I had similar thoughts and questions. Of course, that team, after the annual scheduled whipping of UVA, was I think 5-6, and should not have gotten a Bowl, but hey, when you have so many Bowls, to fill them all, you end up with the 'Battle to See Who Sucks Less' Bowl. But, no, The Streak, which VT took pride in, was gone. And soon, the same was true about Fuente. If we had made the NCAAT, injuries or not, no way that gets turned down. So, it was a matter of the NIT being considered "not important enough." That leaves a sour taste. Is Mike Young burned out? That press conference after the UVA game, where a clearly frustrated MY lamented, "What the **** am I doing wrong?" I think the school or coach needs to be making such decisions. When you put such things in the hands of the players, your leadership takes a big hit, IMO. Leaders make the final decisions. Get input, yes. But don't hand over the responsibility to the players. That lack of trust alone, can lead them to not want to play.