/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67038203/usa_today_13727113.0.jpg)
The Big Ten Conference made an announced on Thursday that all schools within the league would play only a conference schedule in the 2020 football season.
Big Ten Statement on 2020-21 Fall Season:https://t.co/KLjc4mA47h
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) July 9, 2020
For the Virginia Tech Hokies, that means no home game with Penn State.
The Hokies were scheduled to host the Nittany Lions on Sept. 12 in a game Tech fans had circled for quite some time.
Now that the Big Ten has announced a conference-only schedule, the Pac-12 is reportedly set to do the same. Of course, the other Power Five conferences, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 will likely follow suit.
Due to the widespread COVID-19 outbreaks at different campuses around college football, with Ohio State and North Carolina being the most recent, this was expected.
Obviously, this is a disappointing blow for the Hokies.
The Penn State game was big for a variety of reasons. One, it was a chance for head coach Justin Fuente to get a signature win under his belt.
Also, the Hokies are expected to be good this fall. And a clash with an elite program such as Penn State, in Blacksburg, was a chance for Virginia Tech to show the nation it was ready to compete on the national stage.
Finally, there is the recruiting aspect of it all. This was a game where the Hokies were expected to host some of their top recruiting targets for both 2021 and 2022.
As we all know, the atmosphere in Lane Stadium for a big game is like no other. Unfortunately, the football team’s performance hasn’t always matched the pregame festivities.