How Do Virginia Tech and Virginia Compare To Each Other Heading Into The 2026 Season?

Virginia Tech and Virginia's clash may not carry ACC title implications, but both programs will be looking to ascend to the upper echelon of the ACC on a long-term basis. The two programs come at it from opposite ends of the spectrum: Virginia is running it back with Tony Elliott as head coach after a breakout 11-3 season, while Virginia Tech resets with James Franklin after a disappointing 3-9 campaign in 2025.

I spoke with David Teel, a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, on the matter at the 2026 ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday. The response from the 16-time National Sports Media Virginia Sportswriter of the Year? Virginia has the edge, but it's not by much. In his preseason ballot, he said, Virginia was No. 5, while the Hokies were two spots back at No. 7.

The reasoning, Teel explained, was primarily centered around Virginia's experienced offensive line and their 11-win season a year prior.

"I think they're fairly even," Teel said. "But I give Virginia the edge based on No. 1, a very experienced offensive line, and No. 2, the fact that not only did they beat the Hokies last season; they won 11 games in the process."

That offensive line returns 161 career starts and over 11,000 snaps — a remarkable level of retention given the level of turnover in the modern era of college football. There are questions of which running back they'll mainly be blocking for, though.

"Four of the five [offensive linemen] have, at some point in their career, made All-Conference teams. Not necessarily All-ACC — some of them at their previous stops along the way... Some questions at running back in Charlottesville. Who replaces J'Mari Taylor? Will they bring Peyton Lewis, the transfer from Tennessee who's a two-time 100-meter champion [in high school] in the state of Virginia."

Those two programs will integrate new starters into the quarterback spots, though. Virginia moved on from quarterback Chandler Morris, whose petition for a seventh year of eligibility from the NCAA was denied. Morris completed 282 of his 436 passes in 2025 for 3,000 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 19 picks.

Virginia Tech's starter Kyron Drones threw 178-for-315 for 1,919 yards and 17 touchdowns. In the season finale, Drones threw 4-for-16 for 78 yards, one touchdown and two picks — and disregarding his 57-yard touchdown pass to wideout Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin when the Hokies were already down 27-0 in the final quarter, he went 3-for-15 for 21 yards.

Now, Virginia Tech will integrate Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer into the passing attack. Grunkemeyer threw for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions, taking over as the starter midway through the year when incumbent Drew Allar was dealt a season-ending ankle injury.

Beau Pribula will be the starter under center in place of Morris for UVa.; he threw for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in one season at Mizzou. Pribula dealt with an injury late in the season, and in his final four games of the season, he threw for a 0:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Discounting those four games, he threw for 11 touchdowns and five picks.

"In comparing them, they're both former James Franklin quarterbacks — I mean, how crazy is that going to be on November 28th?" Teel said. "Pribula is by far the more mobile and [dual-threat] type, and Grunkemeyer is the more conventional dropback pocket passer."

Going into the 2026 schedule, Teel believes that the Cavaliers should be primed for a solid year, though a replication of the 11-win season in 2025 would surprise him.

"I'd be surprised if the Cavaliers win 11 of their games this season," he said. "The schedule is a little bit challenging. Have to go to Blacksburg, where they haven't won since 1998. ... They have to go to SMU. They have a fairly tricky non-conference game here in Charlotte against West Virginia. So, the schedule ramps up.

"But they have an incredibly experienced offensive line, an experienced transfer quarterback in Beau Pribula and arguably the ACC's best defensive player in Kam Robinson."

Robinson was named Third Team All-ACC and received the second-most votes for ACC Defensive Player of the Year, though he missed six games. he logged 64 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The season prior, he logged six tackles for loss and five sacks. This year, the linebacker enters the season as a Preseason All-ACC First Team pick by both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports; Steele also put him on his Fourth Team Preseason All-American list.

Back to the bigger picture: What constitutes success for the programs? Teel believes the bar is set higher for Virginia, though that's not to say expectations are low for Virginia Tech.

"For Virginia, the bar is higher in terms of defining success this year after last year," Teel said. "So I think for UVA, eight wins or better would define success. I think for Virginia Tech, if the Hokies go 7-5 — now, it depends on who the seven are and who the five are. — then that seems to me that, given 3-9 [in the 2025 season], it'll more than double your wins ... [and] by the way, James Franklin has never coached a team that was not postseason-eligible, so I think that gives you a basis for where the Hokies should be."

Teel currently writes for The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press, a position he held from 1984-2020, then returned to in 2024 after a 4 1/2-year pivot to the Richmond Times Dispatch.

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