Call me a “homer,” I don't care. To me, Tech just looks like the best team in the ACC this year. They start the season 6th in the Coaches Poll and 10th in the AP poll. The Hokies are the only ACC team in the top ten in either one of those polls. Tech returns a senior at quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, a game changer at running back in Ryan Williams, and last I checked Bud Foster is still coaching the defense. Combine all of that together and I would be shocked if the Hokies finished this season with anything less than 11 wins.
Tech’s biggest problem this year will come in the month of November, thanks largely to a back-loaded schedule. The Hokies will have to play Georgia Tech, Miami, and UNC all in consecutive weeks before Tech finishes up with their in-state rival UVA.
VT vs Boise State Tickets | VT Football Season Tickets | VT Football Game Tickets on StubHub
VT Home Decor| Gameday Housing| VT Nike Store
All the pieces are in place for a potential run at a national championship but can the Hokies do it, we’ll find out starting on September 6th. Before we dive into any kind of season prediction, let’s dive into the breakdown.
Best Player
When Darren Evans went down with a knee injury, many Tech fans assumed the worst. However, after a redshirt season, Ryan Williams was there to help pick up the slack. 1600 rushing yards and 20-some touchdowns later, Tech fans now can brag about potentially having the best running back duo in the nation. Baring injury and/or NFL lockout, this will likely be Williams last season in orange and maroon. If that’s the case then enjoy this year folks because we won’t have many more kids as special as Williams.
Biggest Strength
For the first time in about seven years, I think I can safely admit that I actually trust our offensive line heading into this season. Combine that with three very dangerous running backs in Williams, Evans, and David Wilson and well, you have yourself a hell of a rushing football team. Tech will likely run the ball about 70-percent of the time this year so I have a hard time finding a bigger strength than our rushing attack right now.
Biggest Loss from 2009
Jason Worilds forgoing his senior year to enroll in the NFL draft was a huge blow to our defensive line. Worilds would have likely been a preseason Lombardi award candidate this season but instead chose to go pro. After being selected by the Steelers I will admit that he probably made the right decision by doing so.
Biggest Weakness
With the loss of Worilds, Nekos Brown, and Cordarrow Thompson, the Hokies will need to reload on the defensive line. Although some of the younger players have stepped up this year, the quality of depth is still a big concern. Right now our fourth defensive tackle is true freshman Derrick Hopkins. While reviews have been positive about Hopkins, it’s always tough for a true freshman to play at a high level throughout the course of a season. Also, the Hokies will need redshirt freshmen James Gayle and J.R. Collins to fill in as backups at defensive end. There’s a lot of young talent on the defensive line but that lack of experience is definitely concerning.
Best Incoming Freshman
Tech’s 2010 recruiting wasn’t the highest ranked class the Hokies have ever had but so far the reviews have been very positive. Although they both are likely destined for a redshirt, one can’t help but be excited about offensive tackles Mark Shuman and Laurence Gibson. Both players are elite level prospects that will bookend the offensive line for the next four years. Add in the possibility of Acree switching over to offensive tackle in the spring and this could easily turn into one of the more impressive offensive line classes in recent memory.
2010 Schedule
The Hokies will kick off their season in a shade under 11 days against the Boise State Broncos in Washington D.C. After that Tech has a two game regrouping sessions against JMU on September 11th and ECU on the 18th. The Hokies will travel to unfriendly confines of Boston College looking for their first win in the town of Boston since 2002.
The month of October is a fairly easy road for Tech as they start off at NC State on the 2nd, followed by home games against Central Michigan, Wake Forest, and Duke.
Much like Cincinnati last year, the ACC loaded up Virginia Tech’s November schedule. Odds are the Hokies will enter this month anywhere from 6-2 to 8-0, meaning that Tech will still have a fairly high ranking. Instead of having the ACC decided two weeks before the championship game like last year, this season it will likely go down to the last week.
The Hokies start off the month with a Thursday night home affair with Georgia Tech, capping off a four home game stretch in six weeks. Afterwards the Hokies will travel to UNC and Miami before finishing up with UVA at home in Lane Stadium.
2010 Schedule Prediction: 11-1
Getting Georgia Tech on a Thursday night is a huge scheduling bonus for Virginia Tech. Those extra days to prepare for the option attack should give the Hokies a huge advantage for that game. Because of that I don’t see the Hokies losing a game at home this year. The bad news is that Tech will have to go on the road to beat Boise State, Miami, UNC, Boston College, and NC State. I don’t see Tech winning all five of those games. That’s simply asking too much but I could easily see them winning three or four of them.
Right now, I’m going with 11-1, with a birth in the ACC Championship game against the Boston College Eagles. Why not, Tech has plenty of talent to do it, especially since this schedule allows for Tech’s defense to grow and mature before hitting a rough stretch in November. Most Virginia Tech teams are better at the end of the year than the beginning so all in all I think this schedule sets up perfect for the Hokies to make a run at a national title this year.
Enjoy this post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed and never miss another! Or sign up to get exclusive VirginiaTechFan.com Sports Analysis delivered straight to your inbox!
