Virginia Tech Football: Hokies schedule with divisions eliminated in ACC
The framework of ACC football scheduling went out the window this morning when the conference announced the elimination of divisions. The split between Atlantic and Coastal will be no more starting in the 2023. In it’s place, they’ve adopted a 3-5-5 format. That gives each team each team 3 primary opponents and a pair of home and away games versus the other ten teams in the conference over four years. For Virginia Tech, this will shake up their conference schedule starting next year.
This new format gives the Hokies three guaranteed games each season against Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest. Virginia and Pitt were previously in the Coastal Division with the Hokies while Wake was in the Atlantic.
The conference schedules for the first cycle of this new format were also released. In 2023, Virginia Tech will face NC State, Pitt, Syracuse, and Wake Forest in Blacksburg. The Hokies will go on the road to play Boston College, Florida State, Louisville, and Virginia.
For 2024, their home schedule is highlighted by Clemson with other matchups against Georgia Tech and Louisville. For their away portion, the Hokies will go down Tobacco Road to face Duke and North Carolina.
2025’s slate includes the Florida State Seminoles along with Boston College. Meanwhile they’ll make separate trips to Florida and New York to play Miami and Syracuse respectively. Their away stretch will also include NC State.
Finally, 2026 will have Duke, Miami, and North Carolina all coming to Lane Stadium. Their away schedule includes a stop in Death Valley versus Clemson and in Atlanta against Georgia Tech.
The new format will take everyone in the ACC, including Virginia Tech, some time to adjust. The new format did preserve their in-state rivalry with the Cavaliers as well as give them favorable matchups with the Panthers and Demon Deacons. This will give the Hokies just one year to adjust while making a final run for the last Coastal Division title.