Guys, we are heading into the last month of regular season play?! It’s hard to believe, but there is no reason to fret… it just means tournament season is looming. Will the ACC be part of it, or has the conference become a 2020 afterthought? Will Big 10 dominance continue? Will a mid-major take down the title? In this wacky season, all of the above could happen! This week’s top 25 is:

Even with many top teams dropping important games, there actually a calm in the rankings this week. This has become the normal this year, as no one has been safe in the top 5, 10 or 25, causing single losses to have a muted impact. Penn St. rocketed up 10 spots to #22 this week after three impressive victories against Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana. Conference wise, the Big 12 is top heavy with 3 top 10 teams, while the Big 10 dominance continues with 5 top 25 teams, and double that in tournament hopefuls. The 2020 highlights are mid-major teams. Currently there are 3 top 10 squads and 6 top 25 programs that are not from majors. 

Hokies Tournament Chances Take Shot to the Chin

Since our last update, the Hokies dropped 2 games to below-average opponents. The result was an 11 spot fall down to #62 in the EVTB model. Across other rankings, the Hokies lost all votes in human polls, slipped 11 notches in NET, 16 places in Kenpom and lost most of their love in Bracketology. Mike Young’s squad is still on the bubble, but it’s starting to get slippery. The Hokies have certainly dug themselves a hole, but it is recoverable. While currently sitting on the outside after losses to Boston College and Miami, the path to NCAA is still there. As highlighted on the podcast, it will take a win against a top 15 team in Duke, Louisville or Florida State, plus racking up a slate of wins against lower opponents. That combination should lead the Hokies to the dance.

Is the ACC Now A Football Conference? 

Blacksburg has been buzzing with thoughts of “is Virginia Tech becoming a basketball school?” However, the other side of that question needs to be asked: Is the ACC becoming a football conference? After yet another lackluster week, one could argue that the ACC is going to see more football success this season than basketball success, likely a first since… forever? Duke and Louisville are still sitting near the top, but the 3rd conference darling, Florida State dropped 5 spots this week, and tournament hopeful, NC State Wolfpack plummeted down 12 spots. The ACC is still littered with top 100 schools, but only 3 are top 50. That’s a result that will lead to a frenzy of NIT bids. Heading into February, the ACC can only claim 3 tournament locks, and likely 4 to 5 other hopefuls.