Two teams, each a probable preseason top-10 sqaud, look to prove themselves as worthy national title contenders in arguably the most highly anticipated game to be played on opening weekend.
They are the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Alabama Crimson Tide, and they collide on Sep. 5 in Atlanta, Ga.
The Hokies, who just completed their fifth consecutive 10-win season, will be coming off an emotional and convincing victory against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Frank Beamer and crew—fresh from their first BCS bowl win—will be returning the vast majority of their young starters on both sides of the ball.
The Tide had a sensational undefeated regular season, though they will be looking to ease the hangover induced by a tough postseason as they lost the SEC Championship to a powerful Florida team and fell to Utah in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. They will retain most of their starters, as well, though quarterback John Parker Wilson, senior running back Glen Coffee, two star offensive linemen, and their star safety are among those needing to be replaced.
These teams may actually be evenly matched and Virginia Tech will surely enter the game as the decided underdog...
But the Sugar Bowl taught us two things:
The first was that an underdog—seeking national recognition or even a national title—can turn that status into a motivational tool to help them win.
The second was that star Tide offensive linemen, Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell, were holding the offense together. The Utah defense tore through the line, often unhindered, and sacked Wilson a season-high eight times. They also held the typically prolific Tide offense to less than a single yard per rushing attempt.
Utah had the 11th-ranked defense in the country. The Hokies’ defense was ranked seventh. They return seven starters. And they still have Bud Foster.
Foster’s defense has been ranked in the top 10 each of the last six years, with only last year’s squad being outside of the top five. His consistently stout line and ball-hawking backfield have been devastating to new quarterbacks.
Though probable Tide starter Greg McElroy isn’t exactly a rookie (he has a high completion rating for his games played), this is a big game to win on a neutral field for an inexperienced quarterback. I suspect that turnovers will be low but deciding.
But it’s never the Hokie defense that is in question.
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