Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – As the 2026 season creeps ever closer for first-year head coach James Franklin and the Hokies, fans are finally getting their first look at who the team will face on the gridiron this fall.
While competition promises to excite in Lane Stadium this season, the Hokies will play half of their 12 games in 2026 on the road. Of the six contests, five will be ACC matchups, giving the Hokies plenty of inter-conference matchups towards the middle and end of the season.
The 2026 season is beginning to come into clear view for fans of Virginia Tech football. Let’s take a look at the road opponents awaiting the Hokies in 2026.
Maryland:
The Hokies will play their first of six road games when they travel to face Maryland on Sep. 19. The matchup will be the 33rd all-time contest between the two programs, with Tech claiming five of the last six by an average of 26.4 points per game.
Maryland experienced a variety of ups and downs in their most recent season. After starting the 2025 campaign with a string of four consecutive wins, the Terrapins went on to lose eight straight games and finish second-to-last in the Big Ten. The team’s sole conference victory was its first Big Ten game, as a three-touchdown day from quarterback Malik Washington led the club to a 27-10 victory over Wisconsin on Sept. 20, 2025.
Washington will step into the spotlight at quarterback once again for the Terrapins in 2026, but the sophomore’s supporting cast will look vastly different. Wide receivers Shaleak Knotts and Jalil Farooq – the team’s most productive wideouts – both declared for the NFL Draft this offseason, marking two of Maryland’s 16 departures. However, dual threat running back DeJuan Williams, who logged 501 rushing yards and 426 receiving yards in 2025, has stated his intent to return.
Boston College:
The Hokies will play their second of two consecutive road games in September when they face Boston College on Sept. 26. The contest will be the 34th all-time matchup between the two teams, with Tech holding a 22-11 advantage.
Hokie fans will remember the last time the Hokies faced the Eagles, as former running back Bhayshul Tuten decimated the Boston College defense to the tune of 266 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Boston College will look to improve on a 2025 season that featured plenty of adversity. The Eagles started with a 56-point win over Fordham in the season opener before 10 straight losses followed, seven of which came by double figures. A win against Syracuse in the season’s final game placed the team at 2-10, its worst finish since earning the same record in 2012.
While Boston College inked 26 players in the transfer portal, the team’s most productive players have moved on. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan, running back Turbo Richard, and wide receiver Lewis Bond – all of whom led the team at their respective positions – are no longer on the Eagles’ roster.
Cal:
The Hokies will take a quick road reprieve with a home game against Pitt on Oct. 2 but will travel once again for a contest at Cal on Oct. 10. The game will be just the third all-time matchup between the two programs and will be the furthest distance the Hokies will have to travel in 2026.
Cal finished the regular season at 7-5 this past season, with one of their five losses coming at the hands of the Hokies in double overtime. A loss to Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl capped off a season that saw true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele start every game for the Golden Bears.
Sagapolutele will be at the helm of the offense yet again in 2026, as his intention to return was announced in December 2025. The Hawaii native will look to follow up on a season that saw the quarterback throw for 3,454 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns.
Clemson:
The Hokies’ fourth road game of the season will be a trip to Memorial Stadium as Tech faces Clemson on Oct. 24. The matchup will be just the second matchup in the last five years between the two teams, with the most recent contest being played at Lane Stadium in 2024.
The Tigers’ 2025 campaign was a step down from the ACC Championship-winning season the team had in 2024. While the team finished strong behind four consecutive victories, a tumultuous beginning and middle of the year contributed to the team’s 4-4 conference record, including a one-point home loss to Duke on Nov. 1, 2025.
One of the most intriguing stories from the Clemson locker room is where head coach Dabo Swinney and company will turn at quarterback with the departure of three-year starter Cade Klubnik. The Tigers – who elected to focus on defense in the portal behind acquisitions like defensive end London Merritt – will find their next starter from a quarterback room that has just one start across five different athletes. The lone start, which is held by quarterback Christoper Vizzina, came in a 35-24 loss to SMU in the 2025 season.
SMU:
For the first time in over half a decade, the Hokies and the Mustangs will face off when the two teams play on Nov. 6 or Nov. 7. The game will serve as just the fourth all-time contest between the programs.
Since being introduced to the ACC two summers ago, the Mustangs have found themselves near the top of the conference in consecutive seasons. While the team couldn’t get it done in the 2024 ACC Championship against Clemson, SMU has earned a 19-5 record in its first two seasons as a member of the conference. Last season’s 8-4 record included several close victories, including an overtime victory over then-No. 10 Miami, 26-20.
Even though the team missed a chance to be in the ACC Championship in 2025, perhaps the team’s biggest win of the year was when quarterback Kevin Jennings announced his intent to return to the Mustangs in December. Jennings, who has been the team’s starter for nearly all of the past two campaigns, led the team to its first ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. The Texas native will look to expand on a 2025 year that saw him record 3,641 passing yards and 30 total touchdowns.
Miami:
The Hokies will wrap up their 2026 road bouts with a visit to South Florida to face Miami in a game on Nov. 20. The matchup will be another installment in a rivalry that will play its 43rd contest later this fall.
“The U” returned to the top of the college football totem pole last year, as they made a run in the CFP in the 2025 season behind effective quarterback play from Carson Beck and a defensive line led by Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. After a regular season that saw the Hurricanes go 10-2, wins against Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff catapulted Miami to the national championship on Jan. 19. The Hurricanes were met, however, with an undefeated Indiana team that made history behind a 27-21 victory against Beck and company.
Head coach Mario Cristobal refuses to let the momentum slow for Miami, as evidenced by an aggressive transfer portal approach in the offseason. The Hurricanes will turn to quarterback Darian Mensah who, after leading Duke to an ACC Championship win in 2025, joins Miami with two years of eligibility remaining. Joining Mensah in the transfer is Duke wideout Cooper Barkate, who was Mensah’s top target with the Blue Devils.
With the season coming up quickly, fans won’t want to miss the first chance to see the Hokies. Be sure to claim your spot at the Spring Game on April 18!