On Thursday at ACC Media Days, first-year Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin claimed that the Hokies won the offseason. While that seems all well and good, results in the spring and summer don't mean much at all. Only the results on the field from September to late November do.
Last season, the results were tough to watch. Former head coach Brent Pry was fired in September after a Week 3 loss to Old Dominion, Philip Montgomery took over and led Virginia Tech to a 3-6 record. Franklin was hired in November after being fired at Penn State, and there is a lot of excitement for the 2026 season for several reasons.
A new-look roster with talent following Franklin from Penn State to Virginia Tech, along with key additions from other schools through the portal and some key retention, has Hokies fans looking forward to a new era of Virginia Tech football. The Hokies face a tough schedule this fall, but ESPN's FPI has the Hokies having a surprising season.
ESPN FPI has Virginia Tech having a successful 2026 season under James Franklin
The Hokies kick things off on Sept. 5 under the lights at Lane Stadium against VMI at 7:30. Here is the ESPN FPI breakdown with the win percentage right now for the 2026 Tech season,
- Sept. 5: vs. VMI, 99%
- Sept. 12: vs. Old Dominion, 84.7%
- Sept. 19: at Maryland, 63.1%
- Sept. 26: at Boston College, 71.9%
- Oct. 2: vs. Pittsburgh, 58.6%
- Oct. 10: at California, 57.2%
- Oct. 17: vs. Georgia Tech, 66%
- Oct. 24: at Clemson, 26.9%
- Nov. 6: at SMU, 33.8%
- Nov. 14: vs. Stanford, 84.8%
- Nov. 21: at Miami, 10.8%
- Nov. 28: vs. Virginia, 54.3%
So these are going to change by the day, but right now, at the time this article is being written, the percentage has Virginia Tech going 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the ACC. As expected, road losses are predicted at Clemson, SMU, and Miami. If they lost those three games, would anyone be surprised? No.
They have Virginia Tech starting 7-0, and that feels like a stretch. Trips to Maryland and Cal won't be easy whatsoever. Franklin claims that Virginia Tech won the offseason, but the results on the field are all that matter. The Hokies need to take advantage of the front end of the schedule, as the back end offers some very, very difficult matchups.
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