After an offseason full of national and local hype, the first week of the season for Virginia Tech has finally arrived, with a team that could enter the top 25 within the first couple weeks of the season. It's a fascinating schedule with a pair of marquee matchups in Miami and Clemson to lead the way, but some tricky mid-tier games that could be upset spots if the Hokies aren't careful.
So with that said, here are my ranking of the toughest opponents for Virginia Tech in the 2024 season.
5. at Syracuse (November 2nd)
It may be a surprise to see this game at the number five spot on this list. I understand that many will bring up the past Virginia Tech teams that have had struggles on the road at Syracuse, but I'm not factoring that in to my evaluations of what the toughest games on the schedule are. However, the stadium formerly known as the Carrier Dome is a tricky place to play, with a Syracuse fan base that does have some fresh excitement about their program since the arrival of Fran Brown as a head coach.
While I think Brown has tons of potential as a head coach, this is his first ever head coaching job and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some growing pains similar to what we saw with Brent Pry in 2022.
Kyle McCord may not have been as good as other recent Ohio State quarterbacks, but this is still a former blue-chip QB who completed 65.8% of his passes and threw only six interceptions last season. McCord certainly benefitted from an incredibly loaded offensive skill group that he won't have in Syracuse, but I think he's better than people give him credit for.
LeQuint Allen is a productive back who ran for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns, but only averaged 4.3 yards per carry. The question that arises is whether Allen just didn't have enough help around him or is he not a very efficient running back in a sport where 4.3 yards per carry doesn't cut it. Personally, I do believe Allen will have an uptick this fall in his efficiency with improved QB play to help.
The wide receiver room has plenty of intriguing options with a mix of middling returners and intriguing transfers but does feel like a potential weak spot. However, the Orange also have a star at TE in Oronde Gadsden II who had 61 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns in 2022 before injuries limited him in 2023 to two games.
The defense has some playmakers starting with one of the ACC's top returning linebackers in Marlowe Wax who had 110 tackles including 11.5 for loss plus four forced fumbles last season. DB Justin Barron is another big play machine who had 90 tackles including five for loss plus three forced fumbles, one interception, and seven pass deflections last season.
Fadil Diggs was a massive addition at defensive end after putting up 11.5 tackles for loss at Texas A&M last year while Duce Chestnut returns to Syracuse after a two-year stint at LSU that didn't go well. However, the now veteran defensive back could benefit from a return to upstate New York where he broke out early in his career with 83 tackles, four interceptions, and nine pass deflections total in 2020 and 2021 for the Orange.
There are plenty of interesting pieces for this Syracuse team but the question is do they have enough to put it all together with a first-time head coach including whether they have the type of depth within their starting lineup and two-deep to compete. I think the Orange will be a solid middle-of-the-pack team, but the recruiting buzz has pushed expectations past what they should be for year one of this rebuild.
