Coming off a bye week, the Virginia Tech football team will return to the field on Friday night in Dallas, Texas, against SMU in a key ACC matchup. Both teams go into the game with two conference losses and still have visions, as much of a long-shot as they may be, to play in the ACC Championship Game next month.
Whatever happens, the Hokies know that win or lose, they are already bowl-eligible after a 20-16 win over Clemson two weeks ago in South Carolina. At 6-2, eight or nine wins are not out of the question for the Hokies by the time the regular season ends on Nov. 28 against Virginia at home. With a month to go in the regular season, let's take a look at the latest bowl projections by different outlets.
Virginia Tech football's latest bowl projections offer some interesting matchups
Over the last couple of weeks, there have been some interesting matchups, including games against Shane Beamer and South Carolina, and Matt Campbell and Penn State, Franklin former employer. Let's dive into the latest bowl projections for the Hokies.
- CBS Sports: Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon State
- Sports Illustrated: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. Houston
- On3: Gator Bowl vs. LSU
- Athlon Sports: Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon State
- ESPN: Kyle Bonagura, Sun Bowl vs. Arizona; Mark Schlabach, Gator Bowl vs. Tennessee
There are some rather good matchups in those, if we're being honest. The one double prediction is facing a very good and underrated Oregon State in the Holiday Bowl. The Beavers are a long shot as a potential Group of 6 playoff team this season, but if they don't get in, then they will be a difficult opponent for someone in a bowl game.
There are two matchups against two SEC schools: LSU and Lane Kiffin in the Gator Bowl, and Tennessee and Coach Josh Heupel, also in the Gator Bowl. If Virginia Tech ends up in the Gator Bowl, no matter who the opponent is from the SEC, it's a matchup that, regardless of winning or losing, would be a great game on TV in terms of publicity for the Hokies' program.
There are also two Big 12 opponents in the projections, Arizona in the Sun Bowl and Houston in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Houston is a team that has been at the top of the Big 12 standings, but a recent road loss at Utah dropped them down in the mix with the Utes and BYU.
There are still four games to be played to close out the 2026 schedule before bowl invites get handed out. For a league like the ACC and a school like Virginia Tech, their final four results are going to play a big role in their final destinations. It likely won't be announced until after the ACC Championship Game next month and the release of the 12-team College Football Playoff field. The Big Ten and SEC are going to get multiple teams in the field; the same can't be said about the ACC and Big 12. The month of November will offer a lot of answers.
Add us as a preferred source on Google