Why 2016 Will Be Interesting For The Hokes

No more Frank Beamer.  Insert Justin Fuente.  That change, and the subsequent changes that have come afterward, including a recruiting class and loss of Torian Grey that few saw coming, has lead to a fan base that genuinely doesn't know what to expect next season.  If you are here for definite answers, you have come to the wrong place, but if you are looking for realistic possibilities, then let's read the tarot cards and see what Miss Cleo has in store.

Scenario number one, the Hokies are really good. (10 plus wins)

This is the most hopeful scenario and one that is hard to see playing out.  It would take not only picking a quarterback very quickly, which might well be possible, but also having him be "ready for primetime" in every way possible, which is quite unlikely.  Coach Foster would need to have one of his best coaching seasons ever and players like Andrew Motuapuaka would have to become All-Conference type football players.  The defense wouldn't need to play great, but the would need to cause the number of turnovers that the U of Florida did last season and that is a tough road to hoe.  The realistic part would be seeing Ford become one of the best wideouts in college, which I think most of us look as his progression going forward.  Finally, and arguably most importantly, this team would have to do the one thing that has most alluded them in the last few years, stay healthy.  There is no way this team gets to 10 plus wins without that.  There isn't enough depth at key positions and let's face it, the talent outside the first-team at almost every position is a concern and will be all year long.

Scenario number two.  The Hokies are a decent team (7-9 wins)

If you did a poll today, and there will be one at the end of the story, I bet most fans would have us here.  Good season, not great.  Decent number of injuries, but not a rash of them.  A really nice win or two, but a smh loss in there as well.  A defense that has seen better days, but plays well together and has a few standout performances.  And an offense that isn't lighting the world on fire, but one most fans would see as an improvement.  This would be considered a good season and a stepping stone for the future.  But then there is one more possibility...

Scenario three.  The Hokies suck (6 wins or fewer)

This is the nightmare, but more realistic than 10  plus wins.  The reason for this is that change always has uncertainty and that uncertainty often times brings with it a host of problems that cannot easily be anticipated.  In this scenario there is a quarterback carousel.  Interceptions happen as often as injures and the team cannot find it's identity to save it's life, or season.  As in the last few years, the Hokies are struggling to make a bowl, but by the end, most fans don't really care.  Unlike the last few years though, there is no desire for a new coach, just a small clamoring to bring back Beamer.  Bud Foster probably leaves, which may happen no matter what happens this year, and fans are left with uncertainty rather than hope.

So where does this all leave us?  We are left with more questions than answers.  We are left with hope, but no certainty.  We are left wondering "what's next?". Well that's easy...Spring Game anyone?