Ranking Virginia Tech's Five ACC Road Trips of 2026

Virginia Tech has five ACC road games this fall. For fun, we're going to rank the trips. I realize ranking road trips is how arguments start, so let's be clear about the rules. This is not a ranking of opponents or of Tech's chances. It's a ranking of the trips: the town, the scene, the food, the travel required, and whether you come home telling stories. The schedule doesn't include any North Carolina teams, but does include three of the four time zones, multiple airline hubs and each game and town has a character all its own. Let's get started.

5. Boston College — Saturday, September 26

The first ACC road game of the year, and a game that Tech fans know quite well. Aside from Scott Stadium, Tech has played no other place more than Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill since 1993. In late September, we'll quintessential New England. BC's stadium is an intimate 44,500 with gothic stone behind it. Boston gives you a full day of Freedom Trail, Fenway (the Cubs are in town), and the North End before you ever think about football.

It ranks fifth only because the football experience itself is the most contained of the five. Come for Boston, stay for the game. I’ve been to Chestnut Hill/Boston for four different Tech games and have always had a great time.

If you go: Take the Green Line B to the stadium, leave early because it's slow, and pregame at Cleveland Circle. The rooftop at Cityside Tavern in September is the move.

4. SMU — Friday, November 6

Dallas comes in fifth and it isn't close to a snub, because The Boulevard alone is worth seeing once. SMU's tailgate runs down the tree-lined heart of campus, all white linen tents and seersucker, and the people-watching is elite. Bishop Arts District is the best food-and-browsing neighborhood in the city, and Dallas does big-city weekends well.

The game will be on a Friday night, leaving open an entire weekend after it to explore. Tech hasn’t played SMU in Dallas since 1974, so kicking off at Gerald J Ford Stadium will be a first. The three above this are great ones. That being said, I will be in Dallas in early November!

If you go: There are numerous upscale places to dine and drink in a metropolis like Dallas, and we’ve got you covered in the SMU Guide of ACC Road Trip. However, if you’re looking for friendly, country cooking less than a mile from campus, check out Bubba’s Cook’s Country. Family recipes made from scratch for over 40 years.

3. Miami — Saturday, November 21

Late November. Blacksburg is scraping frost, and you're in shorts watching The U in an NFL stadium. Miami is the biggest change of scenery on the schedule, and the Hurricanes' tailgate scene runs at a production level you have to see once: DJ setups, serious catering, the whole South Florida treatment.

Know this going in: Miami doesn't play on campus. Hard Rock Stadium sits 16 miles north of Coral Gables, so the game day is a commute. The smart play is Friday in Coral Gables and Little Havana, Saturday at the stadium. I have stayed in South Beach, and it was fine, but a little too much for me. We also spent several days before one of the Miami-Tech games in the Keys and that was a blast. Highly recommend.

If you go: Versailles on Calle Ocho, Friday afternoon, before the game-day crowds. Authentic Cuban food and culture. Thank us later.

2. Cal — Saturday, October 10

Berkeley is the rare road game that's really a vacation: fly into the Bay, ride BART in, walk up through one of America's most storied campuses while the Cal Band plays across Sproul Plaza, and watch football from a stadium set into the Berkeley Hills.

When does Tech play in Berkeley again? When have you ever had the chance to visit Napa or Sonoma and watch college football? If you've ever wanted an excuse for a Bay Area weekend, the schedule just handed you one.

If you go: The Cheese Board Collective has rotating fresh-baked bakery items daily as well as almost 400 different cheeses. Two doors down, they serve one variety of pizza a day. All service is walk-up service.

1. Clemson — Saturday, October 24

The pilgrimage. A town of 16,000 that holds 81,000 on Saturdays, every inch of it orange, and the most famous entrance in college football. You've seen the Tigers run down the hill on TV a hundred times. In person, with the cannon and Howard's Rock and 81,000 people losing their minds, it's something else entirely. Even in the other team's colors, you'll be glad you saw it.

And it's the easy one: 296 miles from Blacksburg, four and a half to five hours, no flights, no vacation days. Best atmosphere on the slate at the lowest cost of entry. This figures to be a game with a lot on the line with compatible fan bases. It’s looking more and more likely that I’ll make my second trip to Death Vally for a game this fall.

If you go: US-123 into town jams three hours before kickoff, so get in early. Friday afternoon in Pendleton, the preserved village ten minutes south, is the local move. Issaqueena Falls on the Sunday drive home sends you off right.

The scoreboard

Clemson for the football. Cal for the novelty. Miami for the sun. Boston for the city. Dallas for the tailgate. Each trip has its own character. Every trip worthy of staying an extra day (or three).

There's no wrong answer, really. Every town on this list has its own character, culture and a built-in reason for going. At ACC Road Trip, we have a full ACC Road Trip guide for each: where to eat, drink, and stay, plus the moves that make you look like a regular. Grab the free Game Day Cheat Sheet at accroadtrip.net and start with your number one.