FanDuel Sets Virginia Tech Football's 2026 Win Total at 6.5

New head coach James Franklin looks to lead the Hokies to a bounce-back season after a 3-9 campaign in 2025.

Mar. 14, 2026 at 9:49pm

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FanDuel has set the win total for Virginia Tech football's 2026 season, James Franklin's first year as head coach, at 6.5 victories. The Hokies are looking to rebound after going 3-9 in 2025 and firing then-head coach Brent Pry. Franklin inherits a team that has not exceeded 6-7 or 7-6 records in five of the past nine seasons, and will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in Ethan Grunkemeyer, a transfer from Penn State.

Why it matters

Virginia Tech's football program has struggled in recent years, failing to reach the heights of its past success. The 6.5 win total set by FanDuel represents a modest expectation for Franklin's first season, as he looks to restore the Hokies to relevance in the ACC. How the team performs in its early-season games could set the tone for the rest of the year and determine if they can reach a bowl game.

The details

FanDuel has set Virginia Tech's win total for the 2026 season at 6.5 victories. The Hokies' first six games appear winnable, with matchups against VMI, Old Dominion, Maryland, Boston College, and Pitt. If Virginia Tech can get off to a 4-2 or 5-1 start, it could set them up well for a potential bowl appearance in Franklin's debut season as head coach. However, the Hokies face a tougher conference slate later in the year, including road games against Clemson, SMU, and Miami.

  • Virginia Tech's 2026 season begins on September 5 against VMI.
  • The Hokies' spring game will take place on April 18, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET.

The players

James Franklin

The new head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies, hired in November 2025 after the team went 3-9 the previous season under Brent Pry.

Ethan Grunkemeyer

The presumptive starting quarterback for Virginia Tech in 2026, a transfer from Penn State who will be replacing the departed Kyron Drones.

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What they’re saying

“Yeah, I feel really good about the room in terms of the competition and how it looked before. I will say, it's not ideal in terms of how we spaced it out. In a perfect world, we would have got a senior or junior, backed up by a sophomore, backed up by a freshman type of deal. ... It's not like it's your turn to choose and you choose this guy. There's still a recruiting process, and we needed to go out and get the best available guys that we could.”

— James Franklin, Virginia Tech Head Coach

What’s next

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The takeaway

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