Sporting News has Virginia Tech in New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Dec 28, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; A general view of Yankee Stadium during the Pinstripe Bowl game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Notre Dame won 29-16. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sport

The 2014 College Football Season is a long ways off but speculation about what bowls college football teams will be playing after the 2014 season has already started up. Right now, it really doesn’t make sense to put out a bowl projection though many do and update it at least one more time before the season starts. ESPN was the first and today another site had a projection for the bowl games and where the Virginia Tech Hokies will be playing.

Bill Bender of Sporting News released his bowl projections for the 2014 as of right now and had the Virginia Tech Hokies facing the Iowa Hawkeyes in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. This would be an interesting matchup as Virginia Tech and Iowa both have two of the longest tenured head coaches in Kirk Ferentz who has been the Iowa head coach since 1999, and Frank Beamer who is the longest tenured head coach in college football and has been the Hokies’ head coach since 1987.

However, the Hokies will not want to play in this bowl due to the issues that they have over the last few seasons with the turf at Yankee Stadium. Playing a bowl game at a stadium where they have had field issues in the past for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl is something that Virginia Tech would definitely want to avoid. Also, Yankee Stadium might be a really cool venue to play but there is a reason why just about every bowl game is south of New York City and that is because fans want to watch a game in warm weather and not late December New York City weather.

The good news for Virginia Tech fans is the New Era Pinstripe Bowl will likely go to the sixth choice from the ACC this year and I don’t see how the Hokies aren’t one of the ACC’s top 5 teams. With a strong defense and a lot of offensive weapons, the Hokies will contend for the ACC Coastal and if they win the ACC Coastal, they will at least play in a game like the Sun Bowl if they lose the ACC Championship. The Sun Bowl, Gator Bowl, and

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