Going into the 2026 college football season, there are more questions than answers surrounding the ACC. About the only thing almost everyone can agree on is that Miami is the overwhelming favorite going into the season. After that, well, would anyone be surprised if the next best team is any of the other 16 teams?
One team that has a lot of questions surrounding it is Virginia Tech. Why? Well, it's Year 1 of James Franklin in Blacksburg, and there was a huge roster overhaul. He brought in a lot of players from Penn State through the Transfer Portal. There were other key players added through the portal that will make a big impact, as well as some key players who were retained from last season's team.
Just how things end up shaking out remains to be seen, but a Virginia writer, Xander Tilock of Virginia On SI, dropped his preseason ACC tiers, and let's just say, he appears to be trolling Virginia Tech.
Virginia On SI writer drops interesting take on Virginia Tech for 2026
Again, this is a Virginia writer for On SI, but Tilock has Virginia Tech finishing 6-6 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. Here is what he had to say.
"Virginia Tech has ample offseason hype for year one of the Coach James Franklin era. Some of that excitement is valid — but where are the wins going to come from? The Hokies have to play at Miami, at Clemson, at SMU, at Cal, and at home versus Virginia, Georgia Tech and Pitt,'' wrote Tilock.
"It would be a tall task for Virginia Tech to win even three of those games. It might go 1-6 or 0-7 against that group. Boston College and Stanford are the only two “easy” games in ACC play for the Hokies."
I get it, Virginia Tech was dealt a tough ACC schedule. However, 3-6 seems a bit low, no? Sure, we'll agree that BC and Stanford are wins, but who would be surprised if the Hokies went 2-1 in their three other home games, along with Stanford? Virginia is going to be good, but one season in a down ACC doesn't mean that they are going to be unbeatable. They have to come to Blacksburg, and until they actually win in Blacksburg, well, it's the same old Little Brother.
Georgia Tech and Pitt are going to be tough games, but let's not treat them like it's Georgia and Alabama coming to Blacksburg. Aside from Boston College, the road schedule is daunting, to say the least. We'll see how things pan out in 2026, but one thing is for sure: if the Hokies do what many believe and win seven or eight games, then this will be revisited later in the fall.
For the record, Tilock had UVA finishing 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the ACC, right behind Miami and SMU.
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