Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – With Virginia Tech football’s ACC schedule release this past Monday, Hokie fans have finally learned which conference teams will brave the Terror Dome this fall. Excitement for the 2026 season has only grown this past offseason, giving the Tech faithful lots to look forward to before the Hokies step onto Worsham Field at Lane Stadium later this year.
Six of the 12 games in the 2026 season will be played at home. Six unique teams – including non-conference opponents, VMI and Old Dominion along with ACC foes Pitt, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Virginia – will make the journey and play in front of 66,000 raucous members of Hokie Nation. As the season inches ever closer for Virginia Tech football, let’s review the home opponents for the upcoming campaign.
VMI:
The Hokies will open the 2026 season with a contest against the VMI Keydets. The contest, which will serve as Virginia Tech’s single FCS matchup on the year, will also be the first matchup between the two teams in over 30 years. Historically, the Hokies and the Keydets were frequent adversaries, facing each other in each season from 1973 to the most recent clash in 1984. In the 79 matchups between the two squads, Tech holds the all-time matchup edge, 49-25-5.
Franklin and VMI head coach Ashley Ingram are both in the first years with their respective teams, meaning that the contest will feature a pair of coaching debuts in Blacksburg.
Old Dominion:
The Hokies and the Monarchs will face each other for the fourth time in as many years in the 2026 season, the contest marking the eighth all-time game between the two squads. Blacksburg will play host for a second consecutive year dating back to last fall when the teams faced off in week three.
Head coach Ricky Rahne will be at the helm once again for the Monarchs in 2026 for what will be his sixth active season in Norfolk. Rahne’s squad is coming off a banner season in 2025 with a 10-3 record and a victory in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl against South Florida.
Much of the success Rahne and the Monarchs enjoyed last fall was due to the standout play of quarterback Colton Joseph, who earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors behind 2,624 passing yards and 34 total touchdowns. The Monarchs will have to look for equal production elsewhere, however, following Joseph’s transfer to Wisconsin earlier this month.
Pitt:
For the first time since 2023, the Hokies and the Pitt Panthers will face off in competition in the 2026 campaign. The contest will serve as the 24th matchup all-time between both squads, with the Hokies holding the all-time advantage, 12-11.
Pitt started strong in 2025 behind a 7-2 record but stumbled late to finish their regular season at 8-4. The Panthers ended their season with a loss to East Carolina in the Go Bowling Military Bowl, 23-17. Pitt found itself ranked at different moments throughout the season, peaking at No. 22 in the AP Top 25 behind ranked wins against Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech:
After traveling to Atlanta, Ga. in the 2025 campaign, the Hokies will stay at home for their contest against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the upcoming season.
Georgia Tech experienced a variety of highs and lows this past season. After rattling off nine straight victories to begin the year, head coach Brent Key had his Jackets squad in the ACC Championship conversation alongside a No. 8 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. However, the team finished the regular season losing three of their last four contests – two of which were against unranked competition.
Next season may look different for the Jackets, especially considering that the team is now without veteran quarterback Haynes King and productive wideout Eric Rivers. Key and the Jackets made a big splash in the transfer portal, however, by acquiring former Michigan tailback Justice Haynes, whose 121 carries produced 857 yards (7.1 yards per carry) for the Wolverines in 2025. Further, Alberto Mendoza – brother of Indiana superstar quarterback Fernando Mendoza – committed to Georgia Tech earlier this month.
Stanford:
Stanford will embark on a cross-country journey to play in Blacksburg this season, marking the first time the Cardinal will experience Lane Stadium in the program’s history. This year’s contest will be just the second time the two squads have faced off in the regular season, with Tech holding a 1-0 edge behind a dominant 24-point victory in 2024. Former quarterback Tavita Pritchard returns to Palo Alto as the team’s new head coach. Pritchard will look to continue to develop Stanford’s identity in the ACC after the team finished 3-5 in conference play last season.
Virginia:
The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash returns to Blacksburg in 2026. In-state foe Virginia will travel from Charlottesville to southwest Virginia in the final game of the regular season for the Hokies.
History is embedded in the matchup between the Cavaliers and the Hokies. Tech has faced Virginia more than any opponent in its history, first meeting each other on the gridiron in 1895. Since that first matchup, the two teams have competed 106 times, with the Hokies holding the edge, 62-39-5.
The Cavaliers enjoyed perhaps their best season in program history a year ago, amassing a 10-2 regular season record. With a chance to play in the College Football Playoff on the line, however, quarterback Chandler Morris and the Cavaliers came up just short in the ACC Championship against Duke. With Morris out of eligibility and 19 players entering the transfer portal, ACC foes will have to see how the Cavaliers can follow up on their history-making season.
With plenty of exciting matchups to come for the Hokies, fans won’t want to miss what promises to be a thrilling season. Be sure to buy tickets now to see the Hokies in Lane Stadium this fall!