Oh, if only I knew

Good to know that Tech was a first half team this year.

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College football: Did not watch or listen to the Tech-UVa game. Maybe I should have, I know. But, as I have said elsewhere in this space, Tech hasn't done well when I watched. Maybe it wasn't that. Maybe they just suck on the road. And, for the record, I no longer believe. Or, more precisely, I'll start believeing again at spring practice. I certainly don't like Tech's chances (either against Ga Tech in Charlotte, or, probably more likely, against Colorado State in San Francisco) in their bowl. In other words, a completely worthless game, which is primarily named after its sponsor (and a city name thrown in, in the case of San Fran). Excuse me while I go somewhere and vomit.

In other analysis (I'm trying to be brief, because I really just want to go somewhere and get a drink. I certainly don't want to dwell on the Tech-UVa game too long.

So I'll just ask this: How the hell does Tech allow 28 points in the second half of that game? Huh? They were outscored by three touchdowns in the second half. Three fucking touchdowns! How does that happen! We are Virginia Tech! No one outscores us by three touchdowns in a half. Except this year, apparently. And except our rival, apparently. I think I'm going to be sick. Wake me when it's time for the maroon-white game. (As a side note, Tailgate Fever has noted that the orange effect, in a word, sucks (like many other initiatives on the part of the athletic department these days, like the condescending, worthy-of-Mountaineer-fan "Hokies Respect" campaign). The Hokie Update made the point that orange is our secondary colour, and if there were going to be a colour-out (like an orange effect, or a white-out), then it should be maroon. But having the healthy mix of maroon, orange and white gives the stands some visual character, in my view. If you want all orange, there's a school about 4 hours southwest of here that has adopted the informal nickname of "Big Orange". Go there. It's not a bad place (even if it does, apparently, endorse the notion of "separate but equal" in its athletic programs with regard to sex). But here at Virginia Tech, I would argue that white is our second colour, not orange. Sure, we wear uniforms with orange trim and/or orange numbers, but the same is true of white. Not only that, the teams don't suit up in the "Maroon-Orange game" in the springtime. The spring game is known as the "Maroon-white" game. Fine, the school lists its colours as "chicago maroon" and "burnt orange", without mentioning the huge role played by white in its colour scheme. Burnt orange isn't that prevalant, even if it is mentioned by the university. And the shirts that the university sells/gives out/I don't know what the deal is are ass-ugly. They make us look like the stereotypical Appalachian, a look that we here in Blacksburg prefer to reserve for our psychotic couch-burning rivals.

Some other quick thoughts:

With Tennessee and Georgia winning (and Florida having made a monstrous 3^rd quarter comeback as I type, it looks like Georgia will represent the SEC East, since Florida is unlikely (it's possible, but not likely) to jump Tennessee in the BCS standings, and Georgia hammered Tennessee earlier in the season.

Proof that a tough non-conference schedule is a good thing: Southern Miss lost three games at Cal, at home against Nebraska and at Alabama (none of them were great this season, but two of them were good, and it's never easy to win at Alabama). They went through Conference USA like a knife through butter, going undefeated in conference play. Maybe Coach Beamer and AD Weaver can take notes, instead of scheduling patsies like Penn State did (Weaver is, apparently, an alum).

West Virginia clinches a share of the conference championship, and its slim hope of going to a BCS bowl are kept alive (WVU needs Pittsburgh to win close, I would think; it would affect the human polls in Pitt's favour if they won big). You didn't hear it here first, but enjoy Jacksonville, WVU. Hope NC State beats the crap out of you like they did Notre Dame last year (or like Virginia beat you last year).

Bowling Green won the right to host Miami of Ohio this coming Thursday for the MAC Championship. Since Miami already accepted a bowl invitation (GMAC, in Mobile, Alabama), does this game actually mean anything (I hate to ask this, too, given the fact that I'm a son of two Miami alumni)?

More later. R.