Virginia Tech Football: Hokies will be legitimate ACC contenders in 2018
Schedule and prediction
| Week | DATE | Opponent |
| 1 | Monday, Sept. 3 | at Florida State |
| 2 | Saturday, Sept. 8 | vs. William and Mary |
| 3 | Saturday, Sept. 15 | vs. East Carolina |
| 4 | Saturday, Sept. 22 | at Old Dominion |
| 5 | Saturday, Sept. 29 | at Duke |
| 6 | Saturday, Oct. 6 | vs. Notre Dame |
| 7 | Saturday, Oct. 13 | at North Carolina |
| 8 | Saturday, Oct. 20 | BYE |
| 9 | Thursday, Oct. 25 | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 10 | Saturday, Nov. 3 | vs. Boston College |
| 11 | Saturday, Nov. 10 | at Pitt |
| 12 | Saturday, Nov. 17 | vs. Miami |
| 13 | Friday, Nov. 23 | vs. Virginia |
Virginia Tech benefits and suffers from being in the ACC this year. On the positive side, they play in the easier Coastal division, meaning that outside of Miami, most of their division isn’t too difficult. Their cross-divisional games aren’t too bad either. Even though Florida State will likely be better in 2018, they’re not on Clemson’s level. Boston College obviously isn’t either. Avoiding the Tigers is huge for Tech.
The negatives come with the rules of scheduling in the conference. While they technically only play eight conference games, it’s Virginia Tech’s year to play Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish should be very good this year, and that game may be what keeps Virginia Tech out of playoff contention.
This schedule isn’t impossible. It also isn’t particularly friendly. Three weekday games will be tough, especially the turn around from Florida State on Labor Day to William and Mary just five days later. Luckily, W&M isn’t very good. If Virginia Tech’s defensive line is great, and Jackson takes a step forward, they certainly have a shot at the conference title. However, is the ceiling higher than that?
Prediction: 11-1
I’m very high on Virginia Tech this season. I think Josh Jackson, if eligible, is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in America. The running backs are concerning, but I’m confident in Holston stepping up. A dominant defensive line is the best way to win in college football, and Virginia Tech has that.
Avoiding mistakes, and showing up in big games are going to be the two most important things for the Hokies this year. Florida State, Notre Dame, and Miami are all going to be huge primetime games. Virginia Tech needs every player to be ready if they want to make some noise this year. I think the talent is there for this to happen.
Outside of those three games, everything else on this schedule is super winnable. Getting Miami and Notre Dame is huge, and I think that’ll make the difference. If they can take care of business at home, an early season loss to Florida State wouldn’t really matter. Tech sitting at 11-1 heading into an ACC title game against Clemson would likely serve as a playoff play-in game. Are the Hokies ready for the playoff? Only time will tell.