So you say there's a chance? That's all you need is a chance, and the Virginia Tech football team appears to have it.
At this time last year, the Hokies were a dark horse for the new 12-team College Football Playoff with high expectations going into the 2024 season. When the dust settled, the season was a disappointment with a 6-7 finish after a Duke's Mayo Bowl loss to Minnesota in early January.
Following a bowl-clinching win over Virginia on Thanksgiving Weekend in Blacksburg, the Hokies roster and coaching staff had a lot of roster turnover with several players hitting the Transfer Portal or heading off to the NFL Draft. Brent Pry fired defensive coordinator Chris Marve, defensive line coach Ron Crook, along with strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt IV. In February, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen left for Ohio State as the offensive line coach.
Pry will enter 2025 with two new coordinators, a new offensive line coach, and a new strength and conditioning coach. The fourth-year coach also brought in some key transfers to go along with some returning players. All of it adds up to more questions than answers entering the 2025 campaign, but could they end up crashing the CFP in December? It might not be as far-fetched as you think.
Virginia Tech 2025 College Football Playoff odds are higher than you think
On Friday, ESPN dropped an article, "CFP 2025: 32 teams can make the College Football Playoff," and believe it or not, the Hokies were one of the 32 teams. Sure, that's eye-opening, but to be one of the 32 teams, the Allstate Playoff Predictor they use, you need to have at least a 10% chance to make the CFP, and Virginia Tech has a 12.5% according to the predictor, good enough to have the 28th-best odds.
Virginia Tech's schedule isn't littered with opportunities to pick wins that the CFP committee will love compared to some Big Ten or SEC teams, but two teams on their schedule, Miami and South Carolina, are ranked higher, with the Hurricanes coming in at No. 8 and the Gamecocks at No. 22.
In order to be considered, wins in the first two weeks over South Carolina in Atlanta and at home against Vanderbilt are a must, as the two games following against Wofford and Old Dominion should be wins. A win in November over Miami will be needed, as well as a win over Louisville, and limit the losses in ACC play and have them be at least 10-2 after Thanksgiving Weekend in Charlottesville.
Does that seem like a monumental task for Virginia Tech? Sure, but stranger things have happened. Who saw last season crashing sideways as it did to another 6-6 season before the season started? Maybe Virginia fans, but not many Hokies' fans, if any. They say all you need is a chance, and that's what Virginia Tech has, a chance. Stranger things have happened. A team with a lot more questions than answers before the season can be a dangerous one, no matter what sport it is.