In 2024, ESPN’s College Gameday will participate in non-traditional games in an effort to give schools that haven’t had a gameday in a long time a chance, like California did earlier in the season.
Virginia Tech has a chance to continue its winning streak as the Hokies host the Clemson Tigers in Week 11. Virginia Tech last hosted College GameDay in 2017 against Clemson University. The Hokies were ranked as the No. 12 team in the nation, along with the second-place Tigers, entering Game Day two weeks ago.
Bruce Smith was the “guest picker” and Lee Corso picked the Tigers to win. Clemson would win 31-17, but the loss would be Virginia Tech’s last College GameDay appearance under head coach Justin Fuente.
Now, Virginia Tech has hit the complete reset button on its program. With Brent Pry reigning as head coach and the Hokies unranked after 2021, Virginia Tech football is heading in the right direction. Virginia Tech is now one win away from a bowl berth, and the Hokies sold out every home game of the season at Lane Stadium while Logan Thomas was still Virginia Tech’s quarterback. This is the first time since 2012.
The atmosphere at Lane Stadium has improved considerably this year, and while Lane isn’t at its best, for a while it seemed like Virginia Tech wouldn’t have home field advantage, but Virginia Tech has a true home field advantage. There is an advantage.
The Hokies are winning games, breaking records, and for the first time since Frank Beamer’s legendary tenure, fans have complete faith in their coach and are enthusiastic.
Currently, it’s not a certainty that Virginia Tech will host College Game Day, but it’s a possibility. Most of the schools with potential matchups in Week 11 are already hosting this year’s College Game Day or are at least appearing on the show.
It’s easy to rule out some schools just by looking at the top 25 matchups. No. 13 Indiana vs. Michigan doesn’t have a chance, with both schools hosting Game Day this year. A matchup between Georgia Tech and No. 5 Miami is unlikely, as the Yellow Jackets have been on a slump lately. No. 4 Ohio State should be able to handle Purdue pretty easily. The No. 3 Penn Nittany Lions and Washington Huskies will both be featured on College GameDay by Week 11.
In addition to this, some schools in the top 25 are simply playing less talented players. No. 7 Tennessee will play 1-7 Mississippi State, No. 11 Iowa State will play 2-6 Kansas State, No. 15 Boise State will play Nevada, No. 18 Pitt will play Virginia, No. 22 Washington State will play 2-6. No. 6 Utah State and No. 8 Notre Dame feature a terrible Florida State team.
In fact, both of the games Virginia Tech and Clemson play are SEC matchups: No. 14 Alabama vs. No. 16 LSU, and No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 19 Ole Miss.
