Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 19. Virginia Tech
Enter Sandman.
Enter Sandman. Time for the age test—if you expected to see Virginia Tech here, congratulations, you are over the age of 20. If not, you either need to have more birthdays or are a Virginia fan. If we just look at 1999-2011, Virginia Tech had 12 Top 25 finishes (6 Top 10) in 13 years, and is the #8 team in my rankings over that time period, including #1 in the ACC. Virginia Tech comes in as the 4th ranked ACC team over the last 40 years behind Clemson, Florida State, and Miami (FL), and for a good 20 years Blacksburg was one of the toughest places to play in the country.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+---------------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+---------------+------+--------------+--------+
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 2000 | 41.314 | 11-1 |
| 3 | Virginia Tech | 1999 | 40.257 | 11-1 |
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 2005 | 39.725 | 11-2 |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 2007 | 34.342 | 11-3 |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 2009 | 32.842 | 10-3 |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | 1995 | 32.264 | 10-2 |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 2010 | 29.931 | 11-3 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 2006 | 28.745 | 10-3 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 1996 | 28.673 | 10-2 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 2004 | 27.77 | 10-3 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 2011 | 25.629 | 11-3 |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 2008 | 24.223 | 10-4 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | 2002 | 24.049 | 10-4 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 1998 | 22.814 | 9-3 |
| 22 | Virginia Tech | 1993 | 21.108 | 9-3 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 2016 | 20.113 | 10-4 |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 1986 | 20.038 | 9-2-1 |
| 26 | Virginia Tech | 2017 | 14.248 | 9-4 |
| 25 | Virginia Tech | 1983 | 13.106 | 9-2 |
| 29 | Virginia Tech | 2001 | 10.257 | 8-4 |
| 35 | Virginia Tech | 2013 | 10.24 | 8-5 |
| 37 | Virginia Tech | 2003 | 9.506 | 8-5 |
| 28 | Virginia Tech | 1994 | 9.472 | 8-4 |
| 38 | Virginia Tech | 2019 | 4.826 | 8-5 |
| 35 | Virginia Tech | 1989 | 4.794 | 6-4-1 |
| 44 | Virginia Tech | 2014 | 4.752 | 7-6 |
| 36 | Virginia Tech | 1990 | 3.843 | 6-5 |
| 43 | Virginia Tech | 1984 | 3.736 | 8-4 |
| 45 | Virginia Tech | 1997 | 0.422 | 7-5 |
| 58 | Virginia Tech | 2012 | -3.516 | 7-6 |
| 59 | Virginia Tech | 2015 | -4.951 | 7-6 |
| 60 | Virginia Tech | 2020 | -5.172 | 5-6 |
| 45 | Virginia Tech | 1985 | -5.302 | 6-5 |
| 54 | Virginia Tech | 1991 | -11.077 | 5-6 |
| 74 | Virginia Tech | 2018 | -11.422 | 6-7 |
| 81 | Virginia Tech | 2021 | -15.534 | 6-7 |
| 106 | Virginia Tech | 2022 | -28.593 | 3-8-1 |
| 84 | Virginia Tech | 1988 | -29.896 | 3-8 |
| 88 | Virginia Tech | 1992 | -30.581 | 2-8-1 |
| 93 | Virginia Tech | 1987 | -38.49 | 2-9 |
+------+---------------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 33772 (19th)317-175-4 record
7 conference titles
13-17 bowl record
7 consensus All-Americans
123 NFL players drafted
From 1995-2011, Virginia Tech was 168-51 (.767) while outside of that they’re just 149-124-4 (.545). Frank Beamer really had this program rolling for a while, they even appeared in the AP Top 10 in 10 out of 13 years from 1999-2011. By opting out of a bowl in 2020, Virginia Tech elected to give up the nation’s longest bowl streak at 27 straight years, from 1993-2019. The 7 consensus All-Americans are DE Bruce Smith (1984) who went on to be the all-time NFL sack king with 200 sacks, OL Jim Pyne (1993), DL Cornell Brown (1995) who was the Big East Defensive POTY, DE Corey Moore (1999) who was just 5’11 225 lbs but won the Nagurski and Lombardi Awards and is in the CFB Hall of Fame, RB Kevin Jones (2003) who was the #1 recruit in 2000 and is VT’s 2nd all-time leading rusher, C Jake Grove (2003) who won the Rimington Trophy, and DB Jimmy Williams (2005) who was a finalist for the Thorpe Award. It’s a crime that Michael Vick wasn’t a consensus All-American. Top NFL players include DE Bruce Smith, QB Michael Vick, S Kam Chancellor, OT Duane Brown, CB DeAngelo Hall, WR Antonio Freeman, CB Kyle Fuller, LB Tremaine Edmunds, QB Tyrod Taylor, OG Wyatt Teller, and OT Christian Darrisaw.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 1987 (2-9 overall, Independent)
In 1987, a man named Frank Beamer stepped into the head coaching role at Virginia Tech, his first time being with the school since his playing days from 1966-68. The previous year, 1986, Virginia Tech had their best season in over 30 years, finishing 9-2-1 with a #20 final ranking. But NCAA investigation would lead to the firing of coach Bill Dooley, replacing him with Beamer. The first year was rough, going just 2-9. But in hindsight, they had a STACKED schedule of coaches. 7(!) opponents had CFB Hall of Fame head coaches in Clemson (Danny Ford), Virginia (George Welsh), Syracuse (Dick MacPherson), Tulane (Mack Brown), Kentucky (Jerry Claiborne), West Virginia (Don Nehlen), and Miami (FL) (Jimmy Johnson). Beamer went 0-7 against them, with a somewhat embarassing loss of 38-57 to Tulane. The two wins were over Navy (2-9 final record) and Cincinnati (4-7), thus Virginia Tech ended up as my 12th worst team of 1987 thanks to a lack of quality wins. NCAA sanctions were levied in 1988, cutting scholarships, and Beamer would go just 24-40-2 in his first 6 years before exploding from 1993-2011. Defensive coordinator Ron Zook ended up coaching Florida and Illinois in the 2000’s.
5. 2009 (10-3 overall, 6-2 ACC)
2009 Virginia Tech faced a BRUTAL schedule. #7 VT opened with the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game against #5 Alabama, blissfully unaware of what Nick Saban was about to turn Alabama into. It was actually a pretty good game, with Virginia Tech leading 17-16 heading into the 4th quarter before a 24-34 loss. After falling to #14, they’d beat #19 Nebraska 16-15 in a super exciting finish, and blew out #9 Miami (FL) 31-7. People thought Miami would win as the Canes appeared to be back, beating #18 Florida State and #14 Georgia Tech to start the year, but Virginia Tech completely shut them down to move into the top 6. After a 5-1 start, #4 VT was upset by eventual ACC champion Georgia Tech and North Carolina, but would win out, going 5-0 which included wins over Conference USA champion East Carolina (16-3), Russell Wilson’s NC State (38-10), and Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Bowl (37-14) to finish 10-3.
Virginia Tech was hoping for their 3rd straight ACC title, but a #10 finish was very good, scoring 31.8 PPG while allowing just 15.6 PPG, 9th best in the nation. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster was in his 15th season and was perhaps the best at his job in the country, having finished top 10 in PPG allowed for 6 straight years. Future NFL QB and Hokies’ 2nd all-time leading passer Tyrod Taylor threw for 2311 yards 13 TD 5 INT, also rushing for 5 TD. Freshman RB Ryan Williams took over for injured 1000 yard rusher Darren Evans, exploding for 1655 yards and 21 TD in a 1st Team All-ACC year. WR Jarrett Boykin had 835 yards and would eventually leave as the Hokies’ all-time leading receiver with 2884 yards. WR Danny Coale was a swiss army knife throughout his career, averaging 43.5 yards per punt on 13 punts in 2011, and had 614 receiving yards in 2009, eventually leaving as VT’s 2nd all-time leading receiver to Boykin with 2658 yards! NFL Hall of Very Good S Kam Chancellor was a 2nd Team All-ACC selection.
4. 2007 (11-3 overall, 7-1 ACC)
A year full of ups and downs. Very emotional, sometimes wacky, always unpredictable. The April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting rocked the Hokie community, leading to an emotionally charged opener against East Carolina. The Pirates graciously supported Tech by presenting a $100,000 check to Virginia Tech’s memorial fund, and were supportive throughout the leadup to the game. Virginia Tech thankfully won 17-7, starting off things right. But they’d look shellshocked the next week against #2 LSU, losing 7-48 with 9 of 28 passing for 78 yards and 1 INT from QBs Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon. It was Virginia Tech’s worst loss since Beamer’s first season in 1987 (hey, that was their worst year!). They regrouped, improving to 6-1 with a 3-0 record that included a 41-23 win over #22 Clemson. #8 Virginia Tech had #2 Boston College in their clutches, up 10-0 with just 2:30 left, but Matt Ryan pulled out some magic and threw a late 24 yard TD pass to win 14-10. Though, it was likely the two would rematch in the ACC Championship game as long as VT kept winning. When Virginia Tech was getting ready for pregame at Bobby Dodd Stadium the following week, a few of their jerseys went missing, and QBs Glennon and Taylor had to wear Georgia Tech practice jerseys with their names scribbled on the back in sharpie. VT had the last laugh in Jerseygate, winning 27-3, and won out (including a 33-21 win over #16 Virginia) to make the ACC title game at 10-2. #6 Virginia Tech rematched #12 Boston College, this time getting the better of Ryan, holding him to 0 TD and 2 INT in a 30-16 Hokie win. VT lost the Orange Bowl against #8 Kansas’ best team ever, 21-24.
Virginia Tech finished 9th in the country in a wild 2007 season. The offense didn’t stand out, with the sharpie jersey brothers’ Sean Glennon throwing 12 TD 5 INT and Tyrod Taylor 5 TD 3 INT. RB Branden Ore was coming off a 1000 yard season and had 992 rushing yards, but averaged just 3.7 YPC. For all the offensive struggles, OT Duane Brown was a 1st round pick and 5x Pro Bowler, and 3 WRs were drafted in the 2008 NFL Draft (Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Justin Harper). The defense on the other hand, was one of the best in school history, ranking 3rd in the country with 16.1 PPG allowed. LB Xavier Adibi was a 1st Team All-American, and All-American CB Brandon Flowers led arguably the best secondary in the country along with 1st Team All-ACC CB Victor Harris, and future NFL All-Pro S Kam Chancellor.
3. 2005 (11-2 overall, 7-1 ACC)
All 3 of Virginia Tech’s top 3 seasons were quarterbacked by a Vick. For those who aren’t aware, Michael Vick has a brother, Marcus, who started at QB for Virginia Tech in 2005. For a year that was dominated by #1 USC and #2 Texas hogging their spots the entire year, Virginia Tech was right there with them for some time, ranked #3 at midseason. An 8-0 start included games they probably shouldn’t have won (NC State 20-16), games they won by way too much (#15 Georgia Tech 51-7 on ESPN College GameDay), and games that were statement wins (#13 Boston College 30-10 right before facing #5 Miami). ESPN College GameDay showed up in Blacksburg for the 2nd time in the same year for #3 Virginia Tech vs #5 Miami (FL), with the Hokies looking to apply more pressure to the voters who had USC/Texas at #1/#2. Alas, Miami completely shut down Vick for a 27-7 win. By winning out and another Miami loss, Virginia Tech would make the ACC title game at 10-1, but lost in an upset to 8-4 Florida State for Bobby Bowden’s last ACC title. In the Gator Bowl against #15 Louisville, Marcus Vick stepped on Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil’s calf en route to a 35-24 comeback victory in the 4th quarter.
Tech finished #7 in the AP Poll, but I had them up at #4 because they had some really impressive wins like 51-7 over #15 Georgia Tech, 34-17 over #5 finisher West Virginia, 30-10 over #13 Boston College, 52-14 over 7-5 Virginia, and 35-24 over #15 Louisville. Vick was 1st Team All-ACC, throwing for 2393 yards with 17 TD 10 INT and 6 rushing TDs. If he didn’t stay out of trouble, he could’ve had a pretty good career. 2005 was up there with some of the best Virginia Tech defenses ever, giving up just 248 yards per game (1st nationally) and 12.9 PPG (2nd). 1st Team All-American DE Darryl Tapp had 10 sacks, and consensus All-American DB Jimmy Williams was a shutdown defensive back.
2005 Virginia Tech is my 181st best team since 1983.
2. 1999 (11-1 overall, 7-0 Big East)
Michael Vick was an otherworldly talent. Not only was he maybe the fastest QB of all time, he’s up there among the strongest arms of all time. No underclassman had ever won a Heisman, but Vick as a freshman would get buzz all season long, ending up as a finalist. But it wasn’t just Vick, this team was loaded with Tech greats like Corey Moore and Ike Charlton. A #11 preseason ranking showed the optimism the media had in Virginia Tech, who was a budding power with a 53-19 record over the previous 6 seasons. A 3-0 start was expected, then an early season rivalry win over #24 Virginia, 31-7, bumped them up to #6 and a win over Rutgers moved them to #4. Virginia Tech hosted #16 Syracuse for ESPN College GameDay, with the Orange unaware of the unspeakable acts that were about to be wrought upon them. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Syracuse had just 3 first downs and 58 yards of offense. #4 Virginia Tech beat #16 Syracuse 62-0, with Tech’s defense alone outscoring Syracuse 21-0. Mind you, Syracuse was a very good program at the time, coming off 4 straight AP Top 25 finishes. It was the largest victory over a Top 25 team in NCAA history! Virginia Tech punched their ticket to their first ever National Championship Game with a 43-10 win over #19 Miami (FL) and 38-14 win over #22 Boston College. In the Sugar Bowl National Championship Game, #2 Virginia Tech was overwhelmed by #1 Florida State, but Vick did everything he could, fighting back from a 21 point deficit to take a 1 point lead into the 4th quarter before losing 29-46. He threw for 225 yards and ran for 97 despite having FSU rushers in his face all game.
Most Virginia Tech fans would probably say this was the best team in school history. I have 1999 lower because of their strength of schedule (58th vs 29th in 2000). Vick threw for 2065 yards 13 TD 5 INT with 682 rushing yards and 9 TD, but played much better than his stats suggested, finishing 3rd in Heisman voting, winning Big East Offensive POTY, and earning 1st Team All-American honors. Consensus All-American DE Corey Moore had 55 tackles and 17 sacks, winning Big East Defensive POTY. Moore stood just 5’11 225 lbs, but was a 2x All-American, 2x DPOTY, won the Nagurski and Lombardi Awards, and his #56 was retired by Virginia Tech in 2010. CB Ike Charlton was a 1st Team All-American, and the CB opposite of him, Anthony Midget (he’s 5’11) led the team with 5 interceptions. K Shayne Graham won Big East Special Teams POTY by hitting 18 of 23 FGs, and went on to play 15 years in the NFL. Frank Beamer won basically every National Coach of the Year award imaginable.
1999 Virginia Tech is my 172nd best team since 1983.
1. 2000 (11-1 overall, 6-1 Big East)
Better than 1999? My model thinks so. Michael Vick returned for his sophomore season to run it back for another national title attempt. An 8-0 start was highlighted by 6 wins against teams that finished with winning records: 52-23 over Akron, 45-28 over East Carolina, 48-34 over Boston College, 48-20 over West Virginia, 22-14 over Syracuse, and 37-34 over Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, in the game against Pitt, Vick suffered a sprained ankle that put him out of the game and he wasn’t able to start for a few weeks afterwards. #2 Virginia Tech at #3 Miami (FL), hyped as potentially the game of the year, would be played by backup QB Dave Meyer. Meyer was serviceable, but VT fell behind early and Vick even came in at one point to try and lead a comeback, ultimately losing 21-41. Virginia Tech won the rest of their games, but despite their 10-1 record and quality loss to the #2 team in the country, were snubbed for a BCS bowl. They settled for #16 Clemson in the Gator Bowl, pwning them 41-20. Vick was the MVP in his final college game.
Just like 2005, I feel that this was an underrated Virginia Tech team, as they finished #6 in the AP Poll but #4 in my rankings. Vick, dealing with injuries, only threw for 1234 yards 8 TD 6 INT with 8 rushing TDs. RB Lee Suggs picked up the slack, leading the country with 27 rushing TDs to go with 1207 yards, winning Big East Offensive POTY. PR Andre Davis was an All-American, returning 3 punts for TDs. Vick was drafted 1st overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, and 11 players total were drafted over the next 2 years.
2000 Virginia Tech is my 152nd best team since 1983.
5th Quarter
Was 2000 actually the best team, or was it the 1999 National Championship Game team? Would a healthy Mike Vick in 2000 lead Virginia Tech to the national title? Which VT team do you think was snubbed for the top 5 VT seasons? Is Michael Vick a top 5 QB in college football history? Would Marcus Vick have actually surpassed Michael’s college career had he stayed out of trouble? Could he have led the 2006 team to a national title with that #1 defense? Did Danny Coale catch that pass against Michigan in the 2011 season Sugar Bowl? Would you have rather played Logan Thomas at TE instead of QB in college? Which team’s up next?!
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