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Maryland's Gary Williams complained on the ACC coaches teleconference Monday (befire the new polls come out) that there have not been enough ACC teams in the Top 25 men's basketball polls. He was right. Last week only four ACC teams were ranked. This week there are five, with Boston College joining the Top 25 after knocking off UNC. Good for BC; I did put the Eagles in my Associated Press ballot Monday. But why isn't Maryland ranked as well? I have been putting the Terps on my ballot for weeks. They have beaten Michigan and Michigan State, and have lost only to Georgetown and Gonzaga. Meanwhile, who has Louisville beaten? Or Villanova? Or UCLA? Maryland is more deserving than any of those teams. Six ACC teams should be ranked. -- Mark Berman

Like most of my football predictions I was wrong when I said the ACC would go 5-5 in bowl season. They did even worse at 4-6. Wins over Navy, Nevada, Wisconsin and Cincinnati aren't big resume builders. Virginia Tech helped the league with a BCS win, but it pales against West Virginia's wins over Georgia and Oklahoma the past two years. The final numbers against other BCS leagues are 13-8 in the regular season and 2-6 in the bowls. Virginia Tech will be the heavy preseason favorite next year, which is good for the league. But until Florida State and Miami become major players again and another team steps forward (maybe North Carolina), the ACC's image will be what it is. -- Jeff Gilbert

UVa and Redskins fans will be out of luck Sunday. You won’t be able to sit on your couch and watch either team’s game. FoxSportsNet is televising UVa’s 5:30 p.m. basketball game at Georgia Tech for all of its regional affiliates, but the affiliate in our region, CSN, is taking a pass. CSN will be airing a 7 p.m. Washington Capitals game instead. And its overflow channel, CSN Plus, isn’t broadcasting the game, either, because it will be televising a live Redskins postgame show at 7 p.m. Then again, you may want to watch the postgame show, because you won’t be able to see the Redskins game itself. WFXR isn’t showing the 4:15 p.m. game against the 49ers, and will instead air a more meaningful contest: Dallas against Philadelphia. -- Mark Berman

I was amused last week to read in The Roanoke Times that Chris Connolly, the new general manager of the Roanoke Civic Center, said "there's a market for a sports team in Roanoke." No, Mr. Connolly, there isn't. I know you've been working in Canada, sir, so let me fill you in on all the minor-league teams at the Roanoke Civic Center that have lost money. There is no market for hockey, as a string of failed teams showed. There is no market for basketball, as the NBA can explain after bleeding red ink with the Dazzle. There is no market for football, as the failure of the Steam showed. The civic center is no place for pro sports, unless you can find owners who like bankruptcy. -- Mark Berman

— Mark Berman

Offensive coordinators have been a hot topic in the commonwealth this fall, not to mention the newsroom. Brian Kelley, one of our sharp-witted news editors, offered this observation today: Now that Mike Groh is gone, if Bryan Stinespring goes too, maybe they could start a consulting business for offensive coaches and call it “Three And Out.” Brian is a UVa man who I’ve never seen in the office without a necktie, including the traditional blue and orange one he wore the Friday before the UVa-Tech game. Well, Stinespring isn’t going anywhere. You don’t fire coaches when you win a conference title. Still, it was a good line. Better than the ones who lined up to block most of the season for Groh and Stinespring.

— Jeff Gilbert

Sportswriters, like anyone else, have plenty to be thankful for outside of sports. But this is the sports section, so besides being pleased when our teams win, we’re also grateful for people being people to give us things to write about that people want to read. So here’s a big thanks (in no particular order) to: Al Groh and his demonstrated performance to supply a good quote, Michael Vick and his attempts to get back in the good graces of the NFL and its fans, Bryan Stinespring and his beleaguered offense, Frank Beamer and his beleaguered offensive coordinator, undefeated high school football teams and the loquacious Purnell Sturdivant. — Jeff Gilbert

There are three Big 12 teams among the top five squads in the polls and BCS standings — Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma. No argument there. But there’s one problem: only two of them will wind up in a BCS bowl. No more than two teams in a single conference are allowed to be chosen for the five BCS bowls. That’s another thing wrong with the BCS. All three of those teams could wind up with just one loss, but one will be a BCS wallflower. I have no problem with the BCS games being forced to take a Utah or Boise State, but they also should be free to pick the best at-large teams from BCS leagues regardless of conference affiliation. I’d rather see the third-best Big 12 team in a BCS bowl this year than the Big Ten runner-up.  — Mark Berman

  — Mark Berman