TSL Poll: 2026 Football Expecations

Chris Coleman

Lead Analyst and Columnist

May 13, 2026 28

We here at TSL have been asked about our expectations for the 2026 football season quite a bit since the hiring of James Franklin and the retooling of the roster. Heading into the summer, we thought we would take the pulse of our subscriber base to get a feel for your thoughts.

The poll below is simple. What are your expectations for Virginia Tech football during the 2026 regular season? Please vote in the poll, and next week we’ll run an article that discusses the results.

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28 Comments

chagerma May 14, 2026 at 10:14 AM

Can you imagine how fun the voters are who said under 6 wins. Gotta be miserable people.
DADEC52 May 14, 2026 at 10:05 AM

Looks like the past few years have broken a fair part of the fanbase. With the investments made, the new staff and renewed energy we need to be targeting 8 minimum. If it becomes 6, the past 3 months have been wasted to a great degree and any momentum will be replaced by a long slow crawl to respectability.
AlrightGuy May 14, 2026 at 7:55 AM

Just having a QB (or 2) is worth 2-3 more wins than last year. The kicking game is the only area that is not improved, and that’s because it was the best part of the team last year. But still, it’s gonna be hollow if it doesn’t include the Commonwealth Cup.
VicDrit May 13, 2026 at 10:59 PM

I'd love to see 8+ wins, but I'll be happy with 7. That's still a four-game improvement over last year and a solid foundation for the new staff.
George Baylor May 13, 2026 at 8:02 PM

I predicted 7, hope we do better than that. I don't expect us to be high scoring, so much will depend on how Pry does with the "D." An improvement will be not losing any games where we are the favorite. GO HOKIES and surely beat UVa!
proudhokie2001 May 13, 2026 at 6:32 PM

uva had 22mil roster and played for and should have won the acc title. expectations are high. why not just win them all?
1. FCGOBBLER May 14, 2026 at 11:15 AM
  
  Where in the world did you get that $22 million figure from? I have a hard time believing it.
GoneFishin Hokie May 13, 2026 at 6:32 PM

Wow! Lots of folks on here with grand expectations. I think Franklin is a great hire and will do great things at VT. But, with so many questions, so much youth, and the schedule foisted upon us by the ACC, I'm gonna be quite happy with 7 wins and the hoos back in their place.
Mapmaker May 13, 2026 at 4:57 PM

9-3: We steal one from the Clemson/SMU/Miami trio but choke to either Pitt or GT.
middletennhokie May 13, 2026 at 2:56 PM

7 feels right looking at the competition, 8 would be awesome.
clrowland25 May 13, 2026 at 2:22 PM

I thought 7 regular season plus bowl win, so I marked 8.
NokieHokie May 13, 2026 at 2:06 PM

8-4 in the regular season. Bowl game is impossible to predict.
vtce2000 May 13, 2026 at 12:54 PM

$30M+ rosters don't got 6-6, 7-5 or even 8-4
1. wwhokie1 May 13, 2026 at 1:22 PM
  
  That depends. Not all 30 million rosters are built the same way. This one's built on a team that only won three games last year. It's also built looking towards the future, and not focused on just winning this year. So it's built with a lot of freshmen and redshirt freshman. Adding those young players to a team that won three games last year. Coach is not taking a win now approach, but a building a foundation for future success approach. That may not produce as many wins in the first season as other approaches.
HokieDevil May 13, 2026 at 12:45 PM

IMHO 6 wins is where I think the minimum should be with our schedule. I think 8 is achievable. So I chose 7 since with free agency, er, portal it's hard to know what any induvial team will be like year to year. I didn't count a bowl win since we have no idea who that could be.
fosterD1 May 13, 2026 at 12:40 PM

This team will surprise us. Better players and better coaches. 10+
ToledoHokie May 13, 2026 at 12:34 PM

I went with 6...."believe it when i see it!"
Hokester May 13, 2026 at 12:20 PM

Head says 7. Heart says 8. Bowl win would be gravy.
hokie1dc May 13, 2026 at 12:01 PM

Vegas only has us at 6.5. Expectations are probably too high.
1977hokie May 13, 2026 at 11:51 AM

I went with 7, as a minimum expectation, desire 8+
McHokie93 May 13, 2026 at 11:42 AM

I said 8 because I don't trust us to win big games yet (or even to win all the games we should win). We will probably win one game we are underdogs in like Clemson or SMU and then lose one we are favored in like UVa, Pitt, or GT. I would say 8 is expected, 9 would be very good, 10 would be great. Less that 8 would be a disappointment.
1. Atlee Hokie May 13, 2026 at 11:48 AM
  
  Your thoughts echo mine.
2. chagerma May 13, 2026 at 12:04 PM
  
  I went with Pitt, @ Clemson, @ SMU, and @ Miami
ChapelHill Hokie May 13, 2026 at 11:34 AM

I think if we win eight that shows a lot of progress but I really feel like Franklin is going to turn things around quickly. And it’s not just about recruiting and the transfer portal. It’s more about the renewed energy he brings.
1. ChapelHill Hokie May 13, 2026 at 11:36 AM
  
  So I said “nine” regular season wins.
2. sacramento hokie May 13, 2026 at 2:33 PM
  
  Losses to Cal, Clemson, SMU and scUM
GusDaMan May 13, 2026 at 11:33 AM

small nit, but you might want to clarify "regular season" or "including postseason" in the question. I voted based solely on the regular season, but a lot of people seem to throw out numbers like "xx wins plus a bowl win" when talking about expectations.
1. PFHokie May 13, 2026 at 11:51 AM
  
  ^^^This ^^^

TSL Poll: 2026 Football Expecations

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