The teal seats of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium are even more eye-popping in person.

Boston College is out on the field warming up. Maybe 100 fans are in the stands at this point. There's more in the parking lots, but it was a bizarrely easy one-mile drive from the hotel to get in here.

Doesn't look like cornerback DaJuan Tribble will play for Boston College. He's roaming around the field in warmups rather than getting typical pregame work in. Expect freshman DeLeon Gause to fill in for him.

--- Patrick Stevens

This seems pretty simple, really: If Virginia Tech can effectively throw off Boston College with its two-quarterback rotation, it will make up for its 14-10 loss to the Eagles in Blacksburg back in October.

The Hokies ran the ball better against BC than nearly everyone this season (Maryland was the exception). Their defense has gotten better as the season progressed. And they shut down BC quarterback Matt Ryan for 55 minutes before melting down late in the fourth quarter.

It shouldn't be a blowout. But expect Virginia Tech to emerge with a 27-17 victory and a trip to the Orange Bowl.

--- Patrick Stevens

1:09 p.m.

The coin toss. Finally. Virginia Tech wins and defers. Thousands of fans dressed as empty teal seats do nothing; after all, they're teal seats. The stadium might be two-thirds filled; there might be 50 people in the top deck opposite the press box.

DeJuan Tribble is not dressed for Boston College. Kickoff is coming shortly.

1:22 p.m.

Yep, it's time for Beamer Ball.

Duane Brown just swatted down Steve Aponavicius' 36-yard field goal attempt as the Hokies deliver yet another blocked kick. That was Brown's second career block, and the Hokies' third blocked kick of the season (the other two were punts). Aponavicius gets some credit for this one; the kick was awfully low for the medium-range distance.

So Boston College gets into the red zone and comes away with nothing. Matt Ryan started off with a decidedly tame dink-and-dunk approach --- handoff, tailback screen, 4-yard over the middle to a wideout, play-action rollout to the tight end, handoff up the middle. It looked a lot like the Jordan Steffy Show made it to Jacksonville.

Virginia Tech takes over on the 37. Sean Glennon gets the nod at QB for the Hokies.

1:25 p.m.

Possession No. 1 ends quickly for Tech. So soon that we didn't get to see Tyrod Taylor.

Boston College ranks second nationally in rushing defense. So trying to send a tailback who has struggled for much of the season around the right end? Probably not destined for success.

The Hokies go sack, a run to the right end for a loss of one and an incomplete pass. But Brent Bowden's punt pins Boston College on its 14.

So far, special teams are coming up very much in Tech's favor.

1:33 p.m.

Nothing doing for Boston College in the maroon zone.

Faced with going for it on fourth-and-6 or attempting a 45-yard field goal, BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski opted to give Matt Ryan a chance to convert the first down. Instead, he overthrew Brandon Robinson and handed it back to Virginia Tech.

Still, the Eagles have shown a knack for ripping up the Hokies for chunk plays. Ryan had a ridiculous 19-yard scramble, and the senior has been able to take advantage of wide seams in the middle of the field.

BC might not be able to go deep, but it looks like a 300-yard game for Ryan will probably happen.

Tyrod Taylor is now in for Virginia Tech, which takes over at its 29.

1:41 p.m.

Well, they've already topped last year's ACC title game --- a touchdown has been scored. It's actually the first touchdown in the first half of an ACC title game.

Great game they've got here. I'd happily trade it for a more traditional, eight- or nine-team ACC basketball tournament rather than two straight long days of sitting in an arena. Just a thought.

Jamie Silva stripped Tyrod Taylor of possession and scampered 51 yards for a score. BC's up 7-0 with 4:10 left in the first quarter.

Who knows, it might be enough to win today.

1:50 p.m.

If it seems like Boston College has monopolized possession ... it is because it has.

The Eagles have tattered the Hokies for 156 yards while holding the ball for 10:46. Washington Post scribe Adam Kilgore, who saw the teams' first meeting this year in Blacksburg, points out an early key is the play of BC right tackle Anthony Castonzo. The freshman was torched in the first game by defensive ends Chris Ellis and Orion Martin, but has held up well as BC ends the quarter up 7-0.

For the record, Ryan is 10-for-15 for 101 yards --- well on his way to a prolific day.

2:03 p.m.

OK, is it wrong that the highlight of this game is probably Kam Chancellor's helmet-to-rib cage smackdown of BC's Andre Callender does not speak well of the state of affairs in the ACC championship.

Boston College just put together a 16-play drive that covered just 59 yards. That is not a model of efficiency, especially after being forced to settle for a 37-yard field goal. Eagles are up 10-0.

BC has chewed up a lot of clock on its first three drives, and has a blocked field goal, a turnover on downs and a field goal to show for it. If Virginia Tech's offense opts to roll in sometime soon, the Eagles could rue these missed chances.

Speaking of the Hokies' offense, Sean Glennon is back for his second straight possession. Tech has made only two QB changes, none in the middle of a drive.

2:14 p.m.

Things are so interesting, someone has cued up the YouTube highlights of Randolph Childress from the 1996 ACC tournament --- you know, the weekend he was a veritable deity and set an event record for points.

Oh, and the Hokies' finally made an in-drive QB change. Tyrod Taylor has made two runs, but yielded on second-and-goal so Glennon could complete a 5-yard fade to Josh Morgan for a touchdown.

So, how about those missed opportunities, BC?

2:27 p.m.

Well, that didn't help BC too much.

Ryan engineered a picture-perfect drive, repeatedly using the umpire as a screen for slants and over the middle passes and capped it with a 14-yard touchdown run.

Then the extra point gets blocked and Virginia Tech's Brandon Flowers brings it back for two points.

A touchdown is supposed to help you by seven points. This one only bumped BC's lead from 10-7 to 16-9.

At the very least, it was more exciting to see the lead extended by four points this way than via two safeties.

What will help: Jamie Silva intercepting Sean Glennon on the next play.

If you apply the NHL's three-star system to this game, the winners would be Virginia Tech's Duane Brown (two blocked kicks), BC safety Jamie Silva (two turnovers) and BC quarterback Matt Ryan. That's an odd group, indeed.

3:07 p.m.

Halftime totals are in with a 16-16 score. Virginia Tech has 25 yards rushing and four QB changes (Tyrod Taylor has been in on 12 of 32 plays). BC has held the ball for 20:58. Matt Ryan is pushing 200 yards and has completed 21 of 31 passes.

And it's still tied.

Title game "records" are falling fast and furious here at ACC Championship III. No, there's no Roman numerals in play. But the seriousness of how those records are being announced makes you wonder if there should be.

OK, no it doesn't.

3:11 p.m.

Well, it's time to talk about the crowd.

Or rather, the lack of a crowd.

Boston College has a boisterous contingent, but the school didn't sell out its complement of tickets. There's a lot more burnt orange to be seen, but not enough to keep your eyes off all the TEAL.

Word from a friend on IM is that it looks even worse from the blimp shot than from the press box.

ACC commissioner John Swofford was just grilled --- in what devolved into something that vaguely resembled an Abbott and Costello routine --- about where the title game would be in the future.

Charlotte, Tampa and Jacksonville are all bidding for future title games Chances are, there's no more than 45,000 or so fans here today, and Swofford was asked if he was embarrassed by the crowd.

"Well no," Swofford said. "It's not up to the standards we're looking for."

Expect a decision from the ACC sometime in the next few weeks on a future site.

3:38 p.m.

Well, it took until the 6:46 mark to have an official review of a play. It was not overturned.

By now, I would have grumbled "I never win any of these" about six times in homage to Ralph Friedgen's mopey comments concerning instant replay if this was a Maryland game.

That's the highlight of the first nine minutes of the second half. If the TEAL seats are an advertisement for how little folks in Jacksonville care about the ACC, this game is proof it is sort of hard to blame them.

Boston College is now 1-for-3 on fourth downs. All of them were justifiable calls. Which means not only is Les Miles not here to make rash decisions, he's also not here to capitalize on his River Boat Gambler persona. Or to hold a press conference before the game to say he's staying in his current job.

3:52 p.m.

There has been the first utterance of the possibility of overtime in the press box from the Post's Adam Kilgore. This is not encouraged, especially for a second half that has devolved into a cure for insomnia. No one needs more than 60 minutes of this.

Still 16-16, early in the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech guard Nick Marshman just hobbled off the field. Minus a starting lineman, Tyrod Taylor is in for the Hokies. This is QB Change No. 11 for the day.

4:16 p.m.

Tech has its first lead, after a needless video review confirmed Eddie Royal indeed caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Sean Glennon (that's an ACC title game record three TD passes for Glennon; his family is no doubt proud).

Hokies up 23-16. Guess Matt Ryan will get to prove if he has another comeback in him to foil Virginia Tech.

--- Patrick Stevens

With Virginia Tech winning the ACC title game here in Jacksonville, the ACC's bowl picture should shake itself out reasonably early tomorrow.

And by "reasonably early," I mean "for the love of God, please about an hour before Maryland tips off against Virginia Commonwealth in the BB&T Classic."

There won't be an at-large team from the ACC, so things should shake out quickly. And from everything said this week, it seems like the Terps will be headed for the Emerald Bowl.

Gary Cavalli, the San Francisco-based bowl's executive director, declined to make a definitive statement a few minutes ago. The ACC's preference is to announce all of the landing spots of its teams at once, so that explains the lack of an official announcement.

Nevertheless, it would take something truly bizarre to send Maryland anywhere but the Dec. 28 game at AT&T Park.

--- Patrick Stevens

... well, there was a BCS mess that year, too. Florida State got invited. Miami had a gripe. And Oklahoma allowed only two points in the title game.

But how about the year 1991? That was the last season before the Bowl Coalition/Bowl Alliance/Bowl Championship Series emerged as players on the college football season. There were quaint, long-lasting relationships between major bowls and big-time conferences. Nearly every school that didn't win its league was a free-agent, free to make whatever deal they chose whenever they chose (who else remembers Penn State making a deal to play in the 1993 New Year's Day Blockbuster Bowl --- three months before the season even started?)

Imagine what sort of matchups could be pieced together if aside from some basic conference tie-ins. For the sake of sanity, the tie-ins would be similar to today; the ACC (Orange), Big 12 (Fiesta), Big Ten and Pac-10 (Rose) and SEC (Sugar) would have champs locked into a specific game. But in a nod to the past, let's say the Holiday Bowl is obligated to take the winner of the WAC (or its latter-day offshoot, the Mountain West).

How eager would the bidding have been for SEC runner-up Georgia or defending national champ Florida? Which bowl committee would have sold its soul to have West Virginia and its legion of fans storm into town? Who would have gone after the power and prestige of Notre Dame (oh, wait, wrong year)?

Everyone besides about a half-dozen schools would be free agents. And while chaos is rarely the most appealing option (unless you're an anarchist or a member of a gossip TV show's camera crew following Britney Spears around), the present-day model is not a pillar of stability and rationality.

The world did not stop spinning this morning because a two-loss team wound up in the national title game (and on that note, maybe college football should follow hockey's lead and institute an overtime loss system; Louisiana State looks a lot better at 10-0-2 than 10-2, no?) It's the same as it ever was, because college football was built on a foundation of greenbacks, not a desire to determine the best team in a given season.

Change takes time. And nowhere is that more obvious than college football.

--- Patrick Stevens

What college basketball team has proven the most in the first three weeks or so of the season?

There are cases to be made for Duke (wins over Marquette, Illinois, Wisconsin ), Butler (won the Great Alaska Shootout and beat Ohio State), North Carolina (willing road warriors for the next month) and Miami (No. 1 in the decidedly skewed RPI).

I'd probably go with Texas, which crushed Tennessee on a neutral floor and won at UCLA. That's why they jumped to No. 2 in the land on my ballot this week.

There are some fascinating teams below the radar, even further below Miami and Vanderbilt (which is now ranked and enjoys the presence of freshman Aussie import Andrew Ogilvy). This week's top 40 includes some surprise unbeatens (California and St. Mary's), a quickly reloaded mid-major (Creighton), the ultimate rebuilding project (Baylor) and a West Coast team quietly going about its business (San Diego State, which suffered its only loss against California).

I said last week that barring something stunning, George Mason would make my top 25. Well, the Patriots got stunned by East Carolina yesterday, so they check in at No. 40. Mason probably can't match its domination of Drexel more than a few times, but it should still be a tournament team come March.

1. North Carolina (7-0)
2. Texas (7-0)
3. Memphis (6-0)
4. Kansas (7-0)
5. Georgetown (5-0)
6. UCLA (7-1)
7. Duke (8-0)
8. Michigan State (6-1)
9. Washington State (7-0)
10. Indiana (6-1)
11. Butler (7-0)
12. Tennessee (7-1)
13. Marquette (5-1)
14. Clemson (7-0)
15. Pittsburgh (7-0)
16. Texas A&M (7-1)
17. Oregon (6-1)
18. Arizona (5-2)
19. Louisville (5-1)
20. Brigham Young (6-1)
21. Xavier (6-1)
22. Gonzaga (7-1)
23. Southern California (6-2)
24. Virginia (6-1)
25. Arkansas (5-1)

26. Villanova (5-1)
27. Miami (7-0)
28. Wisconsin (5-1)
29. Stanford (8-1)
30. Vanderbilt (7-0)
31. Southern Illinois (3-2)
32. Florida (7-1)
33. N.C. State (4-2)
34. Creighton (5-0)
35. California (5-0)
36. Baylor (5-1)
37. Connecticut (5-2)
38. San Diego State (7-1)
39. St. Mary’s (6-0)
40. George Mason (6-2)

--- Patrick Stevens

Had some bowl leftovers from last night, when it was quite the challenge to write about a basketball game I missed eight minutes of because of a teleconference. On the other hand, Jamal Shuler and Eric Maynor produced such an easy storyline you really didn't need to see the game (but watching them destroy Maryland's backcourt was certainly worthwhile).

So it was pretty obvious throughout last week Maryland was going to San Francisco. But Oregon State --- the third-place team out of the Pac-10 --- had a less conventional route.

The 8-4 Beavers would have wound up in the Holiday Bowl had Arizona State received a BCS at-large pick. That would have sent Oregon to the Sun Bowl, and left the Emerald Bowl probably wrangling to get California ahead of UCLA.

But Arizona State instead went to the Holiday Bowl. Oregon State could have gone to the Sun Bowl, but the Beavers were there last year and the folks in El Paso went for Oregon anyway. So that left Oregon State for the Emerald, which has itself a nice little matchup --- at least for a game that is supposed to feature Pac-10 #4 and ACC #7.

--- Patrick Stevens

Is it wrong that a part of me wishes there was some way to avoid watching football practice in December? I mean, if it's simply a time to take attendance in August and September, it's a time to take attendance and freeze in the year's final month.

What's more, Ralph Friedgen wasn't there to freeze along with a decidedly thin media horde this afternoon. He's out in San Francisco for a bowl event, so others are handling today's two-hour practice in his stead.

Maryland will go again in a closed session on Saturday, then make up yesterday's canceled practice on Sunday afternoon.

--- Patrick Stevens

The outside chance of left guard Jaimie Thomas coming back is dependent on a screw coming out of his broken right leg.

And that's supposed to happen tomorrow.

Should the junior return --- and everyone, from coach Ralph Friedgen to offensive line guru Tom Brattan has stressed it's an outside shot --- it would give Maryland a full line for the first time since early October.

Nothing else crazy to come out of football availability. More on the blog once we get to tip-off of basketball in another 45 minutes.

--- Patrick Stevens

An e-mail laced with irony landed in my mailbox yesterday afternoon. It's message was a lesson I long ago learned, but will be amused to see put into action for everyone.

Eat before you come to Comcast Center.

So the media has been told by the higher-ups at Maryland. The school is cutting off meal service for all weekend games (well, all weekend games except the Duke game) and for late-starting weekday games.

OK, go ahead and commence the sportswriters-and-free-food jokes. I'll wait for the laughter to die down.

OK, I'm still waiting.

Still waiting.

Still.

All right, I'm moving on without you.

(As a matter of personal policy, I try not to eat the press meal at Maryland. Some media entities pay a flat fee to a school/team for a year's worth of meals to avoid the semblance of any ethical dilemma. I avoid Maryland's food because, frankly, it usually isn't very good. The athletic department is stuck in a contract with the university's dining services, which also provides the "food" served in the dining halls. And after four years of trying to steer clear of Dining Services as an undergrad -- my personal best was having enough money left on my meal card to by 25 cookie tins at $10 a pop at the end of one fall semester -- I'm smart enough to have leftovers or stop at Chipotle before rolling into a football or basketball game. In other words, this won't be affecting me all that much).

That having been said, there's no better way to make most of my brethren cranky than to take away their food -- a thought not lost on Gary Williams this afternoon.

"Make sure you eat before you come to the game," Williams said as he shook his head. "I've been at a lot of places. We ate pretty good at American U."

Now, this is supposed to be a budgetary concern, so apparently Maryland can no longer afford to serve lousy food to the media scavengers that descend upon Comcast Center on game nights.

Anyway, here's the memo. There is an error contained therein -- the state isn't playing for overweight middle-aged scribes to stuff their face, the athletic department is. So fear not: This is not another example of taxpayer waste:

In an effort to bring some reasonable sanity to our budget and to continue our desire to be as hospitable as possible, we find it necessary to institute the following pregame-meal policy for the remainder of the men's and women's basketball seasons. Meal service for media was instituted to serve meals to media and staff in situations where it would be difficult time-wise to eat somewhere else and still make it to Comcast Center in order to cover our games, for example 7 p.m. evening weeknight games. However, when game times adequately allow for staff and media to eat prior to arriving at Comcast, it is not necessary, or a prudent use of state funds, to provide full meal service.

Therefore, during all weekend games and weeknight games starting at 9 p.m., there will be no pregame meal served at Comcast Center , as the timing of these games allows media and staff to eat prior to arriving at the Comcast Center. Rest assured that the halftime snack service will be available for all remaining games.

"I just found that out yesterday, once everyone was out of here," Williams said. "I'll find out more Monday."

But not until after I find some entertaining sights tomorrow night in the press room.

--- Patrick Stevens

It's too early for a conference basketball game, especially when there's only 16 league games. With 18, that's understandable. The extra games have to fit in someplace.

But not at 16, which is why even though Maryland has opened ACC play on this weekend in each of the last three years, there's something odd about starting conference play before everyone else and then not playing another league game for nearly five weeks.

That topic got addressed today. So did Gary Williams' sideline decorum. So did Bambale Osby's stout play off the bench the last two games (33 points, 19 rebounds in that span).

But for the most part, it was tame. Very tame.

Two leftovers from Thursday night: Dave Neal is out of his sling, a fact he was quite pleased about. He said his left shoulder is feeling much better and that he will visit his doctor Monday to find out how much it has healed.

Also, James Gist became the 46th player in school history to crack the 1,000-point plateau in Thursday's victory.

Like I said, very tame.

--- Patrick Stevens

No surprise here --- Maryland has moved up its Dec. 28 basketball game two hours. Maryland-Delaware will now tip at 6 p.m. so that it does not conflict with the 8:30 p.m. Emerald Bowl kickoff.

--- Patrick Stevens

A few quick hits from football practice today:

* Jaimie Thomas underwent a procedure Friday to remove a screw from his fractured right fibula. The left guard was back home this week recovering with his family and should rejoin the Terps on Monday. There is still an outside chance he could be ready to play in the Dec. 28 Emerald Bowl.

"The doctor thinks he has a chance," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "I'll believe that when I see it."

* Two other guys are jogging on the side. Wideout LaQuan Williams (MCL) has been better the last few days and might be ready to practice after exams. Same thing with cornerback Nolan Carroll, who injured his hamstring in the season finale at N.C. State.

"If we can get those two back and Jaimie could come back, that would really be big," Friedgen said.

As for the typical offensive line watch, Scott Burley (sprained ankle) is nearly fully healthy, Bruce Campbell isn't as far along and Andrew Crummey is checking in around 85 percent.

--- Patrick Stevens

Sometimes, it really is best to give Ralph Friedgen an unfiltered platform. Usually it works best when he talks about how hard he's working.

So here is a look at Ralph's Amazing Journey aka Space Coach Coast to Coast over the last few days (which includes a significant recruiting weekend), as recounted around 4:30 p.m. today:

I flew out to San Francisco on Thursday. It took me seven hours to fly out there because of the headwinds. I got up at 5, had an 8:35 flight, got out there at 4:30, something like that. We went and did the TV and radio and print media. Then they had a social with all the sponsors. Then it's like 9 o'clock their time but it's 12 o'clock my time and now we're having dinner. So I was starting to really get tired.

We went back to the hotel and I had a 7:55 flight so I had to be up at 5. I wake up at 2 o'clock in the morning because it's 5 o'clock our time. Now I can't go back to sleep. Then I fly in and I get to Dulles and of course it takes me two hours to get home. I get home at 6 o'clock, freshen up, get in the car and go down to the ESPN Zone because that's where all the recruits were. Then get up the next morning and we have to go through our weekend.

We had practice and then I met with four kids yesterday, had dinner at the social afterwards and went home. I was gonna get up and go to church at 7:30 and I couldn't get out of bed. I'm gonna go tonight. I got in and had an appointment at 9 o'clock. I have not eaten anything today. I saw seven prospects today, got finished, had a staff meeting, went out to practice. That's my life these days.

Ralph planned to be heading off to church right about now, so maybe he's praying for the chance to grab a few extra hours of sleep.

--- Patrick Stevens

A quick look at how things shake out on this week's ballot:

* Some shuffling in the top 10, but the teams remain the same. Washington State climbed a few spots on the strength of its victory at Gonzaga.

* Butler falls down to No. 19, but a team like the Bulldogs is bound to get themselves into a few first-to-45-wins clunkers like Saturday's loss to Wright State. And in case anyone forgot, Wright State coach Brad Brownell (formerly of UNC Wilmington) knows what he's doing.

* Vanderbilt, Rhode Island and Miami slip in this week; Gonzaga, Arkansas and Virginia fall out. The Razorbacks didn't do anything particularly bad to slip two spots; it's just that Rhode Island (victories over Providence and Syracuse last week) and Miami have slightly better profiles at the moment.

* Speaking of Rhode Island, the Rams are one of three Atlantic 10 teams in the top 40, along with Xavier (No. 18) and Dayton (No. 33). And if this extended to 50, Charlotte (which has rattled off victories over Wake Forest, Davidson and Southern Illinois) would have a decent chance of popping up as well.

* The only top-25 team with three losses is Southern California, but it's fair to say the opening loss to Mercer was an aberration that means less and less every week. Setbacks to Kansas and Memphis are nothing to be ashamed of, especially after slopping it up with John Calipari's Tigers at the Jimmy V Classic last week.

1. North Carolina (8-0)
2. Texas (9-0)
3. Memphis (7-0)
4. Kansas (9-0)
5. Georgetown (7-0)
6. Washington State (9-0)
7. UCLA (8-1)
8. Duke (9-0)
9. Michigan State (8-1)
10. Indiana (8-1)
11. Marquette (6-1)
12. Tennessee (8-1)
13. Pittsburgh (9-0)
14. Clemson (8-0)
15. Texas A&M (8-1)
16. Arizona (6-2)
17. Oregon (6-1)
18. Xavier (7-1)
19. Butler (8-1)
20. Brigham Young (7-2)
21. Villanova (7-1)
22. Vanderbilt (9-0)
23. Southern California (6-3)
24. Rhode Island (10-1)
25. Miami, Fla. (8-0)

26. Gonzaga (8-2)
27. Arkansas (7-1)
28. St. Mary’s (7-0)
29. Virginia (7-2)
30. Stanford (8-1)
31. Wisconsin (6-2)
32. Florida (9-1)
33. Dayton (7-1)
34. Louisville (5-2)
35. West Virginia (7-1)
36. Baylor (6-1)
37. Creighton (6-1)
38. Connecticut (6-2)
39. Boston College (7-1)
40. San Diego State (8-2)

--- Patrick Stevens

One of the subtle issues facing Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is what he can do with his injured players during bowl week.

There are two (well, really three) options. He could leave them home the entire week, which really isn't an option. He can take them all out to San Francisco for a full week of Emerald Bowl preparations. Or he can bring them out a couple days before the game and allow them to spend Christmas with their families.

The latter is the most likely situation. Ralph has said over and over he doesn't like taking injured players on trips, emphasizing the point when both Andrew Crummey and Jaimie Thomas traveled with the team last month for games they had no chance of getting into.

But for a bowl game? Don't bet on it happening again.

"I don't like that situation," Friedgen said. "They're bound to get in trouble. Then they're going to have to take the bus home. I said 'You guys screw up, you're not getting on a plane. You're getting on a Greyhound. I'll see you in about a month'"

Here's guessing Ralph's next round of endorsements don't include America's crudest form of long-distance travel.

--- Patrick Stevens

What does it say that more injuries have cropped up with Maryland football and it doesn't seem worth mentioning them until the next morning.

Well, first of all, there isn't a game for another couple weeks. And it's not like there's any impending surgery.

And, really, if you were playing a word association game with "Maryland football," the immediate reply would be "injuries."

Not "Fridge." Not "Chris Turner: 'In case of top-10 opponent, break glass' QB." Not "Fire Chris Cosh" (well, OK, there's some message board mavens that very much feel that way).

No, it's injuries. And sure enough, there are some players beat up after five bowl practices for the Terpies.

Darrius Heyward-Bey suffered a slight concussion on Sunday after he was kneed by Kevin Barnes. Isaiah Gardner is running around with a cast on what Ralph Friedgen described as "a slightly fractured wrist." He also has a lingering shoulder injury and a torn biceps, which means he is a walking, talking (well, talking A LOT) example of morphing a football player and the old Milton Bradley game "Operation" into one.

Ralph doesn't seem to think the recent nicks and bruises will amount to much for the Dec. 28 Emerald Bowl. But it looks like there could be plenty of off-season surgeries. Why do I immediately sense the absence of 10 players from spring practice?

"Moise [Fokou] has a labrum tear also, so does [Dave] Philistin," Friedgen said. "Jack Griffin has one. They were telling me our wrestling team has 14 of them. I was talking to [strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt] 'What are we doing?' I don't know if it's the 'in' injury. Seems like a lot of people are getting them."

This seemed to be the right time to snark "Are you getting a group discount?"

"We could, because Costa's got to get one, too," Friedgen said.

Of course he does.

--- Patrick Stevens

Georgetown basketball has literally entered a period of transition.

Yesterday's crucial cogs are tomorrow's graduates, so expect to see the Hoyas devote more and more practice time and in-game focus to pushing the tempo whenever possible. Here are a few thoughts on the changing of the guard:

Sunday's blowout victory over Jacksonville (87-55) provided a perfect microcosm of the strengths and weaknesses of different elements on the roster. Coach John Thompson Jr. became agitated in the postgame interviews after players fielded repeated questions concerning Sunday's accelerated pace, claiming that fastbreak basketball was more the byproduct of defense than a conscious choice offensively.

"It's Basketball 101," he screamed.

Of course, that's true. The phrase "transition offense" obviously refers to offense generated by making a quick transition from defense to offense. However, Georgetown didn't just start playing excellent defense last week against Jacksonville; the Hoyas currently rank third in the nation in field goal percentage defense (34.7), and JT3 has routinely stated that his team is more advanced on that end of the floor than on the offensive end thus far this season.

But what Georgetown did choose to do on Sunday was to turn that quality defense into a quick-strike offense, scrapping the customary patience of their Princeton-based halfcourt sets to push the ball quickly upcourt. It was, in fact, a choice, aided to a large degree by Jacksonville's poor ball security, porous transition defense and desire to turn the game into a sprint. And it was a choice that required a different personnel group to be effective.

The primary reason Georgetown hasn't run much at all over the last three years is personnel, not a lack of pressure defense. They didn't have the backcourt depth nor frenetic on-ball defenders. What they did and do have is two marvelous halfcourt pieces in Jonathan Wallace and Roy Hibbert. Both are far better basketball players than athletes. Both are halfcourt surgeons - the best shooter in the program's history and a 7-footer ready to join the Hilltop's Holy Trinity of low posts (Ewing, Mutombo, Mourning).

But ... neither can run. Hibbert gets up and down the floor exponentially better than he did upon arriving at Georgetown. But he's still far better in the halfcourt (has he ever thrown an outlet pass?). And Wallace, despite his history of naysayer-mocking performances, is not a fastbreak point guard. In fact, most of his turnovers this season have come when he's tried to push the ball. For all of his strengths, and there are many, Wallace is not a lockdown defender, a blur of a ball-handler nor an excellent passer.

Those three attributes would be the strengths of the classic transition point man, and a vintage version arrived at Georgetown this season in the form of freshman Chris Wright.

In just a few short weeks of limited practice time (remember Wright is still playing on an ankle that is less than a 100 percent), the quicksilver frosh has already proved he has the uncanny ability to push the ball up the floor and find releasing wings DaJuan Summers or Patrick Ewing Jr. with spot-on long passes that result in transition lay-ups or trips to the free throw line. Make no mistake, Wright is the program's point of the future.

And with Wright in a lineup featuring Summers or Ewing, lockdown defenders Jeremiah Rivers or Jessie Sapp, fellow frosh Austin Freeman and 6-10 gazelle Vernon Macklin, Georgetown has the capability to be a dazzling up-tempo team. Variations of that personnel group blew Jacksonville off the floor on Sunday, turning a 12-5 game nearly midway through the first half into a 39-21 laugher at intermission with Hibbert and Wallace on the bench.

Given that Hibbert and Wallace (as well as Ewing) are seniors, that style is the future of the program, because next season's personnel is going to be far better on the move than in the halfcourt. Watching Thompson balance the two styles and personnel groups over the remainder of the season is going to be fascinating. As Summers stated on Sunday, that duality gives the Hoyas the chance to be "scary good" this season, because only North Carolina and UCLA also have both gears. Memphis does not, which makes Georgetown's game against the No. 2 Tigers later this month (Dec. 22) the most intriguing game of the Hoyas' pre-conference slate.

The Tigers want to run, and Georgetown could oblige them at times to gauge their progress as a transition team. But the Tigers aren't nearly as efficient as the Hoyas in the halfcourt set. And regardless of the Vegas line or site (FedEx Forum), Hibbert, Wallace and the patient Georgetown scheme gives the Hoyas an edge in this game.

-- Barker Davis

Just an afterword on the food in the pressroom deal at Comcast Center.

It was quite deliberate to include a comment from Maryland coach Gary Williams about how he would "find out more Monday" on the issue.

So naturally, his first comment during today's media session concerned that same topic.

"You're welcome," Gary said as he sat down. "Food's back."

I'd rather be able to talk to players before the game after a loss than have some mediocre meal, but that's just me. So instead of fresh insight from everyone other than Gary in tomorrow's print edition, you'll get leftovers from Sunday.

And no matter how you try to spin that, it doesn't go down all that great.

--- Patrick Stevens

There's a certain consistency to covering Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams. There's going to be a couple times a year when he feels really good and lets go of a few good one-liners. There's going to be some times when he's disinterested in anything other than stomping out to the gym and running practice.

And there's going to be a few defense-oriented media sessions. And I'm not talking about the merits of a half-court press versus a triangle-and-two.

So when John McNamara of the Annapolis Capital asked "Is it tough for them to get a sense you're getting closer or there's a lot of things you're doing right even if you lose?" this afternoon, you knew what sort of answer was coming faster than you could say "In other words, I've won 591 games and a national championship."

To wit:

"I tell them. We're 6-4. We're not .500, we're 6-4," Williams said. "And who have we lost to? When Virginia Commonwealth beat Duke last year, they were a great team. I guess when they play Maryland they're not as good a team. Is that what you're saying? I remember when we played Davidson and didn't play well against Davidson and they played two great games against North Carolina and Duke and all the sudden Davidson's a great basketball team with the same guys. That happens in this area. Admit it. That happens."

Well, a lot of things happen in this area. And as certain as it was to hear this, there's no question that if Maryland rips off a three-game conference winning streak that features a victory over Duke and/or North Carolina, Gary will drop in some chestnuts about how everyone buried his team after it was 6-4.

It's the basketball equivalent of "It Happens Every Spring." Admit it. That happens.

--- Patrick Stevens

JT3 is a somewhat superstitious, so don't expect Georgetown's starting lineup to change until the team loses. That said, Freeman looks likely to eventually supplant Ewing in the starting lineup for a handful of reasons.

Ewing is an energetic treasure off the bench, as the Hoyas often found out last season. But the uber-athletic senior is a very suspect shooter prone to making dubious decisions. That's a bad fit for the team's game-opening halfcourt personnel grouping. Freeman, on the other hand, is a perfect fit for that group (or any other for that matter). We'd wager he's made fewer poor decisions through seven games (only 7 turnovers) than any freshman in the nation averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. Plus, the DeMatha grad shoots 40 percent from 3-point range and is far more polished off the bounce than Ewing.

As long as Ewing is out there with the starting team, the opposition is going to let his man sag to front Hibbert, daring Ewing to shoot (2-12 from 3-point range) or drive. It's the obvious choice defensively, when your other options are to leave Hibbert isolated or give an open look to proven arc marksmen Wallace (.423 career from 3-point range), Summers (.385) or Sapp (.414). You can't blame Ewing for taking the open shots, but that's exactly what the opposition wants. Freeman for Ewing is a win-win, because you eliminate that game-opening defensive strategy while adding the intensity boost of Ewing's early insertion from the bench.

* No player on the Georgetown roster has made a bigger improvement thus far this season than Jeremiah Rivers. The sophomore point man is already the team's best on-ball defender, but his most drastic improvements have come on the offensive end. Rivers leads the team in both assist-to-turnover ratio with an eye-popping 6.5-1 mark and 3-point percentage (.636 on 7-11). That's a drastic offensive turnaround for a player who last season had only 31 assists against 30 turnovers and made only four of 17 attempts from behind the arc. Does any other team in the nation have four guards capable of running the point so proficiently (Wallace, Sapp, Rivers and Wright)?

* Sunday's loudest ovation came when Thompson inserted senior swingman Tyler Crawford into the game with the outcome decided and 14 minutes remaining. Crawford played solidly over the last 14 minutes (two points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and one turnover). For the last two-plus seasons, Georgetown fans have bemoaned the fact that a player Thompson has often described as the heart and soul of the team receives so little playing time. Unfortunately, the 6-foot-4 tweener from Stuarts Draft, Va., is stuck behind a logjam of younger, more talented Hoyas at the 2-3 position (Sapp, Summers, Freeman and Rivers).

In playing Crawford over the final 14 minutes on Sunday, Thompson sacrificed a rare in-game opportunity to develop synergy among what is possibly next season's starting lineup (Sapp, Summers, Rivers/Wright, Freeman and Macklin). From a purely Machiavellian perspective, it might not have been the best decision for the team. But the profession's elite practitioners understand there's more to coaching than cold, dispassionate reason. As the program continues to blossom and attract gold-standard recruits, one of Thompson's toughest chores in the coming seasons could be finding playing time for deserving veteran reserves who might have been focal points for lesser programs.

-- Barker Davis

Shed a tear --- the ACC title game won't be played in front of 30,000 empty TEAL seats anytime soon.

OK, no one's shedding a tear. Well, maybe that vendor who didn't know who Al Groh was a few weekends ago.

The conference granted its football championship to Tampa, Fla., for the next two years. After that, the game will have a two-game stint in Charlotte, N.C.

Maybe Tampa will be a better home for the title game than Jacksonville. But would Boston College-Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech-Wake Forest be any more appealing in that market than across the state?

Guess the ACC could find out the next two years.

--- Patrick Stevens

Didn't get around to writing this about Greivis Vasquez the last few days since there's been other things going on. But shortly after he fouled out of Sunday's loss to Boston College after picking up a technical foul, a friend and Maryland alum IM'd me indicating how frustrated she was with the sophomore guard and his on-court antics.

I have to say I'm mildly surprised he had not been T'd up sometime in his first 43 games. Someone else didn't think he should have been the other night when he punched the basket support after being whistled for his fourth foul.

"I didn't think he did anything bad," coach Gary Williams said. "I'm not going to ask Greivis to change anything. I don't think he did anything wrong."

Well, clearly someone did, and that someone was referee Jamie Luckie.

(That guy, along with Les Jones and Mike Eades, were subject to some of the most vile rebukes I've ever heard come out of a Comcast Center crowd. Depending on your viewpoint, that's either some kind of twisted accomplishment or encountering a bar so low you could step over it.

Either way, the guy who called Luckie "Hannibal Lecter" gets points from me for most creative insult in an otherwise coarse array of verbal jousts. I'd link to a picture of Luckie, but I'm pretty sure the shot that comes up on a Google image search for the guy is really Karl Hess).

But Gary didn't, at least not yesterday when he was pretty defensive about a lot of things. But when you get a player like Vasquez who likes to work himself up during a game (and if he rattles an opponent, so much the better), you're bound to have moments like Sunday's when an emotional display backfires.

Here are some truths about Vasquez's season through 10 games. Some are good, some are bad --- which pretty much parallels the rest of his team.

* He's averaging six points more per game than a year ago.

* He's shooting 39.7 percent, down from 44.4 percent last season.

* He has 41 turnovers, nearly half the 92 he committed all of his freshman year.

* He's playing 36.0 minutes a game. That's 360 minutes of a possible 405 so far. Only Boston College's Tyrese Rice (38.7) is averaging more among ACC players.

* Vasquez has three 10-assist games this season, including one that came after Eric Hayes took over the primary ballhandling duties.

There may well be Maryland fans out there who have grown tired of Vasquez's way of doing business. It's funny; people find those actions endearing and appealing when a team is winning and grating and distracting during rougher stretches.

That's not to knock my friend who managed to IM me at one of the few times the courtside wireless was working correctly. She expressed similar sentiments last year, but others might be developing the same line of thinking with the Terps at 6-4 this year.

So here's a couple of predictions for the rest of the year just related to this topic:

* Vasquez will continue to be demonstrative on the floor, even when it seems comically unnecessary.

* Vasquez will get another technical foul before the season's out.

* Vasquez will end up as the team's leader in points and minutes, and will still play his share of point guard.

* Someone will credit a Maryland victory to "the emotional lift" Vasquez gave them at some point before or during a game.

With Vasquez, the good and the bad probably come from the same place. It's probably better for Maryland to have some of both rather than none of either.

--- Patrick Stevens

Check out this, which is listed on Duke's human resources website. Click on "external candidates" and then "search job openings." Follow that with a click on search and a scroll down to the eighth page (this gig was listed on Nov. 29) ....

... and you too can apply to become Duke's next football coach, as the Associated Press so helpfully pointed out today.

You can apply yourself or even refer the ad to a friend who might want to take over the enormous task of turning around the woebegone Blue Devils. And if that seems too big a task, you can just click on "view similar jobs" and find a nice vacant assistant coach gig.

And don't worry about the requirements. There is no mention of actually winning any games, and educational requirements are listed as "N/A." So Larry the Wino could theoretically be the next coach at Duke --- if not for that pesky clause at the end that suggests "Prior collegiate football coaching experience required. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE."

Still, a warning in ALL CAPS should never deter a particularly ambitious person from pursuing a dream. And since I've wanted to be a Division I football coach for the last five minutes, and was considered as a possibility to coach my dorm's intramural team for even less time, I officially declare my candidacy to be Duke's head football coach.

Mr. Alleva, my resume will be in the mail tomorrow in response to this ad:

Position Title HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
Requisition Number 400160742
Auto req ID 13326BR
Location Durham
Duke Entity UNIVERSITY
Department Name Football
Shift First/Day
Full Time / Part Time FULL TIME
Job Description

Occupational Summary
Direct and coordinate the planning, organizing and coaching of the Duke University football team.

Work Performed
Provide leadership and instruction in the personal and athletic development of student athletes at Duke University. Direct and coordinate the activities of the Football Staff in the planning, organizing and coaching of the Duke University football team; ensure compliance with University, Conference and NCAA policies and regulations. Direct the Football Staff in the preparation of analyses of opponent teams; analyze game statistics and tactical data of opponents and prepare game plans accordingly. Counsel team members in academic, disciplinary and personal matters; consult with University administration and faculty for resolution of problems as required. Assign geographical areas to and supervise the Football Staff in the recruitment of new players; determine recipients of football scholarships in accordance with University admissions policies. Determine fiscal requirements and prepare budgetary recommendations; monitor, verify and reconcile expenditures of budgeted funds. Direct various personnel functions including, but not limited to, hiring, merit recommendations, promotions, transfers and vacation schedules. Study, evaluate and implement innovations in football strategy and equipment. Represent the Duke University Athletic Department in professional, civic, charity and alumni events. Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.
Minimum Qualifications

Education
N/A

Experience

Prior collegiate football coaching experience required.

--- Patrick Stevens

Yes, this is the third press room-related entry of the last week.

And it might be even more telling than the first two.

I was sitting in my usual courtside seat during Maryland's 61-55 loss to Ohio on Wednesday when a fan turned to me and asked if I'd had any food in the press room.

I said no (well, other than a soda; the main course was a sketchy-looking hamburger), and the guy proceeded to tell me he couldn't believe a memo was sent out about such a topic. (But to be fair, the athletic department is stuck with an awful contract with the university's dining services. If it was a government deal, there would be comparisons to $100 hammers.)

That was funnier than anything else I saw or heard that night. Well, everything except when I went over to talk to football coach Ralph Friedgen, who was seated courtside for a mini-blitz that included a brief halftime speech and an appearance on the Comcast broadcast.

He saw my credential on the end of a lanyard, asked "What's that?" and playfully tossed it up to my face. He then cackled like an 8-year-old as his wife Gloria shook her head and gave a mild admonishment to the amused coach.

For such a silly thing, it was pretty funny. He didn't ask about the food, and I can't say I blame him. The media meal cutbacks have not made it to Byrd Stadium or the football team house -- well, yet anyway.

--- Patrick Stevens

One of the highlights of a teleconference with a couple Oregon State football players this week was word about a stolen piece of equipment.

Most notably, tailback Yvenson Bernard's helmet.

The Beavers star was afraid he would never see it again after losing it in the wake of Oregon State's double-overtime victory at Oregon to close out the regular season. But all is well in Corvallis: An industrious Beavers fan tracked down the ill-gotten memento and returned it to the athletic department.

“I know, I heard, thank God,” Bernard said. "In the Civil War, one of the fans jacked it. I guess a Beaver fan found one of the people who had it and snatched it away from them. [The Ducks fans] probably did. They’re horrible like that."

It sounds pretty cool, a rivalry so heated fans would steal opponents' helmets after a loss.

Can't say I've heard of that happening in College Park anytime recently.

--- Patrick Stevens

Why is it that no one ever thinks it is too early to start definitively projecting NCAA tournament berths?

Billy Packer just mentioned on the CBS broadcast of Louisville-Purdue that the Atlantic 10 "will be well-represented" on Selection Sunday. And while he may well be right -- it sure looks like the A-10 is better this year than the last couple -- it is way too early for such talk.

Why is that? Well, who knows just how well "impressive" victories will hold up. Rhode Island has defeated Syracuse, Providence and UAB; Xavier has knocked off Indiana and Creighton; Dayton won at Louisville; Massachusetts has victories at Syracuse and Boston College to its credit; Charlotte has knocked off Wake Forest,