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Editor’s note: To read up on the first part of the 1983 season, see Part 12 of this series.

So there it was, all laid out for the Hokies at the end of the 1983 season. To land just the sixth bowl bid in school history, they had to win at Virginia in a game that started at 1 p.m., then hope Duke could somehow upset the slumping North Carolina Tar Heels, in a game that kicked off at 3:45 p.m.

(There was still an outside shot Virginia Tech could land an Independence Bowl bid, but those officials preferred Air Force, Baylor, and Kentucky.)

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