If you’re a Virginia Tech football fan, what are your expectations for 2026? Everyone is excited about new head coach James Franklin. Fans are excited about the quick return of former head coach Brent Pry as the new defensive coordinator. But fans are most excited about a roster that Franklin dramatically improved in only one offseason.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer will lead the Hokies in 2026. He has plenty of talented weapons to throw to, such as tight ends Benji Gosnell and Luke Reynolds, wide receivers Que’Sean Brown, Ayden Greene, running backs Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. and so many more players looking for a chance to prove themselves.
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Defensively, senior DT Kemari Copeland and sophomore linebacker Noah Chambers led Tech’s returning players. Both sides of the ball should be much better in 2026.
That’s all good news. The bad news: Virginia Tech’s schedule is not easy. The Hokies have a chance to get off to a fast start, but they have some difficult road games. On Oct. 10, VT travels across the country to face California. The Hokies won last season, but it went down to the wire. Cal is much improved, too, and has one of the ACC’s top quarterbacks. Traveling across the country for a game is tough.
Two weeks later, Tech is back on the road, facing Clemson at Death Valley. Then, the following week, the Hokies hit the road yet again, traveling to Dallas to face the SMU Mustangs. Have you seen SMU’s record since entering the ACC? Those are some tough battles.
But there’s one more. On Nov. 21, Tech travels to Miami to face the Hurricanes, who played in last season’s national championship game. Virginia Tech usually plays Miami well, but since the NIL era began, the Hurricanes have looked like an elite program again.
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That’s an absolutely brutal six-week stretch, with four road games against excellent opponents.
CBS Sports recently predicted every ACC team’s record for 2026, and has the Hokies at 8-4, with a 5-4 mark in league play. CBS has the Hokies losing those four road games we mentioned: Cal, Clemson, SMU and Miami.
If James Franklin gets to eight wins with a chance at nine in the postseason to open Year 1, the Hokies are in business. Possible losses on the road at California, Clemson, SMU and Miami would all come against teams capable of competing for the ACC’s top honor. The bigger takeaway would be how quickly Franklin restores Virginia Tech’s identity. Winning eight games would signal that Virginia Tech is once again playing disciplined, physical football while building the consistency the program has lacked. That kind of debut would generate recruiting momentum, re-energize the fan base and position the Hokies as a legitimate ACC contender entering 2027. That’s a foundation worth celebrating, not questioning.
What would your opinion be if the Hokies finished 8-4? As CBS said, that would be a foundation worth celebrating. What if Tech could steal one of those road games and finish 9-3? Even better. Regardless, it’s exciting to be talking about the schedule again, believing the Hokies can compete in every game. It’s been a while.
We will break down each game before the season, but we found this one interesting. Do you agree? What would you change? Let us know in the comments.
