For college football fans, few moments rival the excitement of the College GameDay finale when Lee Corso dons a team’s mascot headgear to make his pick. This iconic moment has become a weekly tradition for fans across the country. But for Virginia Tech supporters, Corso’s history with the Hokies’ headgear picks serves as a painful reminder of how far the program has fallen.
Back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Virginia Tech football was a powerhouse in the ACC, with perennial appearances in major bowl games and consistent top-25 rankings. The Hokies were a fixture on GameDay, and when Corso picked their headgear, it often signaled a sense of pride and expectation. It wasn’t just about the game—it was about the significance of the Hokies as a top-tier program.
However, as the years have passed, the once-proud Virginia Tech program has seen a gradual but unmistakable decline. In recent seasons, Corso’s headgear picks have become increasingly infrequent, and when they do appear, they often highlight the gulf between Virginia Tech and the college football elite.
During the peak years of the program, Corso often picked Virginia Tech, signaling their relevance in college football’s national landscape. But now, with the Hokies struggling to reclaim their former glory, their appearances on GameDay are fewer, and Corso’s headgear has largely been absent from the broadcast, underscoring how far the program has fallen from its former heights.
The Hokies’ decline isn’t just reflected in their loss of national prominence; it’s also evident in their recruiting, bowl game appearances, and overall performance. The program, once led by legendary coach Frank Beamer, has struggled to find consistency and success in the post-Beamer era, and GameDay’s changing attitude toward Virginia Tech’s headgear picks is a microcosm of that larger shift.
For Hokies fans, it’s a tough pill to swallow—what was once a regular symbol of national relevance now serves as a reminder of what has been lost. While Virginia Tech may still have moments of brilliance, the days when they could be counted on for big GameDay moments and Corso’s headgear picks feel like a distant memory.
If the Hokies want to turn the tide, they’ll need to rebuild their program to reclaim the relevance that once made their headgear pick a staple of college football Saturdays.