Chowder and Grits: The Podcast for Virginia Tech & ACC Sports

MTSU Recap, West Virginia Preview & Week 3 ACC Picks

The Hokies move to 2-0, even though it wasn’t the sharpest of victories against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Justin and Tim recap all of the action from week 2, and discuss what went right and wrong for Virginia Tech and how they can build off of that performance in the coming weeks. Also discussed is James Mitchell’s season ending knee injury and how they can fill that void on offense. They also jump around the ACC and look at some of the leagues biggest games, injuries and more.

Justin and Tim preview Virginia Tech’s week 3 match-up against West Virginia, which used to be one of the more heated rivalries in college football. They discuss the keys to the game for the Hokies to come out on top, why they think Vegas has them as an underground, and take a look at West Virginia’s track record to start off the 2021 season. They also bring you their week 3 picks in the betting lines segment, featuring the top 6 games in the ACC and two wildcard match-ups to keep an eye on.

All that and more on this week’s episode of Chowder and Grits – The Podcast for Virginia Tech and ACC Sports!

Hokies Take Down #10 UNC in the Terror Dome, Previewing Middle Tennessee, Plus Week 2 ACC Football Picks

The Hokies reeled off a huge win against 10th ranked North Carolina to open the season in front of one of the more electric crowds in Lane Stadium’s history. Justin and Tim recap all of the action from the pivotal ACC week 1 action. They also go around the ACC to look at how the rest of the conference fared, which unfortunately wasn’t great. The three ranked teams to open the season all lost, and there were a couple more embarrassing losses. They discuss what’s next for the conference and how they can recover.

Justin and Tim also preview Virginia Tech’s week 2 match-up against Middle Tennessee State University and discuss the keys to the game for the Hokies to come out on top. They also bring you their week 2 picks in the betting lines segment, featuring the top 6 games in the ACC and two wildcard match-ups to keep an eye on.

All that and more on this week’s episode of Chowder and Grits - The Podcast for Virginia Tech and ACC Sports!

Virginia Tech Football 2021 Predictions, UNC Preview, Week 1 ACC Picks

Week one of the college football season is here, and we have a full slate of drama across the ACC. That includes a huge ACC Coastal Division matchup between North Carolina and Virginia Tech. These two programs appear to be heading in different directions, but Justin Fuente has a big opportunity to turn the heat down on the moderately hot coaching seat he finds himself sitting in.

The guys take a look at the keys to the game for the Hokies and the Tar Heels, and discuss what it will take for the Hokies to pull the upset at home. They also bring you their predictions for their season, including record predictions, offensive and defensive breakout candidates, and what to watch for in year six of the Fuente era.

To wrap up the episode, Justin and Tim bring you their ACC Week 1 picks for the North Carolina-Virginia Tech match-up, as well as Georgia-Clemson, Alabama-Miami, Notre Dame-FSU, an ACC Wild Card pick, and their random pick of the week.

ACC Football Coastal Division Preview: Will The Chaos Continue in 2021

It’s that time of year again where we preview every team in the ACC Coastal, which is always filled with chaos. North Carolina has the most hype heading into the season, which is warranted. But, can they live up to expectations? That's the big question for Carolina fans, coming off an 8-4 season with a slew of holes left by offensive skill position players that now play in the NFL. Sam Howell has a lot riding on his shoulders, but the talent to get the Tar Heels to Charlotte.

Miami is the second most thought of team in the conference, and as long as D'Eriq King is playing quarterback at a high-level, you have to love the Canes' chances. However, there are a number of questions about how this Miami team can hold up on the defensive side of the football. The Miami offense will have to be on-point all season long to find themselves in the ACC's top game.

Then you have tier two of the conference with Virginia Tech, Pitt, and Virginia looking to steal the coastal division, or at least to make the race as interesting as possible along the way. All three of these teams have question marks of some kind, whether that be personnel, coaching, scheme changes, etc. However, all three of these teams are capable of beating just about every team on their schedule. This is where coastal chaos takes lives. If these three teams can win against the likes of UNC and Miami, it's a five team race in the coastal for a seventh consecutive year.

Rounding out the division is Georgia Tech and Duke. Each team is essentially rebuilding and have some nice pieces here and there that we discuss, but, for the most part, way too many questions or personnel challenges in keys area. Both teams happen to be very weak at offensive line, but if they can outperform expectations with this group, Duke or Georgia Tech should at least be able to hold their own in a handful of conference games.

ACC Atlantic and Notre Dame Football 2021 Preview

It's that time of year again where we preview every team in the ACC, plus Notre Dame. For this episode, we're focused on the ACC Atlantic. Of course, Clemson has dominated the Atlantic and the ACC since 2016, but there are a number of huge departures for the Tigers on offense this season. 

NC State is primed and ready to contend, returning 18 starters and bringing back a healthy Devin Leary at quarterback. If there's a window of opportunity that's open, it's in Raileigh. Wake Forest and Boston College figure to be firmly in the mix and should be tough outs for any team in the conference. Then there are the bottom three. 

We look at the challenges ahead for Lousiville and how they plan to fill the holes left by three stud playmakers on offense. Can Florida State begin to take a step forward in a positive direction in year 2 under Mike Norvell? And we discuss the abysmal situation that is Syracuse football and why we expect this to be Dino Babers final season manning the orange.

Then there's Notre Dame. Brian Kelly is four wins away from passing Knute Rockne as the winning-est coach in school history. However, there's a very new look to the offense with Jack Coan at quarterback with the graduation of Ian Book. There are also four new offensive lineman in what appears to be a run-first offense, and some key departures on defense that will be difficult to replace.

It's an episode you won't want to miss as we are rapidly approaching the start to the 2021 college football season!

Virginia Tech Defensive Breakdown, Position by Position

It’s that time of year; the time of year to take a look at who the Virginia Tech Hokies have lining up on the first and second team units. For this episode, we focus on the defense. We go in-depth on the defensive tackle and defensive end positions and look at some key departures and arrivals. We break down the very thin linebacker room, and discuss why it could be an issue as the season wares on. There’s a ton of talent and depth in the secondary, which is the strength of the Hokies defense. There is a strong core group of starters when it comes to the Virginia Tech defense. However, depth is a major concern. Will this group improve from last season? We think so, and we discuss to what extent. 

Virginia Tech Offensive Breakdown, Position by Position

It's that time of year; the time of year to take a look at who the Virginia Tech Hokies have lining up on the first and second team units. For this episode, we focus on the offense. We go in-depth on the quarterback position and look at  Braxton Burmeister's career and 2021 expectations. We break down the very crowded running back room, and who we think will emerge as the starter. There's a ton of talent at wide receiver, but is this group ready to breakout and exceed expectations? The offensive line has talent and experience, but a question mark at right tackle. And the best offensive player for the Hokies sits in the tight end room. There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Virginia Tech offense, but there are also a lot of questions.  

For Better or Worse? What NIL and Conference Expansion, Thanks to Texas and Oklahoma's move to the SEC, Means for College Football

It's been a while since we've heard any real chatter around mega conferences and college football expansion talk, and then Oklahoma and Texas dropped a bomb during the Big 12 2021 kickoff celebration. The bomb, of course, was Texas and OU informing the Big 12 that they were dropping out of the conference and headed to the SEC. Can the Big 12 Conference survive, and if it does will it be worth a Power 5 designation? We discuss, along with some other hypothetical discussions of what expansion could look like for the other Power 5 conferences, and how the ACC needs to leverage this into a new TV deal to remain competitive, or else they may be the next conference to dissolve.

We also discuss NIL (name, image, likeness) and how it will impact college football. Will the rich get richer or will this cause blue chip recruits, the ones most likely to benefit from NIL, to head to programs where they can shine brighter, for longer. 

Recapping All The Action Around Virginia Tech Football's Off-season

It’s been a minute since our last episode, but we’re back and ready for the season. To kick us off for the 2021 podcast season, we recap all of the happenings around the Virginia Tech off-season, which are highlighted below.

Bowl Streak Comes to an End

Justin and Tim disagree on the impact this had for the program, but ,at the end of the day, the nation’s longest bowl streak is no more.

December Press conference hosted by Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock

It was one of the more odd presser’s you’ll ever see. Basically, Babcock announcing that Virginia Tech football coach Justin Fuente would be returning for his sixth season; a season in which he’d expect a moderate improvement. We discuss the odd dynamic around the press conference and why we felt it was unnecessary at the end of the day.

Coaching Changes

There were a few notable coaching changes on the staff that we discuss. Linebackers coach Tracy Claes retired and Darryl Tapp jetted off to be the San Francisco 49ers assistant defensive line coach. However, they were replaced with two former Hokies, Jack Tyler and J.C. Price. Jon Tenuta also joined the staff as a defensive analyst.

We also discuss:

• No spring game, which can be added to the list of missed marketing opportunities for the Virginia Tech football program
• The transfer portal and why we shouldn’t hold this against Fuente and the VT coaching staff, as it is now part of college football whether you like or not.
• Early NFL Departures: The Hokies had 4 draft selections, including back-to-back picks in the first round
• Injury that effects wide receiver depth
• Devon Hunter Return
• Recruiting Momentum: The Hokies currently rank 15^th in recruiting, per 247. We discuss how they’ve been able to turn the tide and why it’s great to see Fuente re-direct focus on what turned Virginia Tech football into a winner.

Hokies Fall to Miami, ACC Football 2020 Week 11 Recap, Pitt Preview & Week 12 Picks

On the latest episode of Chowder and Grits, Justin and Tim recap the Miami game and what happened to the offense over the Hokies last five possessions. They also preview the upcoming game against Pittsburgh, recap week 11 in the ACC and bring you their picks for week 12.