Virginia Tech football ACC game-by-game prediction to potential bowl eligibility

Four games into the season and the Virginia Tech football team is sitting at 2-2, a place not many people, if any, thought that they would be in heading down to Miami to begin ACC play Friday night. Sitting at .500 after losses to Vanderbilt and Rutgers, sandwiched around wins over Marshall and Old Dominion, the Hokies are one of the bigger disappointments through the first month.

Things are not going to get any easier once ACC play begins and if there is one thing that we’ve learned through the first month, the Hokies eight-game slate has no gimmies on it. Brad Crawford of 247Sports posted on X earlier this week that Virginia Tech is facing the real possibility of not making bowl eligibility, something that would be completely stunning.

As Virginia Tech heads down to Miami, shorthanded and with players banged up, let’s predict their eight ACC games and whether or not they become bowl-eligible after Thanksgiving Weekend at home against Virginia.

Virginia Tech football ACC game-by-game predictions

Friday at Miami

Aside from the Hokies, the Hurricanes got a lot of preseason hype and through four games, Mario Cristobal and his team are living up to the hype. Regardless of health, it’s hard seeing Virginia Tech covering the current 19.5-point spread.

Prediction: Loss

Oct. 5 at Stanford

At the beginning of the season, this looked like a win, but now, I’m not so sure. The Cardinal went to Syracuse last Friday night and beat the Orange on a field goal to end the game, 26-24. Virginia Tech is their ACC home opener after Stanford is at Clemson this week, but this is a toss-up. Have to think a desperate Hokies team responds going into their first bye week.

Prediction: Win

Oct. 17 vs. Boston College

If there is one ACC team through the first month that is opening a lot of eyes, it’s the Eagles. Under first-year coach Bill O’Brien, BC has wins over Florida State, Duquesne, and Michigan State with their only blemish being a six-point loss at Missouri, who was a Top 10 at the time. Mobile quarterbacks like Thomas Castellanos give Tech major problems.

Prediction: Loss

Oct. 26 vs. Georgia Tech

Like Stanford, the Yellow Jackets have opened some eyes this season and they began FSU’s misery by beating them in Ireland in Week 0. Head coach Brent Keys has them moving in the right direction and it feels like they are moving faster in the right direction than the Hokies. This is another toss-up game.

Prediction: Loss

Nov. 2 at Syracuse

This is not the same Orange team that visited Blacksburg last season. First-year coach Fran Brown has brought a new culture to the team along with a ton of transfers and so far, it’s all working. They have a win over Georgia Tech, but did lose to Stanford. We all know what tends to happen up at the Dome for Virginia Tech.

Prediction: Loss

Nov. 9 vs. Clemson

Before the season started, a lot of people had this circled on their schedule as a potentially huge game in terms of a possible ACC Championship Game berth for either team. It very well could be for the Tigers, but it won’t be for the Hokies. Virginia Tech’s 2-2 start has taken a lot of steam out of this game.

Prediction: Loss

Nov. 23 at Duke

Manny Diaz is off to a 4-0 start for the Blue Devils in his first season at the helm, but like Virginia Tech, their schedule is going to get tougher. This is a game that the Hokies should make the short trip and come back with a win. Again, they should.

Prediction: Win

Nov. 29 vs. Virginia

Who had the Cavaliers with a 3-1 record through the first month and the Hokies sitting 2-2 on their bingo card when the season started? Not many, but here we are. Virginia has road wins at Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina and while those don’t seem like big wins, they’re better looking than a loss at Vanderbilt in overtime as a double-digit favorite. Still think Tech plays with a lot of emotion and ends the season on the right side of the scoreboard.

Prediction: Win

By my calculation, the Hokies would fall one game short of bowl eligibility at 5-7 if this is how the ACC schedule plays out. Of course, injuries and other factors will change things, but right now, with what we have seen from Virginia Tech, it’s hard to think otherwise.