Virginia Tech Football: 20 Dream Scenarios for 2011

By all accounts, the 2010 season was a success for the Virginia Tech Hokies. They won the ACC, appeared in the Orange Bowl against Stanford and lost but still had an 11-win season. They were undefeated in conference play and had another great season.

Now they must replace Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans; three of their best offensive players. They have to break in a new quarterback, Logan Thomas, who has been highly touted as the "next big thing."

The Hokies can't let a few obstacles stand in their way. They still have plenty of key pieces to make another conference run and possibly more.

Here are 20 dream scenarios for the Virginia Tech football team.

20. David Wilson Picks Up Where Williams and Evans Left off

Last season, David Wilson had a good year when considering that he split time with two other running backs. A dream scenario for the Hokies will be that Wilson will have a huge year just like Ryan Wiliams and Darren Evans had in their first years as starters.

Wilson had 619 yards rushing with five rushing touchdowns. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry as well.

If Wilson can carry the load for the better part of the year, not only will the offense flourish, but new quarterback Logan Thomas will have more time to gain experience and confidence.

19. Jarrett Boykin Emerges as the Top Receiver in the Conference

Last season as a sophomore, Jarrett Boykin had a solid year receiving. He had 847 yards receiving with six touchdowns. He averaged 16 yards per catch as well.

Boykin will have to step up right out of the gate in order for Thomas to be successful at the quarterback position.

Boykin is a big target at 6'2", 213; and if he has the kind of year that the Hokies expect, he could put himself into NFL talks.

18. The Offensive Line Becomes Continues To Dominate

The offensive line, led by tackle Blake DeChristopher is one of the strengths of the team, but they will have some very young starters this season.

Andrew Miller and David Wang will be starting at center and left guard, and both are freshmen.

If Miller and Wang can catch on fast, this unit will again be one of the best in the conference.

A strong offensive line will help with the protection of Logan Thomas as well.

17. Freshman Make an Impact-Defense

The Hokies had a nice recruiting class. Duan Perez-Means, Zack McCray, Justin Taylor and Nic Acree are all expected to not only provide depth on the defensive line, but also to provide playing time and making plays.

Kyle Fuller is etched in to be the starter opposite of Jayron Hosley at the cornerback position and usually Frank Beamer has his freshman ready. This is somewhat of a transition year for the defense so these young freshman will need to be ready to play right away.

16. Freshman Make an Impact-Offense

I've already touched base on the new offensive lineman, but there are other positions on the line. Obviously, Logan Thomas will be the starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, so they may experience some growing pains.

Willie Byrn and E.L. Smiling could see some time at wide receiver as true freshman so the freshman on the offense will need to be ready to make an impact, although most of the positions are help by upper classmen.

15. Virginia Tech Wins Their Season Opener

The last time Virginia Tech won their season opener was in 2007 against East Carolina. That's quite a while for a dominating team like Virginia Tech.

They won't have an easy opponent in 2011 either. Their first game will be against Appalachian State, most known for upsetting Michigan a few years back.

Virginia Tech will have a new face of the team with Logan Thomas leading them, and they will be developing new defensive players, so this isn't an easy game.

Virginia Tech's dream scenario will be to finally break their season-opener losing streak.

14. Virginia Tech Sweeps the ACC Again

Last season was a dream year for the Hokies in the ACC. They didn't lose a single game going 8-0 in conference play.

If history repeats itself, 2011 could have the same result. Virginia Tech has tough contests against Clemson, Miami and North Carolina, but the rest of the schedule is manageable.

The Hokies dream scenario would be to sweep the conference again and return to another BCS bowl.

13. Virginia Tech Faces Florida State in the ACC Championship

There are a couple of reasons why this would be a dream scenario.

One, Florida State is getting so much hype this offseason, what better way to show that Virginia Tech is the real team to beat than in the ACC Championship.

Two, if Florida State is as advertised, this will give Virginia Tech the chance to prove they are a legitimate contender for not just an ACC Championship, but a BCS Championship.

It's a win-win situation for the top two teams to face off in the ACC Championship, and that's why this is a dream scenario for the Hokies.

12. Virginia Tech Leads the Conference in Sacks

Last season, Virginia Tech ended the season with 35 sacks as a defense, seven behind North Carolina State and 13 behind Florida State.

The defensive line will have to replace the 9.5 sacks that Steven Friday had, but Bruce Taylor had six sacks and J.R. Collins had five.

The defensive line will have to get more pressure on the quarterback if they want to match last seasons total, but Collins looks to be ready to take on a bigger role, and Taylor is just a sophomore and will have plenty of opportunities to disrupt opposing offensive backfields.

11. Jayron Hosley Matches His 2010 Interception Total

Last season, Virginia Tech as a defense collected 23 interceptions, second in the nation.

Jayron Hosley was fortunate enough to contribute nine of those interceptions. It's absolutely a dream scenario for any player to match their nine interception performance from a year ago, but it never hurts to dream.

Hosley had a great year in coverage. Anytime a corner has nine interceptions is considered a great year. The real trick will be for Hosley to perform an encore and try to match that number again.

The dream scenario for the team as well as for Hosley will be for him to have the same impact in coverage in 2011 as he did in 2010.

10. Bruce Taylor Emerges as a Top Linebacker in the ACC

Bruce Taylor had a stellar 2010 season as a redshirt freshman. He finished with 91 tackles and six sacks, and he even sat out the ACC Championship game against Florida State.

Taylor is still young, but he's got a knack for being around the ball. He's a big linebacker at 6'2", 246 and packs a punch as well.

If Taylor can be the quarterback of the defense and help them in their transition, this team will be scary good yet again.

9. Cody Journell Replaces Chris Hazley

Chris Hazley had a successful year last season when he made 21-of-22 field goals. He scored 116 points which landed him in the top 20 nationally.

Hazley made 53-of-56 extra points too, so the task for freshman kicker Cody Journell is a large one.

Frank Beamer is known for his special teams play, and Journell will need to step in and be capable of scoring when he needs to. The offense may not be as high-powered as last season, so Journell may be called upon more often than Hazley was.

8. Beamer Ball Gets Back To Being Beamer Ball

Virginia Tech is known for the phrase "Beamer Ball." The phrase was made famous by the way Frank Beamer's special teams determine the outcome of games. Last season, the special teams weren't their usual selves, and the team may have had a chance at playing for a national championship instead of the Orange Bowl.

In the return game, David Wilson did chip in two kick returns for touchdowns, and Jayron Hosley added a punt return touchdown.

Last season against Boise State, the Hokies blocked a kick and a punt, then went on a 12-game drought where they didn't have a single blocked kick or punt.

If "Beamer Ball" shows up in 2011, this team could regain their mojo and be a threat in the special teams game again.

7. The Hokies Start 4-0

Virginia Tech lost it's first two games in 2010, then went on to win every single game except for the Orange Bowl against Stanford. The first couple of games have been the thorn in Virginia Tech's side for the past few years, and they will need to fix that if they have national championship aspirations.

The first four games on the schedule are against Appalachian State, East Carolina, Arkansas State and Marshall. Those four aren't exactly the toughest of opponents, but they aren't easy wins either.

If, however, the Hokies do start out 4-0, they will have plenty of momentum going into conference playmomentum they haven't had in a couple of years.

6. Bud Foster Sticks Around

This may be a dream scenario for 2012, but it's a guarantee that Bud Foster will have his defense ready to go.

Foster has been arguably the best assistant in college football for the past five or six years. He never has big name defensive players, but they always come out and play collectively sound defense. There is no real stand out star, but there's a collection of stars that he molded.

The dream scenario for Virginia Tech is that Foster has yet another successful year leading the defense, and he decides to stay at Virginia Tech, but who could blame him if he takes a head coaching job that he's earned?

5. Logan Thomas Does His Best Tyrod Taylor Impression

Logan Thomas is bigger than Tyrod Taylor. He has a stronger arm too, but can he lead this Hokie team the way that Taylor did?

Taylor never won a national championship, but he always put his team in a position to win. Virginia Tech isn't ready to be in a transition period, they are ready to win right now, and they can't have the quarterback position hold them back.

Logan Thomas is going to have to grow up in a hurry. He needs to progress in the offense and be a big time playmaker, much like the way Taylor was.

The dream scenario for the Hokies will be for Logan Thomas to pick up where Tyrod Taylor left off and to show that this team won't have a drop-off in quarterback talent.

4. Virginia Tech Plays in Another BCS Bowl

Last year, the Hokies won the ACC and played against Stanford in the Orange Bowl. They lost, but they were sill privileged enough to make it there.

They will be expecting to make another BCS bowl again in 2011. Virginia Tech is picked to play in the ACC Championship game, but most college experts have them losing to Florida State. The Hokies will be looking to prove the critics wrong and make it back to a BCS Bowl game.

The dream scenario will be for Virginia Tech to return to a BCS Bowl game.

3. Frank Beamer Wins the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award

Obviously, Frank Beamer probably wants more than this award, and other things will need to fall into place, but the award is a very prestigious one and would be nice to add to his already outstanding resume.

Frank Beamer has had an amazing career. He is still yet to win a national championship, but that isn't out of the question yet.

Beamer has won numerous awards and plenty of conference championships, so hopefully, the award committee can recognize his career and his success.

The dream scenario for Virginia Tech and Frank Beamer is that they have a good enough year for Beamer to win the award.

2. Virginia Tech Win the ACC

Winning the ACC again is a huge dream scenario for the Hokies. They won it last season and will have their sights set on winning it again, but there will be some obstacles.

Florida State is buzzing with hype, they are revamped and ready for an ACC title run; as is North Carolina and Clemson, both on the Hokies scheduled.

Virginia Tech will need to win clutch games in order for this dream scenario to come true, but most importantly, they will need all of the pieces to come together.

1. Virginia Tech Wins the National Championship

This is a dream scenario for every single team in college football. Virginia Tech has been dreaming of this since 2000 when they lost to Florida State in the title game.

Virginia Tech will need everything to come together in order for this to happen. They will need Logan Thomas to play better than he's capable of. They will need other teams to lose, and they will need to win every game.

Virginia Tech isn't exactly a dark horse for the championship game, but they can always surprise as they are prone to do.

Virginia Tech isn't expected to be in this position. The Stanford's and Oregon's and Alabama's are all atop the preseason list as favorites to win the national championship, but that doesn't mean Virginia Tech doesn't have a shot.

The ultimate dream scenario for Virginia Tech in 2011 will be to win the national championship.