Virginia Tech Football: 2 Hokies 2024 opponents to avenge 2023 loss against

For the second consecutive season, the Virginia Tech football team will begin the season playing their four non-conference games before beginning ACC play in late September. Last season, the Hokies started the season, 1-3, before a strong 5-3 finish in conference play got them bowl-eligible and they capped off a very successful final third of the season with a Military Bowl win over Tulane.

This season, Virginia Tech will be looking to take the next step under Brent Pry and they will do so with a schedule that’s manageable to be in the conversation for the new 12-team College Football Playoff. For that to happen, they will need to take care of their non-conference schedule and there should be plenty of motivation for two of those games.

Virginia Tech has an opportunity to avenge two losses from 2023 in 2024

The Hokies will begin the season at Vanderbilt, then travel to Old Dominion two weeks later for their non-conference road game, but their two home games in September give them an opportunity to get some revenge for losses last fall. The first game is a week after the season opener when they host Marshall.

Last season, the Thundering Hurd beat Virginia Tech, 24-17, at home in a game that was there for the taking for the Hokies, but as was the case early in the season, missed opportunities on offense and allowing big plays offensively cost them, despite them taking the game’s first possession, marching down the field and scoring on a Kyron Drones touchdown run. 

The second chance for Virginia Tech to gain some revenge for a loss last season is in Week 4 when Rutgers makes the trip to Blacksburg. This, on paper, will be the toughest non-conference for Pry’s team as one national college football writer recently listed the Scarlet Knights as a “Cinderella” team for the expanded CFP. Rutgers returns running back Kyle Monangai, but quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who hurt the Hokies running the ball last season, entered the transfer portal, and Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis will be under center this season.

This is a very interesting match-up for Virginia Tech for many reasons. First, how much attention to detail do they have with their ACC opener six nights later at Miami? Second, a win over Rutgers in this game would be a big non-conference win come later in the season. The trip to Piscataway, New Jersey last season marked the first game for Drones as Virginia Tech’s starter after he replaced Grant Wells, who suffered an injury the week before at home in a loss to Purdue.

Drones and offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen were in the beginning stages of the Baylor transfer getting his feet comfortable running the offense while also getting his timing down with his receivers. This is a game that the Hokies should certainly have circled on the schedule, for sure.

The four other schools that dealt Virginia Tech a loss last season are not on their schedule this season, Purdue, Florida State, Louisville, and North Carolina State. The schedule does have four of their first six games away from Blacksburg, but on the flip side, four of their six are at Lane Stadium.