What to Note From Virginia Tech Football So Far After Eight Weeks
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After a period of almost two weeks, we're nearly back to watching Virginia Tech football. It's been a weird, wild and wacky season, thus far.
The Hokies (2-5, 1-2 ACC) have endured a season where they lost a season opener to the son of their most famous coach, then a game where they lost to a sixth-year starting quarterback (Vanderbilt, vs. Diego Pavia), then a meltdown against Old Dominion which prompted the firing of head coach Brent Pry.
GAME 8: VIRGINIA TECH VS. CAL
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) October 20, 2025
📍: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA
📺: 7:30 PM ET ON @espn #ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/KKCUS1hpGo
And that's not the end of it. Five players have transferred, with a sixth, James Djonkam, no longer listed with the team. The Hokies then captured that elusive one-score win against NC State, then proceeded to drop another one-score contest to Wake Forest. In addition, at least 15 Virginia Tech players have been marked as "out" on every single ACC availability report published thus far. Oh, and the proposed $229 million athletic department budget increase over the next four fiscal years.
That's a lot. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's transformative, but I think t's at least a nudge. For some reason, it feels like sitting in coach for years and suddenly getting bumped up to first class on a plane — not because you’ve changed, but because you’re suddenly aware of what’s possible. It’s not life-altering, but it shifts your perspective enough to make you want to earn that upgrade for real next time. I'm of the opinion in this analogy that you would want to experience first class due to the sheer delirium. I'll extend this analogy out to one of my favorite sports teams: the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Aside from my duties with Virginia Tech On SI, I’ve seen eight playoff appearances in my lifetime, including three trips to the second round. Nothing more. The last time the Wizards reached the Eastern Conference Finals was 1979, when my dad was 13. That’s two generations of waiting for another upgrade, for just one more taste of what it’s like to be in first class.
And yet, every season, hope somehow boards the flight again. Perhaps it's the same with the rest of Virginia Tech's fan base. Hope, after all, is what keeps fans showing up — not just in the literal sense of filling seats at Lane Stadium or Cassell Coliseum, but in the deeper, emotional sense of believing that this year will be different. For Hokie fans, it’s been more than two decades since the football program reached the national stage in the 1999 season, and yet every fall, that familiar optimism returns like clockwork.
It’s a cycle that feels almost poetic in its predictability. The rosters change, the coaches come and go, and still, for some, that collective hope finds its way back to Blacksburg each year. It’s painted on the helmets, stitched into the maroon and orange. I don't think that belief doesn’t stem from denial; rather, I believe that it comes from memory.
And it felt that way last year, a 6-7 season that could've gone 10-2 if not for a litany of cascading errors and botched plays. It felt like the pieces were there. And yet, for a multitude of reasons, the puzzle remained unsolved.
But fans keep boarding that proverbial flight, season after season, armed with hope and a sense of belonging that’s hard to find anywhere else, still chasing that next great landing. So, where are things now?
Well, we're currently in a season where the remainder of Tech's opponents, except Cal, are currently ranked or were ranked at one point in the season. The one non-Cal team that isn't? Florida State (3-4, 0-4 ACC), which was ranked as high as No. 8 before cratering with four straight ACC losses this year to its name. FPI gives the Hokies less than a 32% chance in each of those remaining conferences that aren't the Golden Bears. This could be the last realistic opportunity for Virginia Tech football to capture a win, if you take the statistics at face value.
The optics are favorable. It's a freshman quarterback in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele that the Hokies face off against; in his last four games, Sagapolutele has thrown six picks. Should Tech's defensive line key in on him and force him into pressure, it opens the door for win No. 3 of 2025 for the Hokies. It also helps that the Golden Bears' run game is anemic. California's rushing yards per game (94.3) ranks sixth-worst in the FBS. Given that Tech held three straight opponents to under 100 rushing yards, that's a immensely positive sign for the Hokies and the best-case scenario.
Sustained drives, smart decision-making, and capitalizing on short fields created by defensive stops could be enough to tilt the game early. With the Hokies seeking their third win of the season, this matchup feels like one they can, and should, control. Against a young quarterback and a one-dimensional offense, Virginia Tech has the chance to show growth and composure, building towards the future even if the short-term results are small in nature.
Virginia Tech football takes on the Golden Bears on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with viewing available on ESPN.
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Thomas is a sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. He currently works with Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper, as a staff writer for its sports section. In addition, he also writes for 3304 Sports as a staff writer and on-air talent, as well as Aspiring Journalists at Virginia Tech as a curator. You can find him on X: @thomashughes_05.
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