Virginia Tech Football: Hokies 2024 season-defining game comes as no surprise

In nine days, the Virginia Tech football team will play their annual Spring Game at Lane Stadium to put a bow on spring practices. This is going to be one of the more anticipated spring games in the last couple of seasons leading into what is expected to be a potentially very good fall season in Blacksburg.

Head coach Brent Pry got a lot of retention from last season's team with several players deciding to return for 2024. The Hokies bring back several key pieces on both sides of the ball as well as some pretty impressive transfers and incoming freshmen. A lot of the experts see Virginia Tech as a potential dark horse in the ACC and with a non-conference schedule that is very manageable, they should be looking at a 4-0 record entering their conference schedule.

Speaking of the conference schedule, there are some pretty darn good potential matchups for Pry and his team, but one national college football writer, Grant Hughes of 247Sports, ranked each ACC team season-defining game and his choice for the Hokies is rather spot on.

"Season-Defining Game: at Miami (Sept. 27)

Virginia Tech went 6-3 over the final nine games of last season thanks to the emergence of Kyron Drones as quarterback, and it is an under-the-radar team to watch next season. The Hokies should start the season 3-0 before hosting Rutgers in a tough non-conference matchup. The trip to Miami a week later will define Virginia Tech's season. The Hokies have won in Coral Gables just once in the last decade and have lost three straight in the series. If Brent Pry and Co. want to be taken seriously in the ACC, they must beat the Hurricanes."

- Grant Hughes

There are multiple reasons why he considered this their season-defining game as it's their first conference game and it's against another team that could very well be in the mix of the ACC standings at the end of the season. The Hurricanes brought in Cam Ward as their quarterback and as Hughes mentioned, they host Rutgers the week before and will have a short week playing Friday night in South Florida.

Things won't be any easier for the Hokies the following week with a cross-country flight to California to play first-year ACC member Stanford. Not an easy start to the conference schedule. If Virginia Tech is able to get through those two games unbeaten in the ACC, things get favorable ahead of a home game against Clemson on Nov. 9. That also could very well be a season-defining game for Virginia Tech.