Updated Virginia Tech Game-By-Game Projections From ESPN's FPI After Week Eleven
Game 11 at Duke: ESPN's FPI Gives Virginia Tech a 57.6% chance to win (6-5, 4-3)
Virginia Tech becomes bowl eligible! The heardest game remaining on the schedule is the Hokies’ bout against Duke on away turf. Both teams have a bye week to prepare for their game against each other, and ESPN’s FPI projects this game to be a battle.
A 57.6% chance is relatively low compared to what the expectation would have been before the season, but Virginia Tech has underperformed and Duke has done the opposite. Both teams have the same conference record, but Duke is undefeated in non-conference play. The Blue Devils started off the year 5-0, lost to Georgia Tech, beat a bad Florida State team, and just barely got edged by SMU. The Blue Devils kept it close against Miami, beat NC State, and showed that they are much better than expected.
The Texas transfer Maalik Murphy has shown enough fight to make me think that Duke could certainly shock Virginia Tech, and have the Hokies fighting for bowl eligibility in their twelfth game of the year.
Game 12 vs Virginia: ESPN's FPI Gives Virginia Tech a 76.2% chance to win (7-5, 5-3)
For as long as some young Virginia Tech fans can remember, the Hokies have absolutely dominated the Commonwealth Clash in football. Virginia Tech holds an 18-1 all-time record in ACC games against Virginia, and a 61-38-5 all-time series lead.
Virginia has only won twice since 1999, and hasn’t won three games in a row against Virginia Tech since 1987 through 1989–the dominance lasts a while. What’s the last decade that Virginia has had a winning record against Virginia Tech? The 1940s.
Regardless of how good a team Virginia has, Virginia Tech takes way too much pride in beating Virginia to lose this game.
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RJ Schafer joined the On SI team in 2024, contributing to the coverage of Major League Baseball, Collegiate Basketball, and Collegiate Football at https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/. Prior to this, RJ built a strong portfolio covering Georgia Tech and the Tigers for the Bleav Network. With a solid background in sports journalism, RJ has conducted interviews with both collegiate and professional athletes, enhancing the depth and authenticity of his reporting. RJ's extensive experience in the sports industry has equipped him with a keen understanding of the dynamics and intricacies of both collegiate and professional sports. His work is focused on providing insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage, making him a trusted voice in the sports community.