Spring Cleaning edition of the Kroger Roth Report
The Roth Report
May 24, 2007
By Bill Roth

Nothing like a good spring cleaning, and while last week, it was the garage and attic at the house, today, it's the stack of notes and papers that have been piling up on what was (at one point) a neat and tidy desk.

Let's start with ACC meetings in Florida:

  • ACC men's basketball coaches got their way in maintaining the status quo. The league schedule will consist of 16 games, although TV partners and others had hoped to increase that number to 18, as the Big East and Big Ten will do. The Pac-10 already plays 18. Of course, the Big East has 16 teams, four more than the ACC, so the increase in the number of conference games makes things much easier for the schedule maker in Providence (although it's pretty much understood the Big East schedule is actually made in Bristol, Conn., each year as Coach Boeheim will eagerly explain to anyone who will listen).

    That being said, there are four years left on the ACC's current television deal and an increase in the number of games would seemingly be tied to a potential revenue increase during the next round of TV negotiations. If the league goes to 18 games now, when the TV contract is up following the 2011 season, negotiators might ask for 20 league games. While that concept might sound exciting for fans, it's a challenge the ACC coaches fear.

    Eventually, the ACC will play 18 conference games, or risk a potential revenue decrease. Now, if the ACC loses NCAA bids to other leagues because of a perception that its teams play a weaker schedule (when compared to the Big East, Big Ten, or Pac-10), then it could become an issue. That's where the non-conference scheduling philosophy comes into play.

    Coaches are concerned about winning percentages and thus enjoy home games against bottom-feeders from low-rated conferences. At this very moment, coaches around the country are trying to bid, and out-bid, each other for games against opponents with good names, but lousy talent. In other words, they want a guaranteed win. Those games help the head man's winning percentage, but not the strength of the league or the value of the schedule to television, which will be the bottom line.

    Staying at 16 for now is the prudent move. But in 2012, that number almost assuredly increases to 18.

  • The ACC's No. 1 goal for its football championship game is putting fannies in the seats, which is making Charlotte a more attractive destination. This year's game will be played in Jacksonville. In 2008? Who knows?

    The first ACC championship game in Jacksonville (Virginia Tech vs. Florida State) was a sellout, but last year's Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game had far too many empty seats. There are plenty of financial variables here (municipal stadiums vs. private venues for example), but the financial bids for the various cities interesting in hosting the game starting in 2008 are now roughly in the same ballpark. Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Charlotte are the most likely destinations and each city has its pros and cons.

    Tampa has the best weather, an incredible stadium, and an aggressive sports commission. After the ACC basketball tournament, that committee purchased a billboard near the Tampa Airport pleading for Commissioner John Swofford to bring the football game to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Tampa is the biggest market of the four and has the largest population and potential corporate ticket purchasing potential. But the driving distance to Tampa is a concern and that's where Charlotte comes into the picture.

    With four teams in North Carolina, and four more (Virginia Tech, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Virginia) within driving distance, Charlotte makes the most sense logistically. The weather can be brutal, but it's bad in Kansas City each year and that doesn't hurt attendance at the Big 12 championship game.

    Here's the rub: The ACC Championship game will always be compared to the SEC game, which is played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, which is, in essence, the perfect venue and location. It's in the heart of SEC country and weather is not an issue in the dome. While that game is a sellout each year, keep in mind that since the first SEC championship game in 1992, Florida, Georgia, or Tennessee has played in the game each year. That's made the game a hot ticket. And talk about momentum, Florida played Alabama in each of the first five SEC Championship games. The Gators and 'Bama set the bar for that game and made it a hot ticket every year.

    The SEC has not had its smallest school (Vanderbilt) appear in its championship game yet, whereas Wake Forest, the school with the smallest enrollment in the ACC, played in the 2006 game in Jacksonville. That's not a knock on Wake at all, but the SEC had great momentum thanks to the match-ups it's had in each game since 1992.

    If Virginia Tech played Florida State in the first five ACC championship games in Jacksonville, we wouldn't be having this debate. But since the ACC has more balance than the SEC, the best decision might be to locate the game in the heart of ACC country and risk the weather. That's why Charlotte is gaining big ground in this regard.

  • Virginia Tech was one of five ACC schools honored by the American Football Coaches Association for its graduation rates. The others were Duke, Virginia, BC and North Carolina. It's the fourth time in the past six years Tech has been honored by the AFCA. That's a tribute not only to Tech's football players and staff, but also to people like Chris Helms and his terrific staff in Tech's Student Athlete Academic Support Services office.

    And the news gets even better. Helms anticipates the Hokies' football graduation rate for next year will be 80 percent. That news will be announced officially in October.

    "That will be our best football rate that I can find," Helms said. "I think the credit belongs to the students, who are doing a great job. The expectation when they come here is for them to graduate and we make it a priority that they take care of their academic responsibility"

    Helms gets great assistance from Tech's coaching staff as well.

    "Yes, it's reinforced by coaches and administration," Helms said. "You build that framework. You recruit to that. Then support it with the services we have in place.

    "Graduation is a function of retention. It starts with recruiting. We may lose a student here at Tech and that loss has nothing to do with his academics. He might just transfer. You have to recruit someone who is capable of playing as well as making it academically and our coaches are doing that," he said. But here is the greatest statistics of the year in Virginia Tech athletics. 18 of Tech's 21 varsity squads had a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. "That's our best semester ever," Helms said.

  • Should you play football games in an outdated, yet fabled, venue that is close to your campus, or in a fantastic, modern facility that is located near most of your alumni? That's part of the equation that University of Miami officials are discussing this week, as well as the financial benefits the school would gain by moving its home football games from the Orange Bowl to Dolphins Stadium.

    The Orange Bowl needs massive renovations and the city of Miami has proposed a scaled-back version that school officials are reviewing this week. Last Friday, school administrators, including President Donna Shalala and Athletics Director Paul Dee, toured Dolphins Stadium with other well-heeled alums and members of the school's board of trustees. Making the pitch to move to Dolphins Stadium was none other than Wayne Huizenga, the team's owner who promised to be a terrific partner to UM.

    Of course, Miami alums who live in Broward County are in favor of the plan. Dolphins Stadium is closer, modern, and has the club seats, luxury suites, video boards, sound systems, parking, and comfort that the Orange Bowl lacks. As many point out, the Orange Bowl isn't on campus, so UM students drive to games now anyway. It's just the drive up to Dolphins Stadium might be 40 minutes.

    If the 'Canes move, it could be for the 2008 or 2009 season, which means it's possible that Hokies have played their last game in the original Orange Bowl Stadium. Stay tuned.

Bill,
As a currently deployed Marine (2D MARDIV, Iraq) and VT fan, I would like to say that my family and I look forward to an emotional and optimistic season ahead. Since the recent tragedy, many here have expressed their respect and admiration for VT. The blue-collar, lunch-pail attitude embodies many of our core values in the Marine Corps and sets an outstanding example for all Marines. Thank you for your time, Bill, and I look forward to returning home for kickoff. Ardell, Fallujah Iraq

Ardell,
Thanks for taking the time to write, and more importantly, for your service in Iraq. We're looking forward to having you and many other Hokies currently serving in the Armed Forces back for games this fall.

Bill,
With the emergence of Glennon and with Tyrod Taylor coming in next year, any chance that Cory Holt and or Ike Whitaker get moved to another position soon? Also, why didn't the staff redshirt one of the senior receivers? Seems like we are going to be short on WR's next year. Chris, Rockville, Md.

Chris,
We'll see what happens in the fall. With Taylor likely to redshirt, the Hokies would have three quarterbacks ready to go each game. That's a good situation to have, to be honest. As for receivers, the Tech coaches did redshirt Zach Luckett last year and, if you recall, Josh Hyman already took a redshirt season three years ago. Josh Morgan, Justin Harper, and Eddie Royal all have contributed, so I'm not sure which one of those three you would've wanted to sit out a season. But they've all been key guys for the Hokies and will be again this fall.

You'll like Luckett, who would've played last year if not for the depth Tech has at that position. Prince Parker and Brandon Dillard are also in the mix for this season. Tech also signed two receivers in February, Danny Coale from Lexington, Va., and Patrick Terry from South Boston, Va.

So you can see the five scholarship receivers in the mix for 2008, and Tech will probably sign two or three more in February. Having a senior-heavy receiving corps is a good thing, and Tech has it this fall.

Bill,
Thanks for all you do to keep all of us around the Hokie Nation up to speed on what's happening and going on around campus! We have a HS freshman daughter who currently has a 4.0 GPA w/ all honors classes and plays both varsity field hockey and soccer. She has already begun looking at colleges and has a list going. Unfortunately, right now, Duke is No. 1 on that list primarily because they have both women's soccer and field hockey programs.

I guess the question is - with the recent success of our women's sports programs (softball & track to name a few), what is on the horizon for women's sports at Tech and are there any timelines for new programs like field hockey? It would be nice to see our daughter revise her list and move Virginia Tech to the top, but we realize there is more to it than just adding a program. Thanks again for the updates and keeping all of us inside the Hokie Huddle. Jon, Powhatan

Jon,
Sounds like you've got a terrific daughter there who is excelling in both the classroom and on the athletic fields. Congratulations! Adding sports is a complex issue with many variables. Last week, someone asked about adding men's lacrosse and it's not as easy as you might think. I spent about 20 minutes talking with Assistant Athletic Director Randy Butt, who knows all of the logistics, and believe me, there are lots of factors involved.

First of all, if Tech adds another sport in the coming years, it will most likely be women's golf. Tech estimates that sport would cost roughly $400,000 per year since it has just six scholarships, and Tech already has the facilities and framework (academic advising, training, sports medicine staff) to be able to absorb six additional scholarships. Other sports such as women's lacrosse, which, like field hockey, allow 12 scholarships, would cost between $550,000 and $600,000 per year. Tech would also have to hire additional staff in the training room, equipment room, academic advising, etc., if it added another major field sport. That adds additional expense.

Also, let me explain something about Title IX that people might not realize that is a big factor here. Title IX guidelines are based on actual scholarship dollars, not just the number of scholarships Tech offers. For example, at present, Tech coaches like Oliver Weiss (men's soccer) and Pete Hughes (baseball) have limits on the number of out-of-state scholarships they can offer. Out-of-state scholarships cost more than in-state scholarships, as any parent of a current or former student knows. Those financial limits on Oliver and Pete hamper their recruiting capabilities and put them at a disadvantage compared to the other schools. So if Tech were to add women's golf and its six scholarships, the school could then increase the soccer and baseball scholarship budgets, as well as other men's sports, too.

So, if you're a fan of Tech men's soccer, you really want to see the school add women's golf. Same for Tech baseball fans. You want Tech to sign that top pitcher, but you also want women's golf ASAP.

I think the bottom line is this, and Jim Weaver and his staff feel this way: Before we start adding sports, we need to make sure the ones we have are fully funded and our coaches have no restrictions on the number of out-of-state scholarships they can offer. We need to add sports that will help the department as a whole.

Bill,
First off, thanks for all you do. One of the things I enjoy is the Monday night Hokie Hotline (football). Do you guys have plans yet on having special guests this year, such as players? Is the first show scheduled yet? I believe it's usually the end of July or beginning of August. My wife and I were discussing how great it would be if could pull off a national title this year in light of all the tragedy we've experience really as a whole community. I believe if any school in the country could do it, it would be Tech. I think this season will be different, the atmosphere, the fans, everything. The perfect setting and the perfect tribute to those that fell 4/16. GO HOKIES! Chris, Blacksburg.

Chris,
Thanks for your note. The first Hokie Hotline is Monday, August 20th. And the show will have a new, exciting location that we'll be announcing shortly. There are some NCAA rules that prohibit how student-athletes are used on coaches' talk shows. For example, we can't promote an individual student athlete's appearance in advance. But if a kid shows up and is interviewed on air, that's legit. Crazy rules, eh? We've got some new ideas for this fall that I hope you'll like. As for the team, I'm confident that 2007 Hokies will be in the hunt. Should be a fun ride.

Hi Bill,
We met at the Sigma Chi reunion when you were kind enough to visit with us. I think it would and should be a meaningful gesture if and when the East Carolina football team takes the field at Lane Stadium/Worsham Field this fall that they get a standing ovation and cheers from our fans in recognition of their support and money they raised after the April tragedy. I think it would be disrespectful to the memory of the deceased students and their families' feelings as well as poor sportsmanship if there is even a hint of booing that usually occurs when an opponent takes the field.

I know that the opener this year will be very significant and emotional as a healing event. Wouldn't it be a fine gesture if both teams take the field and observe a moment of silence, respect, fellowship and healing together prior to kickoff and maybe the embarrassing booing will not occur. East Carolina and the Hokies deserve better. What do you think? Regards, Rod, Class of 1972. Southport, N.C.

Rod,
I think that day is going to be an emotional one for everyone: Players, fans, students, alums, and even the visiting team. I'm with you on this one. Thanks for writing.

Bill,
Just a quick note to thank you for your outstanding coverage of VT sports. The past 20 years have been a special time for VT and you have been an ideal voice of Virginia Tech to talk us through these heady (and emotionally bumpy) times. I also enjoy the Roth Report very much. Having said that, I did catch an error in your May 10th Roth Report: In one of your responses in The Voice's mailbag, you wrote of Beamer "He's beaten Miami nine of the past 12 years." Your context is correct, but not your numbers. Beamer has beaten Miami eight of the past 12 years, which I must add is a hell of a lot more than any other NCAA football program can claim (are you reading Bobby?), and although the Canes have somehow beaten us four of the past, we have won three of the last four. Jay, Midlothian.

Jay,
Thanks for picking up my mistake. You're correct. Tech has defeated Miami eight of the past 12 years. Getting my rivals mixed up on this one, it's actually UVa that Tech has defeated in nine of the past 12 games.

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