I agree VT was worth more than a season's worth of Sunbelt opponents. I don't think it was worth our schedule. "Learning" that your QB folds like a cheap lawn chair against a good defense doesn't help you. Okay, low blow. He may be capable of more, and he may get better from the experience. But he also may have been exposed is my point. Learning that you can shut down a one dimensional offense that plays into your strengths tells you almost nothing about how you'll fare against the powerful offenses of the Big 12. And learning that your special teams are not as good as VT doesn't mean you'll be better than Mizzou. We don't need to intimidate you to beat you, because IMHO we're just plain better.Doc, it's not just about comparing wins. Kudos for trying to steer the conversation into less murky waters for MU, but you can't simply remove the VT game from existence.
The NU/VT game is the elephant in the room. It is the single most important game on either team's (MU or NU) non-con schedule. That game taught the Huskers more than a season's worth of Sunbelt opponents would.
There will be no intimidation factor in CoMo this year. We've already played a better team in their house with louder fans.
Missouri cannot duplicate the speed of VT on defense.
Missouri cannot duplicate the environment at Blacksburg.
Missouri cannot duplicate Beamer Ball.
These factors do not bode well for the Tigers.
And if you don't think we're as fast as VT on defense. Sigh. Listen, I know VT has a great defense. Mizzou aspires to be so good. But if you think there are a lot of teams in the country FASTER than we are on defense, then you haven't been watching. Mizzou may lack many things, but speed is not one of them. You sure as heck better not think you're going to run past us or around us this year. Helu is not going to beat Sean Weatherspoon or any of our other LBs to the corner. And you're not easily going to get behind our secondary.
If you take away NOTHING ELSE from this conversation, remember this one thing: If you beat us, it won't be because you were bigger or faster. It will be the old fashioned way, with better blocks and consistent execution.