The sky isn’t falling on Virginia Tech, but their margin for error has significantly narrowed for 2024. Just a week ago, the Hokies were in a much better position. Throughout the offseason, we heard about the strong culture within the Virginia Tech football program, which played a crucial role in retaining key players for the 2024 season—a season that was supposed to signal, “We’re Back.”
However, in an unexpected result, Virginia Tech opened the season with a shocking 34-27 overtime loss in Nashville. What’s worrying is that the Hokies were outplayed and outcoached by a team projected to finish last in the SEC. Now, as they prepare for their home opener against Marshall on Saturday at Lane Stadium, the big takeaway from last weekend’s loss is the significant impact it could have on the program’s future.
Virginia Tech’s margin for error has shrunk after the Vanderbilt loss. At the start of the season, the Hokies were considered a dark horse in the ACC, and it was easy to see why—they brought back a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and added key players through the transfer portal. But after just four quarters, all that optimism evaporated, and both national media and social media took notice.
It’s Year 3 for Brent Pry in Blacksburg, and now the Hokies’ head coach faces a major challenge. Virginia Tech was expected to make significant strides in 2024, and they still might, but their margin for error has drastically reduced following the loss to Vanderbilt.
Looking at the schedule, they need to be no worse than 4-2 after their game at Stanford on October 5th. This would require wins over Marshall, Old Dominion, Rutgers, and Stanford, while possibly losing their first ACC game at Miami a week before facing the Cardinal. If they’re 3-3 or, worse, 2-4 after returning from California, it’s hard to see them making the progress they had hoped for this fall.
Following a bye week, the schedule is filled with uncertainties, with home games against Boston College, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Virginia, and road games at Syracuse and Duke. Nothing in 2024 is guaranteed for the Hokies now.
There’s still time for them to turn things around, and if they’re 4-2 after Stanford, the outlook changes, and taking that next step becomes more feasible. But right now, their margin for error is slim, and if they can’t make that leap, things could get interesting.
Leave a Reply