THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120469
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
Ask athletic director Dave Braine about Virginia Tech's football schedule and he'll call it a good one.
Hmmm. Define ``good.'' Consider:
According to the NCAA's strength-of-schedule formula, the Hokies' schedule is the weakest in the Big East and ranks 99th nationally.
The cumulative record of Tech's 11 opponents this season is 18-32. Take away Virginia and Syracuse, and it's 9-29.
In the Sagarin power ratings of Division I-A and I-AA teams in USA Today, Akron, which Tech plays Saturday, is rated 146th this week. They are 104th out of 108 I-A teams, and lower than 42 I-AAs. Tech's other 1995 nonconference opponents in the power ratings: Navy, 101st; Cincinnati, 71st; Virginia, 17th. The Hokies rank 41st.
``Our philosophy is we will try to play Virginia every year, one other school that will be an ACC school or big-name school, and two lesser opponents we have a 50-50 chance or better of beating,'' Braine said.
Using that system, Navy is this year's ``big name,'' and Akron and Cincinnati are the schools Tech figured to beat - even though it didn't work out that way with the Bearcats. Cincinnati defeated Virginia Tech 16-0.
``That is a good schedule,'' said Braine, who is primarily responsible for making it. ``I would be happy with a schedule that would have a Navy or North Carolina State or Maryland on it, then Virginia, Akron and Cincinnati.
``We're not going to play a tough game every week. If people don't like that, fine. You can only subject the players to so much pressure and you can only subject your coach to so much pressure. Being in a conference that has four bowl spots, we want to get one of those.''
The Big East champion goes into the bowl alliance: Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls. The Gator Bowl gets the second-place league team, the Carquest the third and the Liberty the fourth.
Tech schedules through the rest of the century include games with the likes of Miami of Ohio and Alabama-Birmingham, which is moving up from I-AA to I-A. Braine points to last year to illustrate why the scheduling philosophy works, in his opinion.
Tech went 8-3 in the regular season, including a nonconference season-opening win over an Arkansas State team that finished 1-10. Syracuse went 7-4, including a nonconference season-opening loss to Oklahoma, an eventual bowl team. The Hokies ended their season in the Gator Bowl. Syracuse ended up out of the postseason picture.
For Braine, the choice of nonconference opponent made the difference. Tech coach Frank Beamer supports Tech's scheduling philosophy.
``You always like to feel you can get enough wins to be eligible for bowl consideration,'' Beamer said. ``Conference games are very difficult. When you schedule three or four tough games outside of your conference, someone's got to win each week and someone's got to lose. All of a sudden, you're sitting home from the bowls.''
Boston College could be learning the drawbacks of arduous scheduling this year. BC lost to Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State, and still has to play Notre Dame. If the Eagles lose twice in the conference, they could be out of the bowl picture.
Tech contends tough Big East opponents should provide enough stiff tests. But with no teams currently in the Associated Press top 25, the Big East doesn't look so tough.
And what do the fans think of this scheduling approach? Not much, judging by the Cincinnati game, in which only 73 percent of Lane Stadium's tickets were sold.
``All things being equal, the more attractive the team the more tickets you sell,'' Tech ticket manager Tom McNeer said.
However, Tech sold a school record of almost 14,000 season tickets this year. That for a home schedule that included a Thursday night game against Boston College, and with the two biggest draws - West Virginia and Virginia - both on the road.
``If you're winning, your fan base increases because they want to see you,'' McNeer said. ``If you're not winning, they buy tickets to see the other team. If neither of you are winning, you're in a world of trouble.''
Tech has won the last two seasons, and with the future schedules has a good chance to continue. Braine said there could be a change in the 1996 and '97 nonconference schedules, although he would not identify which games could be dropped. He is seeking a name opponent to fill in the blanks.
The Hokies could certainly use some. Chances are Tech doesn't recruit players by telling them they will have the chance to line up against Akron, Cincinnati and UAB.
``Exposure-wise, it's always good to play a nationally publicized team,'' Tech senior receiver Jermaine Holmes said. ``That's going to get Virginia Tech on the map more than what it is now. If I had a choice, I would play a ranked team.''
Virginia has taken that route, scheduling nonconference games this year against nationally ranked Michigan and Texas.
``Of course I'd rather play the big dogs every week,'' Tech senior defensive tackle J.C. Price said. ``The only way to see where your program is at is to strap it up against an established team to get ourselves more established.'' ILLUSTRATION: AP color photos
by CNB