Are we going to have to go through the same nonsense with Notre Dame AT Virginia Tech?

For several months now, we have talked more and more about the 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football schedule as we do that slow ramp up to fall camp. One of the main topics of discussion has been the five game stretch in the middle of the season. It holds all of the tough games for Notre Dame, despite only having one true road game. That one true road game is against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Virginia Tech, if you remember, was supposed to somehow beat Notre Dame when they went to Blacksburg in 2018. Somehow — someway — the unranked Hokies were going to use the electricity made from an entrance 15 minutes before kickoff to take down the #6 Fighting Irish. The lead up to the game annoyed me so much, I wrote a little piece that made me a lot of new friends in the state of Virginia.

The Hokies at that time had not beat a ranked opponent in Blacksburg since 2009. It was a joke to think that whatever magic that place had at night in big games was still there 9 years later.

It’s 2021 now, and we have another trip to Blacksburg coming up this fall. If you think things have changed — they really haven’t. The Hokies finally slayed that ranked opponent in 2019 with a 36-17 win over the 19th ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Yeah, I’m not too impressed either.

Virginia Tech put up a hell of a fight in South Bend against a spiritually wounded Notre Dame team in 2019, and that really should be all that’s needed to talk about during the lead up to the game. I just don’t want to go through the same nonsense as we did in 2018 — because what are we even doing here? Why is this narrative pushed so hard by ESPN and other talking heads? Why is VT being propped up by some ridiculousness that has been beaten up on for a decade?

I don’t have any of the answers — I’m just sick of hearing about it. Can’t wait for another fun night in Blacksburg.