Where Did CBS Sports, ESPN Put Virginia Tech In Their Way-Too-Early Top-25 2026 Rankings?

Do the Hokies crack either CBS Sports' or ESPN's way-too-early top-25?

Dec 3, 2016; Orlando, Fla.; Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans (4) and teammates run out of the tunnel before the ACC title game vs. Clemson. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football sits seven and a half months away from its 2026 campaign, the first under new head coach James Franklin. Ahead of the season, several media outlets — including CBS Sports and ESPN — have released their way-too-early top 25 polls ahead of the season.

Here's what the CBS poll's rankings are:

1. Ohio State
2. Texas
3. Georgia
4. Oregon
5. Notre Dame
6. Texas A&M
7. Texas Tech
8. Indiana
9. Michigan
10. Oklahoma
11. USC
12. BYU
13. Miami
14. LSU
15. Alabama
16. Louisville
17. Missouri
18. Utah
19. Washington
20. Ole Miss
21. Houston
22. Penn State
23. SMU
24. Virginia Tech
25. South Carolina

NEW: Way-Too-Early Top-25 for 2026, via @bmarcello 👀

🔗 https://t.co/CnCy0BHVc6 pic.twitter.com/8rgZAmQEFt

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) January 20, 2026

Ad then, here's ESPN's way-too-early top 25:

1. Indiana
2. Texas
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. Oregon
6. Ohio State
7. Texas Tech
8. Miami
9. Ole Miss
10. Texas A&M
11. BYU
12. Oklahoma
13. USC
14. Louisville
15. LSU
16. Iowa
17. SMU
18. Michiga
19. Washington
20. TCU
21. Alabama
22. Penn State
23. Arizona State
24. Tennessee
25. Utah

Virginia Tech's omission off the ESPN list is a relative unsurprise after the Hokies' 3-9 campaign in 2025; the ESPN article does not list any other teams in consideration (i.e. a de-facto "receiving votes" category).

Here's what CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello said when he put the Hokies at No. 24:

"Best hire of the coaching carousel? Best transfer class in Virginia Tech history? James Franklin pulled 12 of his players away from Penn State and added four-star Duke receiver Que'Sean Brown. In the wide open ACC, I'll side with one of the more consistent coaches in college football, lifting the Hokies back in the mix."

The Hokies went 3-9 last season and started the campaign 0-3, including a 44-20 loss to Vanderbilt and a 45-26 drubbing at the hands of Old Dominion that warranted the firing of then-head coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14. Interim head coach Philip Montgomery then assumed the temporary mantle of head coach and steered the team to a 3-6 record in his nine games as the big whistle. The Hokies claimed victories over FCS Wofford, NC State and California; however, they lost four straight games to close out the 2025 season, capped by a 27-7 rout by then-No. 18 Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. On Nov. 17, Franklin was named as Virginia Tech's next head coach; in his subsequent recruiting stretch, he raised the Hokies' class ranking by just over 100 spots to No. 22 on 247Sports. On the 247Sports transfer portal rankings, Virginia Tech sits at an impressive No. 18, having secured 25 commitments in the portal at the time of writing.

Virginia Tech's 2026 season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 5, as the Hokies face off against VMI for the first time since 1984. In the meantime, Virginia Tech's annual spring game will be held on Saturday, April 18; admission for the event will be free.