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BLACKSBURG, VA - APRIL 18: Virginia Tech Hokies offensive lineman Layth Ghannam (56), defensive back Tyson Flowers (11), and long snapper Christian Epling (96) led the team onto the field prior to the Virginia Tech spring football game on April 18, 2026, at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With football coming up again it’s a good idea to ease our minds back into where things stand not only for GT but for our upcoming opponents this year. While we have detailed analyses of our opponents coming up later in the year, I set this up to give a brief overview of our upcoming opponents and where they stand following their 2025 seasons. Let’s go down the list in order.
Colorado Buffaloes:
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2025 Record: 3-9
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beating Iowa State at Home
2026 O/U for wins: 4.5
Colorado had a rough 2025. Their team lost quite a bit of talent, so some fall off was expected but given the talent the Buffaloes held on to I think 3-win season was a big shock for most fans. It didn’t help that Deion Sanders had quite a few health issues. I’m glad to say it seems like Deion has overcome most of those problems and will be good to coach again this year. While Colorado has once again put together a well-stocked transfer class the question of coaching and O-line play continue to loom over the program. Colorado has the talent to make things happen but if you look at the Over / Under above expectations are not high for the Buffaloes this year.
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Tennessee Volunteers:
2025 Record: 8-5
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Everything up to the 4th Quarter against uga at home
2026 O/U for wins: 7.5
You know, I thought Tennessee had a way better season last year given how they started but their record was pretty mediocre all things considered. Tennessee looked so good, up until uga made their massive comeback in the third game of the year. After that 3rd game the Vols won all the games you would expect them to win and lost all the games you would expect them to lose. A fine 2025 performance, but likely not what their fanbase was hoping for. Tennessee will be revamping both sides of the ball this year, the talent of their defensive transfers is particularly impressive. There are some questions at QB as well, so there is plenty that needs to be answered and unfortunately it seems like the first game where we will get a good picture of how Tennessee will perform this year will be against the Jackets. This will by no means be an unwinnable matchup but will definitely be our toughest matchup in the first half of the season.
Mercer Bears:
2025 Record: 9-3
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beating #24 Western Carolina at home 39-37
2026 O/U for wins: None Listed
Mercer is a scary team even though they are from the FCS. The Bears played some pretty impressive matchups in 2025 at their level of play. Like most FCS programs the Bears just don’s have as much reporting on them compared to FBS teams so I don’t have a ton of information to go on in terms of 2026 expectations. In the one FBS matchup Mercer had last year they were blown out by Auburn 62-17. I would expect GT to be able to handle Mercer, but as any GT fan knows these FCS matchups against talented programs can go sideways fast if the team isn’t prepared.
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Stanford Cardinals:
2025 Record: 4-8
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beat Cal at home 31-10
2026 O/U for wins: 3.5
Stanford is not a beast of a program. They don’t have a ton of talent compared to some of the other schools we are facing and are in a transition period coaching wise. All that said, Stanford causes problems for teams that have to come to Stanford. Stanford won 4 of its 6 home games last year, including an upset of an impressive Cal team. Traveling to the west coast is a challenge and the Jackets should take this matchup seriously because the Cardinals can achieve some impressive feats in their stadium.
Duke Blue Devils:
2025 Record: 9-5
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Won the ACC
2026 O/U for wins: 5.5
It burns. This is just another reminder of how last year ended considering we actually beat Duke in the regular season. ACC needs to figure out it’s tie breakers quickly. Duke has lost a ton of talent, but the thing about Duke is that no matter how talented they are the Blue Devils always put up a fight. I would expect this to game to be a test for our offense as most of the talent for Duke is currently on the defensive side. Getting this game at home will hopefully make things easier for the Jackets.
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Virginia Tech Hokies:
2025 Record: 3-9
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Hired James Franklin
2026 O/U for wins: 6.5
Virginia Tech in 2026 is basically Penn State from 2025. I don’t necessarily know if that is an overall good thing or a bad thing yet, but it certainly seems like an improvement from where the Hokies were last year. James Franklin is a good, if not great, coach who is bringing a lot of talent in for the Hokies. This will be an important matchup as a VT is in a similar state as GT in that they are trying to turn their program around and become the prominent force in the ACC that we used to see back in the 90’s and early aughts. It’s hard to predict but this may be one of our closest matchups of the year.
Boston College Eagles
2025 Record: 2-10
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beating Syracuse to end the year
2026 O/U for wins: 3.5
Boston College just does not have much going for them this year. Being a bad team didn’t stop them from scaring the crap out of the Yellow Jackets last year though. We get the Eagles at home which should certainly be helpful, but they are also sandwiched between two big road games for GT. I expect to win this game but wouldn’t be shocked if the Eagles give us a run for our money.
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Pittsburgh Panthers:
2025 Record: 8-5
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beating #16 GT on the road
2026 O/U for wins: 7.5
Another loss from last year that burns. Pitt lost some talent on defense but have not been totally drained of talent, in particular Mason Heintschel being back is a good sign for the Panthers. Pitt has to go on the road to Miami before playing the Jackets at home so this may be a letdown game for the Panthers. GT getting this game on the road does not bode well for their chances considering what happened last year, but I do expect that Brent Key will have this game highlighted.
Louisville Cardinals:
2025 Record: 9-4
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beating Miami on the road
2026 O/U for wins: 7.5
Louisville is just a tough team to play. Last year the Cardinals lost 4 games; 2 of those losses were in OT, 1 was a loss by one point, and their only blowout loss came on the road at SMU. Louisville rarely gives anyone an easy time regardless of what talent they have on the field. Despite losing a significant amount of talent the Cardinals still acquired one of the best transfer classes in the ACC during the offseason. The Cardinals have a good RB this year to help a new QB on offense, and their defense seems to be as talented as always. It’s hard to project things this far out but Louisville will be another tight game down the stretch as the season winds down.
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Clemson Tigers:
2025 Record: 7-6
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Honestly, I’m not sure, probably beating the Gamecocks to end the year?
2026 O/U for wins: 7.5
Fair to say 2025 did not go how Clemson players, fans, or coaches expected it to go. Clemson was hyped all offseason as one of the top teams to beat for the national title. If you look at their record above, you can see clearly, they were not a top team by a wide margin. It kind of stinks because it diminishes what should have been a groundbreaking win for GT at home. This year Clemson lost most of their talent to the draft and are rebuilding. Rebuilding for Clemson is not typically rebuilding for most teams, however I’m in a tough spot with Clemson right now. Clemson this year is what FSU was last year, no one knows what to make of the program. Clemson could easily shoot back up to prominence but are just as likely to have a middling to terrible season. As far as their game against GT goes, we have to go on the road, and I am hoping we are up for whatever Clemson team we end up facing. It would be a huge win for us to beat Clemson 2 years in a row for the first time since 1985, but I doubt that will be an easy task to achieve.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons:
2025 Record: 9-4
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Beat a ranked SMU at home 2026 O/U for wins: 5.5
Wake Forest had a hell of a season last year. If not for some unlucky breaks in Wake’s game against GT they could have easily been 10-3 and potentially played for the ACC title. The Deac’s lost most of their offensive talent in the offseason and didn’t have the strongest defense to start last year. Talent wise, the 2026 Over / Under of 5.5 makes sense but what some may not realize is that Wake had the same O/U to start 2025 and that didn’t stop them from winning 9 games. Wake tends to punch above their weight class so don’t be surprised if this game is a battle. GT gets Wake Forest as their last home game of the year so hopefully the Jackets are prepared for what the Deacons will bring into Bobby Dodd.
Athens Community College:
2025 Record: 12-2
Biggest Achievement in 2025: Won the SEC Championship
2026 O/U for wins: 9.5
Same thing every year. uga is a very good team, I can hate on ‘em but it doesn’t make it any less true. It’s going to be a tough game to win on the road, although we do tend to play better in Athens than we do in Atlanta for whatever reason. This will be a tough matchup against most likely the most talented and well coached team we will face all year.
Those are our opponents this year. This is definitely a tougher schedule than last year but that just means there are plenty of opportunities for Georgia Tech to pull some upsets for fans and show the national media that they deserve some recognition. Hopefully Brent Key and the Jackets can perform like they have in the past against a slate of tough opponents.
What do you think about the schedule, let us know in the comments below and as always GO JACKETS!!!
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