New Virginia Tech 2028 opponent won't help James Franklin shake the cupcake schedule allegations

The cupcake non-conference slate isn't unique to Penn State football, but former head coach James Franklin certainly emphasized it and pushed it in an easier direction.

Now at Virginia Tech, Franklin has continued that pattern. Per Virginia Tech Athletics, the Hokies have put Gardner-Webb on their future, 2028 schedule. Liberty and Notre Dame are the other two non-conference opponents on the slate for that season, and it's not doubt that Franklin threw an FCS team on there for the same reasoning he came up with when with the Nittany Lions.

"You've got to do whatever you can to win your conference," Tyler Donohue of Lions247 reminded fans of what Franklin's thought process is.

Virginia Tech schedules FCS Gardner-Webb to open 2028 season

Franklin first had an FCS team on Penn State's schedule in 2021 with Villanova. That season, the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 19 in the preseason and got all the way up to No. 4 midseason before plummeting to No. 23 to finish the year. They also played the Wildcats again in 2025 when they were ranked the No. 2 team in the country. In 2023, Penn State also played Delaware when ranked No. 7 in the country.

Virginia Tech isn't new to playing FCS teams. The Hokies' most recent games (and wins) were in 2022 and 2025 vs. Wofford. They're scheduled to open the 2026 season vs. VMI and the 2027 season vs. The Citadel.

It's not an uncommon thing to have FCS teams on the schedule, but it's hard to take a program seriously when those matchups are scheduled year after year after year. Especially since Virginia Tech was initially scheduled to play Maryland in 2028, swapping it out for Gardner-Webb sounds like a joke. Franklin also canceled the Hokies' 2026 game vs. James Madison, a team that made the College Football Playoff last year.

Ramping up the competition as preparation for the conference slate is a smart move, but it gets to a point. Does the No. 2 team in the country beating an FCS team 52-6 really help prepare it for the Big Ten?

Of course, Virginia Tech won't be the No. 2 team in the country and won't face a Big Ten schedule following, but the same notion stands. If Franklin wants to validate the cupcake schedule, it has to at least actually help the team.

The Nittany Lions didn't benefit from playing Villanova. After that Week 3 game and a Week 4 bye, the blue and white ran into the same issues and old habits that caused them to lose vs. Oregon in the White Out. A more competitive non-conference slate may not have changed the outcome, but at least they would have had a higher level of competition helping prepare them for what was to come.

The Hokies aren't the only ones scheduling FCS teams, but Franklin's history and pattern of doing so can't be ignored. Increasing competition doesn't have to start with Wofford or Villanova or Gardner-Webb, but at least the team and its fans will have an early win to celebrate.

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