Conference media days are the unofficial start to the college football season and the ACC began theirs today. While Virginia Tech is not going to be speaking until tomorrow, there is already a lot of talk around the ACC about what the Hokies could accomplish this season.
Virginia Tech is hoping to make a run at the ACC Championship game with a lot of returning production on their roster and a favorable schedule. Two of the Hokies most important games will be a road trip to Miami at the end of September and a home game against Clemson in November. If Virginia Tech wants to get to the ACC Championship game, they will likely have to win one or both of those games. 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford made 10 bold predictions for the upcoming season and he picked Virginia Tech to upset Clemson at home in November:
“Clemson won six straight over the Hokies, including a pair in the ACC final, with its last loss coming during the 2007 season. So, no one will see this one coming in November. This upset loss at Lane Stadium for Dabo Swinney’s team will keep the Tigers out of the ACC Championship Game with a 6-2 conference finish and 9-3 record overall (with other losses to Georgia and Florida State). That would mark Clemson’s third multiple-loss regular season in the last four years and push the Tigers just outside of the top 15 in the final rankings ahead of the selection committee’s playoff vote.”
CBS Sports college football analyst Chip Patterson gave his prediction for each win total in the ACC and he has the Hokies going over their win total, finishing with a 10-2 record:
Wins: at Vanderbilt, Marshall, at ODU, at Miami, at Stanford, Boston College, Georgia Tech, at Syracuse, at Duke, Virginia
Losses: Rutgers, Clemson
Analysis: “After three wins in Year 1 and seven in Year 2, both the oddsmakers and our projections are calling for another step forward for coach Brent Pry in Year 3 with the Hokies. It’s not just the overwhelming amount of returning production from last season, but how that group performed during a stretch in which the Hokies closed the year with five in wins in their last seven games, with all five victories coming by at least 17 points. Things seemed to click in Blacksburg, and when you carry that over to a schedule that does not have Florida State, NC State or SMU, there is clear room for more upward movement within the league. Over 8.5 wins”
If this prediction comes true, it is hard to see how Virginia Tech would not be playing in the ACC title game with a 10-2 record, with one of the losses being a non-conference loss vs Rutgers. The Hokies would have the tiebreaker over Miami and Georgia Tech, so it could depend on how Florida State finishes.
If Virginia Tech did get to the ACC Championship Game, they would then have the opportunity to win the conference and qualify for the new 12-team playoff. Considering where the program was when Brent Pry took over, that would be a huge accomplishment in year three. Virginia Tech is getting a lot of love this offseason and one thing they are going to have to navigate is how to handle the expectations. Games against Miami and Clemson are going to be huge tests, but those might be the only games in which the Hokies are underdogs. Being able to play as a favorite is going to be vital for this team going into the season.
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/football/national-analyst-makes-bold-prediction-for-virginia-tech-s-2024-season-01j3dzgmvk92
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-22 15:53:05
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.