Virginia Tech Football: Hokies have very promising rank from ESPN

There is a very good chance that the Virginia Tech football team will be favorites in 10 of their 12 games in 2024. Of course, injuries can change that, but right now, only a trip to Miami on Sept. 27 and a home game against Clemson on Nov. 9 are the games where they’ll be underdogs.

One reason why the Hokies will be favorites in a lot of their games is because of the retainment that head coach Brent Pry got from his 2023 roster after they closed the season winning six of their last nine games. ESPN released its updated SP+ stats and Virginia Tech once again scored very high.

Virginia Tech secures Top 50 ranking in latest SP+ by ESPN

The Hokies came in at No. 31, tied with Auburn. To calculate the SP+, ESPN’s Bill Connolly uses the following criteria. Returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history. All of that has been on the up and up for Virginia Tech heading into 2024.

Returning production is one where the Hokies see the biggest reason for optimism. Quarterback Kyron Drones, running back Bhayshul Tuten, and four wide receivers return along with the offensive line. Defensively, Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Josh Fuge are joined along the line with transfers and linebacker Sam Brumfield from Middle Tennessee State should make a huge impact. In the secondary, Mansoor Delane and Dorian Strong return and Miami transfer Kaleb Spencer should make an impact as well.

Only Clemson (No. 14) and Miami (No. 19) are higher on the list than Virginia Tech and the next closest team on the schedule is Duke at No. 47. This is clearly a good sign for the Hokies as with a manageable schedule, there is no reason that they shouldn’t be knocking on the door of close to 10 wins and easily passing their over/under of 7.5 at most betting sites.