ACC Announces Hokies' 2026 Opponents For Nine-Game Schedule

David Cunningham

Managing Editor

December 16, 2025 45

The ACC officially announced its 2026 football opponents with a nine-game league schedule on Monday. The official slate will be revealed in January.

The Hokies are one of 12 teams that will play nine conference games next fall, with the other five — Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina — playing eight.

Virginia Tech's 2026 opponents are:

• Home (4): Georgia Tech, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia
• Away (5): Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Miami and SMU

The Cardinal replaces NC State, which was originally on the schedule for next season, while SMU is the new addition. Tech and Wake Forest are the only two members who play all three new institutions — Cal, SMU and Stanford — next season. It'll mark the Hokies' first-ever trip to Berkeley, Calif., and their third visit to Dallas, the first since 1974.

Tech has to drop one of its four non-conference games as a result, and sources have informed Tech Sideline that the scheduled Sept. 26 contest vs. James Madison will be the one to go. Its other three games are Sept. 5 vs. VMI, Sept. 12 vs. Old Dominion and Sept. 19 at Maryland.

With the shift to nine league games, which was officially announced on Sept. 22, each program must play a minimum of 10 Power Four opponents annually — nine ACC games plus one non-conference P4 team.

"Today's announcement of our 2026 football league opponents is another significant and intentional step forward for ACC football," ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in the conference's release. "Transitioning to a nine-game conference schedule strengthens our competitive framework, aligns us with the other Power Four conferences and provides greater consistency for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. This phased approach reflects our commitment to competitive equity, scheduling flexibility and delivering a premier football product across all 17 institutions."

The ACC also announced that its tiebreaker policy will be updated ahead of the 2026 season.

For more details on Virginia Tech's future football schedules, click here.

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45 Comments

HokieJ December 17, 2025 at 11:02 PM

Not convinced i need to buy season tickets. That home schedule is not even mediocre.
JHHOKIE December 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Keep VMI. We have a new coach, no clue as yet how the 2-deep will look. We need a game like this to see how things shake out moving into the season. And for us older Hokies, we are reviving an old rivalry that brings back memories.
joepugh2 December 17, 2025 at 7:44 AM

I wonder if season ticket holders are receiving reimbursement for tickets already purchased based on advertising 7 home games.
1. bkimbrough88 December 17, 2025 at 10:44 AM
  
  My thoughts too, I think the ACC should reimburse us directly. Here's to hoping we drop the VMI game instead of the JMU game, but given that ACC slate (all tough matchups on the road) I doubt it
Cheesehokie December 17, 2025 at 2:35 AM

Dropping JMU while keeping VMI seems ridiculous. If there's a justification for it, please enlighten me.
1. Hokie1992 December 17, 2025 at 6:13 AM
  
  The math is we’re dropping JMU to add SMU. Not official yet of course. But VMI is the season opening warmup game against a lightweight opponent. So the other options to drop are JMU, ODU and Maryland. I’d rather we drop ODU. But the other part is working out the available dates, ODU being scheduled on 9/12 and JMU on 9/26. It’s probably hard to ditch the Monarch’s as the Hokies have already cancelled other games with them.
  1. bkimbrough88 December 17, 2025 at 10:47 AM
    
    Easy, replace VMI with Boston College, yeah we have to travel, but still a fluff game
2. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 12:54 PM
  
  VMI always plays an FBS team for the money payout to supplement their athletic budget. It would probably be harder for VMI to find another FBS opponent for the payout than for JMU to find any opponent (FBS or FCS), maybe even an extra home game. I don't know this for certain, but I think they want to be fair to VMI since this game was scheduled several years ago.
HOKIE SEAN December 16, 2025 at 11:33 PM

Dropping JMU sucks and is embarrassing. Losing NC State just plain sucks. Did us zero favors, as usual.
DonHo-kieHi December 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM

WTF is the “phased approach” about. Seems like it just gives those teams that only play 8 games an advantage, and you could have taken bets that North Carolina and Clemson would be among the anointed ones. Why not pair them up and let them play 9? Not seeing the logic of leaving 5 teams playing 8. Seems like we need another team to even things out. Any Hawaii or Alaska teams available?
1. OldCorps December 17, 2025 at 5:16 AM
  
  Exactly right on.
2. HokieKanger December 17, 2025 at 8:10 AM
  
  Gives the teams that play 8 games an advantage over us how? An advantage for what? I don't think we are going to be a contender next year.
3. Willamette Hokie December 18, 2025 at 8:42 AM
  
  I'm guessing the 5 teams are also playing ND, which is effectively an ACC game.
Hokie Abroad December 16, 2025 at 9:46 PM

So Hokies get to travel to the four furthest corners of the conference with the closest away game being Clemson? ACC genius!
1. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM
  
  At least we'll get all those frequent flyer miles.
75hoke December 16, 2025 at 8:55 PM

So, 5 teams only play 8 ACC games, and Tech plays 3 of those teams. To qualify for ACC championship game, those teams only need to prioritize 8 games, while Tech has to prioritize 9 games. Fair?
1. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM
  
  I guess those 5 teams will have to play 2 non-conference Power 4 games.
BrewThruHokie December 16, 2025 at 8:51 PM

ACC is horrible. What a joke of a conference.
Arch72Hokie December 16, 2025 at 8:19 PM

This makes no sense. What if a team that plays 9 games wins 7 is tied w/a team that plays 8 but wins 7? What's the tie-breaker is the Conference Championship is on the line?
1. bkimbrough88 December 17, 2025 at 10:53 AM
  
  Yep, and we'll end up being the butt end of the joke again next year with a 6-6 team winning the conference.... I really need to stop saying we, VT obviously is not considered highly at all by the conference so we shouldn't even identify as a member, should just start thinking of ourselves like Notre Dame does, "independent"
  1. mcannaday December 17, 2025 at 4:58 PM
    
    VT has won more ACC championships than most ACC schools. We will be back on top in a few years. Franklin is putting together a great coaching staff full of recruiters that cover various hot spots.
    1. Arch72Hokie December 18, 2025 at 11:55 AM
      
      Blue Blood UNC , 5X but hasn't won a Conference championship since (1977) Bill Dooley was the coach. UVA, never, outright. We have 4X and have only been in the conference since 2004. WF? Duke? 9x but until this year, not since 1989 (Co-Champ w/UVA) NCSU? 6X but not since 1973. WF, 1x. We'll be back within 2 seasons.
2. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 1:06 PM
  
  Maybe it will come down to the 10th tiebreaker.
TechfaninMS December 16, 2025 at 8:04 PM

Will future years be adjusted or do we play at SMU back to back years?
1. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 1:19 PM
  
  I would think the 5 games away would be home in 2027 and the 4 home games would be away. Then in 2028, some of the 9 game teams would play 8 and the 8 game teams would play 9. You'd have to shuffle teams in and out, so you could play some teams you hadn't played for 2 years and not play some teams you've played for 2 years. LOL.
HokieCrazy1994 December 16, 2025 at 6:55 PM

I really wish we'd drop VMI instead of JMU. It looks like we're scared of JMU.
1. HokieTC December 16, 2025 at 9:22 PM
  
  +1
2. George Baylor December 17, 2025 at 7:51 AM
  
  100% correct. Dropping JMU and keeping VMI is just plain crazy. Hate to say it but VMI is not even a warm-up, just as well play Roanoke College. This is not VMI/VPI of my era of early 60's. JMU & ODU have valid competitive teams, VMI does not. Another FUBAR by Whit and the ACC.
Hokiehotdog December 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM

how to compare two 7-2 teams when one had 4 road games and the other had 5? seems like that needs to be a tie breaker at some level
hokie0611 December 16, 2025 at 6:01 PM

ACC schedulers were like "can't make VT go to California or Florida twice, that would be too obvious it's a screw job"
mwills98 December 16, 2025 at 5:59 PM

Big surprise on the tiebreaker, huh…total buffoons. They get paid good money to come up with this mess.
Tailgate Guru December 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM

No games against a single member of the Carolina mafia. No NC State. No UNC. No Duke. No Wake Forest. What a jack wagon conference this has become.
1. RandomAsianGuy December 16, 2025 at 6:22 PM
  
  We used to play at least two NC games. Instead VT is going to play two CA teams.
2. vahokiedog December 16, 2025 at 6:23 PM
  
  +1
  1. spudman December 16, 2025 at 6:27 PM
    
    +2
3. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 1:24 PM
  
  Let's go back to divisions; I miss Coastal chaos. Of course, the current setup is just more chaos. Lol.
GoneFishin Hokie December 16, 2025 at 5:39 PM

Why do we have to give up a home game for a road game? I hate the ACC!
1. LXNTN_HOKIE December 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM
  
  I hadn't thought about that. Of course, we would be one that got screwed out of a home game.
HokiesE96 December 16, 2025 at 5:29 PM

Hope they make the decision on the non-conference game to drop soon. Maryland is a given to stay to make the 10 Power4 piece.
1. NMB Hokie December 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
  
  Per the article, dropping JMU
Jasonh December 16, 2025 at 5:25 PM

Who did VT piss off to get this schedule?
1. Tailgate Guru December 16, 2025 at 5:38 PM
  
  The next time Tech gets the plus side of any ACC scheduling decision will be the first. At least we don’t have to go back to Tally for the fourth time with no return.
  1. HtownHokie December 16, 2025 at 11:05 PM
    
    the “dissolution” will happen first. klumpsun and free $hoes will leave the acc low and broke, despite VT having won three straight acc championships. don’t exhale, even hold your breath. we’ll never get a favor: chip on O&M shoulder.
2. Bruin2Hokie December 16, 2025 at 6:27 PM
  
  This is nothing new - what did you expect when we have always been regarded as the ugly, red-headed stepchild...
  1. HokieTC December 16, 2025 at 9:26 PM
    
    And play worse for 4 years

ACC Announces Hokies' 2026 Opponents For Nine-Game Schedule

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