Following spring practices in 2024, the Virginia Tech football team was one of the top clubs in ESPN’s SP+ ratings, which factors returning production, recent recruiting, and information from the previous four years. With all the retention that head coach Brent Pry and the Hokies got, it wasn’t surprising that Tech was that high.
In the end, ratings are just that. What actually happened on the field was nowhere close to what the analytics said, and the preseason hype burst as early as Week 1 with an overtime loss at Vanderbilt. What was supposed to be the next step under Pry turned into another 6-6 season.
Following the season, Virginia Tech lost a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, and some key players who chose not to go that route, who had eligibility left, hit the transfer portal. There was a lot of talent that left Blacksburg, and with the players selected in the draft and portal players landing at major college programs, it reinforces even more that 2024 was a huge swing and miss.
Despite all of that, Bill Connolly of ESPN released his post-spring SP+ ratings, and surprisingly, Virginia Tech landed in the Top 50, but the outlook would not sit well with the fan base and could create some interesting decisions if things play out that way.
Virginia Tech is a Top 50-rated team according to ESPN
Virginia Tech landed at No. 46 on Connolly’s list, the ninth-place ACC team. After all the numbers are calculated, the Hokies project to be a 6-6 team and 3-5 in the ACC. Sound familiar? Their record finishing that way would mean a win over Vanderbilt at home in Week 2 and sweeping their other non-conference games after the opener against South Carolina in Atlanta.
Another 6-6 finish for Virginia Tech would not be good for Pry. If he does finish 6-6 and everything remains status quo, then that tells fans that the standard right now is 6-6 and just getting a bowl bid. After last season’s swing and miss, this needs to be at least a seven or eight win campaign and that is asking a lot. The numbers say that another average fall in Blacksburg is heading our way.