It is less than two months until James Franklin's first season as head coach at Virginia Tech begins on Sept. 5 against VMI at Lane Stadium under the lights. It is one of the most anticipated seasons of Virginia Tech football since Frank Beamer retired.
The schedule isn't going to be easy to begin Franklin's tenure as the backend in November is a monster with trips to SMU and Miami, while they close out October with a game at Clemson. In between and all around, some games on the schedule will define the Hokies' 2026 campaign. Here are five games that are crucial in Franklin's first season in Blacksburg.
5. vs. Old Dominion ( Sept. 12)
You might be saying, "Old Dominion" is a crucial game for the Hokies in 2026? Yes, it is. First, it was Ricky Rahne and ODU that ended Brent Pry's tenure in Blacksburg with a beatdown last September that dropped them to 0-3. Let's not forget the James Franklin coaching tree that includes not only Pry, but also Rahne, when Franklin was at Penn State. This is a game that is a must-win coming off the VMI season-opener and some road games coming up. A loss here would be devastating.
4. vs. Georgia Tech (Oct. 17)
With a daunting road schedule to end the regular season, winning games at home in ACC play is going to be necessary for the Hokies. Beating Brent Key and Georgia Tech would be a good win. Last season, the Yellow Jackets beat the Hokies in Atlanta under interim coach Philip Montgomery, but looking at the schedule and games that Virginia Tech needs to win, defending Lane Stadium against Georgia Tech is a must. This game begins the backend of the schedule and is after a trip the week before to Northern California to play Cal.
3. Pittsburgh (Oct. 2)
Virginia Tech will host their annual weeknight game this season on a Friday night in October when the Pitt Panthers come to Blacksburg. Last season, Pitt had an up-and-down stretch as the season was coming to an end, and they beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta to end the Yellow Jackets' hopes of playing in the ACC Championship Game. This isn't going to be an easy game, but if Franklin is going to defend Lane Stadium like ACC analyst Eric Mac Lain said he needed to, this game must be a win.
2. Maryland (Sept. 19)
Franklin's first true road game at Virginia Tech is a trip to Big Ten country, his old stomping ground, to play a Saturday night at Maryland against the Terrapins. There is no love lost between Franklin and Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who is coaching for his job in 2026. This is a game that both coaches have circled, regardless of what they say, and is a huge game in terms of winning away from Blacksburg for the Hokies.
1. Virginia (Nov. 28)
So last season, Virginia had a tremendous season, winning 11 games and getting coach Tony Elliott off the hot seat. However, it was clear that Virginia Tech was the Cavaliers' Super Bowl. They celebrated a very rare win in the series like the, well, Super Bowl. They rolled over a week later and lost to Duke in the ACC Championship Game. The biggest game in their program's history in some years, and they failed to win a game they were favored to win and make the College Football Playoff, but wilted under pressure.
Most Virginia fans think the history between the Hokies and Cavaliers began in 2025 and want to ignore everything that happened before. One win over the worst Virginia Tech team in decades, and they act like they run the series. Franklin should restore Virginia Tech's dominance over their Little Brother rather quickly.
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