Setting the bar high puts the Hokies in tough position

Now comes the hard part for Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

With the Orange Bowl victory on their list of accomplishments for the 2008 season, the Hokies will face exceptional expectations when the 2009 season begins.

The problem is winning the Orange Bowl means nothing for next season.

When the Hokies open the campaign against Alabama, no one from the Crimson Tide will recoil in fear because Virginia Tech finally won a BCS bowl game.

Beamer almost was giddy after beating Cincinnati 20-7 on Thursday night. But he also was realistic about the impact of the victory for 2009.

"I think this game is the end of this season," Beamer said. "We do have a lot of these guys coming back. We've got some good ones who are redshirting. But there are no guarantees in this business. You've got to get down to it."

For the moment, the players and coaches will bask in the glow of a victory in a major bowl game. Beamer will smile when he thinks of the journey this year's team made.

"We've had some tough losses, but nobody split up," Beamer said. "We've had some great, great seasons, but I think this is the best team we've ever had at Virginia Tech."

Beamer could have one of the best springs he's ever had as the Hokies coach. When he addresses alumni groups in May and June, there will be no questions about the Hokies' latest postseason failure.

"They have a way of reminding you of what you did in a bowl game," Beamer said, laughing.

Beamer is destined to have a sore back from all the congratulatory slaps he will receive from fans. He's earned them.

When your team starts the season in the top 20 and has a chance to end it in the top 10, that's seen as progress. That's coaching. That's success. That's the story of the 2008 season.

If your team starts the year in the top 10, as the Hokies could in 2009, then finishes in the top 20, as sometimes happens, that can be seen as a coaching and playing failure.

That's not necessarily the case. Expectations are not always reasonable. Injuries occur. Players make mistakes off the field and wind up off the team.

Beamer knows all too well how fans think. He also has high expectations every season He should. He's not paid millions just to beat Duke and Virginia.

"Most of the teams in this league are young," Beamer said of his ACC opponents. "I think we've got a chance to be better next year, but probably most of the other teams have a chance to get better, too."

Virginia Tech benefited greatly from playing in the ACC this season. No team dominated the league. Practically everyone was capable of beating everyone else. Some call that parity and balance.

It's not. The ACC's postseason record, 4-6, reinforces the idea that it was a mediocre conference. The Hokies were a work in progress all year and did what they needed to do. Week after week, they found a way to win.

With 18 of the 22 starters in the Orange Bowl eligible to return, producing anything less than a stellar 2009 result will be seen as a disappointment.

Carrying the Orange Bowl trophy home now is a thrill for Beamer and the Hokies.

In August, it will become a burden.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .