When it comes to which college football teams have an opportunity to rebound and improve their win total from 2025, you can bet that Virginia Tech is one school that comes to mind. Truth be told, there is nowhere to go but up coming off a dismal three-win season.
That season cost Brent Pry his job after a Week 3 home loss to Old Dominion and opened the door for James Franklin to be hired. Actually, Pry was fired first, and then Franklin was fired at Penn State a month later. Regardless, when Franklin became available, he became the top candidate for the Virginia Tech search committee.
Read More: CBS Sports left no doubt about what ACC fans fear about James Franklin at Virginia Tech
Just over a month after Franklin was fired in State College, he was hired in Blacksburg to replace his former defensive coordinator, whom he has brought back to run his defense this fall. Talk about a full-circle moment.
Anyway, Cody Nagel of CBS Sports listed some potential college football teams that are poised to improve their win total, and it should come as no surprise that the Hokies made the list.
Virginia Tech football is poised to win more games in 2026
Virginia Tech enters the season with a 6.5 over/under win total according to FanDuel, which is something that the Hokies could pass if things fall right. However, another school listed was Penn State, which won seven last season. Under Matt Campbell, the Nittany Lions' win total is 8.5. Who wins more?
"Which team improves its win total more in 2026, James Franklin's old program or his new one Virginia Tech has more runway to make a significant jump after bottoming out with just three wins last season,'' wrote Nagel.
 If we're being honest, Campbell got a much easier and softer schedule in 2026 at Penn State than Franklin did at Virginia Tech. In the second half of the season, the Hokies travel to Clemson, SMU, and Miami. What a gauntlet that is. They also have early-season matchups at Maryland and California. Penn State and Campbell are going to be cruising down Easy St. However, Franklin opened a can of worms at ACC Media Days earlier this month.
"At ACC Media Days, Franklin declared that the Hokies won the offseason, and as dangerous as that proclamation can be, it's hard to argue otherwise. From the potential home-run hire to an aggressive influx of talent and renewed investment across the program, Virginia Tech has embraced a full-scale reset. The Hokies are betting those moves can finally awaken the sleeping giant that dominated the ACC throughout much of the Frank Beamer era,'' Nagel added.
There is no doubt that Virginia Tech is a sleeping giant waiting to be woken up. If there is someone who could wake it up and wake it up fast, well, it's Franklin. He is playing with house money this season as he gets his fingerprints all over the program. Improving the Hokies' win total is easy work, but getting it over 6.5 might be tough. However, it's not totally impossible.
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