VaTech drops meeting with JMU, top nonconference foe in Franklin’s 1st season, to fit in 9 ACC games

Advertisement

Advertise with us

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech canceled its football game against James Madison scheduled for September because of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s move from eight to nine conference games beginning in 2026.

Read this article for free:


By clicking the button above, an account will be created and you will begin to receive some of our recommended newsletters. You may opt out of any newsletter by visiting your Email and Communication Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any email.

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $1.44 a week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $5.77 plus GST every four weeks. After 52 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/01/2026 (275 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech canceled its football game against James Madison scheduled for September because of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s move from eight to nine conference games beginning in 2026.

The teams had been set to play Sept. 26 in Blacksburg. JMU confirmed Thursday it would receive $800,000 from Virginia Tech as a cancellation penalty. The schools said they would work to schedule a future game.

James Madison, which qualified for the College Football Playoff, would have been the Hokies’ premier nonconference opponent in coach James Franklin’s first season. The change leaves the Hokies playing VMI at home Sept. 5, Old Dominion at home Sept. 12 and at Maryland on Sept. 19.

FILE - James Franklin, second from right, Virginia Tech's new head football coach, holds up a No. 25 jersey with, from left, Virginia Tech Board of Visitors memver John Rocovich, Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands and Athletic Director Whit Babcock, after Franklin was introduced during an NCAA college football news conference, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons, File)
FILE - James Franklin, second from right, Virginia Tech's new head football coach, holds up a No. 25 jersey with, from left, Virginia Tech Board of Visitors memver John Rocovich, Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands and Athletic Director Whit Babcock, after Franklin was introduced during an NCAA college football news conference, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons, File)

JMU filled its Sept. 26 opening with a road game against San Diego State.

The ACC announced it would go to a nine-game conference schedule to align with power-conference peers in the Big 12, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences.

Virginia Tech is among 12 of the football-playing members who will play nine conference games next fall while the remaining five stay at eight. Next season will operate as a bridge to accommodate conference games already on the books, with the plan to have 16 of 17 teams playing nine football games regularly by 2027.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Report Error Submit a Tip

Uncategorized

LOAD UNCATEGORIZED ARTICLES