I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. Although I am exhausted from the 1100 miles of driving, I had a wonderful time. I took my father to the VT-UVA game, and our seats were literally on the 50 yard line, in the fourth row back from the UVA bench. The seats were terrible, I say, just terrible. ;) We were so close to the action that everyone around us was heckling the UVA players as they came back to the bench. And we were dangerously close to getting drenched with sweat coming off the players. Not to mention that we could see and hear every hit. I also forgot my binoculars, so it was hard to see where my brother-in-law and sister were seated up in the nose-bleed section. Okay, okay enough bragging.

It has been a long and glorious season for the Hokies. They've earned a share of the ACC Conference championship and can win it outright with a victory over Miami next weekend. That is no small task, but considering they were picked to finish anywhere from 6th to 8th in the ACC during preseason they have still accomplished quite a bit. And it's nice to see that for all the grief we got from being in the 'Big Least', the unofficial ACC championship game will be a Big East reunion between Miami and VT. This is the game the Big East had been trying to set up for years. If anyone in the ACC is having buyer's remorse, it has to be Florida State who is used to dominating the conference.

Speaking of College Football, Stewart Mandel notes that the number of bowl eligible teams is dangerously low. There are 56 available slots, with only 57 eligible teams. That number could drop to an even 56, if Hawaii loses to Michigan State.

All of which means that if your team finished with a winning record, it's all but guaranteed to wind up somewhere this bowl season. Therefore the Mid-American Conference, which has never before garnered more than two invites in the same year -- and which a year ago saw a 10-win Northern Illinois team get left at home -- could have as many as six this year (Miami of Ohio, Toledo, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Marshall and Akron), while Connecticut and Troy (formerly Troy State), both just a few years removed from I-AA, likely will be making their first-ever bowl trips.

Mandel notes that this is the same bowl system which is so sanctimonious that it cannot possibly be given up for a college football playoff.