Latest SP+ Rankings Show Virginia Tech is Primed For A Big Year One Under James Franklin

Franklin and the Hokies face high expectations entering 2026, but can they live up to them?

Jul 16, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks to the media during Media Day at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Whether or not it is fair, James Franklin and Virginia Tech are expected to be one of several teams contending for a spot in the ACC Championship. Franklin was arguably the most celebrated hire of the offseason, and the former Penn State head coach is expected to make the Hokies a contender in a pretty open conference sooner rather than later.

When looking at the 2026 ACC race, Miami is the heavy favorite to not only make the Championship game, but win in and go to the College Football Playoff. Behind the Hurricanes though, it is an open question as to who could be their biggest challenger and you might be able to name as many as 10 teams who could argue they might make it to Charlotte. Franklin's team is among them.

SP+ is one of the most trusted power-rating systems in college football and today, ESPN's Bill Connelly (inventor of SP+) revealed the final preseason rankings for the 2026 season and the Hokies come in higher than you might expect.

For those that don't know, here is how Connelly describes what SP+ is:

"As always: SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking."

SP+ is giving Virginia Tech a preseason ranking of No. 36 in the country and the Hokies are expected to have the No. 38 offense in the country, the No. 39 defense in the country, and the No. 89 special teams unit in the country.

Looking at the ACC and Virginia Tech's opponents

So how does Virginia Tech rank amongst the rest of the ACC? They are not that far behind the rest of the conference, except of course for Miami.

1. Miami (No. 7 overall)
2. Clemson (No. 23)
3. SMU (No. 25)
4. Louisville (No. 27)
5. Florida State (No. 35)
6. Virginia Tech (No. 36)
7. Virginia (No. 37)
8. Pittsburgh (No. 41)
9. Georgia Tech (No. 42)
10. NC State (No. 43)
11. Duke (No. 45)
12. North Carolina (No. 56)
13. Wake Forest (No. 57)
14. California (No. 60)
15. Syracuse (No. 76)
16. Stanford (No. 79)
17. Boston College (No. 82)

What about Virginia Tech's 2026 opponents (excluding VMI)?

• Old Dominion- No. 93 overall
• Maryland- No. 48
• Boston College- No. 82
• Pittsburgh- No. 41
• California- No. 60
• Georgia Tech- No. 42
• Clemson- No. 23
• SMU- No. 25
• Stanford- No. 79
• Miami- No. 7
• Virginia- No. 37

Miami, Clemson, and SMU are the only teams that Virginia Tech plays this season that are starting the year ranked higher than them in SP+.

If these rankings are close to correct, there are a lot of toss up games on the Hokies schedule. Clemson is projected to be the No. 2 team in the ACC, but they are only seperated from Virginia Tech by 13 spots, not a large gap.

The only game where the Hokies should be a significant underdog this season is the road trip to Miami. There are several toss-up games on this schedule and that could lead to any number of outcomes. 6-6 is on the table for the Hokies, but 10-2 is not that far out of the equation either. How this team does on the road might be the difference in them being a bowl team or if they are in Charlotte playing for a conference title. Virginia Tech faces Miami, Clemson, SMU, and Cal on the road and they might need to win three of those games if they want to play for a conference championship.