After another round of ACC games this past weekend, the Hokies have found themselves all alone at the top of the ACC standings thanks to a 31-21 Miami victory over UVa on Saturday.

However, the ACC race is still very much up in the air. Take a look at the standings of the current contenders along with their remaining games:

You could scratch your head for a good while trying to figure out what’s going to happen in the final weeks of the season. Virginia Tech’s chances of making a BCS Bowl are very simple…if the Hokies win out, then they are in a BCS Bowl. In this case, it would likely be the Sugar Bowl. The Hokies will also clinch a share of the ACC title if they finish 2-1 over the final three games. The tiebreaker rules are a whole different story, and an entire article could be written on that subject. Instead, here is the link to the ACC tiebreaker for you to peruse at your leisure.

The first thing that stands out when looking at the remaining schedule is that Florida State is finished with their ACC games. The ‘Noles had a close loss to Miami to open the season and were later upset by Maryland. Thus they do not control their own destiny. However, Florida State has one game remaining against the Florida Gators. If you refer to the ACC tiebreakers linked above, BCS standings could potentially play a large role when determining who represents the ACC in a BCS game. Currently Florida State is the highest ranked ACC team in the BCS at 8th. Following Florida State is Miami at 12th, Virginia Tech at 15th and Virginia at 19th. Those rankings could become very important in the coming weeks.

While Virginia is still listed as a contender based on the fact that they still have an opportunity to win a share of the ACC crown, they stand virtually no chance of making a BCS bowl. Even if the Cavs win out, they will have lost the head to head tiebreaker with both Miami and Florida State, and their BCS ranking will likely not be high enough to win the BCS tiebreaker.

The next chapter in the 2004 ACC saga will be written this Thursday night in Blacksburg, VA as the Hokies host Maryland. If Tech wins, they simply survive to the next big game, that being November 27th against in-state rival Virginia. If the Hokies are upset by the Terps, their chances for an ACC title will look pretty bleak.

The Virginia Tech Athletic Department announced Monday that the annual battle for the Commonwealth Cup between Virginia and Virginia Tech will be broadcast on ABC at 1 pm on November 27th.

The Hokies will share the timeslot with two other games being shown regionally by ABC. Missouri at Iowa State and Syracuse at Boston College will also be shown at 1pm.

With the time and television coverage of the Miami game set before the start of the season (1 pm, ABC), the announcement that ABC will carry the VT-UVA game means that 10 of the Hokies’ 12 regular season games will be televised. Jefferson Pilot Sports has carried 2 Tech games, ESPN will have shown 5 by the end of the season, ESPN2 has shown 1, and ABC is scheduled to show 2. The only 2 Tech games that have not been televised were Western Michigan and Florida A&M.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on Monday that Virginia Tech senior free safety Vincent Fuller has been upgraded to probable and is likely to play against Maryland on Thursday night. Fuller, who has three interceptions on the season, dislocated his shoulder against North Carolina on November 6.

Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster confirmed this on the Hokie Hotline on Monday night. Foster said Fuller was held out of practice all of last week, but began to practice again on Saturday. Fuller has participated in limited contact drills to test his injured shoulder, and the testing has indicated that he has made great progress. Foster also commented that Fuller has been penciled in as the starter on Thursday night.

If Fuller is able to play effectively, that means Mike Daniels will be able to play his normal role of backup safety and backup rover. If Fuller had been unable to play, Daniels would have started at safety and Cary Wade would have moved up to backup rover, creating a depth problem in the defensive backfield.

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team defeated the Netherlands National Team 88-78 Thursday night in Blacksburg. The game concluded Tech’s two game exhibition schedule. The Lady Hokies earlier defeated the Premier All-Stars 92-51.

Erin Gibson led Tech in scoring with 25 points. She also had 9 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Kerri Gardin and Kirby Copeland also registered double figures for the Lady Hokies, with 16 and 13 points respectively.

The Lady Hokies open their season on Friday, November 19th against Valparaiso in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the Subway Basketball Classic.

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