Coach: Frank Beamer - at Virginia Tech; 198-95-2 in 24 years
Overall: 240-118-4 in 30 years
Last Season: 11-3 (8-0 ACC, Champions)
Last Bowl Game: 2011 Orange Bowl (12-40 L vs Stanford)
Returning Starters: 11; 6 offense, 5 defense
Preseason Ranking: 13th AP, 13th Coaches
Virginia Tech had one of the strangest seasons in all of college football last year as they experienced some of the lowest lows and highest highs possible in a five month span.
After opening up with a tough 33-30 loss to Boise State at FedEx Field in Landover, MD, the Hokies seemed to hit rock bottom with a loss to James Madison the following weekend. Virginia Tech promptly responded by rolling off eleven straight victories, including a 44-33 ACC Championship Game win over Florida State, in the process of securing yet another spot in the BCS. Just another average year in Blacksburg right?
Coach Frank Beamer enters his 25th year at his alma mater with a well oiled machine primed to make another run at the ACC Championship. In the six years since the ACC began holding Conference Title games, Virginia Tech has played in four, while winning three of them. In other words, they own the conference.
Offense: Gone is Tyrod Taylor who captured two ACC MVP awards in leading the Hokies to two ACC Titles. That's the bad news. The good news is that his replacement, sophomore Logan Thomas, grabbed great Spring Game reviews from Beamer. Even better is the news that Thomas will have some of the most explosive play makers in the league at his disposal.
Junior David Wilson racked up 619 yards as the No.3 back on the depth chart last season so his transition to the starting spot should be seamless. He's also considered to be one of the fastest players in college football.
Returning senior starters Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale will provide Thomas with excellent options through the air thanks to Boykin's size and Coale's reliability.
While not always glamorous, one of the most important parts of any successful team is the play off their offensive line. The Hokies return four starters from last year's Orange Bowl. Guard Jaymes Brooks and tackle Blake DeChristopher find themselves on just about every publication's All-ACC preseason teams.
Defense: Over the years Virginia Tech has been defined by takeways, special teams, and the lunch pail that defensive coordinator Bud Foster awards to the team's best defensive players each week. After having an entire off-season to remind his players of their lopsided defeat to Stanford in the Orange Bowl, in which the Cardinal ran all over the Hokies, it's a good bet that they will respond.
The secondary might just be one of the best in the nation. Junior cornerback Jayron Hosley was a consensus All-American last year after picking off nine passes. Sophomore Kyle Fuller will probably have more than enough opportunities at making big plays as most teams will likely throw away from Hosley. Senior free safety Eddie Whitley is also one of the best in the ACC at making plays. Sophomore rover Antone Exum, one of the team's best hitters, rounds out the group.
The linebacker corps is another position of strength led by junior Bruce Taylor and junior Jeron Gouveia-Winslow. Barquell Rivers, the team's leading tackler from 2009 before missing last season with an injury, is currently on the outside looking in.
The biggest question mark on defense is the front four. Defending the run was a problem all season but was never more evident than in the Orange Bowl loss. Antoine Hopkins is the lone returning starter at tackle and looks to be joined by his brother Derrick. The Hokies will be young at the end positions with sophomores James Gayle and J.R. Collins as well as red-shirt freshman Zack McCray getting a shot to play.
Biggest conference game: October 1 vs Clemson
Clemson comes to Blacksburg for the first ACC game of the year for Virginia Tech. It will also be the first chance for Thomas to really see a fast defense after playing lesser competition in the first four weeks of the season. The Tigers are being tabbed by most to be neck-and-neck with Florida State in the Atlantic Division. Clemson brings back 15 starters from last year's disappointing 6-7 campaign. Virginia Tech will need to slow down junior running back Andre Ellington who was easily one of the top backs last season before going out with a toe injury. Working in the Hokies favor for this one will be the fact that it's a home game and that Clemson will be coming off of their biggest conference game of the season against Florida State the previous week.
Biggest non-conference game: September 3 vs Appalachian State
Nobody will confuse Virgnia Tech's non-conference schedule with murderer's row this season as it includes three non-BCS schools (at East Carolina, Arkansas State, at Marshall) and one team from the lower subdivision of FCS (Appalachian State). After opening up with a Top Ten opponent in Boise State last season, the Hokies have taken a serious step back in the scheduling department. Believe it or not, the biggest non-conference test for Virginia Tech in 2011 could be with FCS perennial power Appalachian State. The Mountaineers begin the season as the #2 ranked team in the FCS Coaches Poll and will undoubtedly use Virginia Tech's loss to fellow FCS'er James Madison last season as inspiration. For a program that has come away with a win in Michigan's Big House, being intimidated at Lane Stadium shouldn't be an issue.
Best Case Scenario: Sophomore quarterback Logan Thomas picks up right where Tyrod Taylor left off and the Hokies high scoring offense doesn't miss a beat with the first year signal caller. Bud Foster works his magic along the defensive line and forces other teams to try and pass against his stellar secondary. With a weak non-conference schedule it's not out of the question that the Hokies could find themselves with a chance to play for National Championship if other results work in their favor.
Worst Case Scenario: The Hokies stub their toe against a weak non-conference opponent and immediately eliminate themselves from any National Championship Game discussions before even getting into their ACC Schedule. The only realistic chance a team from the ACC has of playing for the National Championship is to remain undefeated.
Prediction: It's really hard to imagine anybody catching Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division after both Miami and North Carolina have seemingly taken themselves out of the race with off the field issues. The Hokies should find themselves in Charlotte at the end of the season for the ACC Championship Game, most likely against Florida State. A win against the Seminoles would once again put the Hokies in the BCS, something their fans have grown quite accustomed to over the years.
