It's widely known that Virginia Tech has ruled the rivalry with Virginia, and it has not even been close. Usually, this time of year, you know what to expect when the Hokies and Cavaliers meet on the football field, but this year is different.
Virginia is in a dream season at 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, and it is plain and simple for the Cavaliers: win, and you head to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game next Saturday night. Los,e and with James Franklin on board in Blacksburg, they may never be favored and in this position again for a long time.
Virginia enters as a sizeable favorite against the Hokies and has the advantage in every aspect of the game. But the game is played on the field, and ESPN made its picks on College GameDay.
College GameDay unamiousley picks Virginia Tech/Virginia game
ESPN's College GameDay panel picked the game, and it was a clean sweep in a way that shouldn't surprise anyone.
- Desmond Howard: Virginia
- Nick Saban: Virginia
- Pat McAfee: Virginia
- Aidan Hutchinson (Guest picker): Virginia
- Kirk Herbstreit: Virginia
This is not a surprise. One year after finishing 5-7, the Cavaliers are in a dream spot. Win, and they're headed to Charlotte and one win away from the College Football Playoff. Virginia Tech is ending a frustrating season that saw Brent Pry fired after a Week 3 loss to Old Dominion at home, and interim coach Philip Montgomery did a great job keeping the team together despite players entering the Transfer Portal and injuries.
His offense is one-dimensional with quarterback Kyron Drones, and with some players listed on the injury report, that would be massive losses. Everything is aligned for the Virignia, playing at home in front of their fans to put the icing on a dream regular season. What could go wrong given the history between the two teams?