Did Virgina Tech's Loss to James Madison Hurt the BCS Bid for Boise State?

In one of the biggest upsets of the early college football season the 13th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies lost to James Madison Dukes at home.

Virginia Tech had its championship aspirations, and perhaps the entire season, destroyed on Saturday with the loss to the Dukes. The Hokies struggled in this game in many areas and even in area they succeed in, they managed to fall apart. For instance the offense put together 362 total yards to include over 200 yards in rushing but had three costly turnovers.

On defense they Hokies were invisible. The Dukes converted on seven of 12 on third down conversions and quarterback Drew Dudzik scorched the defense on every possible occasion. He rushed for 35 yards and two touchdowns and he passed for 121 yards and another score. This is perhaps the biggest win in James Madison school history. They become the second team from the Football Championship subdivision to beat Virginia Tech since Richmond in 1985.

This loss destroys Virginia Tech. It is their second loss on the season and will eliminate them from the BCS Championship game in early September. They still have a shot to do well in ACC conference play, but the loss will be a glaring red mark on their resume. The real question may be, what does this do to the resume of Boise St?

Boise St went into the year ranked very high and finally had strong teams on their schedule. They would not be called a team that avoided the big games and had an easy schedule. The fans and the pollsters would have to respect their record if they beat heavyweights on the road. That is exactly what they did in week one when they beat Virginia Tech in Landover Maryland. They went in to enemy territory and defeated a highly ranked team with a solid reputation. Or at least that was the plan.

Now with the Virginia Tech losing to James Madison the naysayers will argue that Boise St did not meet the cream of the crop and when they are being compared with other teams at the end of the year for poll position, this could hurt them.

There is a long time to go in the college football season and anything can happen between now and the BCS Championship day, but for now things look horrible for the Hokies and perhaps Boise St.

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel Free to contact Matt at [e-mail]