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Hokies Tops in the ACC in the Major Sports
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

Two weeks ago we compared Virginia Tech's ACC record in basketball to the rest of the teams in the conference since expansion. We found that the Hokies stack up very well, finishing fifth in overall wins in ACC play since they first entered the conference. Today we'll throw football into the mix and see who the top schools are in the two major sports in collegiate athletics.

Florida set the benchmark last season when they won the national championship in football and basketball. No ACC schools are approaching that status as of yet, but there are a few who have fared very well in both football and basketball in ACC play.

First, let's take a look at the average finish in football. ACC Championship Games are not included. We simply looked at the overall conference record each year, and ranked each team accordingly. If three teams finished in a tie for third with a 5-3 record, then they were all given a "3". The next closest team in the standings was given a "6".

We all knew who would be at the top in football. Virginia Tech has finished with the best record in conference play in three of their four years in the conference. Their worst season, 2006, was a 6-2 year and a second place finish. The Hokies are clearly the dominant program in football.

Another expansion school, Boston College, has finished third, fourth and second in their three years in the ACC. Think expansion was good for football in the ACC? Yeah, me too.

The third place team probably surprised you. Georgia Tech has averaged a fourth place finish in the ACC since expansion. They finished with the best record in 2006, the third best record in 2005, and have finished no lower than sixth in the ACC. So if the ACC didn't expand, the Yellow Jackets would be the most consistent program in the league? Ouch. That just shows how far ACC football is down the food chain. But despite that success, Chan Gailey was fired. Best of luck to new GT football coach Paul Johnson. He'll need it.

The major player in expansion, Miami, averages a sixth place finish in football. They haven't won the ACC as of yet. In 2007 they finished next-to-last with a 2-6 record, ahead of only Duke.

Now let's take a look at basketball. The same ranking rules apply. The ACC Tournament is not included, just regular season finish, with no tiebreaking rules.

UNC is to ACC basketball what Virginia Tech is to ACC football. The Tar Heels have had the best record in the ACC for three of the last four seasons, with their lowest finish being second in 2005-06. UNC is the face of this conference in basketball.

Duke is obviously second, but the Blue Devils aren't all that close to UNC right now. They even had one season of finishing just sixth in the ACC. They aren't going to catch their in-state rivals with finishes like that.

No one else has been particularly close to UNC and Duke. Maryland is in third, with an average finish of fifth place. Virginia Tech's average finish is a 5.25. The Hokies have come in fourth place or better in three of their four seasons in the ACC. Their one season finishing in 10th place (2005-06) holds them back from being #3 in the ACC in basketball since expansion.

What's funny is that a couple of North Carolina schools bring up the rear in the basketball rankings. NC State and Wake Forest have an average finish of 7.75 in basketball. For all the North Carolina sportswriters who write about how expansion has had a negative affect on ACC basketball, tell NC State and Wake to start winning some games. They'll have a much better argument then.

Now let's combine the two sports. Let's take the average finish in football, and the average finish in basketball, and average those numbers out.

By those numbers, Virginia Tech is the best school in the conference in the two major sports. UNC comes in a somewhat distant second. Tech football and UNC basketball are dead even, but Tech basketball is better than UNC football. Boston College comes in third, giving expansion teams two of the top three spots.

Take a look at the bottom of that list: three North Carolina schools, all at the bottom. Despite Duke's excellent basketball program, the football program is so bad that they finish next-to-last overall. Even worse, NC State finished last in basketball and next-to-last in football, giving them the worst overall average in the ACC. And it's not particularly close. They've got a lot of ground to make up.

Yet again, we prove that adding Virginia Tech into the mix during expansion was the best move the ACC could have made at the time.

Meet Adibi, Flowers and Brown at Collegiate Inn of Blacksburg This Saturday

Looking for a good diversion during Easter Weekend? Got Hokie fans coming into town for the holiday, and you're looking for something to do? Stop by Collegiate Inn of Blacksburg Saturday and meet Xavier Adibi, Duane Brown, and Brandon Flowers!

You are cordially invited to attend an exclusive Virginia Tech player signing event at the Collegiate Inn of Blacksburg � your Hokietopia. The players will include Xavier Adibi, Brandon Flowers, and Duane Brown, all of whom will be going into the NFL draft this April.

We invite you to bring your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends and anyone you would like to invite to the event where they will have an opportunity to meet the players in a one-on-one setting. We are excited to bring you this event and look forward to your joining us.

For more details, click the link below.

Meet the Players, This Saturday, March 22nd