I say Hokies win a very close game against Pitt. Could really go either way but we squeak out a win. And with that, earn an AP Top 25 ranking moving to 5-0.
What say you, Hokie fam. How are we feeling?
With another gritty road win at Boston College to move to 4-0, the Hokies are officially flying under the radar no longer. If you watched this team play or looked past just the preseason narratives, it’s clear: Virginia Tech is legit and belongs in the Top 25.
Here is why the AP poll needs to have us ranked on Sunday:
The Resume is Clean: 4-0 is 4-0, and unlike a lot of teams padding their records against total cupcakes, the Hokies just went on the road for the second week in a row in a hostile conference environment and secured a tough win.
Tested in the Elements (literally): Playing through a nasty nor'easter with pouring rain and heavy wind gusts, this team proved they can handle adverse conditions, avoid catastrophic mistakes, and execute when games get ugly.
Balanced and Physical: They are winning the line of scrimmage, establishing the run, and playing complementary football when it matters most.
Being right on the doorstep and picking up votes is fine, but a 4-0 start with a solid road conference win in brutal weather demands respect. Stop sleeping on Blacksburg and give Coach Franklin his due.
Where are you ranking the Hokies this week?
25. Virginia Tech (NR): Beating Maryland on the road finally gives James Franklin his first power conference win as Virginia Tech's coach, and the shake-up on the edge of the top 25 paves the way for the Hokies to potentially return to the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since September 2021.
Sorry for the heading UVA fans, but this Hokie team is legit. Going on the road into College Park and dominating every single facet of the game from the opening whistle is the exact kind of statement win that completely alters the trajectory of a season. Let's Go!
I’m curious to hear from those of you who leased a 2023 or 2024 Solterra and have either recently reached the end of your lease or are approaching it.
Did you:
- Buy out the lease at the contractual residual?
- Negotiate a lower purchase price?
- Return the Solterra and move on to something else?
- Lease another EV/Solterra?
- Or find that the car’s actual market value was significantly different from the residual?
I have a 2025 Solterra Touring on a 36-month lease, and my residual is around $29K. I’m currently under 10K miles, so I expect to have relatively low mileage at lease end.
Given how quickly Solterras have depreciated, I’m assuming the car may be worth considerably less than the residual by the time my lease is up. My plan is simply to pay market value or less if I decide to buy it—otherwise I’ll return it.
For those of you who have already been through this with a 2023 or 2024: What did you ultimately do, and how did the numbers work out?
Would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who tried to negotiate the residual/buyout with Subaru Motors Finance.
Looking for some brutally honest advice from the BigLaw crowd.
I’m a mid-career attorney with 20+ years of experience, but my career has been outside the traditional BigLaw path.
My background combines:
- Healthcare/life sciences
- Government and public policy
- Legislative and regulatory work
- Senior-level government affairs
- Significant Democratic political/government experience and relationships
The obvious problem: No traditional BigLaw associate-to-partner trajectory, no huge book of business, etc.
I’m considering making a move and trying to determine whether there is a realistic entry point for someone with this profile.
I’m not looking to compete with traditional BigLaw lawyers for a litigation practice. I see my value more at the intersection of healthcare/life sciences + regulation + government + public policy + political strategy.
For those who know the market:
What type of role would you target? Partner, counsel/senior counsel, government affairs/public policy, regulatory strategy, or something else?
And how much does the lack of BigLaw experience hurt someone at this stage?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have seen firms hire former government officials, politicians, regulators, or other nontraditional lawyers.
Candid advice welcome — including if you think this is a bad idea.
EDIT: Thank you for your candid feedback. I should clarify that my background is primarily government/elected-office experience at the state level. My government role is part-time. My full-time position is at a health care association, where my work involves regulation, public policy, government affairs, and extensive relationships with government stakeholders. I don’t have an existing book of business, so I recognize that a firm would be betting on my ability to develop one based on my relationships and experience.
This is just wild and not the first time drones have been used to bring in contraband into Virginia’s prisons.
Hey everyone, just wanted to share our move-in experience at Warren Tower A. If you're heading in soon or planning for next year, brace yourselves—it was a bit of a marathon!
Here is roughly how it broke down for us:
Drop-off line: Took about 30 minutes just to get out of the car and get our gear unloaded.
The volunteers: Shoutout to the student volunteers because they were working hard and trying their best, but the sheer volume of people coming in at once was just too much for the system to handle smoothly.
The elevators: This was the real bottleneck. We waited nearly 2 hours just to get an elevator up to the room.
The Silver Lining:
Once you actually get inside, the updates are incredible. The newly renovated dorms look genuinely beautiful, the bathrooms are super nice, and having AC makes an absolute world of difference.
Hang in there to everyone still in the thick of move-in week! How did everyone else's buildings go?
When retro bowl says that a certain player had a good game with the option to praise the player or praise the team which option do you choose? I always choose praise the team because it increases morale for the entire team. What am I missing?
I really wish Retro Bowl let us view the Hall of Fame players from other teams!
It would be so cool to see how your retired players stack up against the rest of the league's all-time greats. Obviously, I know stats vary a lot depending on your quarter length and whether you play on Extreme, but it would still be an awesome way to compare legacies and see how your guys actually measure up against historical CPU players.
Anyone else want to see something like this added, or is it just me?
Has anyone else experienced an issue where Spotify continues playing in the background without pausing when an incoming phone call or text message comes in while using CarPlay on a 2025 Solterra? Curious if this is a known bug or if there’s a setting I'm missing. — feeling frustrated.
Take advantage of the upcoming tax holiday savings!
Virginia will offer a combined sales tax holiday this weekend, Friday, August 7th through Sunday, August 9th so that shoppers can purchase qualifying school supplies, clothing and footwear, emergency preparedness items, and certain energy-efficient products without paying state and local sales tax.
This tax break is aimed to financially assist families with back-to-school shopping and encourage Virginians to take necessary precautions during hurricane season. The Virginia Department of Taxation provides lists of items that qualify for these savings.
The 3-day sales tax holiday starts Friday at 12:01am and ends Sunday at 11:59 pm.
What is it?
During the sales tax holiday, you can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products without paying sales tax.
What items are eligible?
School supplies, clothing, and footwear** **
Qualified school supplies - $20 or less per item
Qualified clothing and footwear - $100 or less per item
Hurricane and emergency preparedness products
Portable generators - $1,000 or less per item
Gas-powered chainsaws - $350 or less per item
Chainsaw accessories - $60 or less per item
Other specified hurricane preparedness items - $60 or less per item
Energy Star and WaterSense products
Qualifying Energy Star™ or WaterSense™ products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use - $2,500 or less per item
Detailed lists of qualifying items and more information for retailers can be found in the Sales Tax Holiday Guidelines.

What is the Political Science Dept like at VT? How are the professors? Any favorites?