VT and Pitt both finished 4-3 in the conference that year. Swap 1 of VT's non-conference games vs Western Michigan or Central Florida w/Pitt's Notre Dame match up and they finish 8-4 and VT finishes 7-5. Fundamental to the point I am making is understanding that perceptions at the time of those games did not match the realities of what the entirety of the seasons revealed. No curse.