How badly does Virginia Tech want to extend its bowl streak? It’s willing to throw $100,000 at Marshall to not play a game on Dec. 1 if things don’t go right on Friday.
Tech and Marshall have agreed to a tentative matchup on Dec. 1 that would give each program a 12th game to make up for contests lost to Hurricane Florence in September.
The Hokies, at 4-6 overall right now, would need a win against UVA on Friday and then a win over Marshall next week to get to six wins and bowl eligibility.
Marshall is currently 7-3, and thus already bowl-eligible. They’re in this for the money – $300,000 if the game is played, $100,000 if it isn’t, plus an agreement in principle to schedule a home-and-home in the future.
According to a report in the Times-Dispatch, Marshall is already in line for a payment from an insurance policy of $1.4 million for the game that it lost to Florence, Sept. 15 at South Carolina.
If the game is played next week in Blacksburg, Marshall gets that payout reduced by the $300,000 it would get from Virginia Tech.
If the game isn’t played, Marshall gets the full payout, plus the $100K from Tech.
And the home-and-home.
I’m voting for the person in the Marshall athletics office responsible for negotiating this deal for president in 2020, just so you know.
You can’t say Virginia Tech is in this for the money – lower-tier bowls are at best break-even proposition for athletics programs.
One could argue that there’s a value to the extra couple of weeks of practice, though at this stage of a season, with literally everybody in your locker room dealing with some kind of injury, extra practice to get ready for spring ball in three months, to in turn get ready for the next football season in nine months, maybe not.
It’s all about the line in the media guide: Virginia Tech has played in 26 straight bowl games.
As if anybody reads media guides.
Story by Chris Graham
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