Left tackle Justin Terry and right guard Montavious Cunningham were both out due to injury against Boston College, and Michael Troutman III made his first career start at guard.
That is the thing worth carrying into Friday, because Pat Narduzzi has already told everyone what he thinks decides this game. Previewing Virginia Tech, the Pitt coach said, "Anytime you talk about football, you better win it up front. With the O-line, D-line, it all starts up front," and he named defensive tackles Nick James and Sean FitzSimmons as the strengths Virginia Tech's line will have to handle. Pitt is coming to Lane Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN intending to play the game on exactly the ground where Virginia Tech is thinnest. Virginia Tech beat Boston College 21-14 in Week 4.
The ground game had to do all of it
Boston College's defense held Virginia Tech to two field goals through three quarters before the fourth-quarter touchdowns, and Virginia Tech's edge in total yards was 370 to 261. And the passing game could not bail anyone out. Ethan Grunkemeyer went 22 of 35 for 147 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, and no completion traveled farther than 16 yards into 40 mph winds. Fans should not read that as a step backward in his development. The weather, not a pass rush, flattened it. It does mean the last thing we saw from this offense was a ground game carrying everything, which is the part Pitt says it intends to take away.
James Franklin, in his first season after Virginia Tech hired him on November 17, 2025, described the whole thing about the way you'd want him to. He called it "gutsy" and said "there's part of me that's going to say this wasn't the prettiest win, but there's part of me that says it was as pretty as it gets." That is a coach grading effort, not execution.
Why the stakes feel bigger than the numbers
Virginia Tech is a 35% home underdog by the model, which is about right for a program that finished 3-9 a year ago and was picked eighth in the ACC. Winning moves the ACC Championship Game odds to roughly 2%; losing puts them at roughly 0.2%. Neither branch is a season. Tiny numbers.
The schedule is the real argument. Virginia Tech's first nine-game ACC slate sends it to California, Clemson, SMU and Miami, with the bye falling between the Clemson and SMU trips. Home dates against teams in Pitt's class are not coming back around. If the Hokies are going to bank a conference win they can point to, this is the Friday.
What to watch when the ball is snapped
Watch the interior.
Two other things, quietly. Virginia Tech was flagged four times for 45 yards at Boston College, though linebacker Kaleb Spencer was ejected for targeting with 6:45 remaining.
And whatever happens early, this team has shown it doesn't fold. It trailed Boston College 14-6 in the fourth quarter and scored 15 unanswered. Before that, it answered the Old Dominion team that beat it 45-26 in 2025 by leading 17-3 after one quarter and 34-6 at halftime. If Pitt's front wins the first half, the response is worth staying for.
The interactive guide has the week's numbers, and the methodology explains where they come from.