Stanford still hopes to play in its first bowl game since 2018, but the Cardinal must win two of their final three games to become eligible.
Stanford will continue that quest Saturday night when it visits Virginia Tech for an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Blacksburg, Va.
"That's a big part of some of our late-season goals as we look at what sits right in front of us," Cardinal coach Tavita Pritchard said.
Winning on the road has been an uphill battle for Stanford, which is 0-4 away from Palo Alto, Calif., with all four losses coming by four touchdowns or more.
The Cardinal (4-5, 2-4 ACC) continue to lean on Davis Warren, who has 14 touchdown passes and just three interceptions while passing for 2,203 yards.
Stanford had an extra week off to prepare for the Hokies after losing 52-24 at Louisville on Oct. 31.
Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-3) is already bowl-eligible, but coach James Franklin is looking for improvement after watching his Hokies lose 51-28 at SMU last week.
Virginia Tech surrendered a season-high 569 total yards, including 350 through the air.
"We got to be better, specifically in our zone coverages, in consistently getting depth to give some reinforcement to our safeties and our corners, and then be able to rally for the underneath throws," Franklin said.
Franklin is impressed with what he's seen from Stanford, particularly its physicality and aggressiveness.
"They know how to cause conflict. They know how to attack zones. They know how to identify man and then man beaters," Franklin said. "They have a sophisticated system, and they got a high-level veteran quarterback who's had a lot of different experiences in his college career, putting it all together right now."
Franklin said the Hokies are looking to simplify their defensive schemes.
"So we can become masters in a few things rather than being solid in a number of different things," Franklin said.
Virginia Tech's Ethan Grunkemeyer has thrown for 2,431 yards with 18 TDs and just three interceptions and Jeffrey Overton Jr. leads the team on the ground with 762 rushing yards and six scores.
--Field Level Media