Virginia Tech released its 2021 football schedule.
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 9/2/21 or 9/3/21 | North Carolina |
| 9/11/21 | Middle Tennessee State |
| 9/18/21 | at West Virginia |
| 9/25/21 | Richmond |
| 10/2/21 | OPEN |
| 10/9/21 | Notre Dame |
| 10/16/21 | Pitt |
| 10/23/21 | Syracuse |
| 10/30/21 | at Georgia Tech |
| 11/5/21 | at Boston College |
| 11/13/21 | Duke |
| 11/20/21 | at Miami |
| 11/27/21 | at Virginia |
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Comments
L
W
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Optimistically
12-0
Early kick Vs. UNC? This could either get me really pumped or kick me down a long road of pessimism.
Also, did I miss the announcement that notre dame is out of conference again or is this it?
Pretty sure that was just a one and done deal cause, nbc monies...
It was a one shot deal, but Notre Dame actually makes less money from NBC than if they were a part of the ACC, or another conference.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/why-the-agreement-to-split-acc-and-nbc...
Optimistically, based on Fuente's track record, I think we go 7-5 with this schedule.
Hopefully we can punch above our weight class and pull off the upsets over Middle Tennessee, Richmond and the Bye so we get some W's on the board...
Just so long as we are favored by more than 3 and less than 10, we should be okay.
Dunno whether to laugh or groan at the accuracy of this prediction
Looking like another year of mediocrity unless the players coming in through the portal make a major impact. And then we go 8-4
9-3
The program goal and expectations are 7 wins or so- maybe beat UVA. Certainly no expectation or urgency to beat Richmond- a shit in state school. I'll work down from the program goal of 7 wins, so I'll say 6-6. Loses to UNC, Pitt, Miami, WVU, ND, and BC
This was my exact prediction as well. And I think that's optimistic. 5-7 very much on the table with a WTF loss thrown in.
Outside of MTSU or Richmond, idk if we could have a WTF loss. Those imply that you are far and away a better team/program than your opponent and looking at the rest of the schedule, I don't think I can make an argument that's the case for anybody outside of those two (maybe Syracuse).
Would love to be wrong, but right now I don't see this team as a notch above anybody else in the ACC really
in-game dynamics can make for a total wtf loss too... if fuente tries to ice a 57 yard game winning field goal attempt by a true freshman walk on kicker, so help me good lord
That's his signature move man- don't take that away from him /s
Very true. Looking at the schedule now, there's no game I would be shocked if we lost. That doesn't mean I won't scream at my TV like a mad man and have my entire weekend ruined by a WTF loss
6 of the first 7 games at home, followed by 4 of the last 5 games away. Wish we could've had a better mix throughout the season.
@ByDavidTeel
I think it works out for VT though....front-load the schedule with home games so if fans are allowed they'll show up while the team still has hope. If we have too many home games late in the season VT will miss out on that extra revenue from fans attending the games since nobody wants to sit in the cold to support a boring .500 team
Its awful how much sense this actually makes.
Replying here and to a post lower down --we finish with THREE of last five games away. Last game of the season is at our home away from home-Lane Stadium North!
That's wild that it is also Fuente's first year as head coach.....when you subtract out all the other years.
The Brand says we lose to Richmond
6-6 at best
People can say we should easily beat Richmond all they want, but the sad reality is they'll come out fired up for that game, we won't, and the Virginia Tech Football brand is more synonymous now with giving shitty in-state schools a marquee win than actually achieving any success on our own.
If we lose to Richmond did we hit the Craps Fire Bet of instate football embarrassment?
Not until we lose to William & Mary
And Hampton. Maybe CNU.
If we play Richmond - or longwood- or VMI- long enough we WILL lose to them. And that's a coaching issue. How many times did Bellichick lose to the Bills in 20 fucking years? 4? VT's coaching is not at the level where we blow out liberty or ODU every time we play them, and that's a huge fucking problem
I'm really not one to make these kind of statements, and I'm sure you're kidding, but if we lose to Richmond, my family and/or I may very well not purchase season tickets in 2022, which would be the first time in almost 30 years.
Our program has fallen off so much that we've reached the point where it is not good for my health, marriage, work-life balance, etc. to continue driving back home and spending all of the time, effort, and money to watch us be completely embarrassed by inferior opponents on our home field. I really hope I'm wrong and that we overachieve, but man is it becoming harder and harder to be optimistic.
Are Thursday night games done? There is only one guaranteed (Duke-Louisville) and one maybe (VT-UNC)? Everything else is Friday. Is this the new Wednesday MACtion, but it's Friday ACCtion?
I think college football/ESPN has essentially ceded Thursday nights to the NFL.
Actually, yes, part of the ACC/ESPN contract is for a certain number of Friday games.
I am excited about these games and look forward to being there in person.
Oh, my sweet summer child
UNC first game. One thing Fuente has proven is he puts a good game plan together and has the players hyped for the first game of the year. Hopefully this can continues and gets all of our hopes up.
Put a gun to my head and say guess the schedule, I'll go 7-5. In the past I've done a decent job being close to the overall record, but not so good at individual games as we win when I think we will lose and lose when I think we win a fair amount and it just balances out in the end. So at the risk of looking like a fool in a year I'll go:
L - UNC
W - Middle Tenn. St.
L - @ WVa (really hope I am wrong, and can see a possible win, but this is the last thing Fuente has not lost)
W - Richmond
L - Notre Dame
W - Pitt (being optimistic at home; and this game could be vital with the whole season collapsing if we are 2-3 and lose this one too)
W - Syracuse
W - @ GT (Could see a loss)
L - @ BC (Could see a win)
W - Duke
L - @ Miami
W - @ UVa (please let this be right as I could easily see a loss here)
Man. Now that you put it like that, I'm not sure I'd bet much on us even reaching 7-5. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not overly confident that we win @UVA, @BC, or at home against Pitt (they've smoked us by 30+ 2 out of the last 3 years).
Yes. If anything, I think I am being mildly optimistic here. 5-7 or 6-6 is very plausible. And if we are 2-3 and lose in my key pivot point Pitt game (say that 5 times real fast), 3-9 or 4-8 is quite possible.
8-4, L's: UNC, ND, Miami, and either Pitt or BC, though both should be wins.
Personally, I expect the defense to pick it up a notch this year.
Game 1: Fuente is 4-1 in opening games, unbeaten in home openers, and that 1 loss was by a single TD due to turnovers. I think we can win.
Game 2: Win
Game 3: I don't know how good we are, I don't know how good they are, Tossup
Game 4: Win
Game 5: Fuente is 2-3 after a bye. 1-3 at home. Gonna say L here
Game 6: South of the Mason-Dixon line, Win
Game 7: See above
Game 8: Fu is 1-1 on the road in Atlanta, Tossup
Game 9: Fu is 1-1 in Boston, but that loss was a very fluky game. Tossup
Game 10: Fu is 1-1 against Duke at home, but iff we're having a good season up to this point, I expect the team to show up. Win
Game 11: Fu is 1-1 in Miami. Tossup
Game 12: Pure fan here, we ain't losing this game. Win
7 wins
4 tossups
1 loss
Final record: 7-5 to 11-1. The latter making us the sacrificial offering to Clemson, unless all hayul has broken loose.
That BC loss - to a shit BC team and lame duck coach- was not as close as the score and VT played undisciplined and like general ass. Not an anecdote for Fu's opening game successes.
Really like the draw of opponents. Just hate how the home/away is so skewed.
I agree. I wish it was more spread out. We are definitely home heavy at the beginning with only 1 home game in the last 5 weeks. That stinks...
I could see this being hot start - slump - finish strong type schedule. The size of the slump will be deciding factor. I think we go 4-0 to start and end up 8-4.
UNC win after losing the 3 best players on an already bad defense is interesting. Color me pessimistic that whatever QB our "offensive minded" head coach picks can keep uop scoring with UNC/Howell. They have the overall coaching advantage too so long as Brown is there.
Wow I never took you for a pessimist. /s
We lost to Liberty at home. We have a back to back recruiting classes in the bottom 3rd of the ACC. Our incoming class has exactly zero 4 stars. We can't effectively recruit virginia. Our coach tried desperately to leave for Baylor, and our AD gives the program a pass after its first losing season in 27 years. The word you are looking for is realist
Every pessimist says they are a realist. Doesn't necessarily make it so.
the reality is that VT has been around a .500 team 2 of the last 3 years. So, realistically, we can expect about a .500 type of performance from this team, especially given recent trends in recruiting. Pessimistically this team is, at best, a 4 win team. Optimistically, this team is an 8-10 win team. Realistically, 6-6 is a fair expectation. Just because you don't like the reality doesn't mean you can just label it as pessimistic and ride your high horse out of town.
Actually, I agree with DC's assessment, just noting as an aside that every pessimist inherently believes they aren't one.
I beg to differ
I got DC colored as a pessimist, a realist and a Legend. Multi-talented.
I got the Hokies at 6-6, 7-5 at best. Schedule looks a lot tougher for next year. It's not, we're just not that good anymore.
I am going to say DCwilson is a realist. Our roster is weak with talent. Herbert came in last year and was clearly our best skill player on offense, and he made up for a lot of shortcomings with our team. He was our MVP by far and away, and now is gone. He also helped our defense more than we know by keeping them off the field.
We have big attrition on the o line, skill players are not as talented, and we now have one sure QB to make it through all 12 games. One proven QB that runs the ball a lot, and can get hurt with the load they have to pull in this offense.
Defense- lost some very good players, hoping that the young guys that had very good years last year continue to improve, and begging that some transfers fill in the gaps. We are not a talented team. I wonder sometimes how we got so weak so soon in depth on this team.
Here's to hoping the portal is our savior again.
Herbert is hard to replace. I personally think he is the best back we have had since Ryan Williams. But, we were very one dimensional last year. I would gladly sacrifice some of the raw running back talent (we will still be better than earlier Fuente years I think) if we could get a little life out of the passing game.
Nope.
Teams that build talent quickly and qbove their norm can either excel into their newfound greatness or get so full of themselves they fall on their face. I am choosing to believe UNC sharts themselves this year.
Fair point, very good point
it wouldn't shock me in the least to see VT beat UNC and then turn around and lose to MTSU
Definitely saw that as a VT-type thing to do under Beamer. Would be pretty surprised to see that scenario now, though it is possible.
in 2018 VT beat WVU and WM then lost to ODU. Also in 2018 VT beat UNC then turned around and lost to a pretty bad GT team. In 2020 VT beat a surging Louisville team then lost to Liberty. So there is certainly already a precedent for VT under Fuente to win a game and then lose the following week to a worse team.
Oh gosh, you are right. Good points.
don't forget losing to the Syracuse Fighting Dinos after blowing out UNC in the hurricane
that doesn't count because it was mostly Beamer's players /s
Louisville was 2-4 when we beat them and had wildly underperformed compared to their preseason expectations. Surging is a very strong word. The Liberty team we lost to ended up ranked #13 in the nation. Just another way to look at it.
I hear you, but uncheat has a great quarterback. Great quarterbacks dont lose many games. He will float them to the top again, and they will likely win the coastal
Great QB and a total mismatch at head coach..
Granted I have not looked at what UNC is bringing back on offense, but I can't imagine losing Carter and Williams at RB, plus Newsome and Brown at WR will help out their quarterback too much.
Basically it's Howell, the line, the TE, and a bunch of guys who rotated through the third WR spot. They do get Corrales back who had 550 yards and 6 TDs in 2019 but they are going to need to find some skill position players to step in.
Unc always seems to have good receivers. I'm more confident that unc will find good receivers than I am that anyone on our offense will be good.
I don't disagree at WR. The younger Brown, Downs, Antoine Green, Ray Rose, and Gavin Blackwell are all 4 star prospects they've signed at WR in the last 4 classes plus a smattering of other high 3 star recruits. I'm more interested to see what they get out of the RB spot. Not an area they have recruited super well, and they bring back basically nothing from this past year. Their offense went from really good to outstanding off their run game so either their transfer will have to be Herbert-level good, or their young backs are going to have to get tremendously better.
Our offense isn't even "really good" yet and that was with our running game of Herbert behind the best OL we've had in decades. If UNC can't find a decent RB and their offense regresses to "really good" they'll still be way better than VT. And VT's offense is all but guaranteed to regress after losing Herbert and some OLmen. I fully expect UNC to pants us in the first game. I will be pleasantly surprised if VT even keeps it close.
If there are no changes to the school schedule, I am hoping that UNC is on the 3rd... There's no school that day... Makes going to the game a little easier...*
Edit * If life returns to somewhat normal and we can actually go to games.....
I'm saying 7-5 at best
The happier part of me would like to see this team go 9-3. 10-2 if our offense can get pass happy effectively.
The realistic part of me expects a 6-6 season. We have been a 6-6 team since 2012. 2 great seasons, and a couple of 8-4 seasons mixed in there, but we've been a 6-6 program this decade. Betting line right here.
The "I don't see Fuente making it out past September" part of me, expects us to go 3-9, maybe.
I don't have a gut feeling that I like right now about this team. I think we can come out strong, maybe 5-2 going into the final stretch. But we got 4 of 5 on the road to close out, and that's a tough way to close out the year.
ND aside, that is a horrendous home schedule.
Is there a secret clause in Fu's contract, that gets rid of him (with cause) for losing the Black Diamond Trophy?
I'm operating under this assumption, until it's proven otherwise.
12-0 baby. GO HOKIES!!
Whatever you're smoking, I'll have it
Interesting that we have Pitt earlier this year. I think we have had them late every year since 2015. Also BC later than we have had them in recent years. Opening against UNC will be quite a challenge. That matchup should get some offseason hype, and I like that it's in Blacksburg. Also Notre Dame second weekend of October coming off a bye at home is teed up as perfect showcase game. At WVU...ugh, forgot they were on the schedule this year.
First of all #GoACC
As for the record, I'm pessimistic going into this year. I think our piss poor recruiting is really going to start impacting us this season and things could spiral.
UNC - L
Mid Tenn - W
@WVU - L
Richmond - W
ND - L
Pitt - L
Cuse - W
@GT - L
@BC - L
Duke - W
@Miami - L
@UVa - Given the trends, L
I have us at 4-8 this year. Our defense is going to be on the struggle bus this year, and I see us struggling against anyone who somewhat has it together this year on offense. I think we're going to have a couple head scratching losses like we've had in recent years, and they'll come against Pitt and BC. I would not be surprised if Richmond plays us way too close for comfort. Offensively, we don't have a passing game, and without Herbert coming back, I could see us spinning tires, badly, in order to do anything. I do feel like we are approaching the point where the bottom falls out on the program.
I refuse to predict the outcome of the Richmond and Middle TN games. Please for the love of all that is good in this world - don't get beat by these teams!
Record won't matter. It won't be good. But we'll do just well enough that it convinces Whit yet again to keep things as is. Just prepare yourselves now.
So not to throw a COVID discussion in here, but any guesses as to how long before the season starts they'd let us know if they're making any changes/provisions (like attendance) to the schedule? This year I think they kept thinking things might get better, but seems like they'd have a better idea a couple months out this time.
this has been hinted at throughout the thread, but I'll come right out and say it: I don't see us beating MTSU AND Richmond. I've been watching this team long enough to know that we're gonna lay a vintage Fu Special egg in one of those games (plenty of CFB's teams played down to their competition, but in a fraction of the time Fuente's teams have made an art form out of it).
No idea what else will happen. Portal has been kind, maybe those guys come in and make immediate difference (looking at you, Jordan Williams). We will beat LOLUVA. I will never admit that they might win. Admitting is the first step to it potentially happening.
I agree on not putting it out there about UVA. We WILL beat them. Along those lines, some people wondered about HH leaving because of the whole "cold" fallout, but I wonder if it has more to do with not being in that list of 21st century QBs undefeated vs UVA?
There are some things a beard can't hide. The shame is one of them.
This will end poorly for all. When that happens, the athletic department (and upper brass of the university if rumors are true) will realize the cost of not making the necessary changes in the off season.
My concern is that Fuente has hitched his hot seat wagon to Braxton Burmeister unless a serious QB teleports out of the portal. With our history of QBs not making it through a season, lets try this scenario - Burmeister suffers a season ending injury in the first half of the UNC game and Fuente turns around to choose between Knox Kadum, Conner Blumrick and just arrived this summer Tahj Bullock. Now lets have all those season win loss projections.
Right now that is far and away my biggest concern about this season. If this is Fuente's great plan for the future then the A Team was light years ahead of us.