When the ACC released the 2026 football schedules with dates back in February, it was an eye-opening one for James Franklin in his first season in Blacksburg. We already knew the three non-conference opponents, VMI, Old Dominion, and Maryland. We also knew the ACC foes, just not the dates.
When the dust settled, the Hokies were dealt another brutal blow late in the season, as they were in 2025. This past season, a Virginia Tech team was going through a big transition after the firing of Brent Pry and then the hiring of Franklin, the Hokies, under interim coach Philip Montgomery, had a brutal November schedule. They hosted Louisville, visited Florida State, hosted Miami, and visited Virginia. What a gauntlet.
This upcoming November's schedule is going to be a tough one, and their ACC slate as a whole is going to be tough, but not according to Andy Staples of On3.
Virginia Tech gets good news in terms of the 2026 football schedule in James Franklin's first season in Blacksburg
According to Staples, the top five toughest schedules in order belong to Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Boston College. For reference, three of those five schools, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and BC, are on Virginia Tech's 2026 schedule.
Virginia Tech's schedule is sneakily difficult. They open at Boston College before coming home to host Pittsburgh, before a trip to California, before hosting Georgia Tech. They then have back-to-back road games against Clemson and SMU before hosting Stanford and visiting Miami. They then close out the season at home against Virginia.
If that's not one of the top 5 toughest slates in the ACC, then I'd like to see a tougher slate. The backend of the schedule is daunting in November. Expectations are high, but shouldn't be too high going into 2026. However, a bowl game should be in the cards, and even an eight-win season is not out of the question. If the Hokies are going to get to the latter, then beginning the season 4-0 is a must.
We are two months away from the 2026 season kicking off, and we should find out soon enough how all the pieces fit together for Franklin and his staff.
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