si
No one expects Virginia Tech to go 12-0 in James Franklin's first season.
After all, the Hokies are coming off a 3-9 campaign and face a schedule that includes road trips to Clemson, Miami, SMU and California.
But while an unbeaten season would require near-perfect execution, there is a realistic blueprint for how Virginia Tech could win every game on its schedule.
It starts with taking care of business early.
Virginia Tech opens against VMI and Old Dominion before traveling to Maryland.
The Hokies should be favored against VMI and possess a clear talent advantage over Old Dominion, though the Monarchs have made life difficult for Virginia Tech in recent years.
Maryland is the first true measuring-stick game.
The Terrapins have struggled to string together winning seasons recently, and if new quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer settles into the offense quickly, the Hokies have enough firepower to leave College Park at 3-0.
Road trips to Boston College and California are far from automatic wins, but both are winnable.
Boston College is rebuilding after a difficult 2025 season, while California remains one of the ACC's longest trips and toughest logistical challenges more than a talent mismatch, though the Golden Bears have been middling at best in their two years thus far in the ACC.
Avoid turnovers, play disciplined football and force opponents into obvious passing situations, and Virginia Tech can survive both.
The season's defining stretch comes in late October and November.
Clemson, SMU and Miami are widely viewed as the three toughest games on the schedule.
Virginia Tech is presumably not more talented than Clemson or Miami on paper, but Franklin has built his reputation on fielding physical, disciplined teams capable of winning ugly.
If the Hokies establish Jeffrey Overton Jr.
and Marcellous Hawkins on the ground, protect Grunkemeyer and create explosive plays through Luke Reynolds and Ayden Greene, among others, they can shorten games and create more of a chance at an upset.
Defensively, the path is equally clear.
Virginia Tech doesn't need to lead the ACC in every category, but it does need to become opportunistic.
Kemari Copeland, Elhadj Fall and the revamped front seven have to generate more negative plays than the Hokies managed a season ago.
Winning the turnover battle and improving in the red zone would erase many of the issues that plagued the program in 2025.
Perhaps the biggest factor, however, isn't schematic.
Perhaps it is the shape in which culture develops.
Franklin inherited a roster that has undergone massive turnover through recruiting and the transfer portal, but he also brought expectations that have been absent in Blacksburg for several years.
Teams with renewed belief often outperform preseason projections, especially early in a coaching tenure.
Going undefeated is essentially impossible.
There are simply too many difficult road environments and too many quality opponents for perfection to be the expectation.
But with the way that the Hokies' schedule shapes up, there isn't a single game on the schedule that feels completely out of the question.
In Year 1 under Franklin, that may be the biggest sign yet that the Hokies are moving in the right direction.
Hughes serves as Virginia Tech On SI's lead editor, a position he has held since July 2025.
He is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing.
Hughes is also the assistant editor-in-chief for 3304 Sports, as well as an on-air talent for 3304's SportsCenter-style studio show.
He is also a staff writer for Steering Wheel Nation, having written pieces on several motorsport series, including Formula 1 and the NTT IndyCar Series.
Follow thomashughes_05.