For those of you not familiar with the Poltergeist movie series, this article's title may be lost on you. However, I think all of us are familiar with the Cane's chest-thumping call, "We're Back, Baby." Spielberg's movie version had an everyman family battling ghosts with supernatural powers while the Big East version has an everyman school fighting ghosts of the past. Luckily for Tech, the only power the Ghost of Hurricanes Past was able to call on in the past five years was the bluster of fans on supernatural drugs. However, this year it looks like there's actually some truth in their gale-force bragging.

Preseason magazines are likely tabbing Miami as a top ten team again, with message board scuttlebutt saying some will mark them as high as #5. Miami returns to the playing field with possibly the deepest threat in the nation at RB. James Jackson leads their stable of running backs followed closely by Sophomore Clinton Portis and Junior Najeh Davenport, who missed most of last year with a torn ACL. The one game I saw of Davenport last year showed him to possess a scary-good combination of power and speed. For good measure, Sophomore Jarrett Payton rounds out the mix as a dependable back-up.

Those concentrating all efforts on stopping the Miami running game will end up getting shredded through the air. As much as Cane fans liked to brag over Kenny Kelly, he wasn't the superstar to bring them back to prominence. He was a stellar athlete with tons of potential, but he hamstrung his own football efforts by dividing his time with professional baseball.

Now, a full time QB takes the helm at Miami who scares me more than the talented Kelly. Although Ken Dorsey is less mobile, his pass efficiency is sky-high and he somehow manages to avoid the sacks. Making matters worse are the talented hands catching the balls he tosses. Santana Moss already has been named as one of the receivers on the Playboy preseason All-America team. Lining up on the other side of the formation is Senior Reggie Wayne who has also given Virginia Tech fits in recent years.

Their explosive offense coupled with rock-solid defense and special teams make the 2000 Canes a force to be reckoned with. The following articles might shed more light the Hurricane's position:

Davis, Hurricanes aim high for 2000
Big East preview of Miami
Miami's Moss a two-way threat
CanesFest Closes Out Spring Practice

Ok fellas, it's time for me to 'fess up to something. As you can probably guess by now, the Miami game this year has me worried. I won't predict anything except to say I wouldn't be surprised if either team won. However, the thing that has me scared is the way the matchup is slated. The scheduling gurus have smiled VERY favorably on the Cane's quest for College Football's Holy Grail.

VT & UM square off against one another on November 4th, so I'll skip the early line-up to compare the month preceding the big contest.

Just like the Hokies' favorable schedule last year, The Canes toughest opponents are visiting them at home. Win or lose against Florida State, Miami has a whole month to prepare for Tech without thinking about anything else. Could they suffer the same curse as Tech in recent years, falling to a lesser foe? Certainly. But, the result would only make them all the more intent on crushing the Hokies when we visit in November. For the Hokies though, the trip to the Orange Bowl cannot be one on which Tech concentrates, since West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh will require the team's collective concentration to come through unscathed. Therefore the Miami game plan won't go into effect until October 29.

Last year's motto of taking one game at a time comes to mind, and I'm sure Beamer and Co. will have the team prepared when the time arrives. However, with the dead zone of college sports approaching, we all need something to wring our hands over. So, now that the Big East's master plan is out of the bag, let the conspiracy theories fly!!