VMI Releases 12-Game 2026 Schedule With First-Ever Week Zero, Virginia Tech Trip

VMI Athletics announced on February 18 that the Keydets will play a 12-game regular-season slate in 2026 that opens with the program’s first-ever Week Zero appearance at Idaho State on August 29. FBSchedules calls the Idaho State trip an “early test away from home,” and that long-distance opener immediately precedes a Sept. 5 visit to Virginia Tech that sources describe as a “marquee nonconference trip” and a “high-profile matchup.”

The Sept. 5 trip to Virginia Tech is listed on ESPN with a time of TBD and ticket prices “as low as $88,” and the road-heavy September continues before VMI’s Foster Stadium debut on Sept. 12 when Bucknell visits Lexington. FBSchedules explicitly notes the Bucknell game is the Keydets’ lone home game in September; VMI’s official schedule page confirms Bucknell on Sept. 12 along with logos for each opponent and placeholders for kickoff times and TV.

VMI’s home slate features five games: Bucknell (Sept. 12), Mercer (Oct. 3), ETSU (Oct. 24), The Citadel (Nov. 14) and Furman (Nov. 21). WSLS explicitly states those five home games include four Southern Conference matchups, and the schedule listings identify Mercer, ETSU, The Citadel and Furman as SoCon opponents. FBSchedules highlights the Foster Stadium debut and identifies Furman as a “perennial contender” for the regular-season finale on Nov. 21.

After the September stretch, VMI has a bye on Oct. 10 and resumes with SoCon play at Wofford on Oct. 17 and at Chattanooga on Oct. 31. FBSchedules frames November as “setting the stage for a defining stretch,” beginning with a Nov. 7 visit to Tennessee Tech, returning home Nov. 14 for the Military Classic of the South against The Citadel, then closing Nov. 21 against Furman.

The schedule comes as VMI looks to rebound from a 1-11 season in 2025; WSLS reports the Keydets’ only win last year was against Ferrum. That 2025 result gives extra consequence to the August and September tests, an early Week Zero trip and a high-profile in-state Power 5 matchup provide visibility and competitive benchmarks before league play resumes in October and November.

Kickoff times and TV designations remain to be announced; both VMI Athletics and FBSchedules indicate the official schedule page will be updated when times and broadcast details are finalized. The VMI schedule released Feb. 18 lists opponents and dates across the full slate: Aug. 29 at Idaho State (Week Zero), Sept. 5 at Virginia Tech, Sept. 12 Bucknell, Sept. 19 at Davidson, Sept. 26 at Samford (SoCon), Oct. 3 Mercer (SoCon), Oct. 10 BYE, Oct. 17 at Wofford (SoCon), Oct. 24 ETSU (SoCon), Oct. 31 at Chattanooga (SoCon), Nov. 7 at Tennessee Tech, Nov. 14 The Citadel (Military Classic of the South), and Nov. 21 Furman.