Virginia Tech football's bowl streak seems to be safe for the foreseeable future. (Photo by Ivan Morozov)College football bowl streaks don’t mean as much as they used to, given how many bowl games there are now. That said, not making a bowl game means your program isn’t doing well.
Even through tumultuous times, Virginia Tech has kept the bowl streak alive for the last 25 seasons. Technically, that’s the longest active streak in FBS, even though Florida State has actually played in a bowl game 36 consecutive seasons. That streak dwarfs many others in the ACC and the rest of the Power 5.
Courtesy of @OX_VT on Twitter, we’ve got a good look at the bowl streaks of all FBS schools, including those who haven’t been to a bowl game in quite some time.
Let’s break down the data. First, a look at the ACC teams that have been to a bowl game for at least two straight seasons.
- Florida State — 36
- Virginia Tech — 25
- Clemson — 14
- Louisville — 8
- Miami — 5
- NC State — 4
- Boston College — 2
- Wake Forest — 2
Duke and Virginia both went to a bowl game for the 2017 season, which put them back on the plus-side. However, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech all missed a bowl game in 2017. For Syracuse, not being bowl eligible is beginning to become a problem.
Here are the Power 5 teams who have not made a bowl game in at least two straight seasons.
- Kansas — 9
- Oregon State — 4
- Syracuse — 4
- Rutgers — 3
- California — 2
- Ole Miss — 2
Syracuse might not have as many problems as Kansas does, but the Orange are still trying to dig their way out of a deep hole. As for Virginia Tech, the Hokies’ bowl streak seems to be safe under head coach Justin Fuente. Tech is 19-8 over the last two seasons, and the Hokies should contend for the ACC Coastal Division in 2018.