Virginia Tech Football Cancels 2026 Non-Conference Showdown vs. James Madison

The Hokies and Dukes were initially scheduled to play on Sept. 26, 2026.

Sep 10, 2022; Blacksburg, Va.; A Virginia Tech helmet sits near the team bench during the first quarter against Boston College. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football and James Madison football concurrently announced that their 2026 non-conference showdown, scheduled for Sept. 26, 2026, and slated to be the Hokies' fourth game of the season, has been cancelled.

An update to the 2026 @HokiesFB schedule.

🗞️ - https://t.co/HXgVL0e0BU pic.twitter.com/ZYQtvuEA88

— HokieSports (@hokiesports) January 14, 2026

The change comes as a result of the ACC increasing its conference slate from an eight-game schedule to a nine-game one, necessitating one game to be chopped off Virginia Tech's schedule.

According to the HokieSports release, posted in conjunction with the news, "both institutions will continue to evaluate future scheduling opportunities between the two schools."

At the time of writing, Virginia Tech's next four years all have three or more non-conferece opponents scheduled. In 2027, the Hokies host Liberty (Sept. 4) and Maryland (Sept. 18), while traveling to Notre Dame (Nov. 6). In 2028, Virginia Tech hosts Liberty (Sept. 2) and Notre Dame (Nov. 4), and would go up to College Park, Maryland, to play Maryland (Sept. 16).

In 2029, Virginia Tech again would host Liberty (Sept. 1) and Maryland (Sept. 15), flying down to Tucson, Arizona to contest Arizona (Sept. 8). In 2030, Virginia Tech currently has four non-conference games schedules, necessitating the removal of one, if the ACC is still at a nine-game slate at that point: Arizona (Aug. 30; home), Liberty (Sept. 7, road), BYU (Sept. 14, road) and Old Dominion (Sept. 21, home).

2031 is the earliest year, at the time of writing, that a game vs. James Madison, would fit, with Wisconsin (Aug. 30; Duke's Mayo Classic) and North Alabama (Sept. 5) currently the two games scheduled. Through 2032 to 2037, only one or two non-conference games are currently scheduled.

Had the two teams played, it would have been the first VT-JMU game since 2010. In that contest, the then-FCS Dukes shocked then-No. 13 Virginia Tech, 21-16, despite the Hokies outgaining James Madison, 362-235.

This past season, James Madison won the Sun Belt Conference over Troy and qualified as the final team into the College Football Playoff. The Dukes were routed by fifth-seeded Oregon, 51-34, with the margin being 34-6 at halftime.

Virginia Tech, meanwhile, went 3-9, stumbling to 0-3 for the first time since the 1987 season. The Hokies won just three games, with two coming in the ACC, vs. NC State on Sept. 27 and California in double overtime on Oct. 24. The Hokies fired then-head coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14, rolling with Philip Montgomery for the remainder of the season and officially signing James Franklin as the Hokies' next permanent head coach on Nov. 17.

Interestingly, the contest would have featured new head coaches on both sidelines: James Franklin for Virginia Tech (prev: Penn State) and Billy Napier for James Madison (prev: Florida).

Virginia Tech currently still has three non-conference matchups scheduled: VMI (Sept. 5; season/home opener), Old Dominion (Sept. 12) and Maryland (Sept. 19; first road game).

Virginia Tech's conference slate is as follows:

Home: Georgia Tech, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia

Road: Boston College, California, Clemson, Miami, SMU

The times and dates for all its ACC contests will be announced later this month.

James Madison subsequently announced that they would play San Diego State a week earlier on Sept. 19 to account for the cancelled game with the Hokies.