We are just over three months away from the James Franklin era officially beginning on the field. It has been just over six months since he was officially hired in Blacksburg as the head coach, replacing his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, who was fired in September.
A lot has changed with the program since Franklin was hired, with roster turnover, coaching additions, and the 2026 schedule being announced. That latter was officially released with dates back over the winter, and recently, there were a few adjustments made to the dates. On Wednesday, some game times dropped for the Hokies in 2026.
5 Virginia Tech kick off times for 2026 football season announced
The dates and opponents have been set for a while; now it's just a matter of the times. As is the case every season, the ACC will hold the start times for Saturday ACC games until the fall, and the times will depend on the matchups and how meaningful the game is for TV slots. On Wednesday, five times were announced, and four of the games will be under the lights.
Virginia Tech will open the James Franklin era in Blacksburg at Lane Stadium on Sept. 5 against VMI at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network. It might be the least surprising time announced. You could have bet anything on the Hokies opening the season under James Franklin under the lights. It just made too much sense.
The following week, on Sept. 12, the Hokies will host Old Dominion for a noon kick-off on The CW. ODU is coached by Franklin's good friend, Ricky Rahne, who ended Pry's tenure in Blacksburg as head coach with a beatdown in his final game last September under the Lane Stadium lights.
The following week, on Sept. 19, the Hokies travel to Maryland for their lone non-conference road game. It will be a familiar foe for Franklin, Mike Locksley, and the Terrapins. That game will be another night game, kicking at 7:30 p.m., and will be broadcast on FOX and FS1.
The final two times released were for two Friday night games. Virginia Tech will host Pittsburgh on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. On Nov. 6, the Hokies will travel to Dallas, Texas, for a showdown with SMU, also beginning at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
🚨 Mark your calendars 🚨
— HokieSports (@hokiesports) May 27, 2026
🗞️ - https://t.co/LgVP3i2Co9 pic.twitter.com/z47s1BTbqb
As mentioned above, the start times for other ACC games will be announced at a later date. It remains to be seen how things go and whether or not College GameDay makes a visit to any of the games. The obvious candidates for College GameDay would be at Miami the weekend before Thanksgiving and Virginia visiting Blacksburg over Thanksgiving Weekend. Virginia Tech's trip to Clemson in October is also another possibility.
It would be rather surprising if these were the only four night games the Hokies play in 2026. There is a lot that comes with James Franklin, including a lot of primetime games under the lights throughout a season. It's just the beginning for Hokies fans.
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