Virginia Tech Football: Game-by-Game Predictions for The Hokies 2024 Season
There is now less than a week until FBS level college football kicks off, and less than two weeks before toe meets leather in the Virginia Tech versus Vanderbilt game. The Hokies are set to have one of the easier schedules in the ACC, led by Brent Pry who helped complete the Hokies turnaround.
Week 1: at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is probably going to be one of the trickiest teams that Virginia Tech will face. A quarterback competition, a new offensive coordinator, and a completely new style of play on offense. I don’t think the Hokies will struggle against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt’s offensive line lost plenty of pieces, and I think if the defense can look past the trickery that Vanderbilt has planned, this could be a big win.
Virginia Tech 38 - Vanderbilt 13 (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 2: vs Marshall
On to another out of conference game where Virginia Tech should be highly favored. Marshall took down Virginia Tech at home 24-17 last year. This Marshall team though, is another team which will look totally different. Quarterback Cam Fancher, running back Rasheen Ali, and leading tackler Elias Neal are all gone. I would place a huge point on how inexperienced this defense is going to be. Marshall lost multiple players to the NFL on defense, and defensive coordinator Jason Semore has said that it will be hard to replace the leadership they brought.
My only fear is what the deal at the quarterback position is for Marshall. If Chad Pennington gets the nod, who’s to say he can’t go and have a big breakout game. Regardless of who Marshall trots out behind center though, I trust Dorian Strong and the Hokies secondary to remain true and this should be another win for the Hokies, flipping the script from 2023.
Virginia Tech 30 - Marshall 17 (2-0, 0-0)
Week 3: at Old Dominion
I don’t see any trouble coming from Old Dominion at all this year. Old Dominion needs an incredible turn around from the offensive line standpoint to even be competitive against Virginia Tech in this game. Old Dominion allowed 62 sacks last year, and I don’t see that number being much lower this year. The defensive line was bad—to say the least. The Monarchs only had 19 sacks in the entirety of the 2023 season. I’m not a fan of any part of this team, I don’t necessarily trust Jason Henderson, and their special teams unit is just okay.
This is the worst team Virginia Tech will face all year, don’t be shocked if the Hokies blow Old Dominion out on the road.
Virginia Tech 43 - Old Dominion 10 (3-0, 0-0)
Week 4: vs Rutgers
This is Virginia Tech’s biggest challenge up to this point. Rutgers is a very similar team to Virginia Tech frankly—a sleeper team in a Power Four conference that returns a lot of talent, but is blocked by some of the bigger schools in their conference.
Athan Kaliakmanis is one of my favorite additions in the transfer portal this offseason. No, he’s not the best player that switched teams, but I think he fits what Rutgers is trying to do very well. Rutgers was a true run-heavy team last year, and even though Athan didn’t put up the numbers-wise best rushing performance at Minnesota, he’s certainly capable. Kaliakmanis will have Kyle Monangai join him in the backfield for potentially one of the deadliest rushing attacks in the Big Ten.
I still think Virginia Tech can pull out with a win, especially with it being a home game at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech should battle with Rutgers’ strong defense and I think this will be one of the most exciting college football games in week four.
Virginia Tech 27 - Rutgers 24 (4-0, 0-0)
Week 5: at Miami (FL)
It’s arguable that Miami will be the hardest game on the schedule for Virginia Tech. The Hokies only play two teams who were ranked in the AP Top 25, and Miami is one of them. This is one of the most talented rosters in the country. If Mario Cristobal can’t win with this team, maybe Miami needs to look elsewhere.
No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to find a weakness in this Miami offense. Transfers Cam Ward and Damien Martinez lead the backfield, while every other offensive position has star players. Whether it’s Jalen Rivers or Xavier Restrepo, this offense will undeniably find success.
The Miami defense lost some key hitters, but returned Francisco Mauigoa, arguably the most dynamic defensive player on this whole roster. Miami has plenty of players on this defense with honors, All-ACC, ACC Defense Rookie of the Year, and the list goes on. The question for the Hurricanes though is can they defend the running tandem of Kyron Drones and Bhayshul Tuten.
Although I think this game is close, I think Miami prevails here, which shouldn’t ruin Virginia Tech’s ACC Championship hopes, just damper them slightly.
Virginia Tech 20 - Miami 31 (4-1, 0-1)
Week 6: at Stanford
Virginia Tech only plays one of the ACC newcomers in 2024, and they landed on Stanford. They may not be the best team, or the worst team, in the conference, but they’re much better than previous opponents that Virginia Tech faces, like Old Dominion and Marshall.
Stanford’s biggest weapon is the multi-faceted receiver Elic Ayomanor who chose to stay with Stanford this offseason. Ayomanor broke the record for receiving yards in a game by a Stanford wide receiver, and should find a way to get the bulk of the receptions this year as well.
The defense is not going to be good, and that’s the bottom line. Stanford could be a team that could catch a few sneaky wins, that won’t happen here.
Virginia Tech 45 - Stanford 19 (5-1, 1-1)
Week 8: vs Boston College
Another ACC team with a new head coach heading into 2024 is Boston College. They brought in a huge profile head coach in former Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.
I think this team will be finding out a lot about the talent they have throughout the season, and I don’t know if that will be decided by week eight. Boston College struggled up front most of last year, and if this game gets out of hand, it could get out of hand quickly.
If Virginia Tech can limit the run, I have no question thinking this will be Virginia Tech’s biggest win as far as point differential in the 2024 season.
Virginia Tech 48 - Boston College 9 (6-1. 2-1)
Week 9: vs Georgia Tech
This is one of the more intriguing games on the schedule for Virginia Tech in 2024. Both “Techs” return a lot of their production from the past year, have a dynamic rushing attack, and two very similar coaches named Brent.
Georgia Tech’s offense is headlined by the polarizing quarterback Haynes King, whose interceptions overshadowed his good play during the 2023 season. Georgia Tech also returns playmakers like Jamal Haynes and Eric Singleton, so look for the Yellow Jackets to try to make explosive plays on offense.
The one unit I think Virginia Tech holds an advantage on is defense, Georgia Tech has a lot of unanswered questions all over the defense, and will have to rely heavily on transfers like Romelio Height from USC. I think Virginia Tech can pull out of Blacksburg with a win against Georgia Tech, but this is one of the scarier games on the schedule.
Virginia Tech 35 - Georgia Tech 32 (7-1, 3-1)
Week 10: at Syracuse
If Syracuse can win this game, the ACC has some problems. Just like Virginia Tech, Syracuse hauls one of the easiest schedules in the ACC next year. The Orange take on Ohio, Stanford, Holy Cross, UNLV, Pitt, Boston College, Cal, and UConn. They also avoid playing Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville, some of the big dogs in the ACC.
Syracuse brings in Kyle McCord at quarterback from Ohio State, after a fairly disappointing season at the helm for the Buckeye quarterback. He’s surrounded by plenty of transfers and returning talent. Lequint Allen is very underrated running back and is a receiving threat as well as a downhill runner. This offense could be scary.
This linebacker room at Syracuse is solid, and all around the defense the Orange have playmakers who they can count on to be solid, not necessarily All-ACC guys, but a balanced defense at that. This is another team who could pull off a shocker at home against the Hokies, but I think by pure will of this Hokies defense and Kyron Drones’s impeccable play, this should be a win.
Virginia Tech 26 - Syracuse 21 (8-1, 4-1)
Week 11: vs Clemson
This game and the game versus Miami are the two hardest games on the schedule for Virginia Tech. I love the defensive side of the ball for Clemson, besides the impending competition at corner, and the talent level is always going to be high with a Clemson Tigers team.
Cade Klubnik definitely has underperformed his expectations at Clemson, but is still set to be the starter at quarterback for Dabo Swinney. I really do think this Clemson offense will be much better than last year, but that’s all contingent on Klubnik’s success at the quarterback position.
This defense might not be the same defense as 2023, but I don’t know how the Hokies can handle all of Clemson’s star power on defense.
Virginia Tech 13 - Clemson 31 (8-2, 4-2)
Week 13: at Duke
The Hokies finish the 2024 season with two teams I think they should take care of easily, and one of those is Manny Diaz’s Duke team.
Maalik Murphy recently won the quarterback job for the Blue Devils, and I think he’ll remain the starter throughout the season. The main question on offense is the offensive line, which I do not have much faith in heading into next year.
The defensive line is a huge question as well. Duke lost their full starting defensive line, and a few other impact players on defense. I just see way too many holes for this game to be competitive for the Blue Devils.
Virginia Tech 29 - Duke 6 (9-2, 5-2)
Week 14 vs Virginia
This rivalry won’t be much of a rivalry for years to come. Virginia is one of the worst teams in the ACC, and this could be the last year for head coach Tony Elliott.
The star of Virginia’s offense in Malik Washington is now headed to the NFL, and those are big shoes to fill. Virginia brought in some transfers like Tyree from Notre Dame, but I still don’t have much faith in the weapons on offense for Virginia.
The Virginia defense will be fighting to not be one of the weakest defenses in the ACC. I have no trust in many of these positions for Virginia, and Virginia Tech is going to handle business easily to finish off the season.
Virginia Tech 46 - Virginia 9 (10-2, 6-2)
RJ SCHAFER
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.