ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

If Virginia Tech redeems itself in a BCS game and nobody is there to see it, did it really happen? (Oh c'mon, you knew that was coming ...)

The 6.1 overnight rating for this year's FedEx Orange Bowl between Virginia Tech and Cincinnati reached a new low for a BCS bowl, surpassing that 2007 thriller between Wake Forest and Louisville for the record.

Now, is that explained simply by the lackluster matchup, or is it a statement that the addition of a fifth BCS game is a failure?

The game between Virginia Tech and Kansas was exciting, and both of those teams were talented and fun to watch. It's no coincidence the lowest ratings came from matchups between the ACC and Big East. 

Big East blogger Brian Bennett was in Miami for this game, and said that there were more than 15,000 no-shows in Dolphin Stadium. (ACC fans, feel free to blame the ratings -- and the empty seats -- on Cincinnati and Louisville).

With all of that said, though, ACC fans have reason to celebrate this season -- unlike Ohio State, Virginia Tech is not 0-3 in its BCS bowl games. And unlike the Big Ten, the ACC won more than one bowl game this year. And when it counted most? The ACC beat the Big East.

For Virginia Tech and the ACC, the Hokies' preseason ranking will far outweigh how many viewers watched them earn it.