Your guide to breaking news, recruiting updates and important offers from TechSideline.com!
 
   Welcome to TSLMail #311 - Friday, December 28, 2007    
To Remove Yourself From This Email List:
See the instructions directly to the left.

To Change Your Email Address:
Log onto the TechSideline.com web site (see the instructions directly to the left) and access your "account info" area. Then uncheck the "Check to Receive Free TSLMail" box.

TSL Links
  Home Page
  Football Home
  VT Hokie News
  Football Recruiting
  Message Board

TSL Products
  TSL Pass
  MaroonHelmet.com

TSLMail Archives
  Complete Archives

 

If you wish to remove yourself from our mailing list:
  • Log into TechSideline.com by going here:  TechSideline.com login and entering your email address (the one where you received this email) and your TechSideline.com password.

  • If you can't remember your TechSideline.com password, then use our Password Reset function to set up a new password that you can use to access your account.

  • Once you're logged into the site, find one of the many "account info" links around the site to access your user profile and change the preferences there, including turning TSLMail on and off. Look for the "Check to Receive Free TSLMail" box.

Thanks, and we hope we haven't inconvenienced you.

Will Stewart
General Manager and Managing Editor
TechSideline.com

   Advertise on TechSideline.com!


Advertise Your Business On TechSideline.com!

TechSideline.com has come a long way since its inception in 1996. We are the #1 media source and community covering Virginia Tech athletics, producing an average of 130,000 unique viewers and 10.5 million page views each month. We reach a coveted demographic (you know who you are) 24/7, 12 months out of the year.

Rooting for their team clearly represents one of the big passions in the life of our TechSideline.com community members. This site greatly enhances this never-ending passion through information, analysis and most importantly through communal dialog and networking.

Our advertising approach is different in that we make it abundantly clear in a direct and honest way that your company's commitment of sponsorship dollars is what enables the site to continue existing and improving into the future.

To learn more about advertising on TechSideline.com, please contact [email protected].

TechSideline.com is a vital part of a unique collegiate sports network that reaches nearly 2 million individuals per month. Like TechSideline.com, each site in the SportsWar network is an organically grown community and the emotional home for its fans.

To learn more about SportsWar network sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected] or visit our online media guide- http://www.sportswar.com

To view a list of our sponsors, please visit our Sponsors Page.

 CampusEmporium.com, the Official E-commerce Sponsor of TSL
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!!

Order soon, and you can have
Orange Bowl gear
in time for the game!


Click here for Virginia Tech
Orange Bowl Gear
from CampusEmporium.com!


   Our Featured Sponsor


Lowe's Home Improvement

Look to Lowes, your exclusive Home Center sponsor, for all your home improvement needs. With Lowes you get Everyday Low Prices on Brands You Know and Trust. Lowes proudly supports your fan community.

TSL is very pleased to have Lowe's as a sponsor. Please give feedback to Lowe's and convince them of the power of our community. You can tell them in your own words how much you value the investment they are making in TechSideline.com. If you've got a Lowe's story, or just feedback or commentary about Lowe's Home Improvement, email it to us at by clicking here (to email [email protected]) and we'll put the emails together and pass them on to Lowe's.

   Tech Sports News


ACC in Big Need of a BCS Bowl Boost
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

Virginia Tech plays Kansas in the Orange Bowl on January 3. The Hokies need this win to become the first team in school history to win 12 games in a season, and to assure themselves of a Top 5 finish in the final polls. It would be a big win for the program. A BCS Bowl win always tastes sweet.

However, as much as a BCS win would mean to VT, the Hokies also need to do it for the ACC. Tech's new conference home, which is a perfect fit, has not won a BCS game since 1999 when Florida State defeated the Hokies in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship. (Miami beat FSU in 2003 Sugar Bowl, but Miami was in the Big East at the time).

ACC BCS Bowls
Year Bowl Teams Result
1998 Fiesta Bowl Florida State vs. Tennessee 23-16 UT
1999 Sugar Bowl Florida State vs. Virginia Tech 46-29 FSU
2000 Orange Bowl Florida State vs. Oklahoma 13-2 OU
2001 Orange Bowl Maryland vs. Florida 56-23 UF
2002 Sugar Bowl Florida State vs. Georgia 26-13 UGA
2003 Orange Bowl Florida State vs. Miami 16-14 UM
2004 Sugar Bowl Virginia Tech vs. Auburn 16-13 Auburn
2005 Orange Bowl Florida State vs. Penn State 26-23 PSU
2006 Orange Bowl Wake Forest vs. Louisville 24-13 Louisville


The one ACC win is highlighted. The first year of the BCS was 1998. With FSU's win over Virginia Tech being the only BCS bowl win, that means the ACC has never won a BCS bowl over a team that is not currently in the ACC. They've had their chances against Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Auburn, Penn State and Louisville, and the ACC has failed each time.

Let's compare the results of the ACC to the other conferences.

Conference Records in BCS Bowls
Conference Wins Losses
ACC 1 8
Big 12 5 7
Big East 5 4
Big Ten 8 7
MWC 1 0
Pac-10 7 4
SEC 9 4
WAC 1 0
Independents 0 3


That's laughable, if you aren't partial to the ACC. The Mountain West and WAC have won as many BCS games as the ACC, and they've each just had one try. Only the Independents have a worse record in BCS games, going 0-3. Of course, by Independents I mean Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish haven't fared well recently when matched up against the nation's elite.

Florida State was still a top-notch program when the BCS was introduced before the 1998 season. The Seminoles played for the National Championship in the first three years of the BCS before going steadily into decline.



IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!!

Order soon, and you can have
Orange Bowl gear
in time for the game!


Click here for Virginia Tech
Orange Bowl Gear
from CampusEmporium.com!

 

In the ACC's first BCS Bowl, Florida State lost to a Tennessee team in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship. The Volunteers caught a few very lucky breaks in the regular season to make it to the Fiesta Bowl, and knocked off the Seminoles 23-16. FSU was led by inexperienced QB Marcus Outzen, who was starting his third game because of an injury to Chris Weinke. Led by Weinke the following season, that same Seminole team knocked off Virginia Tech 46-29 in the Sugar Bowl to claim the National Championship.

The Seminoles returned to the National Title game for the third straight year in 2000, where they lost to Oklahoma 13-2 in one of the most boring National Championships you'll ever see. FSU got the Sooners in their own home state at the Orange Bowl, but couldn't get it done.

Someone other than Florida State actually managed to win the conference in 2001. This time it was the surprising Maryland Terrapins, who went 10-1 and made it to the Orange Bowl. However, their one loss during the regular season was a 52-31 rout at the hands of Florida State, and the same thing happened to the Terps against Florida in the Orange Bowl. The Gators won 56-23.

Florida State won the ACC again in 2002, despite fielding a team that only went 9-3 during the regular season. Their reward was the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Georgia 26-13. They were back in the Orange bowl in 2003, but lost to Miami 16-14. Miami was concluding their last season in the Big East at the time.

The ACC expanded for the 2004 season, and Virginia Tech won the first conference championship of the bigger, better ACC. Tech went to the Sugar Bowl, where they faced an undefeated Auburn team that many thought should be playing for the National Championship. The Hokies came close, but fell 16-13.

In 2005, a 7-5 Florida State team upset 10-1 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game to earn a BCS berth. The Seminoles went to the Orange Bowl, where they lost to Penn State 26-23 in a great game. Upstart Wake Forest won the conference in 2006, but lost to Louisville 24-13 in the Orange Bowl.

As you can see, the ACC hasn't had much success in BCS bowls. Wonder why the ACC doesn't get any respect nationally? Scroll back up and look at the tables. Every other BCS conference has won at least five BCS bowls, even the Big East. But the ACC? Just one. One. That's as many as Boise State and Utah have won.

Hopefully the Hokies can get it done this year. Not only for themselves, but for a conference that is struggling big time on the big stage of postseason football.

   TechSideline.com Pass - Your Ultimate Ticket to Hokie Sports!


TechSideline Pass - Only $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year!

  • Feature Articles
  • Interviews with recruits
  • Editorials
  • Recruiting updates from Chris Horne, our in-house specialist
  • Recruiting prospect and class evaluations
  • A subscribers-only Recruiting message board (only accessible to subscribers)
  • A subscribers-only message board for general discussion

For more info on TechSideline Pass, and to subscribe, click here.

   TechSideline.com Updates From the Past Week

Ore Suspended for One Quarter of Orange Bowl

December 28, 2007
The Roanoke Times has reported that Virginia Tech tailback Branden Ore has been suspended for the first quarter of next week's Orange Bowl for showing up late to practice. Ore reportedly showed up 45 minutes late to last Friday's practice, and running backs coach Billy Hite recommended a one quarter suspension to Frank Beamer.
Also: Hokies Leave for Miami; TSL Pre-Game Content Editorial Schedule
more

Checking in with Isaiah Hamlette
December 28, 2007
Brooke Point (Stafford, VA) star Isaiah Hamlette turned in a terrific senior season, performing well on both sides of the ball in helping his team to a 9-2 overall record and a district championship title. Hamlette earned first-team all-Northwest region honors at defensive end and second-team all-region honors at offensive tackle, turning in the best season of his high school football career.
more

Class of '09 Profile: Harrisonburg RB Alex Owah
December 27, 2007
Harrisonburg (VA) running back Alex Owah is one of the top in-state prospects in the 2009 recruiting class. A 3-year starter for head coach Tim Sarver, the 5-11, 170-pound Owah turned in a fine 2007 performance, rushing for 1,854 yards and 25 touchdowns in 13 games. He flashed speed, toughness and outstanding running ability in leading a young Harrisonburg squad to a 9-4 overall record and an appearance in the Division 4, Region 3 playoffs.
more

Q&A with Lyndell Gibson
December 26, 2007
Two-time Beach district Defensive Player of the Year, 5-11, 220-pound Salem (Virginia Beach, VA) linebacker Lyndell Gibson has certainly gained the respect of opposing coaches in his high school career. Gibson, who will take his talents on to Virginia Tech, discusses his high school career and looks ahead to his future as a member of the Hokies in this "Q&A."
more

TechSideline.com's Postseason Top 30
December 24, 2007
Here is the final 2008 class edition of TechSideline.com's Top 30. There has been some movement in the Top 30, including a few significant movers in the Top 10. Every prospect in the Top 30 has at least two Division 1A scholarship offers, and most have made their respective verbal commitments.
more

Buzzer Beater Downs Hokies at Wake Forest
December 23, 2007
Ishmael Smith�s buzzer beater gave Wake Forest a dramatic 77-75 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday night in Winston-Salem. Smith�s shot was the end of a 10-0 run over the final 1:17 of the game. Despite holding an eight-point lead so late in the game, the young Hokies couldn�t quite close the deal. Wake Forest improved to 8-3 overall and 1-0 in the ACC with the win, while Tech dropped to 6-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
more

Football Recruiting: Turning the Corner
December 21, 2007
I'm not one of those guys who believes that Frank Beamer and staff do "more with less". That used to be the case, but not anymore, in my opinion. Instead, I believe the coaching staff currently assembled at Virginia Tech is one of the most underrated groups of talent evaluators in the country, and their recruiting is hitting an all-time high this year.
more

Class of '09: State Champion Stone Bridge
December 21, 2007
The Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) varsity football squad captured the Group AAA, Division 5 state championship this season, defeating Potomac 38-0 in the championship game. Head coach Mickey Thompson certainly has his program on the right track and, with a good group of juniors returning to lead the way, the team should be strong once again next season.
more

Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech at Wake Forest
December 21, 2007
Virginia Tech's young basketball players will get their first look at an ACC team on Sunday when they travel to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest. The Hokies have beaten Wake Forest three times in a row, including a December matchup in Cassell Coliseum last season. Unfortunately this game is on the road, where the Hokies have struggled defensively so far this season.
more
 
    TSLMail is a trademark of TechSideline.com - Copyright © 2007 - All Rights Reserved