Old Dominion didn't just beat Virginia Tech last September — the Monarchs blew the doors off Lane Stadium so badly that Brent Pry was out of a job by Sunday morning. Now they're walking back into Blacksburg to see if lightning strikes twice.
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ODUVT
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Best BetVirginia Tech
Virginia Tech gets this at home in Franklin's first crack at the job, and a roster overhaul that brought in 27 transfers plus a defensive coordinator who already knows this rival intimately is a real structural upgrade. Old Dominion proved last year it belongs in this conversation, but doing it again without Colton Joseph and with a first-time starter at QB is a taller order.
Old Dominion
+10-3 in 2025, best finish in a decade
+Beat this exact VT team by 19 last year
+Henicle 2-0 as starter with Cure Bowl MVP run
−Lost Sun Belt OPOY Colton Joseph to Wisconsin
−Also lost leading rusher Trequan Jones in portal
−Henicle has just 2 career starts
Virginia Tech
+James Franklin brought in 27 transfers this cycle
+Kept Brent Pry on as DC for continuity/rival knowledge
+Receiver room upgraded with Que'Sean Brown, Ayden Greene back
−QB battle between two transfers still unresolved
−Defense carries real question marks per beat coverage
−This is the same program ODU embarrassed last September
Neither team is running back the quarterback who got them here. Kyron Drones is off chasing an NFL roster spot with Green Bay, and Virginia Tech spent the offseason auditioning two portal arms, Ethan Grunkemeyer from Penn State and Bryce Baker from North Carolina, to replace him. Old Dominion's situation is just as unsettled: Colton Joseph, the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year who torched the Hokies for that 45-26 win, bolted for Wisconsin in January. Quinn Henicle, who was Cure Bowl MVP in relief, is the presumed answer in Norfolk.
This is James Franklin's Blacksburg debut against an opponent his predecessor never got over. Franklin didn't blow up the roster so much as flood it — 27 transfers in one cycle, a receiver room that added Duke's Que'Sean Brown to go with returning leading man Ayden Greene, and a defense that Franklin handed right back to Pry as his coordinator. The pitch all offseason has been that the days of 3-9 are over. A game against the team that got the last coach fired is a loud way to find out.
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ODU Old Dominion
VT Virginia Tech
Old Dominion isn't walking in as some plucky underdog either. Ricky Rahne just signed an extension off a 10-3 season, the program's best finish in a decade, capped by a Cure Bowl win over South Florida. The devil's in the personnel, though — losing your best offensive weapon and your leading back (Trequan Jones also left in the portal) is a real hit, and Henicle has all of two starts to his name, even if both were wins.
Old Dominion Monarchs
Sep 5?vs Norfolk State—
Virginia Tech Hokies
Sep 5?vs VMI—
Recent form.
The injury/availability picture matters more than usual here given how many new pieces both rosters have — Virginia Tech is still sorting out QB1 heading into the year, and any camp setback for Grunkemeyer or Baker changes the equation fast.
Old Dominion Monarchs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Virginia Tech Hokies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Whichever quarterback Virginia Tech lands on, Franklin's staff has made clear the run game stays central — both Grunkemeyer and Baker can move, mirroring the dual-threat identity Henicle brings for ODU. That stylistic overlap, paired with two defenses still finding their footing under new or first-year systems, points to a game that could get track-meet-y before either coaching staff has the answers dialed in. Kickoff is set for 11:00 AM ET on Saturday, September 12.
