Where Does Virginia Tech Play In ESPN's Latest Bowl Projections?
Virginia Tech suffered their first conference loss of the year in a heart-breaking loss to Miami.
Although the Hokies may have lost that game, the performance made some analysts feel more optimistic about where Virginia Tech will land in the post-season.
Every week, ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach release their Bowl projections, predicting the new 12-team playoff format, and the 36-game slate of other Bowl games.
In this week's predictions, Virginia Tech did not land in the College Football Playoff, but two other Bowl games against a group-of-five contender or a strong Power Four team.
Kyle Bonagura predicted the Hokies will land in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl--a bowl game between teams from ACC and AAC teams. Last year's Wasabi Fenway Bowl featured a matchup between Boston College and SMU, and a matchup between Cincinnati and Louisville the year prior.
Their opponent in this prediction? The Memphis Tigers. The Tigers were a team heading into the season which seemed like a contender for the fifth conference champion spot in the College Football Playoff, but a 56-44 loss to Navy has probably derailed those dreams unless all of the other group-of-five champions fail to be undefeated.
Mark Schlabach went a different direction with his prediction, placing the Hokies in the Birmingham Bowl against TCU. Although this would be an exciting matchup, it's very unlikely. The Birmingham Bowl currently has tie-ins with the SEC and the AAC, with the C-USA and the MAC serving as substitutes if the SEC and the AAC cannot fufill their commitments. In the rare occasion that all four of these conferences cannot serve a team to the game, that would be the only way TCU and Virginia Tech would play in this game against each other.
In that scenario, that would be extremely fun matchup. Virginia Tech has an explosive offense, evidenced by their performance against Miami last week, and TCU has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, evidenced by their average of 42.2 points per game scored on offense.
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.