Usually, when a college football team is coming off a 3-9 season, there is nowhere to go but up. That's the case when it comes to Virginia Tech. The Hokies are not only beginning a new season, but they are beginning a new era in Blacksburg.
After a Week 3 loss at home to Old Dominion last September, Virginia Tech fired head coach Brent Pry. It wasn't a surprise that the move was made and probably should have been made sooner, if we're being honest. Regardless, a month after Pry was fired, a search committee was formed by the school to find the next head coach; Franklin was fired at Penn State.
In mid-November, Virginia Tech hired Franklin, who also rehired Pry as his defensive coordinator in an unprecedented move. They had a lot of success together at Penn State; why not have that success in Blacksburg? Just what the expectations are for the Hokies this season remains to be seen, but let's not get ahead of ourselves in terms of becoming a quick contender. Heather Dinich of ESPN listed 31 teams who could make the College Football Playoff this season, and she included the Hokies.
ESPN drops Virginia Tech as a team that can make the 2026 CFP
Let's be honest, going from 3-9 to the 12-team College Football Playoff would be wild for the Hokies. Coming off where the program was just one year ago to the CFP? That would be nuts. However, Dinich listed Virginia Tech as the 31st team. So, you're saying there's a chance? ESPN analytics gave Tech a 7.3% chance of getting in.
"With the hire of James Franklin and the influx of talent he brought with him from Penn State, the Hokies at least have a chance to make a surprise run in the CFP. The schedule is littered with as many traps, though, as there are opportunities to impress the committee,'' wrote Dinich.
There is no doubt and really no surprise that Franklin brought a lot of talent with him from Penn State to Virginia Tech. That is certainly going to help the new-look roster. There were a lot of talented players as well. There's bringing in players, and then there's bringing in talented players. Franklin brought in the latter.
He not only brought in talent from Penn State, but he also brought it in from other schools through the Transfer Portal as well, while also getting some key retention from Virginia Tech's roster. However, as Dinich pointed out, the schedule is littered with traps, but also tremendous opportunities. If the Hokies can take care of the teams they should beat, road games at Clemson, SMU and Miami will have tremendous value in terms of impressing the CFP committee.
Just what a successful season for Virginia Tech looks like remains to be seen, but everyone will have a different opinion on what a successful season will look like. Franklin opened up the door for criticism when he commented at ACC Media Days last month that Virginia Tech won the offseason. However, success on the field will prove that, but if the results aren't there, then that will be a quote that doesn't age well. However, ESPN's analytics think things could get interesting in Blacksburg in 2026. If they take advantage of some of their conference road games, it really could get interesting.
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