Where Do Virginia Tech's Opponents Rank In Connelly's SP+ Rankings?

Virginia Tech football is still six-plus months away from its 2026 season. The Hokies will look to improve on a dismal 3-9 campaign, where they fired then-head coach Brent Pry after a 0-3 start — which included a 45-26 defeat at the hands of Old Dominion.

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INITIAL 2026 SP+ RANKINGS, FINALLY

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Ohio State's No. 1, Indiana's [throws dart] No. 5, buy 🦆🦆🦆 and the state of South Carolina, sell the Big 12 teams that aren't Tech.https://t.co/dud00gbyry
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) March 27, 2026

As such, the Hokies enter the season with elevated expectations. Twenty-three high school recruits and 27 transfers join the program, which will be in its first season under new head coach James Franklin. Franklin spent 12-plus seasons at Penn State, reaching the College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals in 2024.

The 2025 start, however, was less fruitful. Franklin's team got out to a 3-3 start, and the head coach was fired after the team sustained back-to-back-to-back losses. Penn State bounced back with a four-game winning streak to end the year, spearheaded by then-redshirt freshman signal-caller Ethan Grunkemeyer. Grunkemeyer, however, joins Franklin in Blacksburg and will presumably be the Hokies' Day 1 starter.

Here's a look at how the 10 Virginia Tech regular-season opponents — discounting VMI, which is not on the initial SP+ rankings since it is not in the FBS — stack up on the SP+ rankings:

Old Dominion (Sept. 12): No. 88 overall, No. 109 offense, No. 63 defense, No. 134 special teams
Maryland (Sept. 19): No. 55 overall, No. 65 offense, No. 43 defense, No. 39 special teams
Boston College (Sept. 26): No. 74 overall, No. 67 offense, No. 80 defense, No. 28 special teams
Pittsburgh (Oct. 2): No. 41 overall, No. 40 offense, No. 53 defense, No. 60 special teams
California (Oct. 10): No. 56 overall, No. 50 offense, No. 62 defense, No. 95 special teams
Georgia Tech (Oct. 17): No. 43 overall, No. 53 offense, No. 51 defense, No. 11 special teams
Clemson (Oct. 24): No. 23 overall, No. 48 offense, No. 16 defense, No. 41 special teams
SMU (Nov. 6 or Nov. 7): No. 28 overall, No. 25 offense, No. 32 defense, No. 104 special teams
Stanford (Nov. 14): No. 75 overall, No. 97 offense, No. 55 defense, No. 128 special teams
Miami (Nov. 20): No. 8 overall, No. 12 offense, No. 7 defense, No. 42 special teams
Virginia (Nov. 28): No. 40 overall, No. 63 offense, No. 27 defense, No. 58 special teams

And here's where Virginia Tech stacks up on the SP+ rankings for reference:

Overall: No. 32
Offense: No. 34
Defense: No. 38
Special Teams: No. 89

Old Dominion is projected to suffer a -11.5 adjusted points per game loss after the departure of Colton Joseph to Wisconsin. Virginia Tech receives a +19.2 adjusted points per game boost with the advent of Franklin.

The Hokies kick off their 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against VMI. In the meantime, their spring game kicks off on Saturday, April 18, at 3 p.m. ET, with admission for the contest free of charge.