Going into the 2026 season, there is nowhere to go but up for the Virginia Tech football team. Coming off a 3-9 season in 2025 and going through a coaching change that saw Brent Pry fired after a Week 3 loss to Old Dominion at home, Virginia Tech was able to land the top available coach after he was fired at Penn State, James Franklin.
Since being hired, there has been a roster turnover, along with a new staff added by Franklin. In a weird twist, Franklin is bringing Pry back to Blacksburg as his defensive coordinator, a position he held and did an outstanding job with under Franklin in State College.
The schedule is not going to be an easy one, but with the roster turnover that the Hokies have undergone, there is a good chance that they will get to at least six wins and become bowl-eligible after missing this past season. If they get through the front part of the schedule with three or four wins, something they should, then a bowl game should be in their future. Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports dropped his bowl predictions for the 2026 season, and he has the Hokies going to a bowl that fans would love.
Athlon Sports predicts Virginia Tech to return to the Duke's Mayo Bowl in 2026
Lassan predicted that the Hokies would get to a third bowl game in four years, and he has them going back to the Duke's Mayo Bowl against Iowa from the Big Ten. The last time Virginia Tech was in Charlotte was two years ago when they lost, 24-10, to Minnesota. They finished 6-6 that season, in 2024, and after beginning the season with College Football Playoff expectations, they needed to beat Virginia in the last game of the regular season with backup quarterback Pop Watson to just become bowl-eligible.
Fast forward to 2026, and if the Hokies get to six wins in Franklin's first season, then a lot of people would see that as progress. A trip to the Duke's Mayo Bowl would likely need seven or eight wins, and realistic Hokies fans would sign up for that in a second. A short trip to Charlotte for a bowl game would draw a lot of Tech fans.
It would be more disappointing if Virginia Tech didn't get to six wins and didn't become bowl-eligible. James Franklin haters would be waiting for that to happen and let him hear about it. However, a trip back to Charlotte and another bowl game would be a good first season for Franklin in Blacksburg.
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