For the second year in a row, the Virginia Tech football team will begin its season with its four non-conference games before beginning ACC play. This season, the Hokies will open at SEC foe Vanderbilt on Labor Day weekend before hosting Marshall and traveling to Old Dominion.
These games can be won, but if there’s one thing we know about college sports, it’s that there are no sure-fire outcomes on the field. The Hokies’ final non-conference game will be played at Lane Stadium on Sept. 21 when Rutgers comes to town. This is a pretty big test for both schools and could have big implications in early December.
Rutgers, which beat Virginia Tech 35-16 at home last September, is entering the first year of the new Big Ten, which is now expanding to 18 schools. The Scarlet Knights have a schedule that puts them in a position to compete within the conference and are considered underdogs by some college football writers as playoff teams. Carter Bahns of 247Sports believes the Rutgers-Virginia Tech matchup is one of the best non-conference matchups in the Big Ten this season.
“Rutgers boasts one of the most favorable schedules in the Power Four, missing out on each of the projected top-four teams in the Big Ten. That could give Greg Schiano the best year of his second tenure with the program. However, the few potential slip-ups on the schedule include an out-of-conference trip to Blacksburg, where the Scarlet Knights will face an up-and-coming Virginia Tech team. Rutgers enjoys an early-season off week before the matchup, giving it plenty of time to prepare for Kyron Drones and the Hokies.”
– Carter Bahns, 247Sports
Yes, this is a big game for Rutgers, but it’s just as important for Virginia Tech because it’s six days before they begin conference play in Miami before flying to California to play at new ACC member Stanford. There’s a lot at stake for the Hokies in this game because it’s a chance to avenge last season’s loss, the first start as a Hokie for Kyron Drones, and add a potentially significant win to their resume in early December.
One advantage Rutgers has going into the game is that they are coming off a break from playing and have an extra week to prepare for a Virginia Tech offense that returns almost all of its power and a defense that was able to retain some players as well as key transfers on the defensive line. This is an early season game to look forward to.
