Virginia Tech HC James Franklin has a chance to silence his biggest critics

College football can be a judgmental place, and everybody wants to see wins as soon as possible, so people get impatient. When Virginia Tech hired James Franklin as its head coach late last year, skepticism carried over from his time at Penn State, and there was additional friction during the hiring process.

Now, the college football season is starting soon, with preparation underway, giving Franklin the chance to silence his critics. He has at least one sports outlet that believes in him going into the fresh season, too.

Virginia Tech gets early ACC dark horse nod

In a feature out Sunday, Fox Sports names Virginia Tech the "dark horse team" for the ACC. Their panel of experts believes Franklin will thrive this season.

"Last season, a 7-5 Duke team walked away with the ACC crown," Fox Sports noted. "If that proved anything, it's that this year's conference race is completely up for grabs."

Fox Sports added that in the team's first year under Franklin, there's a path for the Hokies to win that ACC title. They have the No. 4 transfer class in the ACC and are "returning the fourth-most production in the conference, including 14 starters," according to Fox, which would be a huge help to Franklin.

"The Hokies' biggest games this year are on the road against Clemson and Miami," they add. "If they can split those two matchups, they could be in really good shape to play in the ACC Championship, as the remainder of the schedule is light."

Virginia Tech has struggled with big, important games. But if it can win at least one of those contests, as Fox noted, it'll give them a fairly easy path to be ACC champs.