2026 ACC Football Preseason Predictions: Virginia Tech Picked Eighth

James Franklin and the Hokies were picked to finish in the middle of the ACC pack by the league's media, voted eighth in the conference's preseason poll that was released Tuesday.

Miami, which went on a playoff run to the national championship game last season, was the runaway pick to win the league, getting 165 of 188 first-place votes. The Hurricanes have never won the ACC.

They were followed by SMU (six first-place votes), Louisville (four), Clemson (seven) and Georgia Tech (two).

Last year's surprise regular-season champion, Virginia, was picked sixth, followed by NC State. 

Virginia Tech was close behind at eighth, earning 1,962 points, just two back of the Wolfpack and 19 behind the Cavaliers.

In the two years the conference has had 17 football members, the Hokies have finished tied for eighth and tied for 13th, tumbling to that mark in a 2-6 season last fall.

If the Hokies fare better than this year's eighth-place prediction, they'll have done some work. They play five of the top-seven teams in the poll — No. 1 Miami, No. 2 SMU, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Georgia Tech and No. 6 Virginia. The first three of those are on the road.

For all preseason media predictions dating back to 2005, click here.