Rivalries and hate are funny things. You can rationalize it all you want... until you actually sit down and watch a game.

My epiphany came a few years ago...

I hate all things uva, because I'm a VT grad and I hate the BS they sling our way. The smug academic put downs, their "lawn" and "first years", their singing and swaying, etc. Nauseating.

I also detest Notre Dame. Their special privileges, "Notre Dame Saturday" on NBC as if college football would vanish without them, their mis-appropriation of my Irish heritage (a shillelagh-swinging leprechaun with anger issues as a mascot?), their claim to represent Catholicism and all things good (not a hater, I grew up Catholic), the annoying fact that Catholics who barely know football ask if "we" won on Saturday, OMG... I want them to lose every game by 100 points. Hate, hate, hate.

Then the ACC signed a football deal... and I thought it would be easy. I want every team to destroy ND in every game so we can laugh about them not being able to compete in our conference.

And then it happened. ND played at uva in Char-losers-ville. I thought I could root for uva to beat those posers from ND. Right up until they started winning the game. I saw their fans being happy. And singing and swaying. And having their heads filled up with pride in beating big, bad ND. And the truth came out in me. It was a reverse-Grinch maneuver. My hoo-loving heart shrunk 3 times that day... and I reveled in ND's improbable last second comeback. And to this day, I love seeing crying hoo-boy bent over their stadium wall in the classic hoo-submissive position.

Put your hate to the test. Root for the hoos? Never, never, never.

Good for the Commonwealth? F... the Commonwealth. This is college sports not some dumb-ass "my state is better than your state" mental uselessness.

Rant over. Go Hokies! Don't step in hoo.