We have done it, we have made it to the 2024 college football season. This weekend, Week 0 begins the season with a handful of games including three that include ACC teams, SMU, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. The rest of the conference will have to wait until next week to begin their season and that includes Virginia Tech which starts the season against Vanderbilt in Nashville.
Expectations are high for the Hokies entering 2024 for several reasons and it's been some time since this much hype has been around the program before the beginning of a season. It speaks to the job that head coach Brent Pry has done entering Year 3 and his staff with all the retainment they have had and the culture that they are installing.
With the beginning of the season just over a week away, here is a game-by-game prediction for the Hokies for the 2024 season.
Virginia Tech 2024 Game-By-Game Predictions
Beginning the season against an SEC opponent is never easy, but this isn't your normal SEC foe. The Commodores are in a rebuild under Clark Lea and injecting several transfers into the lineup, including at quarterback with Diego Pavia from New Mexico State. The Hokies are almost a two-touchdown favorite and that's a number that they could easily cover.
Virginia Tech will be looking to make a statement in their season opener and they should have a strong following to Nissan Stadium. Yes, this could always be a close game as it's tough to predict a season-opener, but despite Vanderbilt getting a vote to win the SEC this season, there is no reason for the Hokies to return to Blacksburg without a victory.
Virginia Tech record: 1-0
Last season the Hokies dropped a disappointing 24-17 game on the road to the Thundering Hurd who celebrated like they won a bowl game. It was a win that made their season as any win over a Power 5 school would do, but expect Virginia Tech to remember that result.
Marshall has had a rather big roster turnover from last season and will look different when they arrive in Blacksburg in Week 2 and it will also be their home opener in front of a crowd that is more than ready to welcome them onto Lane Stadium for the first time in 2024.
Virginia Tech record: 2-0
Last season ODU was first up for the Hokies and they rolled to a 36-17 win at home with Grant Wells at quarterback. Former Monarchs' wide receiver Ali Jennings had an impressive opener against his former team with a pair of touchdowns, but his season came to an end a week later with an injury against Purdue.
In the overall big picture, Virginia Tech gains nothing from playing this game on the road other than an embarrassing loss if that were to happen. I don't think it will as Old Dominion is predicted to finish near the bottom of their side of the Sun Belt Conference with Marshall. Look for Jennings to have another big game against his former team.
Virginia Tech record: 3-0
Oh boy, what a way to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule for Pry and his team. Last season in New Jersey, the Scarlet Knights ran the ball all over the Hokies in Drones' first game as the starting QB. An early turnover led to a Rutgers score and Tech was playing from behind the rest of the game.
Rutgers has talented running back Kyle Monangai and big things are expected from the Scarlet Knights this season, but their defense suffered a huge loss with Mo Toure going down with an ACL injury in camp. This is by far on paper the biggest and toughest non-conference game Pry and his team face through the first month of the season.
Virginia Tech record: 4-0
Six days after playing a tough Rutgers team at home, the Hokies open ACC play in South Florida against the Hurricanes who are under a lot of pressure this season in Year 3 of Mario Cristobal. They sputtered midway through last season and never recovered finishing just above .500.
Miami loaded up in the transfer portal with Washington State quarterback Cam Ward coming over as well as Oregon State running back Damien Martinez. They have talented wide receivers and their defense should be one of the better ones in the ACC. All signs point to a tough opening to ACC play for Tech.
Virginia Tech record: 4-1 (0-1)
One week after a trip to Miami, the Hokies head west for a game at first-year ACC member Stanford. The Cardinal are like other schools and trying to rebuild on the fly, but they have to do it by moving from the PAC-12 to the ACC.
This should be a win, but it could be closer than you might think as coming off a tough matchup with the Hurricanes and then having to travel cross country is not going to be easy. This might end up being a perfect example of a win is a win.
Virginia Tech record: 5-1 (1-1)
After a bye week, the Hokies return home for a Thursday night battle against Boston College, who is playing their first season under Bill O'Brien. The former Penn State and Houston Texans coach comes to the Eagles after serving as the offensive coordinator last season for the New England Patriots.
BC returns a lot of talent led by quarterback Thomas Castellanos and their running backs. They did some transfers from Power 5 schools and they should be improved under O'Brien and knocking on the door of bowl-eligibility, but getting a Hokies returning home for the first time in a month is a tough ask to win on the road.
Virginia Tech record: 6-1 (2-1)
One of the more underrated teams entering the season is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets, which open this weekend against Florida State in Ireland, have a tough schedule, but they do return quarterback Haynes King who was one of the more impressive signal callers last season.
Georgia Tech has enough talent to reach six wins and be bowl-eligible, but the Hokies are lucky this game is in Blacksburg as the Lane Stadium crowd could very well end up being the difference when all is said and done. This will be a four-quarter game coming down until the end.
Virginia Tech record: 7-1 (3-1)
If you have a trap game of all trap games on a schedule for the 2024 season, the Hokies have it at Syracuse on Nov. 2. Coming off a tough battle with Georgia Tech the week before and hosting Clemson the following weekend, a trip to New York is going to be a difficult game for Pry and his team.
Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord is one of the better quarterbacks who changed uniforms over the offseason and under first-year head coach Fran Brown, the Orange are a dangerous team this fall with additions to the roster. If you think Virginia Tech has a doable schedule, you have to check out Syracuse's.
Virginia Tech record: 7-2 (3-2)
Out of all the games on the schedule, this was the hardest to try and predict. Clemson visits Lane Stadium on Nov. 9 in what is the biggest game circled on the Hokies schedule ahead of the season. The Tigers are looking to bounce back from a 4-4 2023 record in the ACC.
Clemson lost some talent to the draft, but returns several key players and their offense will rely on how well quarterback Cade Klubnik plays. This game could carry some big weight in terms of the ACC race late in the season, depending on how the results turn out leading up to it.
Virginia Tech record: 8-2 (4-2)
After hosting Clemson, Virginia Tech gets a second bye before playing at Duke, which is under first-year head coach Manny Diaz. This is homecoming for Hokies defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles who transfer to Blacksburg after playing for the Blue Devils.
One of the teams that begin the season with a lot of questions is Duke as to just how good they're going to be. Diaz named Texas QB transfer Maalik Murphy his starter, but it's hard to envision the Blue Devils winning this game unless the Hokies suffer a letdown.
Virginia Tech record: 9-2 (5-2)
Ok, so this season the Commonwealth Clash will be in Blacksburg and the Hokies will be looking to put a bow on one of the best seasons in a long time. Last season Tech went to Charlottesville needing a win to become bowl-eligible to take a big step forward in the future of the program and steamrolled the Cavaliers in front of a lot of Virginia Tech fans.
A week before the game, Virginia QB Anthony Colandrea said that they were going to beat the Hokies and keep them from becoming bowl-eligible and we all know how that ended up turning out. Not great following a 55-17 beatdown that wasn't even close. Virginia does need to improve and win more than three games this season or some big changes could be coming for the Cavaliers.
Virginia Tech record: 10-2 (6-2)
This is a big season for Virginia Tech in Year 3 of the Brent Pry-era in Blacksburg and winning 10 games is certainly possible. Would it be surprising if they won eight or nine? No, but if they stay healthy, the sky is the limit in the ACC this season with a very doable schedule.