By Jimmy Robertson

The sport of football will never be confused with gymnastics. But for the Virginia Tech Hokies, their season came down to one final 60-minute event. And as the time and the season descended off the Lane Stadium clock, Tech nailed the landing. With its 38-14 win over Boston College, Tech capped off its first unblemished season in 81 years.

The Hokies did so with their usual elegance and style, grabbing the lead quickly and then playing with the hell-bent furor they've displayed all season. The Hokies amassed 555 yards of total offense. Michael Vick - the administration at Tech should go ahead and name him the athlete of the century - accounted for four touchdowns. Tech held BC to just 138 yards passing and never let the Eagles drive inside the 20. And for that performance, Tech earned a '10.' Or should we say '11?'

"I'd be very surprised if there's a better team in college football than Virginia Tech," said BC quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, who was sacked six times and completed just six passes on the day. "If they can play like that in the Sugar Bowl, they're gonna do very well." Which begs the question - will Tech play in the Sugar Bowl? It's a couple of weeks before Christmas, but the Hokies certainly have visions of Sugar plums dancing in their heads. Yet could Nebraska, who was nearly shucked by Colorado in a thrilling 33-30 overtime win, somersault past the Hokies on the heels of its close win over Colorado? Not so, according to Tech coach Frank Beamer and his players.

"Does anybody in this room not think that we belong in New Orleans?" Beamer said to the media after the game. "Does anybody? I don't even think we need to talk about it. There's something terribly wrong if we're not in New Orleans."

"We're 11-0," All-America defensive end Corey Moore said. "What more do you want us to do? Can you guys think of anything else you want us to do?

"I think it would be an absolute tragedy if we're left out of the Sugar Bowl. But I don't think we will be. We're gonna celebrate this one and get ready to go to New Orleans."

The Hokies won't know for sure until the final BCS rankings come out on Dec. 5. But after the recent viewing of computer polls, it seems unlikely that Nebraska will vault past the Hokies into the No. 2 spot. Nor should they. Tech unequivocally belongs in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State, playing for the national title, for these reasons:

• The Hokies finished the season unbeaten. Only Florida State and Marshall boast unbeaten records and Marshall hasn't played a ranked team this season.
• Tech not only beat every team on its schedule, it destroyed them. The Hokies led the nation in scoring margin, beating teams by an average of almost 31 points per game.
• Tech took care of all the ranked opponents on its schedule quite handily. The Hokies played four ranked teams and beat them by a combined score of 174-31.

"And we gave up a cheap one there at the end," Beamer said, referring to BC's final touchdown with 46 seconds left after the game had been decided.


WOODSHED WHIPPINGS
Tech versus teams ranked in the top 25

All season long, Beamer's team has been on a balancing beam. On one side sat the media, with the constant questions of the BCS. On the other side sat Tech's opponents, licking their chops at the prospects of knocking off one of the top five teams in the nation. But Beamer handled the balancing act masterfully, keeping his team focused week in and week out on the upcoming opponent. He never let the Hokies lose sight of what they controlled - which was their play on the field.

"We never quit playing on Saturdays," he said. "I think we answered every challenge. Every challenge that was thrown our way. These players, these coaches answered the challenge and they did it by playing, not talking.

"I don't think it [the talk] ever affected our coaches or players. We tried to keep it simple. We said this a lot, 'The bigger it gets, the smaller you think.' Just get into that next play and play it as hard as you can. And I really feel our football team did that. That's a tribute to our players, our coaches and our senior leadership." Beamer hopes he, his staff, his players and Tech fans get rewarded for the way the Hokies with a trip to New Orleans. After all, the Hokies' routine this season certainly deserves that.

"Yeah, were going to New Orleans," Moore said. "Nobody's gonna tell me any different. I think we're going to relish the role of underdog."