Coach Fuente’s and the university’s athletic department’s ability to integrate the old guard with the new to formulate a winning team from the previous regime’s stock has been impressive. As a result of their early successes the VT fan base has been spoiled to see the football team return to the form they became accustomed to during the late 1990s and the following decade. This immediate level of progress is exciting, but can blind fans to the realities of the situation facing the program. The Virginia Tech Hokies were never a realistic candidate for the 2018-2019 College Football Playoffs.