There is still one month before James Franklin officially coaches his first game in Blacksburg at Lane Stadium on Sept. 5 against VMI under the lights at 7:30 p.m. After a 3-9 2025 season, there is nowhere to go but up.
However, the question should be asked, just how far up can Virginia Tech go? It's rare that in the first year after the turnover that the Hokies had, there is a huge jump in terms of wins and losses. For a fanbase that is starving for a winner, they got the perfect head coach that can deliver one rather soon in Franklin.
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There are questions as to just how many games they can win, as the front end of the schedule is more manageable than the back end. There are going to be predictions that range from four or five wins to eight or nine. It wouldn't be surprising to see them land anywhere in between those numbers. However, Brad Crawford of CBS Sports is thinking big for the Hokies this fall.
CBS Sports Virginia Tech's win/loss record is one that fans can't ignore
Crawford predicted each first-year Power 4 Conference coach's record for the 2026 season, and he predicted that the Hokies would go 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the ACC. If we're being honest, we can agree with the assumption. However, how he got there is up for debate. Crawford's first-year goal for Franklin and Virginia Tech is to challenge for eight wins in a top-heavy conference.
Ok, so this is how we think Crawford sees things playing out. Clearly, with four losses and all four in ACC play, he has Virginia Tech sweeping their non-conference slate, at home against VMI and Old Dominion, and away at Maryland. Things get interesting when it comes to the ACC schedule.
Four losses are predicted with four very difficult road games at California, Clemson, SMU, and Miami. Is that where he has the losses coming from? It would make sense, but that would mean Virginia Tech sweeps its four conference home games. Yes, we know; they play nine conference games, five on the road. The odd one out not mentioned yet is at Boston College.
Whatever the record ends up being, not making a bowl game would be a disappointment in Year 1 of the James Franklin era in Blacksburg. Fewer than six wins is not what many people expect. If eight wins happen, then that is a tremendous first season for Franklin, and the future is really bright. Some might say the future is already bright, but given how much roster turnover there was and the talent influx on the roster, six wins is certainly doable, but Franklin knows that the results on the field are different than predictions off it.
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