Virginia Tech's Most Pivotal Game In the 2026 Season Might Not Be One That Hokies Fans Expect

What is going to be the most pivotal game on the 2026 schedule for Virginia Tech this season?

Nov 22, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach James Franklin on the sidelines before the start of the game against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech has had a very successful offseason.

Does that mean that they are going to have instant success on the field in 2026? No, but the Hokies have put themselves in a great position to win instantly in James Franklin's first season in Blacksburg.

The success for Virginia Tech started when they hired Franklin to take over the program. It was a big win for the Hokies to have one of the most accomplished coaches in the country and he delivered on upgrading the roster. The Hokies went from having a recruiting class ranked outside the top 100 before Franklin arrived to finishing with one of the ACC's top classes.

Things did not stop there though. Virginia Tech brought in one of the top transfer portal classes in the conference as well. That does not guarantee that Franklin is going to have the Hokies in the College Football Playoff next season, but he is in a position to make that possible.

Pivotal Games

While games against Miami and Virginia are ones that Hokies fans already have circled, what about another pivotal game against an ACC contender?

Since joining the ACC, SMU has made the conference title game and the college football playoff in 2024, and were a win against Cal from going back to Charlotte to play for a playoff spot. Don't expect a dropoff from Rhett Lashlee's squad in 2026 and the Hokies' visit to Dallas on November 7th will be one of the most pivotal games on their schedule according to CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford:

Most pivotal game: at SMU, Nov. 7

"Expectations are high for first-year coach James Franklin. No other ACC team plays road games against Miami, Clemson and SMU, however, so Virginia Tech's schedule is not necessarily conducive to CFP buzz. A win in Dallas likely puts the Hokies in the ACC conversation with the trip to Miami looming two weeks later."

I agree with Crawford that if the Hokies can go into that game and get a win, they could be in a very good position to make the ACC Championship game and possibly have a shot at going to the college football playoff next season. Those are lofty goals, but that is what this program wanted when they made the big move to hire James Franklin. These are the types of games that Virginia Tech should be playing in and they are going to have plenty of opportunity to make a big impression in 2026.