There are a couple of weeks remaining in the big recruiting cycle before things quiet down in the month of July. After July ends, the month of August means one thing and one thing only: fall camps open up, and the 2026 college football season is right around the corner.
When it comes to Virginia Tech and the 2026 season, it can't get here quickly enough as far as Hokies fans are concerned. It will be James Franklin's first season in Blacksburg, and expectations are high. Coming off a 3-9 season, the bar isn't really high to begin with.
This will be Franklin's third Power 4 conference after beginning in the SEC at Vanderbilt and then going to the Big Ten with Penn State. Now, in the ACC, it'll be interesting to see how well the Hokies do in a conference that isn't nearly as deep as the previous two that Franklin was in.
Andy Staples of On3 released his Preseason ACC Power Rankings for the 2026 campaign, and let's just say, it was an interesting list, to say the least. Especially when it comes to Virginia Tech.
Andy Staples of On3 ranks Virginia Tech No. 7 in his preseason ACC power rankings
Staples dropped his ACC Preseason Power Rankings, and he slotted Virginia Tech at No. 7. That seems a slot or two too low, but it was who was ranked ahead of them in the order that some teams were that makes the list, well, laughable.
NEW: Preseason ACC Power Rankings📈
— On3 (@On3) June 10, 2026
(via @AndyStaples) https://t.co/djAiKrEOsd pic.twitter.com/PZGTHpzXR6
So, let's break this down a little. Miami at No. 1 is a no-brainer, but can the Hurricanes actually finally live up to their hype? We'll see. That hasn't always been the case under Mario Cristobal. SMU second is not really a surprise with quarterback Kelvin Jennings coming back. Of course, as luck would have it, the Hokies visit both teams in November.
After the Mustangs, well, that's when things got a little comical. Virginia came in at No. 3. Sure, Tony Elliott did a nice job turning things around in 2025, but they took advantage of ACC results going their way. They had a cake walk to the College Football Playoff, but they somehow lost to Duke in the ACC Championship Game. Not Miami, not SMU, not Clemson, but Duke. That was likely Virginia Tech's Little Brother's best chance to get to the CFP. With James Franklin in Blacksburg, well, their one-year run was fun.
Clemson coming in at No. 5 and Duke at No. 6 were certainly some interesting decisions. The Tigers have really struggled the last couple of years under Dabo Swinney, and Duke was decimated by the Transfer Portal, but putting them ahead of the Hokies is surprising. After that, you could really go in any direction.
There are a lot of questions surrounding the Hokies this season, but slotting them in at No. 7 is one thing; putting Duke ahead of them and Virginia, of all teams, at No. 3, kind of makes the list tough to take seriously. We'll find out soon enough on the field just how accurate this preseason ranking is.
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