
| Date | VT Rank | Opponent | Result | TV | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Sep 6, 1986 | Cincinnati | L, 20-24 | Blacksburg, Va. | ||
| Sat., Sep 13, 1986 | at Clemson | W, 20-14 | Jefferson-Pilot (regional) | Clemson, S.C. | |
| Sat., Sep 20, 1986 | at Syracuse | W, 26-17 | Creative Sports Marketing (regional) | Syracuse, N.Y. | |
| Sat., Sep 27, 1986 | East Tennessee State | W, 37-10 | Blacksburg, Va. | ||
| Sat., Oct 4, 1986 | West Virginia | W, 13-7 | Creative Sports Marketing (regional) | Blacksburg, Va. | |
| Homecoming | |||||
| Sat., Oct 11, 1986 | South Carolina | T, 27-27 | Blacksburg, Va. | ||
| Sat., Oct 18, 1986 | vs. Temple | F, 13-29 1 | WDBJ, WRLH, WHSV, WTVZ (state) | Norfolk, Va. | |
| Sat., Oct 25, 1986 | Virginia | W, 42-10 | Blacksburg, Va. | ||
| Sat., Nov 1, 1986 | Kentucky | W, 17-15 | Blacksburg, Va. | ||
| Sat., Nov 8, 1986 | at Richmond | W, 17-10 | WDBJ, WRLH, WHSV, WTVZ (state) | Richmond, Va. | |
| Sat., Nov 15, 1986 | Vanderbilt | W, 29-21 | Blacksburg, Va. | ||
| Peach Bowl | |||||
| Wed., Dec 31, 1986 | vs. #18 NC State | W, 25-24 | Mizlou (national) | Atlanta, Ga. | |
| Overall: 10-1-1  Conference: 0-0 Home: 5-1-1 Away: 3-0 Neutral: 2-0 1 - Temple forfeited their game because of an ineligible player. |