SPORTS FOLDEROL

  If you believe in conspiracy theories, boy, did the All Coast  … sorry, Atlantic Coast … Conference create one of its own  Friday night … when Virginia Tech apparently scored the  winning touchdown on the last play against seventh-ranked  Miami, Fla., only “upon further review” had the decision on  the field over-ruled. The unbeaten Hurricane survived 38-34  … but except for a brief Q-and-A with Miami coach   MARIO CRISTOBAL , ESPN made no attempt to give  viewers any insight as to what we just saw. Instead, the  network switched off to programming “already in progress”  ... leaving us with lots of questions, no answers … and  thereby confused … almost as bewildered as Tech coach   BRENT PRY  appeared. In case you missed it … Tech, a 17 1/2-point underdog, led  21-14 at the half and by 10 (34-24) when Miami scored  twice to move ahead with 1:56 left. At that point there was  reason to believe the Hokies had been destined to lose …  Otherwise, how to explain a fourth-and-three complet

  Weekend Watch: Well … Rutgers certainly tried … to lose to Virginia Tech  Saturday (Sept. 21). The Scarlet Knights missed two field  goals, fumbled the ball away inside the Hokie five yard line  and … leading 23-7, coach  GREG SCHIANO  opted for a  pass on fourth down from the Tech one … that fell  incomplete … The final was 26-23 when Rutgers (3-0)  turned a screen pass into a 63-yard gain leading to a 24-yard  FG that was good with 1:56 to go … then intercepted a pass  to assure Tech’s 12 th  straight loss to a non-conference  Power 4 team and Notre Dame. The Hokies (2-2) now have  been beaten by a team picked to finish last in the SEC  (Vanderbilt) and the team picked to finish ninth in the Big 10  … which leads to a question: Who would you rather not be  today, Carolina coach  MAC BROWN , a 70-50 loser to   James Madison, or Tech’s  BRENT PRY ? … “We made  some changes … We will have to look at it some more,” Pry  told reporters. YOU WANT  unrest by the faithful? … Off to a terri

  I KNOW, I know … the Washington Capitals, if for no other reason than because of their proximity, should be our NHL team. Sorry! … As much as we like the Caps … and Philadelphia Flyers for that matter … because old habits die hard … the New York Rangers are No. 1 (subject to change, of course) as long as No. 6  ZACHARY JONES , son of Glen Allen’s  ROB  and  KARI JONES , plays for the Broadway Blueshirts … of my youth growing up on the lower Lower East Side in the 40s and early 50s … when they weren’t very good and it didn’t matter … well, too much anyway … as long as favorites such as  CHUCK  RAYNER ,  ANDY BATHGATE  and  EDGAR LAPRADE   were in the lineup. …  which is another typical, long-winded lead-in to the 2024- 25 season. Exhibition schedule got under way Saturday  night (Sept. 21), with the regular season start Oct. 9 …  Everyone is doing it, so why not make a prediction, or two  or more (all but guaranteeing none will come true.)? 1 – Rangers will be hard-pressed to qualify