WSET.com - ABC13The King's Court for December 2, 2010

Virginia Tech - Regular Season Wrap-Up

Let's go back to September 12 for a second. A day after losing their second game in five days, how many Hokie faithful thought they'd see their team in Charlotte in three months? I'm sure there was some optimism, but my guess is less than half of them would've accepted a free ticket to the ACC Championship. None of that matters now, but it feels like there's not enough talk of the accomplishment here, perhaps overshadowed by Auburn, Cam & Cecil Newton, Oregon, Boise State, etc. But 10 straight wins, running the table in a conference that maybe isn't the strongest top-to-bottom, but still saw every other school suffer defeat at least twice, is worth noting. Regardless of whether or not they win on Saturday (and I suspect they will), cheers to that.

Louder cheers to Tyrod Taylor. The development from his freshman year to his junior year had been steady, but in this his senior year, it was a genuine transformation. And that's just his play ON the field. I couldn't tell you what he was like off it for the previous three years, but I know I haven't been around a leader like this guy. Granted, I've only covered a few teams, but one of them won the National Championship, the 2009 UNC basketball team. They didn't have anyone like Taylor, not in the leadership department. I've never heard a player talked about with such effusiveness as the way his peers do about him. Coach Beamer, too, talks the same way. That tells me all I need to know.

More on Taylor: ACC awards came out this week. He was first team offense as well as the overall player of the year. What bothered me was how close the voting was.

All-ACC Team

Taylor - 77 points

Wilson - 75 points

Offensive POY

Taylor - 31 votes

Wilson - 23 votes

ACC POY

Taylor - 27 votes

Wilson - 19 votes

Only two of the eleven players on the first offensive team received less votes at their position than Taylor. North Carolina State's Russell Wilson finished second at QB, as well as offensive player of the year and overall player of the year. Wilson had a great year, sure. But he threw 10 more interceptions than Taylor and lost three conference games, including the head-to-head match-up against Taylor (in Raleigh), in which Wilson tossed three crucial picks. The only idea I have is that voters decided Taylor had a better supporting cast, which I won't argue with. I think Tech has the best trio of running backs in the country. But they were all hurt at one point or another, and Taylor was the stalwart of this team throughout.

It's been a fun year, covering this team. I know it's not over yet, but I couldn't be more impressed with the way the football program operates. Frank Beamer, Tyrod Taylor, Jayron Hosley, David Wilson...simply enjoyable to be around.

With that said, I know there's games to be played. An ACC Championship game, the school's 4th appearance in the six years it's been played, and, pending the outcome this Saturday, a BCS bowl game.

I'll bet you they win them both.