# 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

The 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Hokies were led by 24th-year head coach Frank Beamer and played their home games at Lane Stadium. They were champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference after winning the Coastal Division and defeating Florida State 44–33 in the 2010 ACC Championship Game.
The 2010 Hokies were only the second-ever team ranked in the AP Poll to lose to a FCS opponent (James Madison). (The other ranked team to lose to a FCS team is #5 Michigan in 2007 to Appalachian State.) The loss was the team's second in six days, as it also lost to then #3 ranked Boise State at FedExField in Landover, MD in a nationally televised Monday night contest.
After the JMU loss, Tech reeled off ten straight wins and became the first team to go undefeated in ACC play since Florida State in 2000. It finished its regular season with a 10–2 record and now holds the longest streak of ten-win seasons in the NCAA with seven. Tech played Stanford in the Discover Orange Bowl after they beat Florida State 44–33 in the 2010 ACC Championship Game. They lost to Stanford by a score of 40–12.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 6 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 3 Boise State* | No. 10 | FedExFieldLandover, MD (Allstate Kickoff in the Capital) | ESPN/ESPN 3D Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox/Joe Tessitore, Tim Brown, Ray Bentley | L 30–33 | 86,587 |
| September 11 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 12 (FCS) James Madison* | No. 13 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ESPN3 Dave Weekley, Drew Henson | L 16–21 | 66,233 |
| September 18 | 1:30 p.m. | East Carolina* | | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ESPN3 Ryan Rose, John Gregory, Angela Mallen | W 49–27 | 66,233 |
| September 25 | 12:00 p.m. | at Boston College | | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA (rivalry) | ACCN Steve Martin, Dave Archer, Mike Hogewood | W 19–0 | 42,317 |
| October 2 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 23 NC State | | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ABC Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham | W 41–30 | 58,083 |
| October 9 | 12:00 p.m. | Central Michigan* | | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ESPNU Rob Stone, David Pollack | W 45–21 | 66,233 |
| October 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest | | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ESPNU Pam Ward, Danny Kanell | W 52–21 | 66,233 |
| October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Duke | No. 23 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ACCN Steve Martin, Dave Archer, Mike Hogewood | W 44–7 | 66,233 |
| November 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech | No. 20 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (Battle of the Techs) | ESPN Rece Davis, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Jenn Brown | W 28–21 | 66,233 |
| November 13 | 3:30 p.m. | at North Carolina | No. 16 | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ABC/ESPN Mark Neely, JC Pearson | W 26–10 | 60,000 |
| November 20 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 24 Miami (FL) | No. 14 | Sun Life StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (rivalry) | ESPN Pam Ward, Danny Kanell, Jessica Mendoza | W 31–17 | 40,101 |
| November 27 | 12:00 p.m. | Virginia | No. 13 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (rivalry) | ACCN Tim Brant, Dave Archer, Mike Hogewood | W 37–7 | 66,233 |
| December 4 | 7:45 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Florida State | No. 12 | Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (ACC Championship Game) | ESPN/ESPN 3D Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Heather Cox/Joe Tessitore, Tim Brown, Ray Bentley | W 44–33 | 72,379 |
| January 3, 2011 | 8:30 p.m. | vs. No. 5 Stanford* | No. 12 | Sun Life StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl, College GameDay) | ESPN/ESPN Radio Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden, Michele Tafoya/Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe Schad | L 12–40 | 65,453 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 13 | — | — | — | RV | RV | 23 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
| Coaches | 6 | 13 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 15 |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | RV | 23 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 25 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | Not released |

## Flyovers

Virginia Tech home games have featured flyovers by military aircraft.
| Date | Opponent | aircraft | origin | comments |
| September 11 | James Madison | Boeing C-17 Globemaster III | Altus Air Force Base | air crew included 2 Virginia Tech alumni |
| September 18 | East Carolina | Bell AH-1 SuperCobra helicopters | Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 775 | led by 1987 Virginia Tech alumni |
| October 5 | Central Michigan | E-2C Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound | Naval Station Norfolk | air crew included 2 Virginia Tech alumni |
| October 16 | Wake Forest | North American B-25 Mitchell | Tri-State Warbird Museum | arranged by Virginia Tech alumnus and World War II pilot Stanley Cohen |