GOML

• SU: 23 • Pitt: 31 • UVA: 45 • FSU: 49 • Tech: 50 • NCSU: 64 • BC: 77 • L-ville: 80

** Edited by GOML at 10/27/2023, 12:12:10 PM

News: "Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program," the conference said. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. " Michigan Man: Stealing signs is permissible so long as it happens in-person, and during the game itself. News: "[Michigan Analytics Assistant] bought tickets to more than 30 Big Ten games over the past three seasons. He’d reportedly transfer the tickets to others, who would then sit opposite the team’s sideline and film the play signals on a cell phone." Michigan Man: Travelling to other stadiums to record & steal signs is permissible so long as it was not done by Michigan staff. News: "Documents and videos were obtained from computer drivers maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches, which showed that the program had been orchestrating a sign-stealing operation involving both in-person scouting and video recordings of coaches on sidelines. • The evidence the firm presented to the NCAA included a detailed schedule of Michigan’s planned travel to opponents’ stadiums for sign-stealing operations and how much money was budgeted for travel and tickets. • The outside firm presented the NCAA with photographs of people investigators believed to be Michigan scouts, including current students interning with the football team." Michigan Man: The REAL scandal is that Ryan Day broke into the servers and leaked this. News: "Both the Yahoo and ESPN reports peg 2021 as the start of this potential scheme. This coincides with Harbaugh having success inside the program. In the six seasons prior under Harbaugh the Wolverines had a combined record of 49-22, since the scheme allegedly began the team has seen a tremendous jump in play, posting a 29-3 record." Michigan Man: Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. ** Edited by GOML at 10/26/2023, 1:02:17 PM

• First reply is spot on: Do not play a P5 schedule. • And the Sun Belt has slumped this year. • They have done a great job with the Transfer Portal - see adding former P5/ G5 recruits to their roster when still FCS. • Especially for a critical position like QB - see Jordon McCloud, Todd Centeio. • They already had a winning culture - see FCS Conference championships (10), FCS National championships (2). • The real test will come when they have to replace their current QB - see every program without a good QB.

Troy is behind two RS/ SR transfers at OU. • 1st team: 2021 TR - 90 rating • 2nd team: 2023 TR - 88 rating • 3rd team: 2023 TR - 87 rating The transfer Tech landed - Frady - is 2nd team RG with an 86 rating. Was hoping Troy would transfer to Tech - but maybe he wasn't going to be the immediate upgrade some of us hoped for. Again, FWIW.

100% agree - and will add that NCAAF teams in the ACC can still compete for ACC Championships, expanded CFP spots, and bowls. • And all of the ACC programs will have a chance to see how things play out - without suffering the damage done by impulsive/ ill-advised actions (see adding CA teams). • The ACC Teams - and fans - have enjoyed entertaining seasons & memories without being one of the "Blue Bloods" - and that can still continue.

3 - Florida, UVA & Tech: Giants, Falcons, Jaguars. • Florida and Tech OC hires both had OL coaching experience - no QB. • UVA OC hire had WR experience - no OL or QB.

100% agree - Attract & Align were part of the process. Stikes me that Pry understood that.

Strikes me that there are two parts to the OC hire equation criticism: Personnel (Bowen), and Process (former OC). And that the criticism will probably resurface the first time Tech does not win this season. Short Version: Just because a company/ new boss wants to hire the best talent in the marketplace, that does not mean that the best talent in the marketplace wants to be hired by that company/ new boss. Long Version: A) 14 P5 programs hired new Head Coaches (HC) for the 2022 season. B) 6 of those programs had won at least 3 National Championships (NC) in recent memory. ^^ • 2 had won 1 NC in the past - and had been to at least 3 bowl games in the last 5 years (Wash, TCU). • 6 of the 8 hired a HC that had been a HC at their last NCAAF program - OU & ND did not. • 7 of the 8 hired an OC that had been an OC at their last NCAAF program - USC did not. • 4 of the 8 OCs had previous ties to the new HC (Wash, TCU, FL, ND) ^^ ^^ = Talent considering those programs was probably not considering Tech (and "probably not" is me being polite). C) All 6 of the remaining 6 programs hired first time HCs (Duke, Oregon, TX Tech, Wash State, UVA, Tech). • 3 of the 6 hired an OC that had been an OC at their last NCAAF program (Duke, Oregon, TX Tech). • The father of the new TX Tech OC was a former TX Tech HC. ^^ • Oregon had a 10-4 record in 2021, and been to a bowl game every year for the last 5 years. ^^ • The new Wash State OC was the former HC of the new Wash State QB transfer. ^^ • The 3 remaining programs were all ACC programs with poor recent records. • Elko and Elliot probably had higher profiles than Pry - but not their respective programs (Duke, UVA). • Only Duke had a successful season. D) Of the 6 teams that had a better record in 2022, 5 hired experienced OCs (83%). • Of the 5 teams that had a worse record in 2022, 3 hired experienced OCs (60%). • Of the 3 teams that had the same record in 2022, 2 hired experienced OCs (67%). • Of the 6 teams that had a better record, 4 of the OCs had an OL/TE background before they became an OC (67%) - other 2 had QB backgrounds. • Of the 5 teams that had a worse record, 4 of the OCs did NOT have an OL/ TE background before they became an OC (80%) - 2 had QB, 1 had RB, 1 had DB. To be fair, Tech & Pry probably could not compete for the talent hired by 11 (79%) of the programs. Pry probably needed to hire on the potential to be an effective OC - versus a proven track record. And Pry probably understood which of his network contacts/ possible candidates - that Tech & Pry could attract - aligned best with potential key OC candidate parameters. Lastly, time will tell if the Personnel part of the equation was right - but I do not fault Pry for the Process part of the equation.

Tech would have a chance to be in a major bowl game again. Tech was going to the Sugar Bowl - unbelievable. Started networking, somehow got ahold of a spare ticket (older fraternity brothers), then a spare bed in hotel room (friends of friends, French Quarter), then a flight to NO. Everything fell into place. Checked in, then immediately headed to Bourbon Street and ran into friend after friend - Hokies were everywhere. My most vivid memories of the game were: 1) the energy, 2) the bomb to Still, and 3) the look of pure joy on the older grads faces (still a young guy). The post-game all-nighter on Bourbon Street is story for another time when the liquor & lies are flowing freely. Years later was working with some folks from TX and this way out of my league hottie and I started to hit-it-off. Found out she went to UT, so I sent her a page: "28-10". She loved it - great sense of humor - and turns out she was at the game, because she was a UT cheerleader! More Sugar Bowl magic.

Was wondering the same thing myself. Did a quick ​** review of the NFL.com data for the last 10 drafts (2014 - 2023). 37 RB, 40 QB and 94 WR in the first two rounds, over past 10 drafts. Plus, 31 TE and 111 OL. Total Offense: 313. 58 LB, 130 DL and 140 DB in the first two rounds, over past 10 drafts. Total Defense: 328. 1 K. ** = Total Count is off by 4 (642 v. 638) - did I mention adult beverages were involved - tick marking is hard, adjust expectations accordingly

I'll add that if Teel wanted to continue with his state P5 'NFL Draft Musings' - and provided some useful context - he could have noted: In the past decade Virginia has had 14 draft picks, but only one NFL teams deemed worthy of selecting in the first two rounds (i.e., a 2nd rounder). While in the same decade Virginia Tech has had 24 picks, including five 1st round draft picks. And in 2018 Virginia Tech had two brothers selected in the 1st round, in the same draft (i.e., the Edmund brothers). What the heck is wrong with Teel, thought he was a pro.

Have no idea why Teel thought restricting his 'NFL Draft Musings' - for Tech & UVA - to just RB, WR, QB was noteworthy. But what really caught my eye was when the article in the RTD - at the link - went on to say: "Tech’s most recent: running back David Wilson in 2012, running back Ryan Williams in ’11 and receiver Eddie Royal in ’08. Virginia’s most recent: running back Thomas Jones in 2000, receiver Germane Crowell in 1998 and running back Tiki Barber in ’97." What Teel should have written - based on the facts - is that: More than two decades have passed since Virginia fielded a running back, receiver or quarterback NFL teams deemed worthy of selecting in the first two rounds. And it has been more than a decade since Virginia Tech could say the same. There was no need to mislead the readers into thinking both programs have had the same results.