Big Game in the Big Easy: The Bowl Hokies Have Craved

About two weeks ago I was taking a somber walk out of Bank of America stadium, lamenting over how the ACC championship loss was a sad way to end the season. The depression of was short-lived, replaced the next night by the elation of VT getting a bid to the Sugar Bowl.

Big game featuring two big name playcallers in the Big Easy. What more is there to ask for?

Best Bowl Game Scenario

Of course I'd rather have seen the Hokies get revenge against Clemson and earn another ACC title, but VT ended up with the best bowl scenario. A win would have sent VT to Miami for the 4th time in 5 seasons to play against a WVU team that hasn't been impressive. There is the rivalry with WVU, but Orange Bowl fatigue combined with a Wednesday night kickoff against a low ranked opponent would produce a ho-hum response from fans and the national media. Beating the Big East champion doesn't provide any real upside to national reputation either.

To the surprise and chagrin of many, Virginia Tech landed in Sugar Bowl to play Michigan. Its reputation and destination makes it inarguably the best bowl game Virginia Tech could go to. This trip will be my first time to New Orleans, but enough has been said about the area that I have a feeling it will be a great time. As far as football goes, the Sugar Bowl has a long history, and it was the site of the two biggest games in VT history: the 1995 win over Texas and the national championship loss in January 2000. Virginia Tech's surprise selection and Michigan's return to a BCS bowl has forced a lot of national attention on this game.

Winning = Only Way to Silence Critics

The Hokies were fortunate to be picked at large by the Sugar Bowl, but we don't need to apologize for qualifying as a BCS at-large team. There has been a lot of animosity towards us from media personalities. Colin Cowherd stated, "this isn't a very good team." Tony Kornheiser said VT is a, "fraud program." Sportswriters took their shots on Twitter. Most are quick to point out Virginia Tech "can't win the big game." I'm grateful for the scrutiny and the criticism, for all of the negative attention that has been paid to this game. If VT wins, then there is no way the critics can turn around and deny that it wasn't a huge victory.

This game is not just the final note for the 2011 season, but it could be considered a statement, even a possible must win for the program. If Virginia Tech beats Michigan, then the program would have the big bowl win over an out of conference traditional power that we've been missing the past 16 years.

Upsetting college football royalty. Beating 9th ranked Texas in the 1995 Sugar Bowl was the win that put VT into the national spotlight and is the biggest bowl victory for the program. Current coaches Torrain Gray and Cornell Brown were stars in this game.

Much like the UVA game, this is a gut check moment, and hopefully the team responds the same way to pressure in New Orleans as they did in Charlottesville.

Let's Go To The Game Hokies

Virginia Tech is known for a great traveling fan base, and it's important to try to continue the tradition. I won't get into the current ticket sales as it has been covered by Gobbler Country , but everybody understands that as of right now there is room for improvement. The Orange Bowl is feeling the pinch of selling tickets to weeknight games even worse. Clemson has sold only 8,000 tickets, WVU 5,700. There are a lot of reasons for low sales, including the date and expenses, but with less than 10,000 tickets sold from the VT ticket office there is still hope that there are fans capable of making the trip that haven't signed up yet.

Costly travel to New Orleans seems to be the main reason stopping fans from going to the game. However, there are flights available for as low as $290 from DCA to MSY flying from 12/30 and returning 1/5. There's also Delta flights leaving Dulles on 1/2 and returning 1/5 for $447.

Big Game in the Big Easy

The game isn't a cheap trip and requires some extra time off from work, but this is the type of bowl game VT fans have begged for. Let's not forget that a few weeks ago some were complaining about another trip to the Orange Bowl, and considered the Peach Bowl a blessing in disguise. VT has never played Michigan before and isn't scheduled to anytime soon. This could be the only matchup in our lifetimes. There's no question that a win on January 3rd over 13th ranked Michigan would be the biggest bowl win for VT since 1995.

No offense to 12th ranked Cincinnati in 2008, but a win against Michigan would be the second biggest bowl win in school history. With only 7 wins in the last 16 bowl games I feel like VT is due.

I'm really thankful we are in a great bowl, with an amazing location, in a pivotal game against a big name ranked opponent.