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Hokies Ranked No. 6 by Coaches, No. 8 by Sportswriters

There were very few losses by Top 10 teams in the month of September, giving the Hokies little chance to move up in the rankings. But despite a quiet weekend on the upset front last Saturday, Tech still snuck up one more spot on the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, from #7 to #6.

At first glance, it might be annoying to Hokie fans that Tech is "only" #8 in the AP poll, but a closer look at the two polls reveals a logjam at the 6-8 positions in each poll, with very few points separating the teams in the 6-8 slots:

You can see that from a points standpoint, it's almost a tie for the 6-8 slots in both polls between VT, Tennessee, and Oregon -- in the coaches' poll in particular.

The potential for movement next weekend is there. This coming weekend, Texas plays at home against #3 Oklahoma, Tennessee plays at home against unranked Georgia (2-1), Oregon plays at unranked Arizona (3-1), and UCLA has a bye week.

Hokie Defense is #1 All Over

Just as expected, the Hokies dominated their September slate, and Tech's tough, experienced defense is leading the charge. Tech has risen to the top of the national charts in the following defensive categories:

• Total Defense: #1, 175.5 yards per game
• Scoring Defense: #1, 6.0 points per game
• Rushing Defense: #1, 41.0 yards per game

Boston College Game Time Set for 6:30

In a move welcomed by Hokie fans weary of noon tailgates, it was announced by Virginia Tech that the kickoff time for the Oct. 13th game with Boston College is slated for 6:30. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

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