🏈 I'm not a fan of if Team A beats Team B and B beats Team C then A is better than C...

[TerryP]

But...

I got into a conversation last night with a few fans, one of them a BC fan who...well, let's just say I'm not a fan of— if that makes sense.

He made some snide remark about Vandy and I mentioned a few things I had found out about Vandy when I was putting together the Vanderbilt Pre-season Capsule.

It did lead to this thought...

We all know how badly Vandy tanked in their SEC schedule last year but rebounded to beat Boston College in the bowl game.

BC was 1-1 versus Va. Tech last year. They won at home, then lost in the ACC Championship.

So, if Vandy was able to beat BC, what does that say about Vandy's talent last year?

What does it say about BC? About Va. Tech? Or, the ACC for that matter?

Seriously.

Boston College was the second best team during the regular season and at the end of the year in the ACC.

Vanderbilt, on the other hand, was tied for 6th in the SEC along with South Carolina at 7-6—tied for 5th in conference play at 4-4.

Just musing...

 

[psychojoe]

Vanderbilt was like several SEC teams last year. They were quite good on defense but struggled on offense. Though talent wise on offense they ranked with the barn, the viles and MSU they were much less error prone, and thus parlayed their defense into a good season, at least by their standards.

I know that the ACC put a boatload of teams into bowl games last year, but it really felt like they mostly chopped up mediocre non conference opposition and broke even in their league. Their bowl record (wasn't it 2-6?) testified that their league just wasn't very strong a year ago.

IMO Vandy would have been very competitive in last year's ACC.

 

[TerryP]

The ACC set a record for teams in bowl games with 10; a 4-6 record overall.

Wake Forest, Florida State, Maryland and Va Tech were the winners if I recall correctly.

FWIW, I don't know if you knew it or not but their record in BCS bowl games is...well, horrible. I want to say with Va. Tech's win that makes the second win ever in the BCS era...the conference overall has lost 9 or 10 BCS bowl games.

 

[musso]

you have to consider the dynamic that is regularly seen every bowl season, when a signficantly higher ranked team plays a lower ranked team or otherwise disrespected team. need we be reminded of what can happen to a bowl team when it loses its conference championship game and is paired against a team lacking national respect???

also, didn't BC have coaching issues at the time? coaching stability is critical in the post season period with regard to retaining the discipline and focus necessary to perform at a peak level after several weeks of inactivity, final exams, and holiday cheer.

 

[jdpas29]

if Alabama's defense is 75% of what i think it's going to be in '09, VT will fold by the end of the 3rd Q.