The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Their home games are played at Lane Stadium, located in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a seating capacity of over 65,000 fans.

[5] The program has also claimed eleven conference titles (3 South Atlantic, 1 Southern, 3 Big East, and 4 ACC) and produced eight Consensus All-Americans.

Though many hoped for recently departed Maryland coach Bobby Ross, athletic director Dutch Baughman turned to Frank Beamer, a Hokie alumnus and defensive back from 1966 to 1968.

Beamer had worked his way up the assistant coaching ladder since his 1969 graduation before spending six seasons in the head job at Murray State.

Virginia Tech's most successful football season was in 1999 under the guidance of redshirt freshman quarterback, Michael Vick.

Vick led a desperate last minute drive that culminated in a dramatic Shayne Graham game-winning field goal.

3 Miami in early November, in a game in which Michael Vick was limited because of an injury, cost them a trip to the Orange Bowl.

1 and eventual national champion USC Trojans in the BCA Classic played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.

The regular season ended with the Hokies winning the ACC championship in their first year in the conference and a return to the Sugar Bowl and a match-up with the Auburn Tigers.

Led by senior quarterback Bryan Randall, the Hokies scored 13 points but fell just short of the comeback when the Tigers recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

The Hokies started off the season 8–0, including victories over West Virginia and ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Boston College.

The Hokies again trailed the Seminoles by double digits at halftime, 27–3, but a Vick led comeback brought the score to 27–22 with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter.

Late in the first half, with the Hokies trailing 17–10, Vick was tackled by Cardinals defensive end Elvis Dumervil.

Four days after the game, Virginia Tech officials learned of two misdemeanor charges of speeding and driving on a suspended or revoked driver's license that Vick received on December 17, 2005.

At halftime the Hokies led 21–3, but four second half Glennon turnovers helped the Bulldogs in coming back and winning 31–24.

The Hokies, led by running back Brandon Ore on offense and linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi looked to be in contention for a berth in the National Championship.

The 2007 home opener against the East Carolina Pirates was the subject of College GameDay, and the Hokies prevailed in an emotional, albeit shaky, game 17–7.

In a game that saw Glennon replaced by true freshman quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the Hokies were completely dominated, only managing 149 total yards against the Tigers' 598.

However, Eagles quarterback Matt Ryan spurred a late Boston College comeback, leading two TD drives in the final five minutes for a 14–10 win.

Despite the devastating loss, Virginia Tech rebounded to win the remainder of its regular season games and claim the Coastal Division crown.

[22][23][24] The Lunch Pail Defense Foundation was founded to fund academic scholarships for students from the area near Blacksburg, Virginia.

This time they finished fifth in the Coastal Division, posting a 4–4 conference standing and 6–7 overall record, losing their sole game against a ranked team.

[33] Virginia Tech then ended its 27-year bowl game appearance record – the nation's longest streak at the time – opting to forgo postseason play.

The challenges presented by the pandemic, combined with concerns over Fuente's performance, prompted the surprise announcement a day after a virtual press conference on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, called by Athletic Director Whit Babcock.

[34][35] Virginia Tech kept Fuente at the helm as it began its 2021 season, producing a 4–4 ACC result and third-place finish in the Coastal Division, and a 6–7 overall record.

The two teams have played annually since 1992, and the rivalry developed when the Hokies became a member of the Big East Conference for football in 1991.

Over the years, the rivalry has become a significant annual matchup in the ACC, specifically when both teams are in both regularly in the AP Top 25 and the race for the Coastal Division championship.

Although the Eagles defeated the Hokies in both the regular seasons those two years, Virginia Tech won the 2007 and 2008 ACC Championship Game played between the two schools.

[47] For the 2023 season, the ACC implemented a 3–5–5 scheduling system, with Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Wake Forest serving as the three teams played every year in a home-and-home basis.