2006.05.11
Huskers and Hokies
Have you heard the big news out of Tech today? The Hokies have scheduled a home-and-home series with Nebraska for 2008 and 2009. To get a longtime power like Nebraska to agree to such a deal says a lot about how far Tech has come. Nebraska has suffered through a couple of lean years, but they're still Nebraska and they will probably be a top 10 contender again by the time these games are played. On Sept. 20, 2008, the Hokies will travel to Lincoln. Nebraska will come to Blacksburg on Sept. 19, 2009.
The Hokies have a good reputation for having fans that travel, but nobody's fans travel like Nebraska. Husker fans will gobble up every ticket they can get their hands on to come to Blacksburg. A lot of red in Lane Stadium will certainly clash with all that maroon and orange. It will be interesting to see how much red turns up that day or night.
This is the kind of scheduling Tech needs. They caught a bad break when Wisconsin backed out on them, but give Jim Weaver credit for getting this deal done. Yes, this year's home nonconference schedule is uninspiring, but it does take time to build the kind of schedule you want on a consistent basis. With the Texas A&M series behind them and this one in front of them, Tech is beginning to show that it might have some longterm staying power as a national power.
It takes a long time to become an elite program. Tech's not quite there yet, but this is a sign that the program is continuing to move forward. The next step is to beat a program like Nebraska, then win a couple BCS games. And winning a national championship has to come before anybody can truly call you elite.
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A winning season gets tougher, but nice to play the big boys occasionally.
Comment by Guy — May 13, 2006 @ 1:32 pm
I don't care if we play on the road or at a neutral site... The fans don't want to play the same type of teams we played 15 years ago: Southern Miss, Eastern Washington, Kent State, Wm & Mary, James Madison. I buy my tickets to watch a competitive team playing the best teams possible. In your article, you commented about the Nebraska fans coming to B'burg; people still talk about the LSU fans coming to town... We need to play the best teams where ever we can... Let them remember our fans!
Comment by Bill — May 14, 2006 @ 10:27 am
The only thing that Tech still has to do to be an elite program is win a national championship. I would say that 13 consecutive bowl bids and several Big East and an ACC championship makes Tech an elite program.
This Nebraska series is certainly good for both schools. I just hope Beamer can get the final pieces in place to win the big one.
Comment by Arthur — May 16, 2006 @ 12:01 pm
Tech, an elite football program? Please! Thirteen consecutive bowl bids does not an elite team make. Who can't get a bowl bid these days with 29+ bowls available? Teams with .500 records will now be eligible. Maybe you should take a look at Tech's bowl record....it is below .500. That is not a sign of an elite program.
Comment by Gary — May 17, 2006 @ 10:08 am