From 1999-2005, each of Virginia Tech’s annual football games against Miami showcased ranked teams, seven consecutive seasons of excellence that forged a rivalry and spanned the programs’ dominance of the Big East and transition to the ACC.

Michael Vick and Corey Moore. Ed Reed and Reggie Wayne. DeAngelo Hall and Kevin Jones. Frank Gore and Santana Moss. Those are among the luminaries who graced the series during that span.

Alas, for the respective fan bases, the Hokies and Hurricanes haven’t collided with both among the Associated Press’ top 25 since 2017. But what are the odds that changes in late September, when Tech opens its conference season at Miami?

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The question surfaced, at least in my scattered mind, when Oregon State’s Damien Martinez , arguably the transfer portal’s top running back, committed to the Hurricanes in late April.

I know what you’re thinking.

Don’t do it, Teel. Don’t be among the suckers duped yet again by the Miami hype.

Have you looked at the schedules, knucklehead? Both teams have four nonconference games prior to Sept. 27, any number of which they could lose.

Both points are absolutely valid.

In 20 years of ACC membership, the Hurricanes have finished lower than projected in the conference’s preseason media poll 10 times. Only three times have they exceeded expectations.

Moreover, while neither Tech nor Miami faces a punishing nonconference docket, there are several would-be potholes.

The Hurricanes open at Florida and travel three weeks later to South Florida, where second-year coach Alex Golesh has the Bulls trending upward. The Hokies welcome Marshall and Rutgers, opponents they lost to on the road last season, and play at Old Dominion, a venue that haunts the program after unsightly defeats there in 2018 and ’22.

Virginia Tech's offense took off once Kyron Drones, with his dual-threat ability, was installed as the Hokies' starting quarterback.

But if Miami and Tech shed the erratic ways that marked their 7-6 records last year, both should be 4-0 and ranked come late September.

The Hurricanes started last season 4-0, a stretch headlined by a convincing victory over Texas A&M. But as often the case in the last two decades, they faded.

Conversely, the Hokies closed with a flourish after a 1-3 start. They routed Virginia in the regular-season finale and dusted Tulane in the Military Bowl to win their last two games in a season for the first time since 2015.

Tech’s retention of players such as quarterback Kyron Drones, running back Bhayshul Tuten, receivers Da’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane, and cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Dorian Strong has been well-chronicled in these parts. But although the Hokies finished two games north of Miami in the ACC standings (5-3 compared to 3-5), the Hurricanes figure to receive more preseason affection.

This because they’re “The U,” and folks still romanticize the skill and swagger that defined the program’s five national championships from 1983-2001. Plus, in addition to Martinez, Miami landed Washington State quarterback Cam Ward and Houston receiver Sam Brown via transfer.

Nov 18, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Damien Martinez (6) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Washington Huskies. Martinez has transferred to Miami.

Team them with returning All-ACC receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George, and you have the foundation for an offense that could be the Hurricanes’ most dynamic since the early 2000s, when Ken Dorsey was handing off to Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis, and throwing to Andre Johnson and Jeremy Shockey.

Ward averaged 311.3 yards per game passing last season, fourth nationally behind Washington’s Michael Penix, Oregon’s Bo Nix and LSU’s Jayden Daniels, each a top-12 selection in last month’s NFL draft, making Ward the Bowl Subdivision’s most productive returning passer.

Martinez (1,185 yards, 6.1 per carry) was the Pac-12’s second-leading rusher last season, while Brown gives Miami three receivers who gained at least 800 yards in 2023. Indeed, Brown, Restrepo and George combined for 204 receptions, 2,771 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Third-year coach Mario Cristobal and his staff have signed back-to-back recruiting classes ranked among the nation’s top 10 by the 247Sports composite , and they also return all-conference defenders in linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and edge rusher Rueben Bain.

When ACC officials disbanded the league’s Coastal and Atlantic divisions prior to last season, Virginia Tech-Miami lost its status as an annual rivalry. In crafting a new, seven-year scheduling model to accommodate this season’s additions of Stanford, Cal and Southern Methodist, the officials corrected their mistake.

On Sept. 27 at Hard Rock Stadium, with a prime-time Friday television audience watching, the decision might well pay immediate dividends.

2024 College Football Playoffs national championship game photos

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