Don’t blink, college football will be here before you know it. That means, in just over three months, the Virginia Tech Hokies will take the field for the first time under new head coach James Franklin. Tech opens the season on Sept. 5 in Blacksburg against the VMI Keydets.
Believe it or not, the Hokies and Keydets were once fierce rivals as members of the Southern Conference. The two Virginia schools first played in 1894 — just two years after the Hokies began playing football. VT and VMI played annually from 1913 – 1971 and 1973 -1984, often in Roanoke on Thanksgiving Day. As their statuses changed over the Hokies, the regional rivals last met in 1984. The Hokies lead the all-time series 49-25-5.
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OK, back to 2026. While Lane Stadium will certainly be packed and sold out, you can watch the season opener on TV. Virginia Tech’s opener against the Keydets will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on that Saturday night and be shown live on the ACC Network.
That’s good for the Hokie fans who can’t make it to Blacksburg for the start of a new era under Franklin.
The season opener wasn’t the only reveal this week. Virginia Tech announced the times and TV for four other games. Here is a list of all five games revealed:
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Saturday, Sept. 5 vs. VMI in Blacksburg: 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network
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Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Old Dominion in Blacksburg: Noon ET on CW
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Saturday, Sept. 19 at Maryland: 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox or FS1
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Friday, Oct. 2 vs. Pittsburgh in Blacksburg: 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
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Friday, Nov. 6 at SMU in Dallas: 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Kickoff times and TV assignments for Virginia Tech’s remaining games will be revealed at a later date.
