Don't read too much into U.Va.'s tough schedule

Football figures: Going into today's game, Virginia's strength of schedule is ranked fourth nationally in the Sagarin ratings - Washington, Washington State and Oregon rank higher. Let's not read too much into that. Early in the season, the Cavaliers lost to TCU, currently No. 4 in the BCS standings. But Al Groh's team also faltered after dropping down a weight class to play William and Mary.

Alternate attraction Maybe it's because ODU's first football season focused more of my attention on the Football Championship Subdivision. But for me, William and Mary's home playoff game against Weber State today is more intriguing than Virginia Tech's anticipated throttling of U.Va. Even so, I'll be in Charlottesville.

Game day Groh, on facing the pass/run threat posed by Hokie quarterback Tyrod Taylor: "It's like playing against 12 men."

Acceptance The rants against the BCS aren't nearly as loud or persistent this year. This tells me that people believe the rankings have it mostly right and that opposition to the system is momentarily exhausted.

Shopping season If I were a Notre Dame football fan, I'd worry about the people at the school (and behind the money) who do the hiring. The last three coaches - Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis - look like they were plucked from Craigslist.

Footwipes I wish people who keep touting Florida's football team would at least stop to notice the Gators' embarrassingly puny non-conference opponents. Against Charleston Southern, Troy and Florida International, Florida won by an aggregate score of 180-12. Bully-ball is what it is. Consider that before arguing that the college game is more fun to watch than the NFL.

Stylin' Just in time for the start of Christmas shopping, the Mets have introduced a new retro uniform that will be part of a three-uniform rotation for home games. Meanwhile, the more difficult task of putting better players in those duds continues.

Idle thought Doesn't "new retro" qualify as an oxymoron?

Head games Ben Roethlisberger's tough-guy credentials are unquestioned, but his fourth concussion since 2006 shouldn't be shrugged off.

Stealth slugger Three-time NL MVP winner Albert Pujols is recognized by baseball mavens as an all-time great. Yet within the realm of sports superstars, he goes relatively unrecognized outside the lines.

Fine tuning LeBron James should be taking more advantage of his size by developing a better low-post game. He hangs out a little too much on the perimeter.

Loosen up It's funny, though not unexpected, that the media would make a big thing over LeBron's claim that he'd like to play in the NFL. Everything today is a big deal, right? But if James was serious, I'm Yao Ming. Chances are he was just trying to change the subject to avoid talking about where he might play next season. The media took the bait.

Foreign exchange In his first month in the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings is averaging more than 20 points a game after spending a year in Italy instead of learning at the knee of a Dick Vitale-endorsed college coaching icon. It must be the pasta that made the difference.

Numbers game Major League Soccer wrapped up its season with a taut title game won by Real Salt Lake, but does the league really want to advertise that its new champion was 11-12-7 during the regular season?

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com