Virginia Tech had been spurned by the original seven ACC members in May 1953 when the charter schools broke off from the Southern Conference.

[6] Tech lost to eventual BCS National Champion USC at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, 24-13, losing the lead late in the third quarter.

After reeling off three-straight wins, including a 19-13 squeaker over then #7 West Virginia, the Hokies' fortunes looked bleak in the fourth quarter of their game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on ESPN Thursday night college football.

Virginia Tech faced Auburn, a team that had gone undefeated in the regular season but was denied a bid to the national championship game by virtue of its lower rank in the BCS poll.

[12] Auburn wide receiver Courtney Taylor praised the two players highly in an interview before the game, saying, "Those cornerbacks are amazing to me every time I look at them.

[15] Heading into the Sugar Bowl, the Virginia Tech offense was led by quarterback Bryan Randall, who completed 149 of 268 passes (55.6 percent) for 1,965 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

[16] In the preseason, Randall competed for the first-string quarterback spot with Marcus Vick until the latter was suspended from Tech for a semester after a criminal conviction.

[18] Tech's rushing offense featured two running backs who shared time on the field: Mike Imoh and Cedric Humes.

[20] Tech offensive tackle Jimmy Martin was expected to play in the game after recovering from a high ankle sprain.

[22] Tech's success on special teams was at least partially due to head coach Frank Beamer's emphasis on that aspect of the game, a strategy known as "Beamerball."