Friday, January 26, 2007
Tech's non-ACC schedule not as tough as appears
Randy King
Randy King's Tech Insider is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Thursdays in season.
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Apologize for checking in late this week. Let's just say it took a while to recover from a Wednesday night basketball assignment at Auburn.
While on that trip, I noticed the 2007 ACC football schedule was released by the league office. As expected, the press release harped about how the fact that 24 of the league's 48 non-conference games were against 18 teams that earned bowl berths last season.
Yes, sir, the ACC is stepping out next fall. Taking on all-comers, anybody and anywhere.
And, yeah, I keep hearing Virginia Tech fans talking about how tough the Hokies' schedule is this fall. Sure, I confess that Tech's Sept. 8 trip to LSU is watershed stuff to a program that's been ripped for its weak non-league schedules in the past. It doesn't get any better than a trip to Baton Rouge.
That said, I don't want to hear Hokies talking about how tough the rest of the non-league slate is. Sure, you're playing two other 2006 bowl teams -- East Carolina and Ohio U both come to Lane Stadium. ECU finished 7-6, losing 24-7 to South Florida in its bowl; Ohio U. was 9-5, including its 28-7 pasting by Southern Miss in its bowl blowout.
Oh, and let's don't dare forget the last non-league test -- I-AA William and Mary in Blacksburg on Sept. 22. Frank Beamer is good friends with W&M coach Jimmye Laycock, so maybe the Hokies won't hang half a hundred run on a team that was 1-7 in the Atlantic 10 and 3-8 overall last season.
At least the Hokies are hitting the road once this season. Last season, Tech never left Lane in taking care of non-ACC foes -- I-AA Northeastern, a respectable Cincinnati team, a decent Southern Miss club and hapless Kent State.
Its trip to No. 3 LSU notwithstanding and games against two other bowl participants, Tech's non-league schedule is far from being the toughest overall in the ACC. In order to figure how Tech's strength non-conference schedule stacked up against the rest of the ACC, I decided the final 2006 Sagarin ratings would be the best measuring tool since the rankings also include I-AA schools.
Where did Tech stand? When adding up the finishing position of LSU (3), ECU (67), Ohio U. (77) and W&M (159), you get 306. That ranks seventh in the 12-team ACC.
The numbers say that North Carolina, by far, has the strongest non-league schedule. UNC, which besides Tech is the only team playing three '06 bowl participants, finished a final total of 198 -- South Carolina (24), South Florida (31), ECU (67) and I-AA James Madison (76).
Duke was second with a 234 total, including trips to bowl teams Navy (47) and Notre Dame (21). Wake Forest was third at 262, including a home game with Nebraska (30) and a trip to Navy (47).
Florida State was fourth with a 263 total. The Seminoles have the toughest trip of all -- to No. 1 Florida -- and a neutral-site game with Alabama (55) and new coach Nick Saban in Jacksonville.
In a discovery that stunned me and will shock many Hokies, Virginia's non-league slate scored fifth in the tabulations at 277, despite the fact that it and Boston College are the only two ACC clubs not playing at least two non-league games against '06 bowl teams.
Shoot, I had somehow had forgotten that Middle Tennessee State (87) was a 31-14 loser to Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. UVa's other three foes are Pittsburgh (45), Wyoming (72) and Connecticut (73). Pitt and Wyoming were both 6-6, but somehow didn't make bowls last season. What's even more bizarre about UVa is it will be playing at MTSU and Wyoming this season. That's got to be the first Murfreesboro-Laramie parlay trip on anyone's schedule.
North Carolina State, with a 304 total, kept Tech out of the top half of the ACC. State gets Louisville (5), Central Florida (111) and I-AA Wofford (121) at home, plus goes to ECU (67).
Tech did finish a solid seventh, outdistancing No. 8 Maryland by 21 points. The Terps have a pair of Big East toughies -- West Virginia (10) at home and Rutgers (12) on the road. No other ACC team faces two non-league foes rated with a lower combined total. The Terps' overall number of 328 was weighted down by a home game against Villanova (127) and a trip to Florida International (179), which was 0-12 last season and is the lowest-rated team on any ACC team's menu.
Clemson was ninth with a 332 score. The Tigers have a tough trip to South Carolina (24) and have Motor City bowl winner Central Michigan (56) at home. The other two homers include Louisiana-Monroe (118) and I-AA Furman (134).
Miami checked in 10th with a 336 total. Big number considering the 'Canes go to Oklahoma (16) and get Texas A&M (39) at home. Miami's number was sacked by a home date with Marshall (102) and its agreement to keep Florida International (179) on the schedule despite last season's bench-clearing brawl between the two schools.
Boston College, which has only one '06 bowl team -- Notre Dame (21) -- its non-league schedule, plays its other three non-conference foes at home -- I-AA runner-up Massachusetts (59), Army (122) and Bowling Green (139). The Eagles' total was 341.
Thanks to a meeting with I-AA Samford (221), Georgia Tech finished last at 381. The rest of the Yellow Jackets' slate includes Georgia (17) and Army (122) at home, plus a trip to Notre Dame (21).
After seemingly being given a break by the ACC in its first three years in the league, the Hokies do face what appears to be their strongest league schedule ever. For the first time since joining the ACC, Tech faces Florida State in a regular-season game. Even there, the Hokies get a break, drawing the Seminoles in Lane on Nov. 10. FSU is the only team in the league that Tech hasn't faced yet in the regular season.
The back end of Tech's schedule is loaded this fall. The Hokies finish against BC at home, at Georgia Tech, FSU and Miami at home, and Virginia on the road.
Contrary to what I heard on a certain radio sports talk show earlier this week, the Hokies are not getting jobbed by the ACC schedule-maker giving teams extra time to prepare for them. The only situation where that really comes into play is the Nov. 24 UVa game. While the Hokies are prepping for their Nov. 17 date with Miami, the Cavs will enjoy an extra week to rest and prepare.
Tech will have a couple of extra days' edge in its Nov. 10 meeting with FSU since it will coming off a Nov. 1 Thursday night game the week before against Georgia Tech while the Noles play at BC on Nov. 3. Georgia Tech will have the luxury of five extra days before facing the Hokies since it doesn't play Oct. 20, while the Hokies will be coming off an Oct. 25 Thursday nighter against BC at home.
If Tech fans think this schedule is tough, wait until 2008, when the Hokies travel to Nebraska, Florida State, Miami and Boston College.
Oh, by the way that Auburn trip I referred to in the lead paragraph? I wasn't talking SEC hoops. I was talking Three Rivers District ... Riner ... unbeaten Floyd County vs. Auburn ... girls hoops. Watch six fouls being called in the final 91 seconds of a 56-15 junior varsity game and I'm betting you're worn out, too. Outta here. Rest time.
