From the Sidelines
Marty Gordon
The year 2023 has come to a screeching halt with the top headline being a bowl win by Virginia Tech. Thus, the New Year will keep the Hokies football program at the top the list.
Let’s be honest, there is plenty of optimism to what is happening in Blacksburg. Brent Pry has the team doing a 180 degrees and trending in the right direction. The Hokies had gotten used to winning eight-plus games every year during the Frank Beamer era. When that changed, fans got a little harder to live with.
The Year 2024 should bring Pry and the Hokies at least an eight-win season. If the chips fall like they could, then they could win the ninth one in the third year of the Pry era.
Other predictions to look forward to in the New Year:
The L.A. Dodgers will not win the World Series despite the fact they are going to pass the Yankees in a payroll loaded with too much talent.
The new 12-team college football playoff will cause more problems than everyone expected with as many as four SEC teams being including in the first year.
Both Blacksburg and Auburn high school’s football teams will win their first five games of the season to create a lot of buzz. 5-0 sounds great for these two schools that have found it difficult to find wins the past three years.
Radford University’s men’s basketball team will win two games in the NCAA tournament.
The next Cornhole National Champion will be from southwest Virginia.
Auburn High School will win both the baseball and softball state championships.
Alabama and Florida State will be declared co-national champions after January games.
The Super Bowl will be between the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions with the Ravens taking the win.
A major soccer tournament will be held in Christiansburg with over 1,000 people from around the world in attendance.
The Harlem Globetrotters will make a comeback with a stop in Salem.
Another 10 football bowl games will be added to the overall schedule with at least four being held outside the United States and a discussion will take place to pay players to participate in the bowl games themselves.
Flag football will become one of the most popular sports leading into the Olympics.
The USA men’s soccer team will post a winning record and finally take the next step on the national stage.
Major League Baseball will announce plans for spring training in several countries other than the United States.
Tiger Woods will finally win another golf major.
Remember most of these predictions are just a guess with some knowledge of sports. Hopefully, they have taken your mind off the everyday activities of life for at least a moment. Enjoy sports in the New Year.
