With the 2024 CFB Playoff set and two ACC teams making the field, the picture has become a little clearer on what options will likely be available for Virginia Tech for their 2024 bowl destination.
The ACC doesn't have a tiering system for their bowls but it's pretty clear that the Pop Tarts and Gator are at the top of the list followed by the Holiday, Mayo, Sun, and Pinstripe Bowls and then the rest including the Fenway, Military, Gasparilla, Armed Forces, Independence, and Birmingham bowls. The ACC getting two teams in makes it more feasible for the Hokies to slide up into one of those higher tiered bowls given that among the six and seven wins team in the league, Tech is likely the best option due to football brand value and ability to sell tickets to these games.
So where are the Hokies going to be headed for their bowl game? Here are the latest projections as of just after 2pm on December 8th, 2024. Note that any bowl projections that does not account for two ACC teams in the Playoff will not be included due to the magnitude of impact that has on the ACC's bowl seeding process.
- CBS Sports: Fenway vs UCONN
- Action Network (Brett McMurphy): Duke's Mayo vs Minnesota
- ESPN's Mark Schlabach: Duke's Mayo vs Minnesota
- 247 Sports: Military vs East Carolina
- Sporting News: Pinstripe vs Nebraska
The Fenway Bowl had been the popular pick for the past couple weeks, but two ACC teams making the playoff has opened up some other possibilities. Duke's Mayo versus Minnesota is one with growing speculation surrounding it, with it being well know that the Duke's Mayo Bowl organizers in Charlotte are big fans of Virginia Tech and have hosted the Hokies twice in this bowl previously and in the Ally Tipoff in women's basketball the past two years.
The Pinstripe Bowl shouldn't be ruled out at all since it has been three years since the Hokies made their last trip to NYC. I would be stunned if VT make a second consecutive trip to the Military Bowl as there's no precedent for a team going to the same bowl in back-to-back years unless it's a playoff bowl or something with a direct conference champ tie-in during the previous postseason eras like the Rose, Sugar, and Orange.
It seems important to note that the Military was not listed in a VT press release regarding potential bowl game options. The Pop Tarts, Gator, and Holiday Bowls were also not included on that list.
If I had to make a prediction, I think the Hokies end up in the Duke's Mayo. Charlotte loves the Hokies and hasn't hosted them since 2019 in a bowl game. The Hokies also finished 4-4 in the league and beat one of the two 7-5 teams that could be in the same bucket in Boston College while 7-5 Pittsburgh also went 3-5 in ACC play, worse than the Hokies. Tech also is a better draw than both of those while the other two 6-6 teams in play, UNC and NC State, represented the ACC in the past three editions of that bowl.
The one team that could derail them is Duke who at 9-3 should hopefully get some preferential treatment in bowl choice. Duke hasn't played in this bowl game since 2012 and since I don't expect them to end up in the Pop Tarts or Gator bowl spots, I would expect Duke would love to land this spot given the proximity. If that happens, it could mean some fascinating horse trading that would bring everything below that top tier into play outside of the Holiday and Military bowls.
Everything seems to be lining up for the Hokies to head to Charlotte. I will add that this may not be ideal for Tech since this game is on Friday, January 3rd at the beginning of what could be a valuable transfer recruiting weekend. Being in Charlotte on Friday could make some of those logistics trickier at a valuable point in the portal window so while a short trip to Charlotte would be good for fans, a December 27/28 bowl in Boston, NYC, Birmingham, or Fort Worth may be be better for transfer recruiting or even the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve in El Paso.
The same timing issue with the Mayo applies for the Gasparilla on December 20th in regards to transfer recruiting.
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