What Happened The Last Time Virginia Tech Football Played Each Of Its 2026 Opponents?

Lead editor Thomas Hughes gives a glimpse at what happened the last time Virginia Tech squared off against each of its 2026 opponents.

Sep 20, 2025; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech tight end Benji Gosnell (82) congratulates wide receiver Ayden Greene (0) on a touchdown. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football is still four months away from the start of its 2026 season. However, the offseason continuees to rage on. Today, I'll give a look at what happened the last time Virginia Tech took on each of its 2026 foes.

Week 1: vs. VMI (Last meeting: 1984)

Virginia Tech's last meeting against VMI took place in 1984 at Foreman Field; the contest was a largely pedestrian affair, resulting in a 54-7 victory for the Hokies. Virginia Tech has won nine of its last 10 meetings against the Keydets with its lone loss a 6-0 shutout in 1981.

Week 2: vs. Old Dominion (Last meeting: 2025)

Virginia Tech and Old Dominion's last meeting was a deflating loss for the Hokies, but it also sparked change.

Virginia Tech — then nursing a two-game skid to start the season — trailed to Old Dominion 2-0 at halftime and was behind by as many as 31. Virginia Tech ultimately lost, 45-26, and then-head coach Brent Pry was fired the next day. Current head coach James Franklin was then hired just over two months later on Nov. 17.

Week 3: at Maryland (Last meeting: 2021)

Like Old Dominion, Virginia Tech's last meeting with Maryland is a contest some would like to forget. A roster plagued with opt-outs after the dismissal of then-head coach Justin Fuente before the end of the season was blown out by the Terrapins, 54-10, at Yankee Stadium (The Bronx, N.Y.).

The loss before that stung, too. In 2013, Virginia Tech, then within earshot of winning the Coastal Division, fell to Maryland 27-24 in overtime, ultimately wiping out the Hokies' hopes.

Virginia Tech has not played at Maryland since 2009, but that year, it claimed a dominant 36-9 victory.

Week 4: at Boston College (Last meeting: 2023)

In contrast to the Hokies' previous meetings with Old Dominion and Maryland, Boston College serves as a welcome foe. Vriginia Tech has won four of its last five meetings against the Eagles and has done so by 17 or more points each time.

In the latest matchup — 2024, in Lane Stadium — Virginia Tech took down Boston College, 42-21. The Hokies allowed the Eagles to close the gap to 28-21, but they logged 14 unanswered points to close the contest out. Running back Bhayshul Tuten amassed 266 rushing yards, a program-record for rushing yards in a single game.

Week 5: vs. Pittsburgh (Last meeting: 2023)

Virginia Tech's last meeting against the Panthers flipped the script on what looked to be a substandard start to the Hokies' season. The Hokies, then sitting at 1-3, bounced back with a 38-21 victory over Pittsburgh, fueled by 228 passing yards from quarterback Kyron Drones and 106 rushing yards from Tuten.

However, Virginia Tech dropped its previous three games in the series by 45-29 (2022), 28-7 (2021) and 47-14 (2020) margins, respectively. The Hokies have not won in Pittsburgh since the 2016 season.

Week 6: at California (Last meeting: 2025)

Virginia Tech has only met the Golden Bears in tow games, both of which were decided by single-digits. The first was the 2003 Insight Bowl, where the Hokies and California were led by Bryan Randall and Aaron Rodgers, respectively. The Golden Bears won the 2003 iteration, 52-49.

Virginia Tech evened the series up last year with a 42-34 victory in double overtime. Running back Marcellous Hawkins totaled 167 rushing yards, while Drones added 137 of his own. The victory served as the Hokies' lone win in the last seven games of the season — a campaign that ended with a 3-9 record.

Week 7: vs. Georgia Tech (Last meeting: 2025)

Virginia Tech lost last year to Georgia Tech, 35-20, in a largely uneventful contest. The Yellow Jackets leapt out to a 18-0 lead and sustained any Hokies charge, romping to a 15-point win.

Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King, who has now graduated, totaled 213 passing yards on an elite 20-of-24 clip. The last time Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech faced off in Lane Stadium was the year before, where the Hokies beat a pair of Yellow Jackets backup quarterbacks in a 21-6 victory.

Week 8: at Clemson (Last meeting: 2024)

Virginia Tech's last meeting against Clemson resulted in a quiet 24-14 loss that played a factor in season-ending injuries for Drones. Drones had missed the last contest against Syracuse (38-31 overtime loss), but he played for part of the Clemson game. He collected 115 passing yards on a 9-of-20 clip, before exiting for backup Collin Schlee (7-of-17, 73 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception).

The Hokies' running backs were a non-factor in the game; a then-hobbled Bhayshul Tuten was the only to log carries, finishing with a net-zero rushing yards on four carries.

Week 9: at SMU (Last meeting: 1974)

It''s been a long time since Virginia Tech and SMU have played. Fifty-two years, in fact. The Hokies lost their last showdown with the Mustangs, 28-25. The year prior, 1973, the contest was a 37-6 blowout win for SMU. In the lone game that was in Blacksburg (1972), Virginia Tech won 13-10.

Week 10: vs. Stanford (Last meeting: 2024)

Virginia Tech's last meeting was two years ago, resulting in a dominant 31-7 victory in California. The contest came off the heels of a deflating 38-34 loss to then-No. 7 Miami. The Hokies lost their previous showdown to Stanford, 40-12, in the 2010 Orange Bowl.

This year's contest will make the first time ever that Virginai Tech plays against the Cardinal at Lane Stadium.

Week 11: at Miami (Last meeting: 2025)

Virginia Tech is currently on a five-game skid against the Hurricanes, and it hasn't won since 2019 (42-35 victory). Last year, Virginia Tech lost 34-17, and it trailed 20-3 at the half. The last time the Hokies and Hurricanes faced off in Coral Gables, Miami escaped with a 38-34 win.

The end of the contest was contentious on Drones' time-expiring Hail Mary attempt. The officials on the field ruled that Virginia Tech wide receiver Da'Quan Felton had caught the ball, which would have resulted in a three-point win for the Hokies; however, after a five-minute-plus review, the call was overturned, cementing the final margin as a four-point loss for Virginia Tech.

Week 12: vs. Virginia (Last meeting: 2025)

After a 37-17 victory in 2024, Virginia Tech's season-wide issues in 2025 culminated in a drab affair that threatened to shut the Hokies out for the first time since Sept. 16, 1995, against Cincinnati. Virginia Tech trailed 27-0 before freshman wide receiver Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin hauled in a 57-yard pass from Drones.

Drones concluded his career in Blacksburg with a 4-for-16 performance for 78 passing yards against the Cavaliers. Discounting the touchdown completion to Peterkin, he was 3-for-15 for 21 yards.