In July 2003 when VT and Miami got in the ACC I thought we would never...
have to worry about conference affiliation again. We would be set until the end of time! The thought of having VT, Miami, FSU, Clemson, UNC, Duke etc. in one conference would be the best conference in America. Well here we are almost 20 years later and the ACC is hanging on by a thread and VT is in jeopardy of being left out of a big time conference. Never would have imagined...
The ACC brass could never figure out how to capitalize on what we had... and here we are...
15 Replies
M
Mercury
4y
For fifty years vt worked hard to develop a program worthy to join the acc.. we got there and life was good but not hungry .
We are in that roll agsin and vt gets a godl
(In response to this post by VPIVIP95)
2
2hhoop3
4y
in its drive in football it is much more likely due to complacency after the national championship game than joining the ACC or the fact VT walked right in and instantly reached the top of the ACC football heap. As an overall athletic program VT has grown significantly with ACC membership. It has had to in order to be competitive. I think the present position bears little to no resemblance to VT's former role and rise to prominence. Moreover, a second climb will be far more difficult due to a variety of factors that are now significantly more challenging than the first time around.
(In response to this post by Mercury)
I agree, There was an edge to VT in the Big East, and the whole conference
had a competitiveness to it that the ACC seems to lack.
(In response to this post by Mercury)
4y
I used to laugh when UVa fans would suggest that VT didn't play in a "real conference." The Big East was full of tough-nosed teams, including VT. It became instantly evident that the former Big East teams were physically superior to the ACC at large, other than FSU, in the early days after expansion. VT, Miami, and BC were near the top of the conference for the first 4-5 years. Remember when VT went into Death Valley and absolutely destroyed Clemson in primetime? Since then, it seems VT became slowly "wussified" like the rest of the conference, and Clemson has become the more physical (and much more talented) team.
(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)
4y
Look at their record from 1990-2013. They had some ok years under Bowden, but weren't great. It seems like a lot of Tech fans are suffering from recency bias. We've been middling lately, but not anywhere near the bad programs in the country. A lot of other good programs are middling lately, too. If middling is the baseline bottom for Tech then we have a pretty good program still. Hopefully Pry is the right guy for the job to get the program back on the upswing. He seems like he's doing all the right things so far.
(In response to this post by MP4VT2004)
4y
But I agree, VT fans were spoiled by a long run of great success that many programs will never experience.
(In response to this post by hokieball)
D
daveinop
4y
You don't raise the possibility if you aren't going to deliver.
(In response to this post by Stech)
4y
have 14 more years is just..... ;-)
(In response to this post by Stech)
H
hokieZ71
4y
Then when FSU and Clemson got good, VT fell
Off. And Miami has been garbage since McGahee blew out his knee.
(In response to this post by VPIVIP95)
4y
FSU has come a long way academically. They committed themselves to improving that and they deserve credit for that
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
4y
They were rated below VT when Tech joined and FSU had been in the ACC for over a decade. Also, Clemson's rating significantly improved something like five years ago and now is back down to where Tech is. VT has been consistently in the same spot for decades.
(In response to this post by OrlandoHokie)
4y
U of FL.
(In response to this post by OrlandoHokie)
Miami and FSU fell from the elite of college football.
And when they struggled, no one else replaced them. Sure, someone had to win the conference, but for about a decade, the ACC champion was usually not in the Top 5. Clemson eventually emerged (but there was little in-conference competition to excite America). People paid attention to Clemson when the playoff started or if they had a big OOC game against UGa or Auburn. But the damage was already done to the ACC, especially compared to the rising SEC,
If Miami and FSU were still on top and the rivalry was the must see game in America every year, things would be different.
** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 7/23/2022, 7:00:14 PM
(In response to this post by VPIVIP95)
4y
dominance has been a huge impact. Especially Miami. Clemson has carried the torch somewhat but we needed more. Saban/Bama dynasty has driven a lot of the 5 stars to the SEC and destroyed parity in college football. Even a Michigan can’t really compete with SEC football on an annual basis. Maybe Ohio State.
(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)