College Fooball SMQ: 5 best realignment moves in modern college football history

Like Penn State, Virginia Tech was attractive to prospective conferences precisely because of their track record of success. In the Big East, the Hokies played for the BCS title when Michael Vick was quarterbacking the team. Even with teams like Miami, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh in the fold, Virginia Tech managed to win three Big East titles in 11 years as a league member.

But despite that deep group of members, the Big East was always a tenuous home. When the opportunity came to jump to the ACC, the Hokies leaped in with both feet. It paid dividends that were hardly imaginable even for a school with a background of success like Virginia Tech.

Right out of the gate, the Hokies won the ACC title in 2004, their first season as a member. Three more conference championships followed in 2007, 2008, and 2010. It was a run of dominance that even the most optimistic Hokies fans could not have expected to happen overnight.

Of course, things fell back to earth over the past decade. While the Hokies played in the league championship game in 2011 and 2016, they could not get over the hump again.

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That said, no team has come anywhere near the level of success that the Hokies have enjoyed since realignment. Miami, once their equal in the Big East, has failed to experience even a fraction of the boom times that have transpired in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech, thanks to a long period of negotiation at the top political levels, set the benchmark for every other team seeking greener grass in realignment.