My own personal viewpoint is that VT might bottom out this year under Fuente. A lot of Beamer-recruited talent has left the program in the last two years, and Fuente's guys are still pretty young.

(The one exception is DT, which is reaching alarm status for me, and there's no help on the near horizon. It won't bottom out this year but could get dicey for the next few years after that.)

If VT gets blown out by both ND and Miami at home, that's a bad look and won't sit well, especially the Miami component, and ESPECIALLY if the Canes win the Coastal for the second year in a row.

If the Hokies lose both games close, .... eh, not great, but you can argue that VT is still growing and maturing.

If ND and Miami both wind up being 6-6 or 7-5 teams, losing to both of them will not be taken well, regardless of the margin.

I really think the pressure starts to ratchet up with the 2019 season and peaks with the 2020 season. Those are the seasons the fans will be watching closely, and saying, "Those are all Fuente's guys."