Virginia Tech football’s 2026 schedule was officially announced last week on ACC Network and is highlighted by a nine-game Atlantic Coast Conference slate that features nationally prominent matchups and multiple Friday night contests.
The Hokies open the season at home on Sept. 5 against VMI before hosting Old Dominion on Sept. 12. Virginia Tech will then play its first road game of the season on Sept. 19 at Maryland, followed by an ACC road contest at Boston College on Sept. 26.
October brings the start of conference play at Lane Stadium on Oct. 2 with a Friday night matchup against Pitt. The Hokies return to the road on Oct. 10, venturing to the west coast to face California before hosting Georgia Tech on Oct. 17. Virginia Tech travels to Clemson on Oct. 24, ahead of its open date on Oct. 31.
Following the bye week, the Hokies will play at SMU on either Friday, Nov. 6, or Saturday, Nov. 7, with the date and kickoff time to be announced. Virginia Tech returns home on Nov. 14 to host Stanford before closing its road schedule with a Friday night game at Miami on Friday, Nov. 20.
The Hokies will close the regular season once again with the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, taking on in-state rival Virginia on Nov. 28 in Blacksburg.
Ahead of the 2026 ACC Football schedule release, the Atlantic Coast Conference has announced the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at noon ET on Saturday, December 5, on ABC. This positions the ACC Football Championship Game as the first game to kick off Championship Saturday.
“We are excited this year’s ACC Football Championship Game will be a noon kickoff on ABC as it places our game in an exceptional television window and allows for our attending fans the opportunity to experience an afternoon game in Bank of America Stadium,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Being the first conference championship to kick off on Championship Saturday allows us to lead the day on a national stage, showcase our student-athletes and programs and deliver a marquee event to fans across the country.”
The appearance on ABC continues a long-standing broadcast partnership, as 2026 marks the 14th consecutive year, and the 18th time overall, that the ACC Football Championship Game will air on the network. The title game has been televised on either ABC or ESPN every year since its inaugural season in 2005.
The shift to a noon kickoff moves the championship game from its traditional Saturday night window for the first time since 2020, when the game kicked off at 4 p.m. The title game also kicked off at 1 p.m. in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
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