The 2004 rematch in Death Valley between Virginia Tech and LSU was put on ice Monday, as the team learned the game will not be played until the 2007 season.
Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver explained the Hokies’ situation. According to Weaver, Virginia Tech was in line to host the Black Coaches Association Classic game in 2004 against East Carolina University.
Weaver said ESPN, who would televise the BCA Classic, and the Big East are having trouble negotiating a deal and Virginia Tech is no longer hosting the BCA Classic.
According to Weaver, Virginia Tech is in line to have only six home games and five away games. Because the NCAA is implementing an 11-game schedule for next year and the Hokies want to play seven home games, Tech opted to renegotiate the contract with LSU in order to schedule a seventh home game.
“We feel like we’ve made every effort to accommodate for the BCA and it’s not happening,” Weaver said.
Weaver said the Hokies plan to be faithful to the LSU-Virginia Tech series. Virginia Tech had the option of buying out of the contract for $250,000.
“If I were going to back out of the game, I would have written a check for $250,000,” Weaver said.
Virginia Tech’s commitment to play was further evidenced Monday when the Hokies agreed to an elevated buyout clause of $350,000.
“We have every intention of coming to Baton Rouge,” Weaver said. “I have a great respect for the fans in Baton Rouge and we look forward to playing LSU in 2007.”
LSU coach Nick Saban was disappointed in the news of the game switch in Monday’s press conference.
“Part of the reason we [made the contract] is so that we can improve the quality of opponents that we have,” Saban said. “Now we kind of get what I would call the shaft. We held up our side of the bargain and they’re not.
“Now we’re going to be struggling to find a quality opponent for next year. So, I’m not happy about it at all.”
The search for a replacement opponent is already underway, Senior Associate Athletic Director Dan Radakovich said in a press release. Radakovich is in charge of scheduling for the team.
“The time was now to pull the trigger,” Weaver said. “We need to have some time for ourselves and LSU to schedule replacements.”