Virginia Tech Football Fans – Be Wary of Expectation

It’s time for football in Blacksburg! And after one of the most eventful off-seasons in Virginia Tech athletics history, Hokie Nation is chomping at the bit.  The excitement is still strong from the hiring of new head coach James Franklin and the immediate improvements he made to the roster through an exciting signing day and a transfer portal class full of his former Penn State players and other P4 transfers.

In Franklin’s words, the Hokies “won the offseason” (not gonna lie, I agree with him!), but now it is time to see if Franklin can start winning football games.

With a revamped roster and a proven winner at head coach, it is no wonder Virginia Tech is getting national attention in the media.  Some outlets are calling the Hokies a dark horse to reach the conference championship.  Others are predicting a top-half ACC finish, some as high as fifth (Lindy’s). 

For a team that has not had more than six regular season wins since 2018, any of those predictions would make the fanbase rejoice.  But is it realistic to expect a sudden turnaround in Blacksburg?  What is a healthy expectation for this fanbase that has been starved of national relevance since Danny Coale caught the ball that he didn’t catch?

Curt Cignetti made the College Football Playoff in his first year at Indiana, then the losingest program in college football history, and he won the National Championship in his second year.  Should Hokie Nation expect the same from Franklin, who comes from Cignetti's Big Ten Conference?

Franklin won at least nine games in nine of his fourteen full seasons as a head coach, and he produced 10-win seasons in six of his last nine full seasons.  Should Tech fans expect to win nine or ten games this year?

Or should they be more modest, since Googling “I Win” brings up Cignetti’s image and not Franklin’s.  Besides, Franklin started slowly at both Vanderbilt and Penn State, where he finished 6-6 in his first regular season at both schools.

As is common at this time of year, everyone is putting out their preseason win-total predictions.  Fans are having conversations about their own thoughts on the schedule.  Most of those in-the-know have Virginia Tech winning seven games or more.  

Predicting the schedule is fun, but tread lightly when it comes to win-totals and expectations. Don’t just play the numbers game.  

What if the Hokies go 8–4?  Most Hokies would probably be thrilled with that.  

But what if the team wins the first seven games, then closes 1-4 with losses to Clemson, SMU, Miami, and Virginia? I’m sure a lot of fans would be upset with that after a 7-0 start, and a loss to UVa is always a stinger, especially if it is at Lane Stadium where the Wahoos have not emerged victorious since 1998.  

What if Tech knocks off Clemson and SMU, but finishes 8-4 with close losses against Maryland and Georgia Tech? Will that produce a happy Hokie Nation, to finally notch high-quality road wins?  Or will people be mad at “what could’ve been”?

In either scenario above, Tech would finish with eight wins, a regular season total that the Hokies have not seen since 2018.  It would be a season to celebrate with this first-year coaching staff, but I’m sure there would be grumblings from some who let expectations get the best of them.

My suggestion for my fellow Hokie fans is to forego “expectation” and replace it with “hope.”

Hope that this promising young roster can stay healthy, play consistently, and learn how to win close games.  Hope that this coaching staff’s goal of re-establishing Virginia Tech as a national power is going to come to fruition and the program will awaken from its 15-year slumber.

This is year-one with a coach who has an incredible track record over the past 14 years.  There was a financial boost to the athletic department in the offseason that included a historic donation to the program.  The winds of change have already blown in, bringing in a sense of optimism that hasn't been seen in Blacksburg in decades.

People are finally talking about Virginia Tech again – in a good way.  Fellow Hokie fans, ride that wave of excitement. The future looks bright - don't cloud it with expectations now.  Instead, enjoy the buzz and hope that Franklin can continue his successful ways.  

If he can do in Blacksburg what he did at Penn State and Vanderbilt, he could end up with his own statue at the other end of that bench with Frank Beamer! 

It’s game week! Go Hokies!