Breaking down James Franklin's daunting first Virginia Tech football schedule

Neville E. Guard-Imagn ImagesNow that the College Football Championship Game is in the books, all eyes have turned to the 2026 season. That will be James Franklin's first as head coach of Virginia Tech. Hired in mid-November, Franklin has put together a recruiting class, overhauled the roster through the Transfer Portal, and put together his first staff in Blacksburg.

Now all that is left is getting his official schedule. That was released on Monday night when the ACC announced the schedules for all of its teams. Things have changed this year as the conference is moving to nine games for some teams, and one of those teams is Virginia Tech. Every school must play 10 power conference games.…