Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 12:01PM 
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
Everyone's been talking about Virginia Tech's huge season-opener against Boise State, but has anyone looked at the Hokies' schedule the rest of the way?
Frank Beamer's bunch has a legitimate chance to take a 10-0 record into Miami and battle the Hurricanes for the ACC Coastal Divison crown, where a berth in the conference championship game will be at stake.
Monday, October 19, 2009 at 12:37PM 
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
CINCINNATI -- Reviewing some of the material I gathered on gameday in Atlanta Saturday, I couldn't help but laugh at this one video clip.
I was two rows ahead of these two Virginia Tech fans who didn't seem too unruly in the first three quarters. In fact, I didn't hear them at all. Not surprising, considering Georgia Tech seemed in control for much of the game.
But midway through the fourth quarter, I just happened to be looking behind me when a Georgia Tech fan did bark in their direction, "Have a fun drive back to Blacksburg," and that really pushed on of these VaTech guy's buttons.
Did the Georgia Tech fan need to say that? Not at all, but this is sports and fans like to jab each other. VaTech guy, however, would not shut up for about 10 minutes. He yelled over a woman holding her bundled-up baby in order to get his shouts heard by the GaTech instigator, then directed some of his vitriol toward a nice guy sitting behind me who was only recommending the VaTech guy relax a little bit. It was late in the game and the home team was wrapping things up, but that didn't stop VaTech guy from declaring that the home fans "don't even know how to watch a football game."
Enjoy the video of the verbal confrontation below, as well as another clip at the very bottom that shows thousands of Georgia Tech fans storming the field after the home team surprised the No. 4 Hokies in Saturday's big ACC tilt. They might not know how to watch a football game, but I give those fans credit for knowing how to celebrate after one.
ACC, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech Friday, October 16, 2009 at 2:11PM 
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
ATLANTA -- Ever just do away with the Xs and Os and maybe even abandon rational thinking entirely in favor of a feeling you have deep down in your gut?
I do it a few times each football season, and that's how I feel heading into Saturday's Oklahoma-Texas game.
You'd think the Longhorns are the obvious choice, but, are they really? Don't let records and rankings fool you. Sure Oklahoma has two losses and is on the outer edge of the Top 25. But remember, each of those losses was by one point, and Bob Stoops' Sooners were without Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford for six of the eight quarters in those games.
Bradford is back, and while he might not be 100 percent, he enjoyed some tuneup action in a 33-7 defeat of Baylor in his return last week.
As he rounds back into form, he also has two stud running backs to hand the ball to in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Texas is without its top two running backs.
Also, Oklahoma boasts a strong and stubborn defense, allowing opponents just eight points per game in five outings. Texas allows 15 points per game, which isn't bad, but the Longhorns haven't really been tested the way Oklahoma has.
Lastly, I think with the pressure of a national championship run not bothering OU players, the Sooners should be going into this game focused just on this game, whereas Texas players still suffer the burden of trying to remain perfect in the big picture.
I do like Colt McCoy, and he was a hair away from a Heisman Trophy and a berth in the BCS National Championship game last year. And I do like that he and his OU counterpart are friendly, but I think Bradford and the Sooners will be the only ones smiling in Texas Saturday afternoon.
USC at Notre Dame: USC already suffered its one hiccup of the season when it lost to Washington last month. The Trojans are in their own class when they want to be, and I think they'll want to be on Saturday in South Bend.
Jimmy Clausen's Heisman bid will end as USC will show Irish fans what a real defense looks like. The Trojans aren't too shabby on offense either, and against a Notre Dame defense that can give up big plays, look for Pete Carroll's group to score frequently.
Losing to USC, however, does not mean Charlies Weis should be fired. That talk is so tiresome. With four of their six remaining games at home after this one, the Irish still have a chance to reach 10 wins.
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: Both teams run the ball very well, particularly the Yellow Jackets. But the difference will be on defense, where Virginia Tech looks like a typical Frank Beamer unit. The Hokies are strong and fast and physical.
Beamer's bunch is also capable of making a big special teams play every single week, and that could be the X factor as the home team will certainly keep it close.
I picked Virginia Tech to be the best team in the ACC this year -- did anyone not? -- and the Hokies will show why on Saturday.
Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, Virginia Tech Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 3:57PM By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
ATLANTA -- Remember Sean Bedford, the Coolest Guy In College Football I spoke to Monday?
Well, one of his boys on the offensive line, Brad Sellers, also is an undersized nice guy who seems to depend heavily on brains and technique. Sure these dudes are gritty, but when you're in the 6-1 or 6-2 range and you weigh between 260 and 270, words like "heart" and "determination" are often used to describe your game. Many BCS squads boast linemen in the neighborhood of 6-5, 310 pounds, but at Georgia Tech, size definitely does not matter.
Want proof? Well, that small-ish line is leading the way for Jonathan Dwyer and a Yellow Jackets rushing attack that averages 277 yards per game, fourth-best in the country. That's right, Tech's average yards-per-game output nearly equals the average weight (281 pounds) of its five starting offensive linemen.
Sellers says it's not a difficult formula to follow: just use good technique and work hard.
ACC, Brad Sellers, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech 
