Over the last two tenures of football coaches at Virginia Tech, there have been some areas where the Hokies have not been as good as they were under Frank Beamer. Things began well under Justin Fuente, but things changed by the time he was fired in 2021. The school hired Brent Pry as his replacement, but he lasted just four-plus seasons of an underwhelming tenure.
Read More: College football writer confirms what all Virginia Tech fans knew about James Franklin's hiring
As Virginia Tech was looking for its next coach, they had the best possible candidate fall into their lap when Penn State fired James Franklin one month after Pry was fired. In November, Virginia Tech hired Franklin, and the vibe around the program changed and changed quickly. There are some things that fans hope he can quickly turn around and fix, with one of them being a streak that Hokies fans are not used to being on.
James Franklin looks to smash one Virginia Tech drought
On Monday, the Associated Press Top 25 was released for the 2026 season. To nobody's surprise, the Hokies were not ranked but finished with six points in the voting. For context, Virginia, which went 11-3 last year, got one vote. Virginia Tech went 3-9 last fall. The James Franklin effect.
Speaking of the AP poll, Virginia Tech has joined a group of schools that don't want to be a part of. According to BetMGM, Virginia Tech has not been ranked in the last 80 AP polls, going back to 2021. That might be surprising to some, but if you've been paying attention recently, you shouldn't be surprised.
Which CFB team breaks their AP drought first? pic.twitter.com/9qodWfvE5P
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) August 18, 2026
There are some droughts that Franklin is looking to break during his time at Virginia Tech, and this one should not be too hard for the veteran coach who lived in the AP poll during his time at Penn State to end. Will it happen this season? The early part of the schedule is set up nicely, where it could if the Hokies take care of business.
Home games with VMI and Old Dominion are followed by road games at Maryland and Boston College, which begin ACC play in Boston. A home game with Pittsburgh follows, and a 5-0 start could see them crack the AP Top 25.
Again, there are some droughts that Franklin is looking to end in Blacksburg, and this one should not be difficult to end sooner rather than later.
Add us as a preferred source on Google