get into the 8 to 12 range, but not seeing it get much higher. It may not happen every year, but every 2 or 3 years would be my guess. Not saying VT will get there. Please note that I am not intending to disagree with your post. But it would be pretty fun to be one of those 8 to 12s. ** Edited by MaroonMark at 9/6/2024, 2:04:10 AM

It's going to take a Deion Sanders "TYPE" hire. No, I don't want a Deion Sanders clone if Pry fails, but I do want a high chlorine, culture shock. It's FAR from a guarantee of course, but to me, it's the only think I can think of to jolt VT out of its current orbit. We need a winner, maybe a little ruthless. South Carolina had some decent success with it with Holtz and Spurrier. We need a big personality coach that drags VT football out of the shadows.

** Edited by marcbvtgm at 9/5/2024, 10:50:18 AM

National title? Agreed Playoff Regular? Agreed Perennial ACC contender? Disagree Top 15 regular? Disagree No, I don't see any path to pulling an Oregon, but I think getting back to the average level of play we enjoyed from 1993-2011 is a reasonable expectation. 1999 can never happen again, but pretty much any other year is still on the table, and I think we'd all be happy with that.

So we agree that VT has virtually no chance at being a national champion or playoff regular, i.e. a great team/program or big dog. Being a perennial ACC contender won't really much to people other than ACC fans unless there is some drastic realignment in funding. Nevertheless I don't agree that VT can even become a perennial ACC contender. Occasional? Perhaps. But that means VT will be a top 3 or 4 program in the ACC - and I think, at best, VT can consistently #4 and more like <#4. There is no recent retrospective or prospective evidence that VT has the resources to be a consensus top 3 or 4 program in the ACC (as it currently exists). VT would need to leap over several programs to get there and those programs aren't going to lay down easily. Top 15 regular? No chance. That requires top 15 talent. And that requires money more than ever before.

I think that's a reasonable regular high water mark that a program with our resources can hit on a regular basis. From 1993-2015, Beamer achieved that 13 times in 22 years. If we were a 9-10 win team just 50% of the time, I think that would be a great program everyone would be happy with. Everyone wants to just get back to the days of pounding weak opponents, getting our share of equity opponents, stealing one we shouldn't now and then. Being a team nobody wants to play.....like it used to be. For many years we recruited better than the ACC, on average, other than FSU, Clemson, and Miami, and we'd go back and forth with UNC. We will disagree here, but if we were decent this year, just DECENT, we'd be a contender with a down Clemson and FSU. ** Edited by Techsupport at 9/6/2024, 3:13:58 PM

substantially more than that, depending who is paying.

And an ACC championship will be basically an auto bid that’s the goal

Admittedly, the prospect of a national championship has completely disappeared off into the distance. Its exponentially more difficult now than it was before the championship game and playoff, which basically now requires 4 consecutive post season top 10 wins. Its Olympus Mons for a program like VT. Virtually impossible. But getting in the top 10, making a little noise, and building something worth watching is very doable. Look at our schedule, it's pathetic. Moreover, NIL has not "settled" down yet. We still don't really know how it will affect our long term prospects. Once Hokie Club money can go straight to players, it could get interesting. If I believed what you believed, I wouldn't watch another game. That loser mentality has always pervaded the program, and is why per capita, VT alumni are one of the worst donators to the athletic department among their peers. ** Edited by Techsupport at 9/4/2024, 1:45:39 PM

is a realistic possibility for VT. Anyone who has been paying attention knows that all of the cards are stacked against us. However, your final statement is off base. I think that all VT fans would be happy with the outlook you proposed. We are *****ing because we are currently miles away from your vision. And frankly the fans deserve to complain bitterly if we have no hope of winning an ACC championship with a talented team and a down year in the conference. If we can’t get to the ACCCG this year, when can we? ** Edited by VT ChemE 1986 at 9/4/2024, 1:07:24 PM

at least that’s what they should strive for. we just need to get back to the 10 win seasons. Not losing to the Vandys, the Marshalls, the ODUs, the Rutgers, or the Libertys would be the first step to achieving this.

We need to find a Jim Mora to do our press conferences. Virginia Tech football is light years from being able to make the college football playoffs.

If that’s the case then we should shift funding to keep football at mid level and pour resources into basketball where they can have a bigger impact. If football will truly never be great like you say, then let’s go all in to get a basketball national title. Because damnit, I want VT to win something for a team sport in my lifetime. Or baseball (I noticed that Vandy has two of those titles). Or softball. Or anything ** Edited by HokieAl at 9/4/2024, 11:34:28 AM

VT is definitely capped, as are all but about 10 programs. We will never have the brand or the money of those at the very top. SEC membership hasn't magically transformed South Carolina, Arkansas, T A&M, or Mizzou into perennial national championship (or even playoff) contenders. BiG membership hasn't transformed Nebraska, Maryland, or Rutgers into either of those things, and it won't do that for UCLA either. So on the "capped" front, VT fans must adjust their expectations accordingly. What I find endlessly amusing or frustrating is that we have spent years wailing and gnashing teeth over conference membership and TV money when we can't even compete in the weak conference we're part of. Since the 2012 season, VT has been relevant in the ACC exactly once. Based on our struggles against Liberty, ODU, and Marshall, we aren't even able to consistently beat CUSA level competition. We already have and spend more football money than the majority of the teams we play each year, yet we can't consistently beat those teams. So why does anyone think more money will change anything? As VT has continued to funnel more and more money into football, ou would think that would at least mean that relative to other sports at VT, football would be more competitive. The opposite is true. The ROI on money spent vs results has been far higher in men's and women's hoops, wrestling, and softball, arguably even baseball. Yet people still look at the staff bloat, the salary bloat, and the NIL bloat on the football side and think "yep, we should put more money into THAT operation". When other sports at VT have excelled, and those coaches have asked for more resources to take that success to an even higher level, they've either been denied or told they need to make do with less. As a result, we've lost some talented coaches, and programs that were competing at a Sweet Sixteen or Final Four level took major steps back. When football has been treading water at best for 13 years, the response has been to throw more good money after bad.

into perennial football contenders. Have other sports at those schools benefitted from being a member of the SEC? If so, then what are the benefts? As of right now, Kansas State and VT are the only schools in a "power conference" to never win a NCAA national championship in any team sport. Would being a member of the SEC improve their odds of getting that monkey off their back?

Basketball, baseball, soccer and some other sports. Give some major NIL to norevenue athletes and see if a national title could b3 won. Wish s9me school would take th3 chance.

I've been following House vs NCAA carefully. My son was a scholarship swimmer and water polo player. My daughter is currently a D1 scholarship swimmer. Funding of those sports is something that weighs on our minds Several P4 ADs have already tipped their hands on this. Continued football success drives revenue. With schools now being able to play football players, that money is going to have to come from somewhere else, and that means other sports are taking it in the shorts. Recent interviews with the Ohio State and TCU ADs have revealed those schools have the realization that a number of sports and their funding are going to see severe cuts. The good news for men's swimming is that men's scholarship limits have gone from 9.9 equivalents to 30. The bad news is there will be no money for those scholarships. There will be a few schools that will be able to maintain a bigger Olympic sports presence. Stanford and Cal will probably be able to raise money independently to keep polo and swimming afloat. In general men's swimming and wrestling will draw down severely. I'd really hope the teams that don't make the P2 will recommit to spirit of college athletics and let the P2 continue their arms race. We are very thankful for the generous academic and athletic scholarships the kids received (son has an MS in ME, daughter graduated in three years and is working on her MS) and the positive contribution that collegiate athletics made to their lives as their teammates (future DIL is a vet student and former collegiate swim teammate. There are going to be far fewer opportunities in the future.

Frankly, I think it stinks. I hate what is going to happen to college sports in general. Yet, most fans just don't seem to care. I would be fully in favor of the VT President reigning in the athletic dept.

Football is king, and money drives the kingdom. If you look at the academic profiles of the various sports, ones like swimming attract students that help increase the academic profile of the student body. I talked the AD of a very good D2 school, and she said they have actually expanded their athletic programs to attract better students (this is a small regional but very, very well regarded school in Engineering, Nursing, and OT/PT). They have a competitive varsity cheer program that has won national titles. Their non-football athletes are nursing, OT, PT, PA, Engin.eering, Cyber Security, and Finance majors. The death of non-football/hoops sports as they are is inevitable, and it will greatly damage USA swimming. I just hope that the whatever follows means these sports don't just go away because they enrich the student-athletes and benefit the whole school. My kids had scholarships to swim and play polo, but they were also ready to compete at D3 as well. I suppose most sports will pretty much be D3.

fanatics." Until people start to show a "strong interest" in any of the sports they currently don't care about, then it is likely the college presidents will have no incentive to reign in their respective athletic departments. If Title IX didn't exist, then it is possible that some schools would be content to just sponsor football, men's basketball, and maybe baseball.

Not happening in football or basketball. Pour the money into a non-rev with a smaller roster size to maximize expenditure and hope for the best.

I think VT can be top 12 every couple of years... but it will be cyclical

And it is an invitation of sorts

The acceptance of mediocrity is Hoo’ish. Meh…good enough is a terrible outlook. If you aren’t going to strive to be the best then you might as well shut the program down, raze Lane Stadium, and build something more productive. ** Edited by GSOHokie01 at 9/4/2024, 11:55:55 AM

…but if we are to accept mediocrity then we might as well put effort, time, and resources into other areas.

Being the home team at altitude could be a nice additional advantage. Of course, then the practice facilities need to be raised as well. Costly.

years but every so often be top 15 when they have an experienced roster. This idea that VT has no money for NIL and should just settle for mediocrity is terrible in my opinion. Our fanbase is passionate about this program and winning and when you go lay an egg to open the season when your fans took over the away stadium I believe they should be pissed. When your fanbase stops caring and striving to be great is when you end up with UVa fans. No fun and snooze fest for an atmosphere at games with zero national respect.

drop down a level.