Glory days at VPI are looking a bit further back in the rear-view mirror. It's now eight years since Frank Beamer last patrolled the Hokie sidelines and the end of an often-glorious era in which Tech would often emerge as a national contender and even once qualified for the title game (vs. Bobby Bowden's Florida State). It's also been nearly 50 years since they've had a coach (Charlie Coffey) compile a losing overall record in Blacksburg. In fact, from 1978-2021, there were only three Hokies coaches (Bill Dooley, Beamer and Justin Fuente), and Jerry Claiborne was a consistent winner in the '60s before moving on to more successes at Maryland and Kentucky.

Which brings us to current mentor Brent Pry, whose new regime hardly got off to an auspicious start a year ago when stumbling to a 3-8 record. It is worth noting that the feted Beamer started his era in similarly slow fashion after succeeding Dooley; indeed, 1993 loomed as a win-or-else campaign for the Beamer regime. But that campaign, featuring long-ago QB Maurice DeShazo, would start a 23-season stretch of bowl visits to last the remainder of Beamer's tenure (and stretched to 27 after his retirement). Along the way, Beamer first unlocked, then effectively padlocked, recruiting from the fertile Tidewater region, which became Virginia Tech territory and spawning countless numbers of impactful Hokies, including Michael Vick.

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Virginia Tech's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the ACC season.

ACC preview: Conference winner | Boston College | Clemson | Duke | Florida State | Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | NC State | North Carolina | Pittsburgh | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest

2023 Virginia Tech at a glance

• Last Year: 3-9 SU, 4-7 ATS, 3-8 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 5; Defense 5
• Win Total: 5.5 (Over +150, Under -175)
  

What do you need to know about Virginia Tech before locking in your ACC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see ACC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!