It is not very often that a team coming off a 3-9 season is ranked in a way-too-early top 25 a couple of months later. That was the case for the Virginia Tech football team. After winning just three games in 2025, which saw former head coach Brent Pry fired, and a program went just 3-6 following his dismissal.
As the season was playing out after Pry was fired, the school put together a search committee to find the next coach at Virginia Tech, and just over a month after James Franklin was fired at Penn State, he was hired in Blacksburg. It is a monumental hire for the program and one that has got the fanbase fired up.
Just hiring Franklin has vaulted the Hokies into CBS Sports' way-too-early top 25 for the 2026 season, which is surprising, coming in at No. 24. They made one bold prediction for each ranked team, and their prediction for the Hokies is something that the fanbase would be thrilled with.
CBS Sports predicts Virginia Tech to win 10 games under James Franklin in 2026
Cody Nagel of CBS Sports predicted that Virginia Tech would win 10 games in Franklin's first season in Blacksburg. That is a rather stunning prediction given the Hokies' schedule.
"James Franklin arrives in Blacksburg with a chance to awaken a sleeping giant. The pieces are already in place for Virginia Tech to start fast, and the ACC schedule offers real opportunity for early momentum. If the Hokies stack wins in September and October, 10 victories suddenly feel attainable,'' Nagel wrote.
Again, this is some kind of bold prediction. You can make the case that Virginia Tech should win its three non-conference games, VMI and OldDominion at home, and at Maryland. However, the conference slate is far from easy. Road games at Clemson, Miami, SMU, and California are not going to be easy. The ACC slate opens at Boston College. They will have home conference games against Pittsburgh, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Virginia.
Again, in Year 1 of James Frankkin in Blacksburg, 10 wins seems like a stretch, but anything is possible. If Franklin does get 10 wins, then that sets him up for a quick turnaround of a program begging for it.