Hokie fans don't seem to like Syracuse

[omniorange]

That's a good point you make regarding the bowl losses. When you play top 10 teams, chances are you could lose. SU did both times. What really hurt there credibility were the losses to East Carolina, a bad Minnesota team, a bad Oklahoma team, two losses to a pedestrian NC State team, etc.. Nobody ever talked about how they stomped the likes of Wisconsin or Michigan or gave Tennessee all they could handle it was always about the losses to lesser competition that people focused on. The bowl losses then just justified in their own minds the notion that they shouldn't have been there.

But in reality, weren't the pedestrian losses a precursor to how the team would perform in the Big Bowl game at the end of both of those seasons? The only way we could have changed the perception in those years was to win the bowl game, or at the very least be competitive in them.

It's not like 1992 when we gave a #1 Miami a tough battle at home, and beat a #19 BC on the road. We were battle tested and performing well which led to our beating #10 Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[KCJax03]

But in reality, weren't the pedestrian losses a precursor to how the team would perform in the Big Bowl game at the end of both of those seasons? The only way we could have changed the perception in those years was to win the bowl game, or at the very least be competitive in them.

It's not like 1992 when we gave a #1 Miami a tough battle at home, and beat a #19 BC on the road. We were battle tested and performing well which led to our beating #10 Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.

Cheers,
Neil

I suppose so but I could also see a one loss Syracuse team losing to Kansas St or Florida as well. Those teams were very good and there is no shame losing to them. Do you really believe that the Big Ten / Big 12 doormats that were Minnesota and Oklahoma had more talent than Syracuse did?

 

[OrangeMon]

F VaTech and their idiot fans!!! I just wish we could play those dolts every year like we used to. I enjoyed watching them lose to us and their fans cry. Too funny!

And to the VaTech fan who threw the beer, we're BACK!!! You know who you are. Round two is coming.

 

[sufandu]

Agree, I've always felt this was the biggest thing that kept the Big East down. Typically a conference is viewed as being as good as its best team. But the Big East was never viewed quite as favorably, even when Miami was Miami. SU was always good, VT was always good. WVU and BC often made good headlines in one way or another. But when 25%, and for a few years (the brilliant Johnny Majors re-hire) 38% of your league is considered worse than anything in college football, MAC included, it always gave the league a black eye.

SU, for its part, could have also won the Fiesta Bowl or Orange Bowl. I know we played two Top 10, maybe Top 5 teams in those games, but we were no slouch either. So when your 3 loss conference champion loses one BCS game by 17, the other by 21, it's not really helpful. But not nearly as damaging as Rutgers, Temple, and sometimes Pitt.

Yeah, losing those bowl games hurt. We also missed opportunities to beat Tennessee (stolen from us by bogus "equipment violation" penalties) during their national championship season and decent but not great NC State teams or a bad Oklahoma team. When a league champion loses to middle of the pack teams from another conference it hurts. We had a chance to make some noise in'95 but lost to a decent East Carolina and '96 too when our only league loss was to Miami by one TD, and we lost to a bad Minnesota team and a good UNC team. Having second and third place teams with only 1 or 2 losses before a bowl makes the league look a lot better.

 

[bnoro]

Frank Beamer in a Sombrero? Frank Beamer in a Sombrero.

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2013...-dancing-in-a-sombrero-virginia-tech-sun-bowl

 

[Scooch]

Yeah, losing those bowl games hurt. We also missed opportunities to beat Tennessee (stolen from us by bogus "equipment violation" penalties) during their national championship season and decent but not great NC State teams or a bad Oklahoma team. When a league champion loses to middle of the pack teams from another conference it hurts. We had a chance to make some noise in'95 but lost to a decent East Carolina and '96 too when our only league loss was to Miami by one TD, and we lost to a bad Minnesota team and a good UNC team. Having second and third place teams with only 1 or 2 losses before a bowl makes the league look a lot better.

This is usually when Go quotes me and says "injuries! depth!" but the '97 team haunts me to this day. That was the year. NC friggin' State. Ugh.

 

[Ottoble]

Nope.

Edit...they won a NC in bass fishing

HA! This actually makes it worse.

 

[Hoo's That]

Virginia tech is the only team in the ACC without a national championship in ANY sport.

I just realized that this hadn't been posted in the thread. Not only have they never won a championship in any sport, none of their teams in any sport have ever been ranked #1 at any time during the season.

 

[sufandu]

This is usually when Go quotes me and says "injuries! depth!" but the '97 team haunts me to this day. That was the year. NC friggin' State. Ugh.

Yeah, that was our best combo of offense and defense. Donovan Darius and Tebucky Jones laying the wood in the secondary.

 

[orangefog]

Frank Beamer in a Sombrero? Frank Beamer in a Sombrero.

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2013...-dancing-in-a-sombrero-virginia-tech-sun-bowl

Ugh, he needs to cover up his mug with that sombrero.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Beating them 6 out of 12 times in Big East play was never easy for them to take, especially in Lane Stadium. They weren't used to that like they are now (do they win home games anymore?)

Regardless, collectively they are the worst fans on this or any other planet.

If there is one team we should be regrouped with in a reorg of the divisions, it should be Va Tech (or Miami). Not having one of those teams in our group is a shame. Especially Va Tech.

 

[OrangeDW]

Agree, I've always felt this was the biggest thing that kept the Big East down. Typically a conference is viewed as being as good as its best team. But the Big East was never viewed quite as favorably, even when Miami was Miami. SU was always good, VT was always good. WVU and BC often made good headlines in one way or another. But when 25%, and for a few years (the brilliant Johnny Majors re-hire) 38% of your league is considered worse than anything in college football, MAC included, it always gave the league a black eye.

SU, for its part, could have also won the Fiesta Bowl or Orange Bowl. I know we played two Top 10, maybe Top 5 teams in those games, but we were no slouch either. So when your 3 loss conference champion loses one BCS game by 17, the other by 21, it's not really helpful. But not nearly as damaging as Rutgers, Temple, and sometimes Pitt.

Agreed. Though VT also didn't help the league's cause by scheduling the way they did. Cuse was taking on Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, Auburn, Texas, etc. and going toe to toe with them and winning some too. VT had like no big out of conference wins because they didn't play anybody. If they scheduled the way we did and were able to compete with and win some against the top programs from other leagues like Cuse did, it would've improved the perception of the league.

 

[OrangeDW]

But in reality, weren't the pedestrian losses a precursor to how the team would perform in the Big Bowl game at the end of both of those seasons? The only way we could have changed the perception in those years was to win the bowl game, or at the very least be competitive in them.

It's not like 1992 when we gave a #1 Miami a tough battle at home, and beat a #19 BC on the road. We were battle tested and performing well which led to our beating #10 Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.

Cheers,
Neil

I know the final score looked bad, but I remember that Kansas St. game as being close most of the way. I haven't seen the game since it was played, but I remember it as being an evenly played back and forth game for like 3 quarters. I remember it was 21-18 Kansas State, and feeling like we should've been winning as we stopped ourselves and settled for 3 a few times.

Then it was 28-18 and we were driving and about to score, and McNabb had the disastrous fumble and the game got away from us. If we score there it's 28-25 and still anybody's game.

That game was not uncompetitive, and I felt back then that we were pretty evenly matched. It just got away from us after that fumble.

 

[HurleyForHeisman]

I know the final score looked bad, but I remember that Kansas St. game as being close most of the way. I haven't seen the game since it was played, but I remember it as being an evenly played back and forth game for like 3 quarters. I remember it was 21-18 Kansas State, and feeling like we should've been winning as we stopped ourselves and settled for 3 a few times.

Then it was 28-18 and we were driving and about to score, and McNabb had the disastrous fumble and the game got away from us. If we score there it's 28-25 and still anybody's game.

That game was not uncompetitive, and I felt back then that we were pretty evenly matched. It just got away from us after that fumble.

Yes, that game was much closer than the final score. Plus, SU got hurt by a really bad call in the 4th quarter. SU caused a K State fumble inside the 10 that was returned for a TD, but the ref said the runner was down. These days that call would've been reversed. K state went on to score a TD to go up by 17. I hate it when people refer to that game as a blowout, which it wasn't.

 

[kirbivore]

This is usually when Go quotes me and says "injuries! depth!" but the '97 team haunts me to this day. That was the year. NC friggin' State. Ugh.

VT on the road, not so bad. But NC St was 6-5 and Oklahoma 4-8 that season. Those later 2 were not world beaters. I still remember P's befuddled face as NC St. went for 2.