Virginia Tech Football: Updated Bowl Projections For The Hokies Heading Into Final Game
Virginia Tech had a chance to snap their losing streak and clinch bowl eligibility last night on the road vs Duke, but the Hokies came up short yet again in a one score game. In his time in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has had a struggle in one-score games and last night only added to that. The offense for the Hokies was missing starting quarterback Kyron Drones, but the offense turned out to not be the biggest issue for them last night. The Hokies defense could not stop Duke's offense, which is not one of the best in the ACC. Now, Virginia Tech heads into the game next week against Virginia needing a win to keep their hopes of making a bowl game alive, which was unthinkable a month ago.
Most national analysts still have the Hokies going to a bowl game though. Let's take a look at where Virginia Tech is projected to go.
At ESPN, analyst Kyle Bonagura has the Hokies going to Tampa Bay to play in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl against Oklahoma. The Sooners have had a disappointing season, but they pulled a huge upset last night against Alabama to reach bowl eligibility. The two programs have met only once, a 27-17 win for Oklahoma in Norman, OK in 1991. Fellow ESPN analyst Mark Schlabach projected the Hokies to play in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tx against the Washington Huskies. Virginia Tech and Washington have never played each other.
At 247Sports, Brad Crawford is projecting the Hokies to play in the Gasparilla Bowl as well, but against the Florida Gators, who are playing really well down the stretch. Florida has beaten Ole Miss and LSU in back-to-back weeks and are bowl eligible. This would be the third ever meeting between the programs and Florida is 2-0 all time vs Virginia Tech.
CBS Sports analyst Jerry Palm projects Virginia Tech to play in the Fenway Bowl in Boston against East Carolina. The Hokies and the Pirates are plenty familiar with each other, as the programs have faecd each other 22 times previously and Virginia Tech holds the all time series lead 15-7.
For Virginia Tech to get bowl eligibile though, they have to beat Virginia next Saturday.
For the second straight week, the Hokies are going to be getting a primetime kickoff. Virginia Tech vs Virginia is going to kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on the ACC Network.
This of course is a rivalry that Virginia Tech has dominated. Since 2000, Virginia only has two wins in the series (2003 and 2019) and the Hokies dominated in last year's game 55-17. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 61-38.
The Hokies have been one of the more disappointing, if not the most disappointing team in the ACC this season and missing a bowl game would be a disaster considering the expectations that this program had at the beginning of the year. Virginia has looked like an improved team at times this year under Tony Elliott, but they also have some lopsided losses. If this game is close at the end, will Hokies head coach Brent Pry find a way to win? Pry has not had a good record when it comes to close games at Virginia Tech and if the opening line is to be believed, this game should be within a touchdown.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech vs Duke: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From the Hokies Loss to the Blue Devils
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Open As Favorites vs Virginia in Regular Season Finale
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies DC Mentioned as Potential Candidate for NFL Job
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell