Preparing for the Inevitable
Preparing for the Inevitable
After a frustrating home loss to Rutgers, the result of Tech's road trip to No. 7 Miami seems a foregone conclusion.
I’ve had a hard time compiling my thoughts after Virginia Tech’s loss to Rutgers last weekend.
How many times are you willing to read about the offensive line’s poor play, Kyron Drones’ regression and baffling slow starts? Even the best tunes sound boring when you hear them over and over again.
Instead, the only thing I thought about this weekend was acknowledging and accepting that Virginia Tech’s upcoming contest against the Miami Hurricanes could be the beginning of the end of the relevant portion of the Hokies’ 2024 season, and perhaps the relevant portion of Brent Pry’s tenure as the Hokies’ head coach.
Through four games, we have a pretty good idea of who the Hokies are. And though the ‘Canes have played a relatively easy schedule, I think we have a good idea of just how good they are too.
Ranked seventh in the country, Miami is 4-0 with a combined score of 209-41. Cam Ward seems to have solved all the ‘Canes previous quarterback issues, sporting a 14-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio and a passer rating of 204.9. Miami’s total defense ranks 10th in FBS and their plus-6 turnover margin is tied for sixth in FBS.
Not many expect the Hokies to keep this competitive. Miami is currently favored by 19 points in Vegas and ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the ‘Canes a 90.2 percent chance of winning on Friday.
Accepting these facts is difficult, considering many of us expected Virginia Tech to compete for an ACC Championship well into November. Just a third of the way into the season, fans are instead accepting what will likely be an inevitable drubbing on primetime television, something you don’t like to see in Year 3 of a rebuild.
There’s always the off chance that Virginia Tech bows its neck and gives Miami their toughest game of their season, however, Miami’s talent and Tech’s record of slow starts lessen that probability significantly. The ‘Canes are undoubtedly the best team that the Hokies have played thus far, no matter what you think of Jerry Kill Clark Lea or Greg Schiano.
Virginia Tech is running out of opportunities to change the course of its 2024 campaign. The Hokies have a chance to shock the college football world, and perhaps themselves, on Friday night in Hard Rock Stadium. Tech can flip the entire narrative surrounding Pry and his program with an upset win this weekend. Winning cures all.
This isn’t the Alamo. Virginia Tech’s cross-country trip to Palo Alto may instead serve as the Hokies’ last stand. With that said, a strong showing on Friday in front of a national audience would go a long way in shoring up the fleeting hopes of Hokies fans across the country. With the odds stacked against them, can Virginia Tech take Miami to the wire?
The alternative is to accept what many of us have already accepted — Virginia Tech’s 2024 aspirations will die in South Florida. If that’s the case, it’s a sign that we’re closer to the end of something much larger than just this season.