Where Does Virginia Tech Land in New ESPN Bowl Projections?

Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN came out with their yearly bowl projections.

Sep 16, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies wide receiver Ayden Greene (26) is pushed out of bounds by Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Max Melton (16) during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia Tech has been slated with plenty of matchups throughout the preseason. High tier bowl games, low tier bowl games, power four powerhouses, and some top group of five teams. 2024 is shaping up to be the Hokies’ second consecutive season making a bowl game. The Hokies are 2-4 in bowl games since 2016, and miss the postseason in 2020 and 2022. 

Virginia Tech has a great mix of star players, homegrown talent, and impactful transfers. Virginia Tech brought in All-ACC First Team dark horse Aeneas Peebles, and retained most of their players whom were eligible to return. There’s a lot of justified excitement heading into this season, and with the schedule ahead, it’s very possible that Virginia Tech sneaks past the traditional bowl games and straight into the new twelve team playoff.

Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN came out with their yearly bowl projections. They picked every team in the college football playoff, and every single bowl game—big or small. Bonagura and Schlabach didn’t agree on where Virginia Tech lands in the postseason this year.

Here’s their projections.

Kyle Bonagura: Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs Nebraska

Virginia Tech vs Nebraska seems like a sure thing if bowl projections always stayed true, obviously that’s not the case. Multiple national outlets, like 247Sports and ESPN, have projected the Hokies to face the Cornhuskers, and this is another iteration of that.

Nebraska recently named Dylan Raiola, a freshman, as their starting quarterback for the 2024 season. Nebraska has had trouble at the position recently, with no player exceeding last year at quarterback. Chubba Purdy, Heinrich Haarberg, and Jeff Sims all had disappointing performances last year, but Nebraska is hoping to turn a corner.

Nebraska hasn’t won a bowl game since 2015, let alone appeared in a bowl game since 2016. Nebraska is looking to achieve this goal by utilizing one of the stronger secondaries in the Big Ten, led by cornerback Tommi Hill and safety Issac Gifford. The Cornhuskers also have a fair offensive line and wide receiver room, and is set to surprise people heading into the 2024 season. 

Mark Schlabach: DirecTV Holiday Bowl vs Arizona

Arizona has lofty expectations heading into the 2024 season, landing on number twenty one on the AP Top 25 Poll, with one voter placing Arizona at number eight. Arizona beat five Top 25 last year, and similar to Virginia Tech, returns a high amount of their production from last year’s team. 

Tetairoa McMillan is the star of the team, an All-American wide receiver who has made headlines for his exceptional one-handed catches, and some plays no other receiver can make in the country.

This is certainly an interesting matchup for Virginia Tech and Arizona, because I think it’s very possible that both of these teams could make the College Football Playoff. I need to see how Virginia Tech’s defense plays this year—especially the linebacking core—before making a projection on how this matchup could go.