The Atlantic Coast Conference has joined the rest of the Power Four conferences in having a nine-game conference schedule, starting with the 2026 season. As programs adjust to the new schedule, Virginia Tech has now fixed its non-conference schedules for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Ahead of the 2027 season opener, the program is set to pay $500,000 to a non-conference program.

Per Tech Sideline’s Andy Bitter, the Hokies will pay $500,000 to The Citadel Bulldogs for their trip to Lane Stadium on August 28, 2027. The matchup between the two programs has been set as Virginia Tech’s season opener for Week 0. The fee comes as part of a “guarantee game” and is often given to the visiting team to cover operational and travel costs.

Virginia Tech and The Citadel will be meeting for the first time since 1953 next season. At first, a schedule leak reported by Tech Sideline’s Nick Brown last month confirmed the Hokies’ game against The Citadel. Anthony Turner, a 2028 QB recruit, posted a photo from his campus visit. Behind the coaching staff was a board showing Virginia Tech’s 2027 schedule. Afterward, Virginia Tech announced the meeting between the two programs.

Before then, only games against Liberty at Lane Stadium and Notre Dame in Indiana had been announced as 2027 non-conference games. The game against the Liberty Flames is scheduled for September 4, a week after the game against The Citadel. While Notre Dame’s inclusion as a non-conference game may be confusing, the Irish are ACC members in most sports, but not in football.

The program has long adjusted its 2026 schedule to the new ACC schedule, which takes effect next season. In 2026, they play against the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets, Old Dominion, and Maryland. Virginia Tech originally scheduled James Madison for September 26, 2026, but the new ACC rule forced a cancellation. As a result, the program paid $800,000 in liquidity damages, the amount the Dukes were originally scheduled to receive for the matchup in Blacksburg.

The Hokies follow the same trend in both 2026 and 2027, playing one FCS program and two FBS programs. The pattern will see them face one FCS opponent, a group of five programs, and a Power Four opponent in each of the two seasons.

The program also has its non-conference schedule partially fixed for the next three seasons. The 2028 season will see the Hokies face the Liberty Flames again at Lane Stadium, while Notre Dame will also pay them a visit in November. For the 2029 season, only two games have been confirmed. The program is set to play against Arizona and Maryland. And in 2030, the Hokies have games scheduled against Arizona at Blacksburg, BYU at Utah, and Old Dominion at Blacksburg.