ESPN predicts the winner of Clemson football vs. Virginia Tech

The Clemson Tigers will see a familiar face at quarterback when they welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to Death Valley in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season. Virginia Tech's Ethan Grunkemeyer leads the Hokies into Memorial Stadium, less than a year after he squared off against the Tigers in t

College Sports

SEE ALL

Wolverines Wire

Michigan-Indiana injury report: Key Wolverines out, Moore questionable

The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Tennessee football reports no new injuries for the South Carolina game

Ducks Wire

Oregon Ducks unveil uniforms for Week 8 game vs. Illinois

What is the story about?

The Clemson Tigers will see a familiar face at quarterback when they welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to Death Valley in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season.

Virginia Tech's Ethan Grunkemeyer leads the Hokies into Memorial Stadium, less than a year after he squared off against the Tigers in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium while playing for Penn State. In that game, Grunkemeyer threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State's 22-10 win over Clemson.

A third-year QB who committed to the Nittany Lions and James Franklin, Grunkemeyer followed his former Penn State coach to Blacksburg after Franklin was hired by Virginia Tech last November after the Nittany Lions parted ways with the 12-year skipper barely a month earlier.

He has thrown

for 1,984 yards and 15 touchdowns to two interceptions through seven games this season. Grunkemeyer and Virginia Tech lead the ACC in passing yards, though the Hokies have played one more game than Darian Mensah and the No. 1-ranked Miami Hurricanes.

Clemson's passing game has been a complete contrast, to say the least. Through their first six contests, the Tigers have thrown a combined two touchdown psases between Week 1 starter Christopher Vizzina and former four-star freshman Tait Reynolds.

The Tigers are second to last in the ACC in total offense with 340.7 yards per game while Virginia Tech ranks sixth (449.7) in the conference. Reynolds was 17 of 26 for 127 yards in Clemson's 37-0 win over Charleston Southern in Week 6. He has thrown for 943 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions entering his fifth start of 2026.

Will Clemson football beat Virginia Tech? ESPN's prediction

Oddsmakers have Clemson as a 2.5-point favorite over Virginia Tech, but as always, ESPN Analytics has its own odds for Saturday's game.

ESPN's matchup predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its college football power index and other variables, gives Clemson a 55.9% chance to win. Virginia Tech has a 44.1% chance.

The Tigers are No. 48 in ESPN's FPI with a 6.5 rating, which ranks 10th among ACC teams. Virginia Tech has a 6.6 rating that's one spot ahead of Clemson in ESPN's metrics. The Tigers are one spot ahead of Oregon State (6.0) in the FPI.

Clemson football has longshot odds of reaching ACC title game entering Week 8

In ESPN's FPI entering Week 8, Clemson's chances of reaching six wins to qualify for a bowl game stand at 88.4%.

The Tigers' chances of winning the ACC, however, are just 0.3%. That's down from 0.9% before the Tigers' 41-13 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Oct. 3.

Clemson's chances of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff are 1.5%, which is down from 4.1% prior to the Miami loss and down from 22.2% entering the season.

ACC football teams ranked by ESPN FPI: Who is best suited to beat Miami?

Sep 26, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons running back Ty Clark Iii (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Carter-Imagn Images

There's a big gap between Miami and the rest of the ACC, but here is where Clemson and all 17 conference teams rank in ESPN's FPI:

17. Stanford Cardinal (-11.4 FPI)
16. California Golden Bears (-3.9 FPI)
15. Boston College Eagles (-2.6 FPI)
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0.3 FPI)
13. Syracuse Orange (0.5 FPI)
12. NC State Wolfpack (1.1 FPI)
11. Virginia Cavaliers (5.6 FPI)
10. Clemson Tigers (6.5 FPI)
9. Virginia Tech Hokies (6.6 FPI)
8. Duke Blue Devils (7.8 FPI)
7. North Carolina Tar Heels (8.7 FPI)
6. Pitt Panthers (9.2 FPI)
5. Florida State Seminoles (9.6 FPI)
4. SMU Mustangs (9.8 FPI)
3. Louisville Cardinals (13.3 FPI)
2. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15.4 FPI)
1. Miami Hurricanes (26.5 FPI)

What are ESPN FPI ratings?

ESPN explains:

"The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete."

Clemson football vs. Virginia Tech start time, TV channel information

ESPN reveals TV announcers for Clemson football vs. Virginia Tech

📸 Ken Ruinard, Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK https://t.co/6PHN1NKeUa pic.twitter.com/58DoZBBxH8
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 20, 2026

Kickoff for Clemson-Virginia Tech in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season is 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Clemson Memorial Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPN. Roy Philpott and Brock Osweiler will have the call of the game. Sherree Burruss will report from the sidelines.

The Clemson Athletic Network feed of the game featuring Tigers radio voices Don Munson, Tim Bourret and Jeff Scott can be heard on SiriusXM channel 235.