Virginia Tech is picked to win the ACC and play in the Orange Bowl in Stewart Mandel's Pre-season Bowl Predictions. My [jealous] UVA friends point out that last year Virginia Tech was picked to finish 6th to 8th and ended up winning the ACC after drubbing UVA and pushing them up and down the field in the second half of the... okay, I added that last part. I guess that shows the value of pre-season picks.

In other news, the NCAA is starting to back down from their Indian ban. They're now saying that teams that have permission slips from Indian tribes *may* be permitted to keep their mascot and logo.

Speaking of the NCAA, they were being sued by the NIT for anti-trust violations with their basketball tourney. The NCAA appears to have nipped it in the bud by purchasing the rights to the NIT pre-season and post-season tournaments. How does this help them prove they aren't a monopoly? It sounds a bit like Microsoft purchasing Apple.