Ranking Virginia Tech Football's 2026 Home Games By Difficulty

Though each team's skill level is hard to discern without any in-game footage, historical precedent offers a glimpse at what these programs will likely be. Virginia Tech football — coming off a 3-9 (2-6 ACC) campaign where it fired then-head coach Brent Pry after three games before signing James Franklin on Nov. 17 — is entering its first season under Franklin, with VMI (Sept. 5) ushering in the era just under three months from now. Here's my rankings of how difficult each of Virginia Tech's six home games are:

No. 6: VMI

VMI went 1-11 last season, and its head coach is now a senior analyst on Virginia Tech's staff. The contest against the Keydets will, in all theory, be decided by the end of the first half, and most of its allure, if any, lies in it being Franklin's first true game with the Hokies and whether any tips can be gleaned about the team from Game 1.

No. 5: Stanford

Stanford will likely turn to Michigan transfer, and former walk-on, Davis Warren against the Hokies. The Cardinal, now led by former Washington Commanders quarterback coach Tavita Pritchard at head coach, look set to make several steps towards rising into the upper end of the ACC, but it seems like that'll be a multi-year process. For now, I think Virginia Tech should handle Stanford without much worry.

No. 4: Old Dominion

Last year, Old Dominion thumped Virginia Tech 45-26, leading 31-0 early into the third quarter. Pry was fired a day later. This year's matchup carries several different undertones, however.

For one: Virginia Tech's 2026 roster is, in theory, a cut above last year's. Another: Old Dominion lost the quarterback that inflicted all that damage on the Hokies last year. Colton Joseph, who threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Monarchs, is now a Wisconsin Badger. I think Virginia Tech has what it takes to conquer Old Dominion this time around — though it'll need to be on its toes to circumnavigate around a potential trap game.

No. 3: Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is in the midst of a makeover, if not calling it a rebuild. Haynes King is out, having graduated and moved on to an UDFA deal with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. In his stead, Alberto Mendoza — the younger brother of 2025 Heisman winner and the 2026 NFL Draft's No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza — steps in as the likely starter for the Yellow Jackets. Last year, Mendoza threw for 286 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in backup duty. Though the Yellow Jackets' offense may not be as entirely potent as in years past, Virginia Tech should by no means be looking past GT.

No. 2: Pitt

Pittsburgh was one of the nation's most surprising stories. After a 2-2 start, the Panthers pivoted away from Eli Holstein — who started in 2024 and led Pitt to a 7-0 record before it lost its final six games that season — and moved to true freshman Mason Heintschel.

The Panthers then racked up five straight wins, toppling Boston College, then-No. 25 Florida State, Syracuse, NC State and Stanford. In that five-game stretch, Heintschel threw for 1,511 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The last four games of the season, however, were a struggle for the true freshman and his squad. Pitt lost its final four games, and in that stretch, Heintschel threw only four touchdowns while being picked off three times and absorbing 18 sacks.

He threw for yard totals of 126, 226, 199 and 256 yards in that four-game stretch, which included a 42-28 win over then-No. 16 Georgia Tech and losses to then-No. 9 Notre Dame (37-15), then-No. 12 Miami (38-7) and East Carolina (23-17).

Still, Pitt tied for second place in the ACC, and it should be a factor in the title race again this season if Heintschel can deliver on the performance he flashed earlier in the 2025 season.

No. 1: Virginia

Virginia vaulted itself into ACC contention last year, playing Duke for the ACC title and narrowly losing out on a berth to the 12-team College Football Playoff. While one of the architects of that unit — quarterback Chandler Morris — is gone, a byproduct of his petition for another year being denied by the NCAA, Virginia's two portal acquisitions at the quarterback position appear promising.

Beau Pribula slots in as the likely starter; Pribula spent a year at Missouri and before that, he was at Penn State. Last year, Pribula threw for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions though he was hobbled in the last stretch of the season. In his first four games, Pribula threw for nine touchdowns to three interceptions. Behind him, Eli Holstein enters as an experienced safety valve with starting chops at Pitt.

Meanwhile at running back, the Cavaliers have options such as Peyton Lewis, Jekail Middlebrook and Xavier Brown. November's clash should, in theory, carry more weight than the typical Commonwealth Clash matchup.

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