Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Gravely

Five Off-The-Wall NCAA Tournament Predictions

Chris Gravely — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:57:21 -0400

There are many certainties in the Men's NCAA basketball tournament this year; A No. 1 seed will not lose to a No. 16 seed, everyone will tire of Dick Vitale by the end of day two, and Coach K will whine incessantly about a perceived no call that didn't go in favor of his Dukies.

What I am going to throw out here are five far-fetched predictions that may seem outrageous at first, but have a fairly good chance of actually happening.

5) North Carolina will NOT win or play for the National Championship though many of the "experts" have all but handed them the trophy.

4) Duke will NOT make the Elite Eight.

3) The ACC will have three teams in the Elite Eight (not Duke).

2) If East Tennessee State University gets a 14th or lower seed, they will pull of a major upset it the first round—Courtney Pigram is the real deal.

1) The Louisville Cardinals will win the National Championship.

An Early Look at College Football's 2009 Preseason Top 10

Chris Gravely — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:18:16 -0500

The 2008 college football season isn't over just yet, but I thought I would go ahead and post my preseason Top 10 for 2009. I expect that there will be many changes that take place between now and September, but here is my list as of right now.

10) Virginia Tech Hokies

The defense loses Macho Harris but overall should be as good or better than this year's unit. The offense will be a year older, and I think a few freshmen will come on and be able to contribute right away. If, by some miracle, Bryan Stinespring is removed as the OC, the Hokies could move up a spot or two.

9) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

With most of the key offensive players coming back, Paul Johnson's offense will be a force to be reckoned with nationally.

8) LSU

With a tremendous recruiting class coming in and the defense growing up, expect LSU to be back in the thick of things once again.

7) Boise State

I realize I am going to catch a lot of flack with this pick, but the boys from the Potato State are loaded and will once again have a weak schedule to motor through.

6) TCU Horned Frogs

Though I think it will be short lived, TCU has the talent to be considered a Top 10 team, at least at the beginning of the year.

5) Texas Longhorns

With Colt McCoy coming back for his senior year, the Longhorns are poised to make a run at the National Championship.

4) Alabama Crimson Tide

Don't let the fact that they will be breaking in a new quarterback fool you. The Tide will be in contention in 2009.

3) Florida Gators

Even with both Harvin and Tebow gone, Florida will still be one of the best teams in the country next year.

2) Oklahoma Sooners

Bob Stoops will have his boys ready to compete for another title.

1) USC Trojans

Where is the weakness? The second teamers could probably be ranked in the Top 10.

How Frank Beamer Is Hurting Virginia Tech

Chris Gravely — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:18:53 -0500

First let me say that I am a HUGE Frank Beamer fan and I have been for many years and I don't want this article to sound as if I am not.

The fact remains, however, that as long as Frank Beamer continues to coach the way he is coaching, Virginia Tech will never be a serious contender for a National Championship. I say this for two main reasons:

1. Beamer's unwillingness to make changes to the offensive coaching staff have severely hindered us in the last five or six years.

The defense seems to always be near the top of the statistical rankings but Frank is content to let the offense hover around the 100-110 mark. This is unacceptable for a team that says it has aspirations of winning a National Championship.

Make the changes while the defense is hitting on all strides. There is no law that says you can't have a great offense AND a great defense at the same time; just go ask Pete Carroll at USC. The worst part about this is that we have the athletes to do it.

We are inexperienced yes, but the talent is definitely there.

2. Coach Beamer just does not have the killer instinct that is needed to get Virginia Tech to the next level.

He coaches like it is still 1960 and his overly conservative approach has cost the Hokies in the past and will most certainly cost us again in the future. We may not be an offensive Juggernaut, but we are more than capable of scoring 30 points a game if it is called right.

Frank, (and Jim Weaver for that matter) seem content with just winning ACC Championships and making it to the Orange Bowl. As a Hokie fan, I am grateful for the ACC titles and trips to the Orange Bowl—but that is just not enough when you have the talent to go further.

It reminds me of the team that is just happy to make it to the NCAA tournament, not really caring if they win a game or not. Frank Beamer has to realize that this is not the 1960's and Virginia Tech does have a legitimate shot at being the best football team in the country—if he would develop that killer instinct and decide that the status quo just isn't enough.

It's not enough for me, and I know for a fact that it is not enough for several donating alumni. I can only hope that he gets it together soon before the opportunity to win passes us by...just as the 60s did.