As the calendar rolls to November, the Virginia Tech football team enters the final part of its 2024 season. The Hokies’ remaining schedule begins Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome against a tough Syracuse club. Brent Pry’s team is one win away from bowl eligibility for the second straight season, while the Orange enter the game at 5-2, ensuring the winner will be eligible on the first Saturday of November.
Virginia Tech has four remaining ACC games, two on the road and two at home, with a second bye week on November 16. As the Hokies enter the last portion of their schedule, we’ll take one more crack at forecasting their remaining four games.
Saturday at Syracuse
Virginia Tech heads to New York dealing with injuries, with running back Bhayshul Tuten expected to play. However, his effectiveness is uncertain after sustaining an injury late in the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech. Head Coach Brent Pry mentioned on Tuesday that both Tuten and offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin are probable for the upcoming game.
Syracuse, meanwhile, features Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord at quarterback, who is coming off a challenging first half with three pick-sixes in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh. Under first-year head coach Fran Brown, Syracuse has added several transfers on both offense and defense, contributing to a strong start in the Brown era. While the Hokies are favored, their past struggles on the road at the Dome suggest this weekend’s matchup may be challenging.
Prediction: Syracuse wins, 31-24
Virginia Tech Record: 5-4 (3-2 ACC)
Nov. 9 vs. Clemson
When the schedule was first released, this game was highlighted by many, but things haven’t gone as expected. For this game to carry significant weight (and potentially draw a visit from College GameDay), Virginia Tech would need to beat Syracuse this weekend. After dropping their season-opener against Georgia, the Tigers have bounced back with six consecutive wins and are set to host Louisville this weekend.
Credit is due to Dabo Swinney for steering Clemson from a 34-3 blowout loss to the Bulldogs to positioning themselves for a likely berth in the ACC Championship Game next month in Charlotte. Cade Klubnik has become one of the conference’s standout quarterbacks, leading an offense that has put up impressive scores this season. Unless something unexpected happens, it’s difficult to see the Hokies pulling off a win in this matchup, even at Lane Stadium.
Prediction: Clemson wins, 35-20
Virginia Tech Record: 5-5 (3-3 ACC)
Nov. 23 at Duke
This will be Virginia Tech defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles’ homecoming after transferring from Duke. Manny Diaz, the Blue Devils’ first-year coach, has the team near the top of the ACC, but a blocked field goal at the end of regulation and a missed two-point conversion in overtime last weekend at home against SMU kept them from going undefeated in league play.
Texas transfer Malik Murphy has performed admirably behind center for Diaz, and he has them headed in the right direction in his first season in command. This might be a challenging road game, but the consensus is that Virginia Tech wins.
Prediction: Virginia Tech wins, 24-16
Virginia Tech Record: 6-5 (4-3 ACC)
Nov. 30 vs. Virginia
The Cavaliers started the season 4-1, but three straight defeats and a challenging remaining schedule make it a very real chance that they will fall short of bowl eligibility yet again. Last season, the Hokies traveled to Charlottesville needing a win on Thanksgiving Weekend to become bowl eligible, and they cruised to a 55-17 victory.
Virginia Tech fans would prefer that the Cavaliers come to Blacksburg needing a win to extend their season, but they’ll take a victory any way they can. Expect the Hokies to win big again.
Prediction: Virginia Tech wins, 34-14
Virginia Tech Record: 7-5 (5-3 ACC)
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