CBS Sports Predicts James Madison Will Be The Top CFB Team In Virginia, Not Virginia Tech

Oct 26, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Entering year four in Blacksburg, head coach Brent Pry is trying to play his way off the hot seat. After coming into the 2024 season with high expectations, the Hokies finished with a 6-7 record, including more abysmal one-score game performances. Virginia Tech saw five players drafted and a number of high-profile players elected to enter the transfer portal. With 30-plus new transfers on the team and two new coordinators, can Pry find a way to work his way off the hot seat this season? Is a bowl game going to be good enough, or will Virginia Tech need to find themselves in ACC contention?

This season is filled with questions for Pry and the Hokies, and not much is expected of them, unlike last offseason. The same can't be said for another FBS team in the state. James Madison is the favorite to win the Sun Belt and is a possible college football playoff dark horse as the Group of Five representative. While playing in the Sun Belt and playing in the ACC are two different things, are the Dukes a better team than the Hokies entering the 2025 season? CBS Sports David Cobb picked them as the top team in the state over the Hokies and the Dukes:

Virginia -- "James Madison: For a Sun Belt team, James Madison boasts solid returning production from last year's nine-win squad. In fact, the Dukes probably should have won even more in coach Bob Chesney's first season. Seven of their nine victories came by double digits, and two of their losses were by a combined total of four. Quarterback Alonza Barnett and star running back George Pettaway can take this team a long way in 2025."

Nov 9, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) throws a pass while being pressured by Clemson Tigers linebacker Sammy Brown (47) during the second quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

It is hard to argue against that point given how the program has been under Brent Pry. The Hokies have not finished a regular season better than 6-6 under Pry (they won a bowl game in 2023 to get them to 7-6) and were one of the most disappointing teams in the country last season. Is this the year that the Hokies could surprise and be a contender in the ACC?

The Hokies were picked to finish 11th in the ACC in the media day poll released last week and were placed at No. 48 in the annual CBS Sports 136, which ranks every FBS program in the country. The ACC teams that the Hokies ranked ahead of were North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Boston College, California, Wake Forest, and Stanford. That makes them projected as the No. 10 overall team in the ACC, which is the same spot they are starting at in the ESPN ACC power Rankings.

"On one hand, last season's injury-plagued 6-7 finish was a massive disappointment for a team that entered with high hopes. On the other hand, the Hokies didn't lose a regular-season game by more than 10 points for the first time since 2010. Getting over the close-game blues (Virginia Tech is 1-12 under Brent Pry in games decided by seven points or fewer) will be the key."

The Hokies have a lot to prove under Pry as we head into 2025, but let's revisit this towards the end of the seson and see who is the best team in the state.