Welcome to the new frontier. A 12 team playoff, the complete destruction of anything approaching regionality, and the specter of realignment still hangs heavy over the sport. However, we get EA Sports NCAA Football 25 today (7/15 for DELUXE buyers), we had the Pac (1)2 getting drunk in Vegas, Big 12 Media Days (also in Vegas cause umm) and now the SEC media days are here. Which means that its time to guess what our teams will do this fall! PAIN or GLORY!?
Virginia Tech Hokies
https://x.com/HokiesFB/status/1812853391808213000
A winning record for the first time since 2019, and a bowl win for the first time since 2016. The defense was good then very good, the offense took a bit but under returning QB Kyron Drones the Hokies finished the year averaging over 40 points a game. Almost everyone returned, Pry seems like a guy these players want to play for and do great things for VT that haven't happened in a while. I don't think we're "back" to full VT prowess cause this is a new world, but for the first time in a while there is some quiet confidence and hype around the program from more than optimistic insiders. Recruting? On the up swing too. With a favorable schedule this fall, Blacksburg is gonna be fun. We also don't have those awful uniforms returning to the Vick era style.
8/31 @ Vandy (75/25) - A needed opening weekend road win imo. Vandy is SEC SEC, but even if they're maybe not as bad as the program has been they should not be hanging with this squad. I expect a comfy fun W in Nashville for visiting Hokie fans.
9/7 Marshall (65/35) - Yeah didn't go so well on the road last year, but it was Drones' second start and I don't think we'd figured out how to work that yet. Revenge game, this won't be an easy one, but this is a game that I have no issue seeing get played regularly with the proximity of the programs and the connections between them. Should be another W.
9/14 @ ODU (70/30) - Have we won there yet? Oh we haven't? Think that changes this year, but Ricky Rhane and Pry are buds and they'll be up for this game given the history there. Gotta get this monkey off our back, kinda struggled to put them away at home last year but that wasn't with the offensive set we have now.
9/21 Rutgers (55/45) - Got us p good last year before the team was really humming. Still gonna be a tough out with their defense, but home edge here for me.
9/27 @ Miami (50/50) - First defining game of the season opportunity. Cam Ward and Drones are cousins (expect to hear about that pregame) and both teams have expectations. Rivalry stuff too. This is usually a fun one so fingers crossed it is, but this is a toss up to me. Do you trust Cristobal making them consistent or Pry building on last season?
10/5 @ Stanford (75/25) - West Coast Road trip in the new ACC. That said clearly the draw of the 2 you'd prefer. Stanford hasn't really been good in a bit, but they have a good coach and the travel is long. Should be a fun W, but this has that chance to be the VT WTF game for sure.
10/17 Boston College (70/30) - Smoked em last year, and I don't see much reason to think this year will be different at home.
10/26 GT (55/45) - They have a solid QB, but its a home game. Battle of the Brents? Toss up to me, with a home edge. If VT wants to do something special this a game they need to win.
11/2 @ Syracuse (55/45) - Going to the dome has been traditionally uhh bad for the Hokies. I think we are the better team again, McCord could be an upgrade but we don't know yet so lean VT, but ugh gives me bad vibes always.
11/9 Clemson (35/65) - Clemson is gettable yeah? Everyone's biggest game aside for FSU if they're on your schedule? Second season defining game opportunity. Even if they're kinda down, getting one over them after a decade plus of losing to them would be big for perception. Lock down corners vs their QB feels like a good matchup. This could be a Gameday kind of game if both teams have strong records. BIG ONE, but at least on paper Clemson is still more talented, so gotta prove it, better be a night game!
11/23 @ Duke (60/40) - Took their best player on defense, their QB went to ND, new coach who did only okay in the ACC before at a much "better" program. Battle of the former PSU DCs. I would count on a win, VT has historically done well and shown out well with the fan volume in Wallace Wade. They had a nice year last year, this will probably be them falling back to earth a bit. Go Hokies.
11/30 UVA (95/5) - Commonwealth Cup stays where it belongs. They got big britches last year and got their poo poo RUINED by us. They are not good, will not be good, and while Colandrea is I think a decent QB, gently caress em they ain't got poo poo on us especially at home.
12/? ACC Title Game - Getting hype as a dark horse contender for this one, I think we have a chance to make it there, but I wouldn't bank on it. If we are in the hunt in November for it I will consider that a success.
Best Outcome: 10-2/6-2 ACC - Best possible case scenario is this team wins all the non conference and beats everyone but the marquee match ups on the schedule. This would be just about everything clicking and us coming up short against Miami and Clemson (or winning one but dropping a WTF game) who have more talented rosters and more money behind them in NIL. I think that leaves them in contention for the ACC title game with some weird breaks but missing out on it. Top 5 finish in the ACC with this record would be big and hopefully catapults recruiting a bit more too.
Expected Outcome: 9-3/5-3 ACC - I expect this team to finally get back on track and sweep the OOC (haven't done that in forever), and then be good in conference play with a WTF random loss that is annoying but kinda par for the course for the program. Pry will have to get over that to get us to that next level, but this would be a huge improvement and mean we had a fun fall. Good bowl game too?
Worst Outcome: 6-6/4-4 ACC - I think the floor remains a 6-6 bowl game year like last year. Losing painfully out of conference once or twice and then kinda splitting the ACC schedule (which on paper is a step back from last year, but hey things happen). This probably happens with some injuries or things getting sideways late in a few close ones that get away from us. I feel like I no longer need to worry about another bottoming out year with the experience on this roster and the chemistry they've shown.
Tennessee Volunteers
https://x.com/Vol_Football/status/1812207871192400364
Nico Time, NIL POWERS ACTIVATE. He did torch a good Iowa defense but bowl games are wacky these days. On paper we're worse off than last year, but the recruiting has been good and we return one of the best edge rushers in NCAA so that's a plus. Add in a better Smoky Grey Uniform and hey at least the Vols are fun to watch generally! Weird rear end schedule this year with games being moved off of traditional weekends, but uhh welcome to the new CFB!
8/31 UT Chattanooga (99/1) - Traditional in state gimme. Opening weekend blow out.
9/7 @ NCSU (55/45) - NCSU lost some good players from last year's squad, but this will be no gimme. Edge Vols for the QB talent (although McCall has lots of stats we will see about the step up).
9/14 Kent State (80/20) - Golden Flashes come to town for an evening affair and I would think the home field plus the talent difference will result in a W.
9/21 @ Oklahoma (50/50) - This was a fun series in the middle '10s and now its just a conference game! Atmosphere should be electric and both squads will want to prove they have a shot at contending in the new SEC. Toss up.
10/5 @ Arkansas (55/45) - Hogs will need this one, but Pittman after a hot start doesn't seem to be building a thing in the same way that Heupel is. Gimme the vols, but no gimme.
10/12 Florida (49/51) - LET THEM FIGHT. No longer the Third Saturday in September and the start of a 3 game run against rivals. loving Florida was not good last year and they had their best game against us. The mojo is real. Vols should get this, but also hey look at the track record.
10/19 Alabama (45/55) - Still the Third Saturday in October though! I really don't know what to expect in Deboer's first year, but they're still really talented and he's a very good coach. Think it'll be fun and close, but I'm just not banking on a Vols win without a bit more knowledge about how this team is going to play with Nico at QB.
11/2 Kentucky (60/40) - I thought this would be a tight game last year and it was. This has finally got those hateful rivalry vibes going and it'll be close but gimme the Vols at home.
11/9 Miss State (85/15) - Yeah I don't think they're gonna be good again this year.
11/16 @ Georgia (25/75) - Georgia is gonna be really f*ckin good again and I am not counting on pulling out a W with a first year QB on the road against their collection of talent. I won't say impossible, but very unlikely. They have smashed us when we've had better squads than this one.
11/23 UTEP (85/15) - November tune up that thankfully isn't an FCS school. Should be a good game to get some right vibes to close out the season.
11/26 Vanderbilt (90/10) - Lol Vandy, you don't even have a unique logo anymore. Bad team that will take a good coach a while to drag back to decent. One of the few assured Ws on the schedule I think.
12/? SEC Title Game - I don't think its gonna be a thing this year, keep building with Nico. Top of the conference will have at most 1 or 2 losses, and this team likely has more than that.
Best Outcome 10-2/6-2 SEC - Win everything but the predictable losing to Georgia and Bama. Otherwise though, win those games and maintain momentum!
Expected Outcome 8-4/5-3 SEC - Drop that NCSU game plus the old east rivals or Oklahoma but get Florida at home. First year QB does well and gives us reasons to think we're not gonna have some bizzaro dip in wins or production.
Worst Outcome 7-5/4-4 SEC - If the team just isn't really firing on all cylinders and has bad games in tough environments with the first year starting QB could slip this far I think.
What do y'all have for your teams? Optimism springs eternal in this thread for a snap hasn't happened yet.
