Real Comparisons: Virginia Tech and Virginia

This is an intriguing matchup on here because they are rivals. And also, these two will eventually meet up later in the season. I do have a bias to one of these teams, but I will let the stats speak for themselves in how this goes. Virginia has had a great season, in their fashion, with a record of (6-3) currently. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has slumped back to their mid-2010 days with a record of  (4-4). 

Both teams are in the Atlantic Coast Conference and have been regarded as traditional programs. In addition to that, both are under the impression of new head coaches coming in three years ago with Justin Fuente (Virginia Tech) and Bronco Mendenhall (Virginia). Virginia Tech, however, is playing unlike their record and some might argue that Virginia has been overranked. Let’s see what the numbers say.

These numbers can either be taken with a great deal of importance or just blown off. Virginia Tech ends up taking a staggering five of the seven categories. This would further prove my view on the actual play being produced by these teams. This doesn’t mean Virginia is a horrible team, obviously with their (6-3) record you cannot deny that they have played great. It is more so the logistics of how they attained those records and how they performed in those situations.

When looking at the stats, we can see that Virginia Tech has played, on average, a harder slate of teams with their opponent winning percentage sitting at (.528). Also, there is a further emphasis onto what the offense and defenses produce during their games. Virginia gives up less yards a game than Virginia Tech and it is a marginal difference. But, Virginia Tech attains more yards on average than Virginia does in a game. Does offensive productivity balance or outweigh a better defense?

Another thing I took away from these stats were the consistency of these teams. It is plain to see that Virginia will go out and play more consistently than Virginia Tech. This is prevalent in their average loss margin (9.3) and win margin (15.7). When Virginia goes out on the field Saturday, you know what team you will get. However, Virginia Tech’s stats spew out a sense of strong inconsistency. This is seen more specifically in their average loss margin (16.8) and average win margin (21.5). Essentially, Virginia is playing a more rounded game than Virginia Tech.

To wrap it all up there are a view points to be made. Virginia Tech is better than their record implies with huge spikes of inconsistency tainting their season. Virginia is a good, well-rounded team that can go out and give you exactly what you want. We still don’t know which one is better, until we get to Blacksburg on November 23rd. And who do I think will get the edge? It all depends what Virginia Tech team shows up: The Duke/Florida State one or the Georgia Tech/Old Dominion one.

Photo Credits: Evan Norris