Virginia Tech Football: Hokies benefit from chaotic Week 9 in the ACC

Four weeks into their ACC schedule, the Virginia Tech football team has a new-found life. After being a big disappointment in their four non-conference games going 1-3, there were a lot of concerns as to where the Hokies program was heading.

People were doubting second-year head coach Brent Pry, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen, and defensive coordinator Chris Marve. However, since ACC play began on Sept. 30, Virginia Tech looks like a different team. Through nine weeks, the Hokies find themselves in third place in the conference and very much alive with an outside opportunity to find themselves in the…… dare we say ACC Championship game in December? After some of the results this weekend, Tech is in the thick of things over the final four weeks.

Virginia Tech sits in third place in the ACC after a crazy weekend of football

Thursday night, the Hokies did their part coming out of the bye week with a 38-10 win at Lane Stadium against Syracuse. Saturday, any results they needed to move up in the conference standings pretty much went their way.

Louisville, next Saturday’s opponent, shutout Duke, 23-0, and improved to 4-1 in the ACC, a half-game ahead of Virginia Tech, and both teams are looking up at 6-0 Florida State. The Hokies started Saturday tied with North Carolina in the standings at 3-1, but the Tar Heels, coming off of a stunning home loss in Week 8 against Virginia, lost a wild 46-42 affair at Georgia Tech.

Miami was taken to overtime by Virginia, whom Tech closes the regular season with on Thanksgiving Weekend, and survived 29-26. North Carolina State beat Clemson at home and FSU continued their dominance over the whole conference with a convincing road win at Wake Forest. In a pair of non-conference games, Pittsburgh lost at Notre Dame and Boston College narrowly escaped a 1-7 Connecticut team at home.

Here is a look at the current standings in the ACC through Week 9,

1. Florida State (6-0)
2. Louisville (4-1)
3. Virginia Tech (3-1)
4. Georgia Tech (3-2)
5. North Carolina (3-2)
6. Miami (2-2)
7. Boston College (2-2)
8. North Carolina State (2-2)
9. Duke (2-2)
10. Clemson (2-4)
11. Pittsburgh (1-3)
12. Virginia (1-3)
13. Wake Forest (1-4)
14. Syracuse (0-4)

After their 1-3 start, who saw Virginia Tech sitting in third place in the ACC after Week 9? Not too many people, but here they are, the first weekend in November with a golden opportunity that nobody envisioned just a month ago.