stands.
I did like the VT comeback starting at about 6 minutes but if you live on outside shots you die on outside shots.
When you read Andy’s article one thing comes to mind, Va Tech Hokies. Schedule the cupcakes, have winning season, get undeserved bowl games and count the money. You would have to be blind to not see what Tech does. Just look at the ones they are adding Liberty and Old Dominion for starters.
That’s not even remotely true about Ginn. His teammates mobbed him after he returned the opening kickoff for a TD and he did not return to the game.
http://michigansportscenter.com/2007/01/ginn-injured-during-celebration.html
My mistake, that is true, I was minsinformed. He injured it when a team mate slid into him while celebrating. I would not want to bring reproach to the good name of Georgia Tech by giving out misleading information….. but Wilson needs to stop flipping.
540 I agree with your frustration with scheduling FCS games. I went to my last one a long time ago and will not attend another at Lane.
Barry, it’s a beautiful Saturday, you despise VT, yet you are here on a VT blog discussing what a former VT player should or should not do? Dude, you are definitely “bringing reproach to the good name of GT” by every inane, unsupported, useless, illogical post you make. I doubt if anyone here held much if any animosity towards that team until you came along…
Let’s go Hokies !!!
Barry: “I recall Ted Guinn was doing backflips and somersaults before the National Championship Florida – Ohio State game and messed up his ankle and did not play. The same thing could happen to Wilson.”
Might recheck the opening kickoff from that game. (He hurt in after the TD, but I don’t recall a flip…but I may be wrong on that???)
Wilson has mastered the back flip just like VT has mastered GT in football
Why be so hard on Barry, he really cares about vt and it shows. If you have looked at the gt site, there is not much support for gt, only a lot of abuse from uga fans. Barry is about to renounce his loyalty to gt and come over to the hokies.
Barry , we welcome you. Come on over to hokie nation, and feel the love. You know you want to.
Merry Christmas from the short coach
You would miss me dearly if I were to go away. I am what keeps the Hokie Nation honest and in the realm of reality.
BTW, how did VT do in their basketball game today?
The hokies will play well, and win there bowl game. Logan Thomas will come back next year and beat Alabama. My Christmas list is compleat for this year.
$175000 to VT going to ODU,,hmm,hope they take the Abbott buses so they won’t lose too much money for this ignorant scheduling decision.
Even top teams play a cupcake or two every year.
Logan will come back and beat Alabama High School. Rutgers will win easily in the Rustle Bustle Bowl. Big East dominant over ACC nowadays.
Just think, if Beamer scheduled more of these teams, he could win eleven or twelve games per year. Wow !