CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

1997 Virginia Tech

7–⁠5 (5–⁠2 Big East), coached by Frank Beamer.

Schedule and results

Virginia Tech in 1997, game by game: won at Rutgers 59–19; won vs. Syracuse 31–3; won at Temple 23–13; won vs. Arkansas State 50–0; lost vs. Miami (OH) 17–24; won vs. Boston College 17–7; lost at No. 21 West Virginia 17–30; won vs. UAB 37–0; won vs. Miami 27–25; lost at Pittsburgh 23–30; lost at Virginia 20–34; lost vs. No. 7 North Carolina 3–42+50−39Won 59–19 at Rutgers+40RutgersWon 31–3 vs. Syracuse+28SyracuseWon 23–13 at Temple+10TempleWon 50–0 vs. Arkansas State+50Arkansas StateLost 17–24 vs. Miami (OH)-7Miami (OH)Won 17–7 vs. Boston College+10Boston CollegeLost 17–30 at No. 21 West Virginia-13No. 21 West VirginiaWon 37–0 vs. UAB+37UABWon 27–25 vs. Miami+2MiamiLost 23–30 at Pittsburgh-7PittsburghLost 20–34 at Virginia-14VirginiaLost 3–42 vs. No. 7 North Carolina-39No. 7 North Carolina
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30atRutgersW 59–⁠1976%
Sep 13vsSyracuseW 31–⁠362%
Sep 20atTempleW 23–⁠1383%
Sep 27vsArkansas StateW 50–⁠091%
Oct 4vsMiami (OH)L 17–⁠2473%
Oct 11vsBoston CollegeW 17–⁠786%
Oct 25at21West VirginiaL 17–⁠3051%
Nov 1vsUABW 37–⁠086%
Nov 8vsMiamiW 27–⁠2570%
Nov 22atPittsburghL 23–⁠3072%
Nov 29atVirginiaL 20–⁠3451%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs7North CarolinaGator BowlL 3–⁠4234%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to North Carolina 42–⁠3 in the Gator Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 2nd in the Big East.

In program history: The 40th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 123 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 4: 22
  2. Wk 5: 18
  3. Wk 6: 14
  4. Wk 7: 14
  5. Wk 8: 23
  6. Wk 9: 22
  7. Wk 10: 19
  8. Wk 11: 23
  9. Wk 12: 20
  10. Wk 13: 19
  11. Wk 14: 19

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1997.

Record
7–⁠5
Conference
5–⁠2 2nd in Big East
AP final
Unranked peak No. 14
Points
324–⁠227
Coach
Frank Beamer
Elo
1578 −69 this season
SP+ rating
4.4 No. 51 of 112; offense No. 65, defense No. 40
SRS
1.9 No. 53 of 112 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
—
Offensive coordinator
Rickey Bustle
Defensive coordinator
Bud Foster
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠4

Drafted in 1998

The 1998 draft
Rd 4Todd Washington CTampa Bay Buccaneers
Rd 4Gennaro DiNapoli OGOakland Raiders
Rd 7Ken Oxendine RBAtlanta Falcons
Rd 7Marcus Parker RBCincinnati Bengals

All-Big East

6 first team, 3 second team

First team

Second team

From Wikipedia’s 1997 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).

1997 Big East standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Syracuse6–⁠19–⁠421
Virginia Tech5–⁠27–⁠5
West Virginia4–⁠37–⁠5
Pittsburgh4–⁠36–⁠6
Miami3–⁠45–⁠6
Boston College3–⁠44–⁠7
Temple3–⁠43–⁠8
Rutgers0–⁠70–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.