Virginia Tech is currently one of the most underproducing teams in the country. The Hokies are 5-5, with no way to surpass their preseason win total of 8.5.

The Hokies simply underperformed. Whether it was the 2-2 non-conference record, the 0-4 record in one-score games, or the demoralizing loss to Clemson; the season just didn’t go the Hokies’ way this year.

Virginia Tech hasn’t had much success passing the ball as Kyron Drones has only thrown for over 200 yards twice this season, once against Stanford (201) and once against Vanderbilt (322). No Virginia Tech receiver has crossed the 500-yard line in receiving yards, and many wide receivers have underperformed. Every week, it seems, a wide receiver has the lowest PFF grade or is generally near the bottom.

Something needs to change for the Hokies, and it needs to happen quickly. A team simply can’t compete if it can’t pass the ball.

Today, the Hokies are in arguably their worst position of the year. The Hokies have won three straight games midway through the season, but they now face a two-game losing streak without being bowl eligible.

Virginia Tech will need to beat Duke on the road or Virginia in a rivalry game to become bowl eligible. ESPN’s FPI gives the Hokies a 57.7% chance of beating Duke on the road and a 76.2% chance of beating Virginia, which is no guarantee.

Obviously the team’s focus is on Duke right now, as they have a bye week before facing the seven-win Blue Devils, but Brent Pry’s biggest game has to be the Commonwealth Clash for a few reasons . Reason one, Virginia Tech has not lost a Commonwealth Clash game this century, and the Hokie program prides itself on its dominance in the rivalry. The second reason, anything can happen in ACC play, and Duke is probably a better team than Virginia. If Duke can shock Virginia Tech, Virginia is the only opponent on the path to a bowl game.

Virginia Tech can’t sleep during the final weeks of the season, and missing a bowl game is a real possibility.

Related stories:

Virginia Tech Football: PFF grades and snaps count for every player in yesterday’s loss to No. 23 Clemson

The Recap: Hokies’ offensive woes lead to double-digit loss to Clemson

Virginia Tech Football: 5 takeaways from Hokies’ loss to Clemson