This week’s Bill Connelly SP+ rankings have the Hokies in the top 25 for the first time in 2024.
SP+ ranked the Hokies highly until an upset loss to Vanderbilt dropped them to 51st place. Since then, Virginia Tech has rocketed up the rankings every week, and the Fighting Gobblers are currently in the top 25, according to SP+.
Georgia Tech isn’t rated very highly. The Yellow Jackets may be without quarterback Haynes King, and even with him, the Jackets are rated as the 48th best team in Bill Connelly’s SP+.
So how does SP+’s prediction system determine the final score between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech?
The Hokies were given a 69% chance to win, with a projected final score of 33-25.
Virginia Tech will play Georgia Tech on Saturday on the ACC Network in the 20th game between the two schools.
What exactly is SP+? Connery himself describes it this way:
“As always, these are based on three key factors: production returns (final rankings are at the end of this article), recent hiring, and recent history. What do you think? Who’s coming back? A good rule of thumb when setting expectations for a team is to ask how good a player will be in place of a player who isn’t coming back. That’s also what I’m trying to do.
As always: SP+ is a measure of college football efficiency adjusted by tempo and opponent. This is a measure that predicts the most sustainable and predictable aspect of football, not a resume ranking. Similarly, these predictions are not intended to speculate on what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the day. That year. These are just early offseason power rankings based on the information we’ve been able to gather to date. ”
Additional links:
Virginia Tech Football: 3 keys to victory for Hokies vs. Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies announce uniform combination for matchup against Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech football: Georgia Tech’s Brent Key compares Hokies QB Kyron Draughn to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts