If there was ever a time for the Virginia Tech football team to be on a bye, it was this weekend. Sitting at 6-2, the Hokies are enjoying their week off after a 20-16 win over Clemson last Saturday night in South Carolina.
It will be a short week for James Franklin and his team as they will head to Dallas to take on SMU in a key ACC game on Friday night in primetime. Both teams are still somewhat alive for a berth in the ACC Championship Game, albeit with very slim odds. Despite not playing this weekend, there were some winners and one big loser for Virginia Tech and one future opponent. Let's take a look at what happened during the Virginia Tech bye week.
Winner: James Franklin
It was a slow week practice-wise for the Hokies who got some time off, but Franklin never slows down. He was in attendance at a high school game in Georgia this weekend, watching Class of 2027 running back commit Stanley Smart, while there were other players offered by the Hokies.
On Saturday, you can bet Franklin was in front of a TV to watch SMU battle Syracuse in Central New York, doing some serious scouting for Friday night's tilt. It will be interesting to see how Franklin handles the short week and the trip to Texas, which is all of a sudden a big game.
Loser: SMU
The 19th-ranked Mustangs controlled their own destiny to Charlotte, North Carolina for the second time in three years, but that took a big hit with a 30-27 loss to the Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome, their second conference loss this season on the road. If there is one team that knows all too well how tough it is to play at Syracuse in the fall regardless of records, it's Virginia Tech.
Now, coming off a last-second loss, head coach Rhett Lashley has a tough task ahead of him this week. Not only is it a short week in terms of preparation for the Hokies, but he has to regroup his team and avoid a letdown, as they will host Wake Forest the following weekend, in what could very well determine the second team likely to join Miami in the ACC Championship Game.
Winner: Virginia Tech injured players
The Hokies, mostly along the offensive line, have been hit hard with injuries this fall, and Matt Moore's group needed this week to get as healthy as possible. It has been a patchwork line for the most part since Johnny Garrett went down in fall camp with an injury and there has been a lot of mixing and matching.
There have been injuries in other areas, but getting the offensive line as healthy as possible for the final four games of the regular season is a must. The good news: the Hokies are already bowl-eligible and have five games remaining in the 2025 campaign.
Winner: John Love
You might be thinking, John Love? Yes, John Love. After struggling in Virginia Tech's two losses this season to Pittsburgh and California, he had two good bounce-back games against Georgia Tech and Clemson with some key field goals. I've said it before and will say it again: there is going to be another game that is going to come down to Love's leg, and he'll need to put aside his struggles and make a kick. The two games before the bye were perfect for him to enjoy the two weeks.
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