(UVa fan here) and see what the sense of the Virginia Tech fans is. I'm bound to say (not trying to be critical here) I'm surprised to see this board not being--what??-a bit more excited.

You're 10-1. You surprised the ACC (and everybody else) last year. You're almost certainly headed for a NCAA bid. And your coach has you waaaaaaay ahead of schedule.

You should be more excited, IMO, than appears.

Now, that said, I really don't like the way you've been scheduled. Don't get me wrong: you've got some nice wins, particularly Mississippi (RPI 33) at home and Michigan (77) away.

But you've played 3 games against the top 100, going 2-1 (that's respectable). And you've played 2 games against teams in the 100-200 range. (OK, everybody schedules games against some cream puffs to give their troops a chance to play loose and check out players you might hesitate to put in against a staunch opponent.

But here's the kicker: you've played 6 of your 10 games against 200+ opponents. To your credit, you've won them all, quite a few of them handily.

But here's the thing: that ain't going to get you ready for ACC play. Up next, after UMBC? Murderer's row: 5 teams Kenpom ranked in the top 12. Plus 2 games with Miami, which is always well coached. Plus Notre Dame, Clemson, and Pitt. But you do get
BC twice.

Bottom line: I hope this turns out right for you guys, but loading up on 200+ RPI teams before going to ACC play runs two very real risks:

1. You haven't prepared your team for the rigors of the ACC (some think we may send 10 teams to the NCAAs this year).

2. Wins against bad teams aren't worth much when it comes to choosing who goes to the dance.

Now, I realize a lot of this is 20-20 hindsight. But not entirely. High Point, Maine, New Mexico, The Citadel, and Charleston Southern? That diet will rot your teeth. ;-)

And I'm throwing out VMI (I think we should both schedule in-state schools for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they're from Virginia) and Maryland-Eastern Shore and UMBC (there is also something to be said for playing within your core recruiting footprint).

But, still, why not schedule cupcakes from (1) within the Commonwealth and (2) within your recruiting footprint?

It just doesn't make sense to me to schedule a Maine. A High Point?

What do you guys think? I'm puzzled.