I just read an article on ESPN stating that Tennessee and Georgia have to cancel their upcoming series against Oklahoma because they will now be SEC opponents. Would y'all like to see us play either team? Would they even consider us? Do we have any openings in the next few years anyways? Any insight would be great! Also if you got to pick an OOC opponent for us who would it be? Penn State for me and that was my answer before we signed Pry.
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Bring'em on. Frank used to play a murderers row of teams back in the day to get the overlooked prospects on the roster (Hey, you are gonna play OU or FSU while your here!) and to build a tough program-let's run it back
I think we should strive to have home and homes with a big P5 every year, WVU every year again home and home, a G5 and an FCS. With this setup we could even have seven home games at least every other year or every year.
Here, here! I would love this.
I second that also, but why the FCS every year? Maybe every other year, at most, and instead throw in another G5 or lower tier P5 team.
You can count one fcs game towards bowl eligibility I believe
One FCS counts toward bowl eligibility, and it's nice to have a tune up game every year. Most everyone has one FCS.
based on this it looks like our first opening isn't until 2026 - https://hokiesports.com/sports/2018/6/6/football-future-schedules.aspx (wait... WTF... why in the hell are we playing VMI in '26????)
Would I like to play either? Hell yeah, but the earliest opening we have at the moment wont work for their newly available date unless other dominoes fall. The earliest we could plan for a home and home series wouldn't be until '31 (space years) and that would be the same year we start our series with Wisconsin.... excuse me for a second...
Something here has got to change. What a pitiful string of opponents for the next almost decade. I must say however that 2025 against Shane Beamers Gamecocks will be a fun one at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
No, the question is why haven't we played VMI more often in the last 40 years? If we're gonna play an FCS team, let's go with one that we don't have to worry about upsetting us, and had a long history/rivalry with us back in the day. It'd be the perfect game for Military Appreciation and Corps Homecoming.
It's seems soooo obvious! We never should have stopped playing them IMO.
Yeah, Bill Dooley really had their number. Usually wasn't much of a game from what I recall. The shenanigans between the cadets was usually the most exciting parts of those games.
I think this is what led us to games against JMU and ODU in the first place lol. As for me I don't think such a team actually exists!
We never played or scheduled ODU as an FCS team
I think it was typically JMU, VMI, Richmond or W&M that we played.
Sorry my emphasis was more on the "let's go with a team we don't have to worry about upsetting us" part lol
True - I've spoken with ole' timer VMI alumni who are still bitter about the rivalry. You'd think VT Corp of Cadets had pillaged Lexington. Wasn't that game often played in the "neutral site" of Roanoke?
Often Victory Stadium in Roanoke and the Oyster Bowl in Norfolk.
Yup, big Thanksgiving matchup.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMI%E2%80%93Virginia_Tech_football_rivalry
Maybe, but I distinctly remember seeing VMI at Lane in the 80s.
VMI has historically been pretty awful. But they've got a decent program going now under Scott Wachenheim with his Air Raid offense. After winning the SoCon a couple years ago it will be interesting to see how he keeps building their program. It's a tough sell to come play at VMI but his system seems to be working.
I don't see Georgia considering us with the current state of our program, but there's no way Tennessee wouldn't at least come to the table to talk about it. Battle at Bristol (aside from quarters 2-4) was a success, with a lot of publicity for both programs. I'd be down for a home and home, or another Bristol if possible.
There's no way Tenn wouldn't at least come to the table? I'd say it's closer to the opposite.
Alabama signed a contract with us in 2019 for games in 2034 and 2035. I don't think Georgia would be turning their nose up.
They'd be more concerned with spacing out ACC opponents. They already play GT every year, and they have several games against Clemson, Louisville, NC State, and FSU.
Their OOC line up is full through 2026. They have an open slot in 2027, but the other 3 OOC games are all ACC.
They've got the Texas series in 2028 and 2029 that will get cancelled, but they already have 2 ACC teams both of those years. Realistically, I don't even see them entertaining the idea of playing us until 2035 (with the one possible exception of 2031.)
Bristol was terrible once you entered the raceway (game results not even considered). 1/10, would not repeat. Sad part is I really enjoyed the tailgating and pre-game scene.
This. an hour to get in the gate, they ran out of water, and hot dogs were the 5 star delicacy.
But a home and home once a decade or so with Tenn would be great.
The scanners weren't working at our gate so they left anyone in. The camping and tailgating scene was worth it though.
I really didn't retain much of the bad stuff others here have retained. I do remember being very irritated at it all basically being a PR event for the Haslam family.
The only thing I disliked about the Battle of Bristol was that we lost.
I'd absolutely repeat. Though I'd be just as happy at another venue, or just a home and home series.
Tennessee, home and home would be nice, and probably doable. I don't see Georgia wanting us, though - they'd probably want a higher profile P5 opponent right now.
Yes to both. With the playoff expanding, I think there will be a greater appetite for 'marquee' matchups (I know VT isn't exactly a 'marquee program' at the moment, but you know what I mean).
UT/VT is attractive to TV networks. UGA/VT would be attractive to TV networks.
And give me home and homes. Plz.
Yes. Sign them up. Lose to good teams, learn how to get better. no one will die if we lose to uga.
um did you watch that defense last year, they were fast and hit hard, they could have killed some one.
Well, it might at our VT/UGA house. Dogs in competing jerseys, mass hysteria.
Well, it might at our VT/UGA house. Dogs in competing jerseys, mass hysteria...
I'd like to see home & home's with Texas A&M, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Penn State
That would be perfect in a perfect world. Wish it would happen, because those four have to be the best OOC opponents with regional, traditional, and/or cultural rivalries available.
With the state of the VT football program its my opinion that we need to go way back to our mentality of scheduling "anybody, anytime, anywhere."
Let's schedule the biggest possible opponent we can get.
Problem is a lot of big SEC programs don't like to do true road games and prefer these one off neutral sites in SEC territory. The Big Ten is more amenable to true home and homes (Ohio State), but they also bail a lot (Wisconsin, Michigan, PSU). So most years it might be a Kentucky or Purdue type P5. But that's ok, add that to WVu annually and ND however that scheduling arrangement works and that's pretty solid.
That was not us. Ballein explained in our Theory of Org class (RIP Dr Torg) how they did schedules.
1 big time /competitive program
1 in state FCS to keep the money in state
1 regional semi-competitive G5 (ECU)
1 noncompetitive G5 (all the MAC games we played)
Always get 7 home games, or take a money-making neutral site game. We were in the Chikfila kickoff 2x in 5 years. We even played ECU in Charlotte.
It seems we've had less big P5 home and homes since the ND scheduling agreement went into effect. It's kind of hard to work around that since we seem to skip a year playing them rather than back to back years. It's honestly not a bad scheduling formula but I think with ticket prices what they are today and the emphasis on strength of schedule, that second G5 should be a long term P5 if possible. I think WVU works great because they're close, historic and natural rival, and kind of a peer program honestly. Challenging game but not unwinnable. Something needs to change though because our home schedules are a really rough sell to a ticket holder over the next decade. The new ACC scheduling model helps some, but realistically you just swapped Miami every year for either Clemson or FSU.
well it should be us now
None of these past 2028 matter because we will be in the SEC by then.
/S... kinda
would love for this not to be /s
Tennessee not Georgia. For now. I'd like us to try and schedule any SEC program outside of Bama Georgia Mizzou and Vandy (who is already on our schedule 😒)
I think we might be burying the lead here. Why would the SEC care about not getting the full home-and-home series in before Oklahoma became a conference member?
(Tangentially related -- Pitt joined the ACC in the middle of a home-and-home series with VT. We didn't cancel the series. We played the first game as non-con at Pitt in 2012. Then the return game ended up as a conference game.)
There's speculation that it's because Oklahoma and Texas might arrive sooner than 2025. And I was getting ready to go into full conspiracy mode until I looked at the dates.
Georgia at Oklahoma was scheduled for 2023. The reverse was scheduled for 2031.
Oklahoma at Tennessee was scheduled for 2024. The reverse was originally scheduled for 2020 but then became "TBD" after COVID.
Now, the SEC probably doesn't care about the game at Tennessee. That would be a big game added to their TV deal. The issue was probably the Georgia game at Oklahoma. That game would be part of the Big 12 inventory. But they couldn't just slam one series and not the other. (Of course, they could have just turned Oklahoma at Tennessee into a neutral site game with Tennessee as the "home" team for TV purposes and fully cancelled the 2020 game.)
A couple of links to keep handy:
https://hokiesports.com/sports/2018/6/6/football-future-schedules.aspx
https://fbschedules.com/future-college-football-schedules/
It'd be nice to see Wisconsin. It would also be nice to have a fair rematch against Michigan.
Too bad PSU chickened out after COVID and didn't try to reschedule with us.
Didn't even think about Michigan.....now Im just pissed.
womp wooommpp
Definitely Tennessee, I can do without playing Georgia tbh.
The games I'd like to see are ones I can easily get to from Chicago. Of course Wisconsin but also Purdue, Illinois, and Northwestern where I could just hop on the train.
Ive wanted Penn State for nearly 30 years. My best friend and his family are generational Happy Vallyers. Pandemic really ended some dream weekends
I know they're coaches and not the ADs, but it would be nice if we could leverage Pry and Franklin's relationship into a tangible home and home with PSU.
Friends hate playing each other. I think Pry would ask Whit NOT to schedule that game.
Agreed. Too much scheme familiarity there, and too much at stake with Va recruiting. Might be best to stay in separate ponds for now.
I would honestly love to see us replace all of the games in Norfolk against ODU with @ bama, @OSU, @Oklahoma, @Michigan... why? because we have a better chance to win those.
I just saw a tweet that Wake and Liberty canceled a home and home.
Can we do that too, please?
I'd be happy if we cancelled playing either of them.
Wake pushed hard for us as one of their matchups. They'll get a sell out every other year, and limit travel costs between both schools.
Since they are good right now, I don't have a problem with Wake on the schedule.
Yes, I can't disagree with that, given the current state of the program.
Over the long term, it does nothing for me.
Edit: Meant for other thread
Even liberty has games against Arkansas BYU Wake Forest and Virginia Tech out of conference. 😭 IN THE SAME YEAR
It's easy to do that when you don't have a conference.
Oh shit I had no idea they were independent 😂 makes sense thanks for the nudge