NEW: On3 2026 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25👀Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/Eel5VBAUlk pic.twitter.com/U2YlWB1Lfg— On3 (@On3) January 19, 2026
Feels good to see the proper maroon and orange represented on a rankings page again. Can't wait to see this become regular again!
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I do appreciate the sentiments. It's a pure reflection on JMFF and his recruiting results.
I am remaining cautiously opti................fuck that!
LFG!!!!!!
#23 feels like a "cautious" hype. Indicative of nobody has any idea how the actual games may go, but is validation that the recruiting has been A+.
There is a lot to look forward too, but put me in the "cautious optimism" category until we see some actual positive results on the field. I've seen this one too many times to jump the gun.
When they say the tape won't be a safeguard because it won't jump up and stop someone, well time to show them this.
Looks like to me that you just need someone behind you to keep you on track.
I get it, but I'd just say you ain't seen nothin' like this at Virginia Tech before. Screw "cautious optimism" this year. I'm all in.
Why not us? LFG!
So I'm assuming that these preseason rankings are the writers' best guess at what are the rankings will be at season's end.
23rd would put us at eight wins with a notable victory (ie; a win over top 10 Miami/Clemmy) or nine wins over a median ACC slate.
I don't see it happening. This schedule is hard. Clemson, Miami, SMU will all have really solid rosters. UVA won't be a pushover.
This is more pessimistic than I would have expected from you, Bar. What gives?
I didn't realize I'm seen as an optimist here lol
Just looking at the 2025 cfp rankings:
19. 10-win UVA
20. G5 Tulane
21. 9 win Houston
22. 8 win Iowa
23. 9 win GT
24. JMU
25. UNT
I think 2026 VT could win 8. 9 feels like a lot. And I don't think our 8 wins would be as good as Iowa's.
Cal, SMU, Miami, and BC are all away, that's a brutal travel schedule, and tie most games not in eastern time. Duke is the only ACC top 6 team we don't play next season
I will take the first seat on the Hype train and say we will finish higher than 23 at seasons end. Im ready to be hurt again. Let's ride
Sorry, but that seat has been taken since the 70s when the train was nearly empty and I have not given it up yet. At my age, you don't have to wait too long for my seat, and believe me when I tell you, it can be a bumpy ride, but hey, it's my school! and I love 'em win or lose.
I won't go that high next year. I think we'll be flirting with a ranking.
Too many young players next year, they'll be learning and the coaching will be working out the rough spots.
We'll have many 3 and 4 year eligible players and a good but young QB.
When this stack of young guys are seniors and juniors and we have brought in even more through the portal as we evaluate who works in the system, we'll get our run at ACC championship.
The following year after that will be the run at the natty. You'll ID that year because the most populous class will be the one on their last year of eligibility.
Those guys will be 22 years old and larger, faster, stronger and will have mostly played together for 3 years.
This is the new way it is done. Stack as many players at last year of eligibility and 1 more year. Rinse and repeat. That's what Franklin is up to.
I think next year's travel schedule and the quality of the teams will be brutal. Keeping them healthy until the season ends will be the challenge.
I agree that #23 is more of a low risk "they brought in talent" pick. The real head scratcher for me is PSU at #14....(?!)
I saw PSU @ #14, and in a way, I lost hope that #23 would be even remotely possible. Maybe this is the "top-25 hopeful fan-base rankings" (I'm not sure if you get a bowl game for that)
They have a top 15 roster and arguably a top 10 coach.
Doubt that. I think we took more than ISU gave.
...and Matt Campbell is coming into a more competitive conference whereas James Franklin is coming into a less competitive conference.
I dunno, these are the two conferences in the NCG. It's not like they play in the SEC where no one got to the big game.
Ummmmm, the BIG12 is not in the championship game.
But even if IU was a BIG12 member, I would still heartily disagree that the inclusion/exclusion of a conference in a game between only two teams has any indication of how that conference is from top to bottom.
I'm not sure who you think you're responding to with such a serious comment.
Big12 IS in the CFB Championship game.
They are the referee crew.
Sorry to be this guy but...
A lot of the guys we're brining in have 3-5 years of eligibility left. A lot of youth, a lot of new players, new offensive scheme, everyone needs time to get adjusted into their spots. Some guys need an off-season to put on good weight to be on-the-field ready.
We do have a "manageable" OOC schedule to ease our way in but we have a potentially brutal road schedule.
Preseason top 25 seems way too optimistic for my taste. I think 7+ wins, UVa win and a respectable bowl game appearance seems right with 2027 being our first shot at true ACC contention.
I don't think you're that guy, I think you have a reasoned expectation. The travel schedule and very young team.
After that travel schedule, the following year will seem like a piece of cake.
This is where I am. Very optimistic in general but next season I expect a few dominant games against week opponents, some slop from young players and new systems gelling, and just not being tight enough to win the big games. Being ranked would mean everything starts clicking week 1.
I also don't think it's comparable to Cig(what is?) because he brought more experienced players and what seems like less system installation and is required at VT.
I dunno if we're going to be top 25 good, but I do think compared to last year we'll be good.
I'm willing to start there.
How I expect our hype train to go:
Still nailed the landing, though!
You just need to add some eurobeat and then we're gucci.
Need to see the baby before I believe the hype
I'd buy that. I think I've come to the realization that competent QB play can add unlimited upside in this environment. We've seen this with UVA this year and Syracuse last year....not to mention that each CFP final four team featured a new starter at QB this year.
Its important to note that the transfers have done well, they weren't with out issues and there new teams hid them week with play calling.
I don't see UVA or Syracuse as these teams at all... To me, UVA was just old at every position - they were basically a poor man's Indiana. With Syracuse - yea, McCord put up great numbers, but three of his top 4 pass catchers were drafted and the fourth (pena) transferred to PSU (I think French recently mentioned him in a post/film review). That Syracuse offensive line also had one senior, three redshirt seniors, and one redshirt Junior.
Maybe QB can offer unlimited upside, but the rest of the offense defines the floor. I think we're going to see some ugly offense this year. There's a lot of talent but I feel like a lot of youth too.
I don't see VT as the preseason 2nd best ACC team or a preseason favorite over SMU, Clemson, or GT. That's putting too much on the Franklin hype and too little the rest of the ACC.
Also, no non-P4 (except ND), 9 Big10 and 9 SEC is nonsense.
GT will be an interesting case study they had to reload their entire offensive staff, plus replacements to a few pieces of the defensive staff
GT will fall off this year. Losing a lot of talent on the field and on the coaching staff.
Alberto Mendoza is transferring to GT.
But is he good...?
Yale and BYU have similar symbols. I thought that was Yale at #13.
I'd prefer to start the season underranked, and end the season in the rankings.
SI also believing the hype:
Other Notables: Miami at 7, SMU at 15, and PSU at 22.
LINK
I was hesitant to get on board. Then Indiana won the national championship. Why not us?
I agree, but not this year.
CBS joins the party
When's the "cautiously optimistic that we're going to be an improved team but not much better than a 6-6 7-5 team in 2026 train" board?
That route was cancelled due to low ridership.
We only lost to the champion runners up by 17. We were right there, not blown out. A couple good portal pieces and we win this thing next year...
Too much?
*taps on 2014 results*
I mean we did run better on them than several of their playoff opponents
I think Franklin gets an A++ for the recruiting class and a solid A for the transfer portal. Better than I expected for both. That said the team is too young and was too bad last year.
Imo we only got 3 maybe 4 impact transfers for winning this season. White, Brown, Wylie (who didn't start at LB for Penn State) and maybe Cam Chadwick who had a solid season any French likes a lot, but isn't very highly rated, similar to the DB's we took in the portal last year.
The rest of the guys are all potential. It should pay off eventually but most of these guys are r-Fr. I will be very surprised if a significant amount are ready to play
As if way too early rankings used to be meaningless now with the stupidity of the portal I think they truly are a fools guess anymore. That said im here for the hype and excitement so LFG
They used to be in overrated until they started picking us. Now they are to be trusted!
Let's be the darlings of the CFP that everyone roots for this year...and win the whole damn thing!
Can we wait till the spring before passing around the Hopium?
Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today??
We're using the dried hopium. So long as we don't dip into the seed hopium for the spring we'll be fine until fresh comes in.
We had a stockpile of Hopium stored since September. It wasn't used during the regular season.
It wasn't available during the season.
I had a tiny bit of it after the SC game season opener....
Yeah, we did better than I expected in that game and got hope.
The new home of James Franklin
Virginia Tech Got AN INSANE Transfer QB (Meet Ethan Grunkemeyer)
This is a good vid. I was about to share myself.
Hey, who did we get for a CB coach?
Found it. Nick Perry.
Isaac Punts did the research I was trying to do, partially. Here's the examination of the trend. I'm still trying to figure out our breakdown.
So there are a couple things I took for this, but overall something we've known for a long time is that seniors play better than freshman at the macro level. With NIL you can shape the roster a bit differently. What I really want to know/see is if teams can keep it up every year based on not wanting a lot of sophomores and junior, because right now you have VT getting players to make a run in 2-3 years. So while OSU ands the U shape everyyear, programs like VT would be estates to have a real championship shot ever 3 years. There are more programs like that than need to win every year to keep fans happy
Excellent and thanks.
Curious to see the VT curves vs W-L and see how it shakes out.
Older players with a great QB seems to be the mold (?'99VT anyone?)
Clearly CJMFF is looking to next 2-3 years.
If you go back 20 years you have Trevor Lawrence, James Winson, Hurts/tua as starters that won a championship before their 3rd year in college. 3 championships Having a jr+ is a bigger benefit from what the data shows. Also those 3/4 players have all done well-ish in the NFL, so if you can get a NFL talented QB then sure break the mold
We could be 3-0 with some inflated stats going into conference play after being 0-3 this last year. That will buffer the ranking and the hype for a while.
I'm still from Mizzou this year. If we look much better than I expect, maybe I stick a toe in the water in '27. In my 60-plus years of watching Hokie football, Frank's years are the outlier.
I'll be very happy with 7 & 5 this year if it includes an ass-whuppin of the hoos.