Conference championship week has come and gone with the bowls set to be decided this afternoon for every team in the country including Virginia Tech. Here's a look at the latest bowl projections for the Hokies.
- CBS Sports: Military Bowl vs SMU
- ESPN's Mark Schlabach: Military Bowl vs UTSA
- ESPN's Kyle Bonagura: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs Kentucky
- The Athletic: Military Bowl vs UTSA
- FOX Sports: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs Auburn
- 247 Sports: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs Kentucky
- Sporting News: Pinstripe Bowl vs Wisconsin
- Action Network: Military Bowl vs Tulane
One thing to note is that the SEC is expected to take Orange Bowl spot given Alabama's win over Georgia meaning that everything downstream shifts with the Reliaquest Bowl remaining with the Big 10 rather than switching to the ACC. A couple of these projections do not factor that in which are 247 Sports and ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.
There's no doubt that the Military Bowl is the frontrunner at this point. The Military Bowl knows that VT is about as good of a draw as they could get and after not having them since 2018, I think Bowl organizers in Annapolis would be ecstatic about this and will bargain hard for it.
This would also be great for the many Washington D.C area Tech alum and fans who don't really have any Tech games, even road ones, near them. VT would also likely enjoy the great fundraising opportunity this would provide being in one of the most Tech alum populated areas in America.
However, the Duke's Mayo Bowl definitely still is in play and I would think that they'd be more than willing to take a 6-6 Virginia Tech over a 7-5 Duke in part due to how Tech likely sells more ticket. I've been surprised that there hasn't been much talk about Clemson here but if Charlotte has a chance to get Clemson, I think they'll do everything they can to get them given that it's been over a decade since they've played in this bowl and they'd be the optimal ticket draw for the Mayo Bowl this year.
Of course, this could all be thrown into chaos if the unthinkable happens and Florida State gets left out of the CFB Playoff, pushing Louisville out of the New Year's Six and resetting the ranking of the ACC bowl eligible teams.
