Virginia Tech Hokies:
College football is better when Virginia Tech is firmly on the map. I have no connection to Blacksburg or the Hokies, but I still get chills every time the first chord of “Enter Sandman” hits and the stadium goes wild. I maybe even shed a tear in the first home game back after COVID. But, this is more than nostalgia and romanticism. This is about former DB U returning to relevance.
Baby steps were taken last season. The Hokies beat a very depleted Tulane team in the Military Bowl after bludgeoning rival Virginia to get back to a bowl game. They lost to both Big Ten teams and got throttled by Florida State and Louisville, but the program felt different after the 3-8 showing in 2022. Can Brent Pry ride that momentum up another level or two?
Offense
OC Tyler Bowen has a special player in Kyron Drones, who amassed over 2,900 total yards, with more than 2,000 as a passer and over 800 as a runner last season. Drones accounted for 22 total touchdowns and only threw three interceptions. He had 20 carries for 176 yards in the bowl game with over a month to prepare, so maybe Bowen and the Hokies’ offensive staff found something in the prep period.
Bhayshul Tuten had five yards per carry and 10 scores last season. Maybe we’ll see more option looks for Drones and Tuten this season to open up some more real estate. The return of Ali Jennings should help, too, as the Old Dominion transfer only had five catches last season due to injury, but he had 116 catches for over 2,000 yards in two seasons at ODU. This looks like an offense ready to make a big leap.
Defense
The offense went from 119th to 50th in yards per play. The defense went from 55th to 28th. Simultaneous improvement on both sides of the ball is how you really make a difference. And, honestly, being top 50 in both categories should have led to better than a 7-6 record.
The defense also went from 96th in sacks with 23 to 11th with 39. Most of those sacks are back, as the Hokies have a lot of returning production on defense. The secondary might take a leap forward, too, after racking up just seven interceptions last season. With that kind of pass rush, it is surprising that VT didn’t force more TOs. Just another area to be excited about.
Outlook
Virginia Tech gets Clemson at home, avoids Florida State, Louisville, and SMU, and is really only a clear road dog at Miami. The bye weeks are well-timed. Some feel like this team might win 10 games. My numbers call for 8.85, which is over the win total line of 8. I think 9-3 is extremely doable and 8-4 might be the bottom based on the schedule, so long as Drones stays healthy.
Pick: Over 8 Wins
