Heads up- we've made some changes to our ODU series! Catch the 🔗 here for more information: https://t.co/k2zAJ41SEx#ThisIsHome | #TeamOverMe pic.twitter.com/50YaZ7S8OZ— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) July 31, 2025
ODU announces changes to its series with the #Hokies. No more trips to Norfolk for VT, with one game in Blacksburg clipped off the agreement. pic.twitter.com/sCnW46JW7c— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) July 31, 2025
Virginia Tech director of athletics Whit Babcock has announced the Hokies and Old Dominion have decided to renegotiate their agreements due to the changing nature of college football. Under the new agreement, the Hokies and Monarchs will meet in Blacksburg in 2025, 2026 and 2030. However, the two schools have agreed to cancel the 2028 game in Blacksburg, as well as matchups previously scheduled in Norfolk for 2027, 2029 and 2031.
"As we continue to evaluate and align our future non-conference schedules with the evolving landscape of college football, we've made a strategic decision—mutually agreed upon by both programs—to alter the number of games in the series," said Babcock. "We're grateful for the competitive games we've shared and we appreciate the flexibility and partnership from Old Dominion as we work to adapt in this new environment."
As part of the agreement, Virginia Tech has also committed to hosting a men's basketball game against Old Dominion in Blacksburg no later than the 2027–28 season.
Comments
Now we just gotta get Bibberty off the future schedule as well, and we can begin to move on with our lives.
A-motherfucking-men!!!
Replacing odu with ecu...
DontYouPutThatEvilOnMe.gif
Edit: Dammit! Beat me by 15 seconds! Drinks are on me
Nice
Quite frankly, I'm surprised this wasn't done earlier, but I guess we wanted to make sure the last game we played there was an assbeating of ODU before we canceled.
Having the game delayed because our coaches were stuck in an elevator was comically high schoolish, but then having our lockerroom robbed because of their shit security detail was the like that should have immediately canceled it all. Don't care about the optics of cancelling after a loss, we should have never played there again. If you can't protect our players and staff, you aren't well enough equipped to host games at this level.
best news I've heard all week
So with the "changing environment of college football", does this mean we will schedule beefier OOC games, or SEC approach of more home games vs weaker FCS teams for an inflated win total?
We need to aggressively schedule for success. That means dogshit OOC schedules that are purely home games that do nothing but inflate win totals. Make sure we aren't setting ourselves up for OOC disasters.
Which sucks, because I don't want to see us play Ohio Technical College or directional TN/MI colleges. As a fan of CFB, I loved having big names like Wisconsin, Michigan, PSU, etc. on our OOC slates. It really sucks that the race to the playoffs has cheapened this aspect of scheduling.
The new revenue sharing model factors in TV viewership. That's what will drive matchups. Not necessarily wins, but eyeballs and dollars that follow.
maybe we are going to the SEC!
It means we're going to the B10 and will have 9 conference games each year
DUCKS
If we were offered to go to the B1G, we would take it an heartbeat.
at this point, I'd take that
I think just about every Hokie prefers to be in the SEC, but would gladly "settle" for a big 10 invite if it meant we could avoid a dysfunctional ACC or a Big12 void of any identity.
10000%
I think if we had moved to the SEC in 2010 that would have been the best possible option. Going to the SEC now would still be preferable, I think, but we would become an instant doormat and I'm not entirely sure the current administration would know how best to spend the sudden injection of cash we'd have from the better deal. After the SEC the B1G is preferred option 1b. I think VT can only survive in this football landscape by being in one of the two power conferences. After that, staying in a dysfunctional and dying ACC is probably honestly the 3rd best option. The league sucks and is dying but it's going to die slower than other former power leagues. PAC12 already met it's demise. Big12 can't be far behind with the departures of their flagship programs to the SEC. ACC is held together by scotch tape at the moment but it's more than the other leagues have, so there's that.
I think the surprise best option, were the chips to fall this way (and I don't think they will) would be for the P2 to completely separate themselves into a semi-pro league, creating a vacuum for the rest of the teams to rebuild something similar to what college football was 30+ years ago. If the P2 somehow implodes and eats itself alive that could be a huge opportunity for non-P2 teams to re-invent college athletics. I think a lot would have to happen just right for this to happen so I don't think it will. But wouldn't that be cool?
Knowing our luck, we'll get into the P2 right before said implosion happens and then 10 years after joining we'll somehow find ourselves in a worse place than before.
I think the consolidation of the top brands (not even teams but brands, JFC) from the SEC and BIG is the most likely scenario. VT will not be part of that. So that leaves making a new college football where maybe we can have regionally coherent scheduling and actually enjoy the week to week again. The money divide is going to force this to happen in my opinion. $30M programs will never be able to compete with $75M programs. Any given Saturday and all that sure, but game after game, season after season. It's a new league and we are not fit for it. That's sad but also something that can lead to a new better sport from a competitive standpoint longer term.
B12 is pretty solid IMO because no one wants their 'flagship' programs (unlike the ACC). What's the most prestigous/valuable/whatever brand in the current B12? one of the Kansas schools?
When this happens, it won't be the whole P2. SCar, Vandy, Illinois, Indiana, etc aren't getting that invite.
B12 is also pretty interesting to watch on any given weekend because they actually have parity and some entertaining personalities. A large portion of B1G, ACC, and even SEC games are pretty pointless.
The most likely scenario at this point is that we're just preparing for them to be in the same conference as us
🤮
Must need to clear up schedule space before our impending SEC invite.....
WVU in Charlotte incoming. Not sure which season, maybe 2029 as we play the weakest 2 P4's that year.
I would assume in 2026 we bump JMU or VMI for another P4. Hopefully a big time opponent
If this move is to get eyeballs on TVs then WVU makes sense. People care about that matchup and will be tuning in.
Who else would TKP like to see that's reasonable? I think we should try to do a home and home with Maryland and finally make the Wiscy game happen.
I know VMI is a very bad team, but I think it would be cool to have that matchup just because of history, but if it disappears I won't be too upset.
Good news for you. Terps come to Blacksburg in '27 and we go there the following year
Wow, totally forgot or missed that. It's been hard to look too far ahead for many reasons.
my wife is a terp and I live in Northern VA, so I've been talking about getting a bus for our friends to go to that game. Otherwise, probably wouldn't have been on my radar
Another Battle at Bristol vs Tenn please
Careful. I was at the last game that VMI won against us. Bad year.
I know they are a bit spooky, especially with our history against in-state opponents lately. Another reason to just let this fade away.
Looking back at the Wikipedia page for the VT-VMI series the last loss was 1981 and we went 7-4 that year, that's not any worse than our last several years. Am I missing additional context?
Well, I was 31 years old then, 75 now, and truthfully, I'd have to sit down with reading material to bring that year back, but I remember it was the only game I could make that year and I sat in the end zone. Having spent some time in the corps when the VMI rivalry was still a real thing, I was doubly let down by VPI that day.
2-2 against them my 4 years
Maybe they'll move up the Wisconsin games? /s
" target="_blank">
edit-damn it Maxandcheese - you hooked into my VPN....drinking
Wish I could give it an extra leg. Bought a Hokies football card and shipper added Cheers collectors cards as the protective filler to protect the card I bought. Had a nostalgic moment going through those cards.
Still waiting for you to free up a Friday night and come play in the Friday night pool tournament at Diamond Billiards...
I know, you've come across my mind a time or two, but it just hasn't worked out. The little one is currently between crawling, climbing and walking and is an absolute wrecking ball. We'll have to find time for a watch party or something this football season.
Pfft, what could go wrong??
Will probably never happen...but would love to see a "home and home" with TAMU in Washington DC and Jerry World. The only two colleges in the country with P4 college football programs and active corps of cadets.
Replace an away OOC game with this, I think both programs would be happy.
Or we could just do another actual Home and Home. Those people took care of the Hokies that went to the game out there.
Amen. Down with neutral site regular season games!
Ya I had an in-depth conversation while on a get away with my wife about cost/benefit analysis of our anticipated trip to Atlanta vs staying in town and doing up the Vandy game in style and the thought of traveling to another game (we've lost every game I've traveled to with the exception on one) to have a long trip home bummed after spending a ton of money wore heavy on me. I told her I could live with myself a lot better if we skipped the game and we won vs going and likely getting humiliated.
shame this didn't happen in the 8 years I was living in Houston
This. I am so disappointed that the USCe game is not a home and home. Especially since I live within shouting distance of Williams Brice.
great, now the only g5 school we should even consider playing at is Marshall as a thanks for 2018 and even then it should be a 2 and 1 schedule. Let's get some either real games or easy wins at home.
I, for one, would rather see strong program match ups all the way in our OOC schedule. Let us play the USC's, the Alabama's, the OSU's again and again. Let us play a strong Boise St type on a neutral site.
I have never enjoyed playing low level competition regardless of our state of football affairs.
Wholeheartedly agree. At least if we lose to a respectable team, we can harbor a grudge for years over this or that call or play, rather than trying to totally forget a ridiculous loss to a mediocre bunch.
VPIhokieME took the words out of my mouth. Addition by subtraction.
Good move.
That always just seemed like laziness on the part of Whit.
Feel free to schedule Wisconsin earlier, or WVU any time.
WVU not being a mainstay OOC game is criminal to both programs IMO.
I'm totally onboard this train too. It also helps two of my daughters are Neer's and my wife and I have a lot of Hokie family members too.
But back in the BE days, I enjoyed this match up.
I would say towards the end it was getting pretty ugly though, and a few years not playing for the Black Diamond Trophy was probably needed.
I would like to see them back on the schedule regularly though, I mean there is an actual trophy associated with the game so we should be playing them at least every 4 or 5 years.
We ECUed ODU
Except our AD isn't leading a smear campaign against ODU.
FUCK ecu, NCSU's whiny little brother.
Can't give you enough legs for how true this is.
The way in which ECU used a deadly hurricane to power their smear campaign was so gross. That whole situation was so incredibly fucked up on their end