#31 - Virginia Tech vs East Carolina
by Todd on Jul 30, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
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Print | Virginia Tech vs East Carolina August 30, 2008 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC |  |
Why?: These two teams opened last season against each other and put on quite a defensive slug fest, with Tech winning it 17-7 thanks to a pick six and some strong special teams plays. With Tech likely stuggling on offense again and ECU returning nine players from a defense that held the Hokies to 33 yards rushing last year, this one should be another great defensive ball game worth watching.
Who do I think will win?: I'm tempted to go with the Pirates here since they bring back a lot of starters and Va. Tech will likely come out a little slow again this year, but Beamer always fields a competitive team and I find it very hard to pick against them.
Who do I hope will win?: I think ECU is a mid-major on the rise right now (especially after they upset Boise in last year's Hawaii bowl), and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them take the conference and wind up in the Liberty Bowl, but I also don't think they're quite at the level where they can compete with the BCS teams like the Boises and TCUs of the world can yet. Still, plucky underdog and all that (plus, they're Pirates!), so ECU it is.
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Don’t get me wrong, I love ECU. They are a great rival for my GEs but they have never, never won the conference champonship and will not this year either. I suspect they will beat VT and one or two others of the AQ (automatic-qualifier) teams on their schedule, which looks brutal by the way. But they won’t beat USM and won’t go to the champonship game either.
Also, great pick-up on A Steen. Someone us fans at USM really wanted. I note that om and msu didn’t offer full scholarships though we did. State offerred ,more or less, a gray shirt and according to Rivals, om never offerred anything. But as your writer noted, “all the major schools in MS offerred this kid”...that would be USM of course!
Good luck on the upcoming season!
Yours,
JDH
JDH
Accutaley, East Carolina is predicted first in the East Division in every pre-season magazine and your Southern Miss Golden Eagles are picked 3rd or 4th in most. Also East Carolina is the only CUSA team that goes out and plays BCS teams (this year Virginia Tech [Charlotte], West Virginia [home], NC State [away] and Virginia [away], Southern Miss is playing Auburn, then it is all Sun Belt and WAC with Lousiana, Arkansas State, and Boise State. Also ECU has three games on national TV this year being (West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Central Florida) and Southern Miss has 0.
by adenton1991@yahoo.com on Jul 30, 2008 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions
I think...
...he means they’re the only CUSA team whose entire OOC slate is BCS. Though I’m not sure I’d rank Virginia and NC State above Boise State.
Schedule
East Carolina also does not play a FCS team, and East Carolina did play Boise State last year.
by adenton1991@yahoo.com on Jul 31, 2008 2:54 PM CDT reply actions
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