When James Franklin arrived in Blacksburg, he was a coach coming off a stunning midseason firing who could not even finish the 2025 season with Penn State. But now, less than a year later, he has Virginia Tech sitting at 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and closing in on something the program has not experienced in five years.

For Franklin, his fans, and critics, the Week 5 showdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers is a make-or-break moment. On Friday night, Lane Stadium will host the first game between two major-conference, unranked teams with undefeated 4-0 records. A win would give Virginia Tech a much stronger case to finally break back into the AP Top 25.

The Hokies’ AP Top 25 drought has stretched to five years. They last appeared in the rankings in 2021, a season that eventually ended with a 4-4 ACC record and a 6-7 overall finish. Head coach Justin Fuente’s tenure ended before the season was over, while Virginia Tech later suffered a 54-10 New Era Pinstripe Bowl loss to Maryland.

This year under Franklin’s leadership is different. After their latest 21-14 win against Boston College, the Hokies received 86 points in the latest AP poll. That effectively puts Franklin and his squad at No. 30 nationally and fifth among teams sitting outside the Top 25.

The turnaround becomes even more striking considering where Franklin was a year ago. Penn State fired him after a 3-3 start in 2025, despite entering the season ranked No. 2 and reaching the College Football Playoff semifinal the year before. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, finished 3-9 last season. Four games into 2026, Franklin already has the Hokies undefeated.

Week 4 was a tough one for the team. Virginia Tech led 6-0 in the third quarter before Boston College quarterback Mason McKenzie scored on a 5-yard run to make it 7-6. McKenzie struck again with a 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, putting the Hokies in a 14-6 hole with 11:09 remaining.

Virginia Tech responded when Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with Marlion Jackson for a 14-yard touchdown, and Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14. Then, with 4:58 left, Overton broke loose for a 76-yard rushing touchdown that secured the Hokies’ 21-14 victory at Chestnut Hill.

“There’s part of me that’s going to say this wasn’t the prettiest win, but there’s part of me that’s going to say this is as pretty as it gets,” said Franklin, per Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline after the game.

Despite his undefeated record, Franklin has still flown under the AP Top 25 radar. There might be a reason for that. Virginia Tech’s first four opponents have not provided the kind of résumé win that immediately forces voters to take notice, and the narrow escape against Boston College showed there are still areas that need fixing. Pittsburgh changes that equation.

The Panthers are also 4-0 and enter Friday as the strongest opponent Virginia Tech has faced this season. ESPN’s SP+ has Pittsburgh ranked No. 20 nationally, while the Hokies sit at No. 28. Pittsburgh is also playing its first road game of the season, adding another layer to what should be a very different test inside Lane Stadium.

Amidst all the capable quarterbacks this season, one in particular is giving opposing defenses problems. Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel has already amassed 1,191 passing yards and 13 touchdowns against just one interception through four games.

He is clearly the most glaring challenge for Franklin and the Hokies. With 297.8 passing yards per game, Heintschel ranks among the ACC’s most productive quarterbacks. He threw seven touchdowns against Miami, Ohio, before adding six more in Pittsburgh’s 59-0 demolition of Bucknell.

That means all 13 of his touchdown passes have come in just those two games.

Heintschel also has dangerous weapons around him. Senior receiver Cataurus Hicks is averaging 21 yards per reception with 252 receiving yards this season, which could become important against a Virginia Tech defense that has already allowed opposing receivers to get behind the secondary for explosive plays.

Secondly, watching the Hokies pitted against the Panthers’ defense is going to keep everyone on their toes. Franklin’s offense has scored heavily through the opening month, but Pittsburgh brings the best defense Virginia Tech has faced so far.

The Panthers rank No. 11 nationally in total defense, allowing just 244.5 yards per game, and they have been particularly dominant against the run. Opponents are managing only 53 rushing yards per game, which ranks Pittsburgh among the best run defenses in the country.

That matchup becomes even more important after Virginia Tech leaned heavily on Overton against Boston College. He finished the game with a career-high 209 rushing yards, including the decisive 76-yard touchdown, but finding those kinds of openings against Pittsburgh could be significantly harder.

The Panthers have also kept every opponent below 15 points this season. Will the Hokies disrupt those numbers? Friday should provide the clearest answer yet.

The excitement around the Hokies’ foreseeable future

The Hokies have not entered October undefeated since 2017. They head into their second ACC game at 4-0, matching Pittsburgh’s record, with both teams sitting 1-0 in conference play.

Franklin also knows Pat Narduzzi well. He went 3-1 against him at Penn State, losing 42-39 in 2016 before winning the next three meetings, including a 51-6 rout in 2018.

A win Friday would move Virginia Tech to 5-0 and give Franklin his first major statement victory in Blacksburg. It would not guarantee an AP Top 25 ranking, but beating another undefeated team would strengthen the Hokies’ case.

The schedule only gets tougher from there, with Cal, Georgia Tech, Clemson, SMU, Stanford, Miami and Virginia still ahead. For now, though, Pittsburgh is the immediate test.

The Panthers bring the best defense Virginia Tech has faced and one of the ACC’s most productive quarterbacks, making Friday the clearest measure yet of how real the Hokies’ 4-0 start is.

Franklin has already made his message to Hokie Nation clear: show up.

“Being back at home this week is obviously going to be significant,” Franklin said on Monday. “We need it to be a home-field advantage. We need it to be a four-quarter game, four quarters of support from our fans and from our students. That’s going to be a really important factor in this game. We need to have a significant home-field advantage.”