Old Dominion opens the season fresh off a Cure Bowl trophy and a six-game win streak. Norfolk State opens Year 2 of the Michael Vick era hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's nightmare.
Bush’s Picks
NORFODU
NORFODU
OverUnder
Best BetOld Dominion
Old Dominion is the easy side here on pure talent and results — a 10-3, bowl-winning Sun Belt team hosting a 1-11 MEAC squad in a season opener. Norfolk State's ceiling right now is competitive effort, not an upset, given where each program actually sits. Back the Monarchs and don't overthink it.
Norfolk State
+Year 2 under Michael Vick, more system buy-in
+Fresh start, no result carries over from 1-11
−Finished 1-11 last season, lone win vs D-II foe
−Massive class gap facing a bowl-winning FBS team
Old Dominion
+10-3 record, won Cure Bowl, picked 2nd in Sun Belt
+Closed 2025 on a 6-game winning streak
−54 new players including 14 portal additions
−Lost offensive coordinator Kevin Decker to Memphis
This one has a wide talent gap dressed up as a season opener. Old Dominion finished 10-3 a year ago, closed the year with 6 straight wins, and beat South Florida 24-10 in the Cure Bowl. Norfolk State finished 1-11 in Vick's debut season, with the lone win coming against Division II opponent Virginia State. The Monarchs get the Spartans at home on Saturday, September 5, and the numbers say this should not be close.
The story on the ODU sideline is continuity of success mixed with roster churn. Ricky Rahne's group was picked to finish 2nd in the Sun Belt this preseason, but he's replacing 54 players heading into the year, including 14 out of the transfer portal, and offensive coordinator Kevin Decker bolted for Memphis. That's a lot of new pieces for a team that ranks near the bottom of FBS in returning production. Still, a program trending up against an FCS opponent in Week 1 is about as favorable a get-right spot as it gets.
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NORF Norfolk State
ODU Old Dominion
Norfolk State's draw here isn't kind either way. Vick spent Year 1 dealing with a roster still being rebuilt after taking over a struggling program, and the results showed it. Year 2 is supposed to be about progress, but walking into a Sun Belt team that just won 6 straight to close last season is a brutal way to try to show it. The name recognition Vick brings to the program is real, and it matters for recruiting long-term, but Saturday's opener is about talent and depth, not storylines.
Norfolk State Spartans
Old Dominion Monarchs
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Keep an eye on whether ODU's new-look coaching staff and personnel look disjointed early or whether Rahne has this group humming from the jump. A shaky first quarter against overmatched competition would be a real yellow flag heading into Sun Belt play, where James Madison visits Norfolk on September 26 in ODU's conference opener. For Norfolk State, the goal Saturday isn't really a win — it's competing hard enough in the trenches to say Year 2 looks different from Year 1.
