Way-Too-Early 2026 Virginia Tech Football Preview and Prediction: Week 8, vs. Clemson
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Seven installments into Year 2 of Virginia Tech On SI's "Way-Too-Early" series, we've finally arrived at the tail end of the October portion of the schedule, where Virginia Tech football travels south to play Clemson.
The Tigers do not appear to be the Tigers of old, though writing them off comes at one's peril. Clemson did go 7-6 (4-4 ACC) last season, and it lost in the Pinstripe Bowl to Penn State, but two years ago, it qualified for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. The 7-6 season in 2025 was Clemson's lowest mark in 15 years.
Clemson, though, is another one of the schools Virginia Tech will face that is breaking in a new quarterback, but by this point in the season, there'll be a decent idea of where that quarterback is.
That QB will presumably be Christopher Vizzina, a backup in the previous regime under mainstay starter Cade Klubnik. Vizzina, who is a redshirt junior heading into this season, has compiled 596 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception in his three years of collegiate ball.
Vizzina started one game last year, which was against SMU. In that contest, he amassed 317 passing yards and three touchdowns on a 29-for-42 clip while being sacked four times in a 35-24 loss. Clemson likely has freshman Tait Reynolds next up in line if Vizzina can't fit; the 6-foot-2, 215-pound recruit was the No. 31 quarterback in the Class of 2026 and the No. 6 player in Arizona, per 247Sports.
Clemson enters the SP+ rankings at No. 23, a result that will hinge mostly on the performance of Vizzina and whether he can sink or swim with Clemson's new pieces. Running back Adam Randall isn't with the team this year; he's off to the NFL after a 835-yard, 10-touchdown season in 2025. Returner Gideon Davidson (260 yards last year) and SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. (479 yards, four touchdowns) anchor the mix. Randall tallied nearly half of Clemson's rushing total (1,618), placing more pressure on Davidson to absorb more of the carries.
Where Clemson does have a clear advantage is in its passing game. T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. combined for 1,374 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 83 receptions last season, though that production comes with an important caveat: Wesco appeared in only seven games. If he stays healthy for a full season, and Clemson develops a more consistent rushing attack, the Tigers' offense should be in a strong position.
Clemson did lose Antonio Williams (55 receptions, 604 receiving yards, four touchdowns) to the NFL, leaving a notable void in the receiving corps. The Tigers were relatively quiet in the transfer portal, finishing with the nation's No. 56 transfer class on 247Sports and adding 11 newcomers. Among them is wide receiver Jaylen Brown-Wallace, who arrived from Wingate after three seasons and totaled 84 receiving yards on six catches in 2024.
Replacing Williams' production won't fall on one player alone, but if Moore and Wesco remain healthy while Clemson's returning receivers and young talent continue to develop, the Tigers have a realistic path to offsetting that loss.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Sammy Brown highlights the returners after logging 107 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, seven breakups and five sacks en route to an All-ACC First Team nod. Defensive back Ronan Hanafin also returns after a 64-tackle season where he totaled four pass deflections. Defensive end Will Heidt anchors the front four after logging 47 tackles (15.5 for loss) and amassing 7.5 sacks (46 yards).
The real question is if Clemson's 2025 season represents a speck in an otherwise illustrious stint for head coach Dabo Swinney, or whether it's the beginning of a downturn. After a CFP berth in 2025, Clemson fell as low as 3-5, though it won its final four games of the regular season.
The last time the Hokies faced off against Clemson was two years ago. Virginia Tech pulled ahead 7-0 at the half thanks to a field goal block that turned into a 77-yard return touchdown from Quentin Reddish. However, thanks to Klubnik's 211-yard, three-touchdown day, Clemson emerged victorious, 24-14. Then-starting quarterback Kyron Drones toiled through the first half and eventually was spelled by Collin Schlee.
Drones did not return for the duration of the 2024 season. Virginia Tech rushed for only 40 yards, with its backs totaling a net-zero rushing yards on four carries (all Bhayshul Tuten, who was also injured).
Virginia Tech has lost its last seven matchups to the Tigers and has not won against Clemson since 2007 (41-23). The Hokies' matchup with the Tigers this October will be the first since 2012 to take place in Clemson. An interesting note: Clemson's new – well, kind of old – offensive coordinator is the returning Chad Morris, the father of one-year UVa. quarterback Chandler Morris. The elder Morris was the offensive coordinator for the Tigers from 2011 to 2014, intersecting with the Hokies' last trip to Death Valley.
Virginia Tech's contest against Clemson is slated for Saturday, Oct. 24, with no time or TV channel set. After its clash in South Carolina, the Hokies have a bye week before heading on the road again to Dallas, Texas, to face off against third-year ACC school SMU on Nov. 6. The Mustangs hold a 14-2 record in football league play in their first two years in the league.
Back to Clemson: This doesn't feel like the Clemson of old, though the Tigers still seem like a force to be contended with, especially at receiver. Clemson produced a 10-win season just two seasons ago, and if Vizzina can at least provide a low floor, I think the Tigers should walk out of Death Valley as the victors. If that's not the case, however, I think Virginia Tech has a shot, though the chips are not in its favor.
Final score prediction: Clemson 34, Virginia Tech 21
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Way-Too-Early 2026 Virginia Tech Football Preview and Prediction: Week 8, vs. Clemson.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos