change. It's not the fans' job to identify the best available coaches or who would be the best fit for VT. This is also why it is easy to laugh at fans who try to be armchair OCs on gameday. They have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

However, I do think it is reasonable to ask why a top-flight coach would want to come to VT. Some fans have an inflated sense of the program's status. They seem to think we should be able to snap our fingers, pay $3.5M per year and be winning 10+ games per year. It's easy. If Fuente wasn't such a bumbling incompetent, he would've gotten this thing turned around and it would feel like 2004-2010 again.

I think that's an embarassingly simplistic and naive viewpoint. VT's facilities, location, recruiting territory, conference affiliation, etc. make it not dissimilar from about 40-50 programs in the second tier of college football. People can point to our fanbase/gameday atmosphere -- but the students basically leave at halftime. That's not really all it's cracked up to be anymore.

The administration is working really hard to raise funds and make us competitive from a financial standpoint. The facilities have been upgraded -- but we're bringing a knife to a gunfight WRT to $$$ compared to the big boys.

For example, why would a top tier coach choose VT over Texas as a place to coach? They wouldn't and they won't. What's better about VT than, say, Oregon? We're more like Purdue than we are Auburn.

So people can clamor all they want about the coaching, but it is fair to ask -- can we necessarily do better? It seems to me that any head coaching change is as likely to make things worse than it is to make things better. Perhaps I'm just risk-averse and inclined to be patient and to want to see things build rather than just change and hope it makes things better.

So the question of "who is your replacement" is both unfair and fair. I don't know that fans need to have THE guy picked out. But I'd like to know what kind of candidate they truly think would be an upgrade, VT could afford, and who would be willing to come to VT. Also, just realize how easy it is to think the grass is greener. A few years ago, there were SEVERAL posters on here saying they had wanted Dino Babers when Fuente was hired. It wasn't one person saying that. There were several posters going on and on about how firey Dino was after the win against VT and how he was a better coach. Just like the back up QB, some other team's coach is always attractive. Just like we found out about the back-up QB on Saturday, sometimes it's better to just stick with your guy.

Just a few thoughts for this Tuesday afternoon.