Hokies’ Title Hopes Are on Schedule

Virginia Tech is back in the national title race, but there’s nothing Hokie about this story.

The problem with Virginia Tech’s 1999 march to the Sugar Bowl was no one knew how good the Hokies were until they lined up against Florida State.

It was like getting one of the national title-game participants by mail order.

Virginia Tech played a nonconference schedule that included James Madison and Alabama Birmingham and then sauntered through a then-mediocre Big East schedule, essentially securing a title berth by defeating a Miami program on the rebound from NCAA sanctions (the Hurricanes finished 9-4 in 1999).

The bowl championship series rankings were in their second year, and Virginia Tech took advantage of a system that had more kinks in it than the British rock band, piling up BCS points by scoring lopsided victories against inferior competition.

In a subjective sport where the champions are computer generated, doesn’t credibility have to be an issue?

In 1998, Kansas State tried to back-door its way into the national title game and nearly pulled it off--only an overtime defeat against Texas A&M; kept Bill Snyder’s Wildcats from a Fiesta Bowl berth.

So, look at the Hokies now.

Virginia Tech is not only 5-0 and ranked No. 4 entering tonight’s game at Boston College, the Hokies have returned with impeccable credentials.

In nonconference play, the Hokies have defeated Louisiana State, Marshall and Texas A&M.;

Unlike some teams that have risen in the polls playing suspect competition (6-0 North Carolina State), Virginia Tech has come to its ranking honestly.

“This is the toughest schedule we’ve ever played,� Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer said this week.

Virginia Tech could have continued to schedule soft in hopes of outsmarting the BCS computer, but head Hokies made a conscious decision to upgrade.

“We’ve had a plan in scheduling and we wanted to toughen it up a little bit,� Beamer said. “We thought it was time, we thought the program had taken enough steps to add some quality opponents and opponents where you’d have a chance to go on national television.�

Bravo.

My rule of thumb on scheduling has always been if you play in an upper-tier conference--Big Ten, Pacific 10, Big 12, Southeastern--you need to play one quality nonconference opponent.

This year, for example, Washington played Michigan and then San Jose State, Wyoming and Idaho, while USC ridiculously overloaded with Auburn, Colorado, Kansas State and Notre Dame.

The point: The competition in these leagues is usually tough enough to gauge a team’s worthiness.

If you play in the less regarded Big East or Atlantic Coast, you need to play two quality nonconference opponents.

For years, Florida State made up for mopping up in the ACC by playing Florida and Miami every year and sometimes added a Penn State or a USC to the mix.

And this year, no one can beef about Miami rolling through the Big East because the Hurricanes’ nonconference schedule is tough as bricks: Florida, Florida State, Tennessee.

The 1999 Virginia Tech squad featured the fabulous quarterback Michael Vick, yet the 2002 squad is more impressive to date because it is making its case on the field, not in some computer nerd’s margin-of-victory component.

Based on the first month of play, you can look toward Blacksburg and legitimately marvel.

If the Hokies can get past Boston College tonight--no guarantee, for sure--they could easily be undefeated headed to Miami on Dec. 7.

Because these Hokies have agreed to be sized up and measured, you can argue Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones may be the best one-two tailback punch in the nation and that Beamer, in his 16th season, may be the best coach in college football.

For as long as college football insists on using a subjective system to pick its championship game participants, we’re going to insist on schedule accountability.

Some coaches have been dragged to this concept--we’re thinking specifically of a Mr. Snyder at Kansas State.

Even Snyder, though, during what he acknowledged was a weak moment, agreed to play USC this year and last, and won both games.

In my book, those two victories earned Snyder more respect than any 10 wipeout wins against schools with hyphens.

This sport ought to be about leveling the playing field, not Louisiana-Monroe.

Bumps and Bruises

The NCAA’s decision in the Colorado probation case was correct and cautionary. The infractions committee meted reasonable, but not harsh, sanctions against Colorado, but sent a strong message to coaches who think they can beat an NCAA rap just by taking a job at another school.

The majority of Colorado’s 53 minor violations occurred under the watch of Rick Neuheisel, now the Washington coach.

Colorado Coach Gary Barnett called the sanctions to his program “very minimal,� but we’ll have to wait for the ripple effect on Puget Sound.

The NCAA did not punish Washington, yet barred Neuheisel from off-campus recruiting until May 31.

This means Neuheisel cannot be on the road for the critical recruiting stretch from December through February. Given Neuheisel makes 20 to 40 home visits to recruits a year, this is almost like grounding a pilot.

Neuheisel can still contact players by phone, but it has been his hands-on approach that has made him a talented recruiter and the subject of NCAA inquiry.

Washington is a relatively young team, so the ban probably won’t likely have an immediate impact. If the Huskies go 7-5 in 2005, however, this decision could be responsible.

Neuheisel thinks the NCAA is making him the test case for his innovative and, it turns out, inappropriate tactics to contact with players, so-called “inadvertent bumps� while making authorized visits to high school coaches.

“The committee’s obvious message is that these bumps should no longer be a part of the college football culture,� Neuheisel said in a statement.

For Neuheisel, you might call it culture shock.

Pinch Me Please

No one is more amazed to be coaching the Miami Hurricanes than 54-year-old Larry Coker, who takes a 17-0 record into Saturday’s game against Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Last year, after Miami handed Florida State its first home defeat in 10 years, Seminole Coach Bobby Bowden asked Coker how it felt to be undefeated.

Astonishingly, before Saturday’s game, a year later, Bowden can ask Coker the same question.

Coker, a 31-year career assistant before being named Miami’s 19th head coach, has been on a nonstop joyride since being bumped up to replace Butch Davis.

The great thing is Coker doesn’t act as if he invented the game and appreciates the company he keeps.

“I am really in awe of Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden,� Coker said. “For me to be out at midfield talking to those people, I’m almost speechless.�

Coker, formerly Miami’s offensive coordinator, was not the likely successor to Davis, but he caught a big break when Greg Schiano, another Miami assistant, got antsy in 2000 and jumped at the chance to become head coach at, uh-hum, Rutgers.

Had he stayed at Miami, Schiano likely would have taken over for Davis after he left to coach the Cleveland Browns.

Instead, the unknown Coker got his chance and led Miami to a 12-0 record and the national title, and is off to a 5-0 start this season. Miami has been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for 18 consecutive weeks, sharing the all-time record with the USC Trojans of 1972-73.

Hurry-Up Offense

Our weekly check on those goofy BCS computer rankings: Jeff Sagarin has North Carolina State at No. 3 and Air Force at No. 4, both ranked ahead of Miami, at No. 9. Anderson-Hester still has Notre Dame at No. 1 and lists Air Force at No. 5, ahead of Miami (6), Oklahoma (7) and Texas (10). The New York Times computer rankings have California at No. 12. And, fret not, USC fans. Despite two losses, the Trojans remain No. 10 in this week’s Massey Ratings.

Bowden on Miami: “I see what they’re doing, and I see a different level. I think at one time we might have had that, and we’re striving to get that back, but we’re not there yet, very obviously.� And if Florida State was to pull off the upset?

“Well, that would put you in the thick of things,� Bowden said. “You’re only playing the king. If you whup the king, you’re packing something.�

USC found out against Washington State the importance of special teams, and no school has dominated on special teams like Virginia Tech. The Hokies have blocked 94 kicks in their last 179 games and have scored 27 touchdowns on special teams in Beamer’s 15-plus seasons.

There are 11 undefeated teams left in Division I, but only nine with a shot to win the national title. Interestingly, the two non-BCS schools on the outside are nicknamed the Falcons--Air Force (Mountain West) and Bowling Green (Mid-American).

Air Force’s 5-0 start has earned it only a No. 21 ranking in this week’s AP poll. Bowling Green is 4-0 and unranked. Because neither school is a member of a BCS-affiliated conference, the chances of making a BCS bowl game are almost nil.

Yet, for what it’s worth, Air Force has defeated two BCS teams (Northwestern and California) while Bowling Green has won five in a row against BCS competition, including victories against Missouri and Kansas this season.

Iowa State is 5-1, ranked No. 11, and boasts a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback in Seneca Wallace. So why do we think this feel-good story is going to end soon? The Cyclones play at Oklahoma and at Texas later this month and, in November, play at Kansas State and at Colorado in consecutive weeks.