The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll was released on Monday, and for the second time in a week, Virginia Tech narrowly missed out. Last week, the Hokies were the third team eliminated in the Preseason Coaches Poll, finishing 28th among teams that received votes. In the AP Top 25, Virginia Tech was the second team eliminated, finishing 27th, just behind ACC foe Louisville.
There is a lot of excitement in Blacksburg about the 2024 season, and with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff this season, teams with one or two losses have more chances to play for the national championship. One reason for optimism at Virginia Tech is the schedule that awaits them this season, and a look at the AP Top 25 shows just how doable the schedule is for Brent Pry’s team.
As expected, the SEC leads the pack with nine teams, including newcomers Oklahoma and Texas, while the ACC has just four teams, with Louisville and Virginia Tech the first two eliminated. Of the four ACC schools in the top 25, only two are on the Hokies’ 2024 schedule.
The only two teams on Virginia Tech’s schedule this season that were in the initial AP Top 25 poll are Clemson at No. 14 and Miami at No. 19. The first four games on the schedule are out-of-conference games for Pry’s team, as they face Vanderbilt, Marshall, Old Dominion and Rutgers. None of those schools were ranked, which is no surprise.
Virginia Tech opens ACC play against Miami on Sept. 27. This could be one of the better quarterback matchups this season, as Kyron Drones and Miami’s Cam Ward face off. Clemson will visit Lane Stadium on Nov. 9, which could be one of the more important games on the Hokies’ schedule this season. To make that happen, they’ll need to take care of the work that’s at hand in both conference battles.
That’s doable since they don’t have Louisville, NC State or Florida State, the three teams they beat in the conference last season, on the schedule. Yes, the road games against Syracuse and Duke will be tough games, while Georgia Tech will have a tough home game this season, but Virginia Tech will be favored in those games. Rutgers will be a tough game at home, but let’s face it: If the Hokies play the season they’re capable of, they should be 4-0 going into ACC play.
If that happens, things will get more exciting in the conference. Virginia Tech has little chance of reaching the CFP and ACC championship game, but with a schedule that is quite doable with the returning talent, anything is possible, and even more so after facing only two opponents in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
