The Virginia Tech and Maryland athletics departments announced Wednesday the Hokies and Terrapins have agreed to a four-game football series starting in 2026.
"Virginia Tech fans should be excited about the Hokies returning to the capital region for two more future games," Whit Babcock said in a release. "The opportunity to get a four-game series against a Big Ten Conference opponent was certainly appealing. Even more importantly, we were eager to renew a historic series against a regional foe in a market where we have a very strong alumni base. Coach [Justin] Fuente and our staff will continue seeking opportunities to bolster our non-conference schedule in future seasons."
Lane Stadium will host the home-and-home-times-two series in 2027 and 2029. The teams will play at the venue formerly know as Byrd Stadium in 2026 and 2028.
The dates are as follows:
September 19, 2026 College Park, MD
September 18, 2027 Blacksburg, VA
September 16, 2028 College Park, MD
September 15, 2029 Blacksburg, VA
At the present time, Maryland isn't a marquee opponent and a premier headliner for Tech's non-conference schedule. Although, the Terps are a Power 5 school in the Big Ten and it's hard to predict how good or bad any program will be 10-plus years down the road. The constant here is the location and proximity between the two schools. For Tech alumni living in NOVA or DMV, it's as manageable as a road trip can get. Moreover, there's plenty of cantankerousness feelings between the two fanbases, and that adds to the draw.
The only good thing to come out of the last matchup between the two schools — a game Virginia Tech lost 24-27 to Maryland in overtime — was the return of the horse on a treadmill to Lane Stadium.
Comments
I don't know if things have changed in recent years, but my understanding is that a visit to College Park, MD is most comparable to a visit to Morgantown for the visiting team's fans.
Just hope their games are held at Fedex. College Park's fans are horrific.
no...no...no...that field is cursed!
How about we just play it in Annapolis?
Anywhere but College Park. I'd even play on the voodoo burial ground that is Heinz Field before going to UMCP.
Umm Fedex will be a distant memory by 2026, they are already looking to replace it.
We are cursed when we play at NFL stadiums..
Granted this is from Maryland's ACC days but I feel like they are in the news more for dreadful attendance than horrific fans these days.
The problem is they show up in their obnoxious fashion assuming that they have the same clout they do on the hardwood. Go watch the coinflip when they play Penn State a few years back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbF_iHcnXe8
Maryland's attitude is toxic and I equate them with the chihuahua that tries to prove it's a big dog and can piss higher on a tree stump. I despise their program.
There are A LOT of Terp alumni who are unhappy with the Big 10 move and are super pissed they aren't ACC anymore. My extended family is part of that.
There are a lot of Big Ten fans that are unhappy with Maryland's move to the Big Ten, not least of which are the PSU fans.
If there ever happens to be another major shift in conference alignment where everything is a free for all and teams actually get cut from their current conference, we may end up with Maryland back in the ACC again.
...Assuming ACC would want them back. The manner in which they left (money grab) cost them a bunch of perception points.
I hear the Big12 is hiring. They would be back with the cousins.
Upvote Whit for getting a 4 game slate with a Big10 foe.
Downvote for it being Maryland.
Guess it helps recruiting by playing games closer to recruits in NoVa, Maryland, D.C. etc. I like seeing old rivalries from previous conference foes, but this excites me as much as a 4 game slate against Rutgers.
Give me PSU, Mich State, Wisci etc. (And yes, I know they have to agree to play us and have an opening for this to happen)
I believe we have PSU and Wisci on our schedule already down the road...
We also have a home and home with Michigan on the schedule.
is the away at Ann Harbor or Harbaugh's tree house castle..
I was not aware there was a difference between the two
Doesn't matter. We will avenge Danny regardless of location.
avenge what? It was a catch! End of story
^I like this guy.
A little cocky about yourself there aren't we now...
via GIPHY
Was referring to liking you, but I'm always down for a good anchorman gif.
via GIPHY
You regret Anchorman gifs?
Thought Wisci was cancelled. And yes, PSU confirmed, so I give credit where due.
Not canceled, it just got shifted back a few years.
We already have Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin on the future schedule
I'm aware, was just saying, bring me more of those matchups and less of the turtle.
Our recruiting has gone downhill quite a bit in Maryland since they left the ACC, scheduling games with them is a good thing from a recruiting standpoint and it doesn't prevent us from scheduling a bigger opponent in the Big10 like last year when we played OSU and Perdue, in 2024 for instance we play Wisconsin and Rutgers.
Agree. I understand not being excited about playing Maryland from a match-up standpoint, but if we're going to go back and schedule WVU at least we are getting two games in a targeted recruiting area where we really need the boost. I think this series actually has strategic value. And I really don't like Maryland. But pounding them 4 years in a row would be epic and have a big impact on our image in the DMV
2026!!! Holy shit that seems like forever
Me at Kickoff...
via GIPHY
I'm so excited
Coach Rodgers is going to have the boys up for that.
"Hey sam, I what happened to the D in your last name?"
"I decided to give it to the anOSU secondary."
.....with his lead tailback Drew Harris rushing for over 200 yards per game.
How's he gonna be coaching while in the NFL?
(answer: he'll coach while the hologram plays)
Look for Football to try to add a PAC 12 home and home. Think Oregon, USC, UCLA. This is their next priority that they are exploring. #Sauces
That would be awesome.
I'm really excited for my grandkids to get to see this come to fruition...
Me too and I'm 24
Sounds like UVA's plan of attack. Every time I look up, UVA's playing a Pac 12 team.
If you were a Pac 12 power, who would you rather play, VT in Lane or a team you could beat by 50?
#stanfordoftheeast
Duke is the stanford of the east in terms of prestige, Johns Hopkins in terms similar academic goals. STFU UVA
I like this move. After all, we have to play away OOC games...might as well be in the DC area. Much better than going to Marshall, Purdue, ECU (Arrgg), etc. On top of being close to our largest alumni base, the recruiting potential is nice.
Yeah, this is a solid move. We are getting a bit B10 heavy in the future. I wouldn't mind seeing us target Texas schools.
We still need a P5 opponent for 2022, probably on the road. The return wouldn't be until 2026.
I also have no problem with this. They are home-and-home games and not neutral site.
Plus, it's not an extension of the East Carolina series.
6 more games against ECU!!!!!
Most states would now consider us common-law married.
NO....
I hear we are looking to add some home/home series with ECU in the same season because we don't play enough.
We conquered aTm and Texas when The Beams still had salt and pepper hair.
Better than ECU, but not much better. At least least they're a P5 team (even if they aren't run like one). And there are recruiting advantages to playing in Byrd.
woo.
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
Looks like we have to destroy the turtles.
Are we gonna beat the Turtles?
...Yarp
Are we ever gonna lose to the Hoos?
......Narp??
You're looking for footage go UVa beating Virginia Tech? Do feel free to spool though...
I'll never forget walking into Lane for the 2004 Thursday night game and walking past a Maryland fan yelling "Hell in a shell, Baby!"
I may change my signature reflecting my hatred for UMCP. You actually seem to have met one of their better fans.
Sidenote: I hate Maryland's flag.
This particular guy was hilarious.
How'd that night turn out for him?
Thats how we need to treat Maryland every time we play em
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1GU8nSChLM
Future OOC P5 Hokie opponents: *ND, TN 2016, WVU 2017, *ND 2018, *ND 2019, PSU, Mich 2020, *ND, Mich, WVU 2021, WVU 2022, Purdue, Rutgers 2023, Wiscy, Rutgers 2024, PSU, Wisct 2025 and now Maryland for 2026-2029. I say that's a pretty impressive far looking OOC schedule.
2020 and 2021 are pretty impressive schedules
So we play ND 3 times in 4 years?
We're making up for never playing them before.
I would be shocked if we didn't have the #1 ranked OOC schedule in 2021.
Just realized, assuming he stays there, this means we can beat our favorite time cop 4 more times.
If Mike London is still employed by UMd by the time this series actually takes place, then this game won't really count as a P5 game because of the massive dumpster fire that will be the terrapins.
Every word in this sentence excites me beyond belief.
Nice, 45 min drive instead of 5+ hours to lane...
Anyone else starting to worry that the further they plan these games in advance, the less chance we will live to see them? Maybe I'm just getting old.
Maryland hates UVA
We hate UVA
Maryland hates West Virginia
We hate West Virginia
It seems like VT and Maryland should be friends.
yeah except we hate MD and (I'm sure) they hate us. In fact, I think MD probably hates everyone.
... or, more likely, everyone hates them.
If you extrapolate the current cross-divisional schedule. By the time this series ends, we will have played Maryland more times than any team in the Atlantic (except BC and not counting ACCCGs).
That is a shame for the students, athletes, and fans.
You're clearly forgetting that we are playing Clemson or Florida State once or twice each of the next 10 years.
Private school ball in MD has gotten big, really big, Dematha used to be the big dog, but now schools like Good Counsel (alma mater, go Falcons!), among others are putting out serious talent. It also helps that they also recruit now. We still have a great relationship with Dematha, I think we are starting to build one with GC, hopefully we get into a few more schools.
Does Good Counsel have any more Fullers to recruit? ;^)
Or Woodlawn in Baltimore County. The eldest three Fullers went there, I believe.
I think Kyle went to Mt St Joe's but otherwise yes
I think this is a smart move all around. Play games in fertile recruiting ground, close to a large VT alumni base (UM has lots of room in their stadium, as shown above) and it's a P5 opponent. I like it. Too bad I'm not likely to still be in MD at that point; I'm currently about 10 min away from the College Park campus.
I agree that this is an attractive matchup for a number of reasons, not least of which are the alumni base in NoVA and that Maryland is a P5 opponent. Recruiting ground matters as well.
But man do I wish we could get a sexier matchup than Maryland. This game is over a decade away and I still don't think the Terps will be able to pull together their football program in time.
I'd love to see us branch out a little past the Big Ten. I can't remember when we played a Pac12 team other than in a bowl. Or a Big12 team.
WVU is on the schedule for BIG12 matchup, the Texas schools are not likely to play a home and home with their round robin schedule they have now.
True, I forgot WVU was Big12, I still think of them as BigEast.
Also, I don't want to play them ever at all anyway.
Let's put Baylor on our schedule! That'd be fun.
I would be happy with some home-and-home with SEC teams like Georgia or South Carolina. We've got a distinct B1G flavor to our future; it would be nice to be playing games in areas we're trying to recruit more heavily. But with several teams already playing rivalry series with ACC schools, I suppose it's pretty unlikely to happen anytime soon.
I agree. Home-and-homes with South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida would be great. I know those three teams already have ACC in-state rivals, but like most SEC teams, the non-conference schedule is unbelievably soft for the most part. I give UGA credit for scheduling the series with Clemson a couple years back and playing UNC to start this year. But Florida's non-conference slate this year (excluding at FSU) is UMass, North Texas, and Presbyterian. Not exactly grueling, and I'm sure their season ticket holders can't be thrilled about almost half of their home slate of games being that awful.
actually I don't think their fans would care all that much. They would probably rather see their team thump some no-body than be nervous going into the 4th quarter against a lowly
ACCnon-SEC team. SEC fans strike me as the type of fans who would get most excited to go see a game where they know their team will win 63-3. That sort of outcome fits well into their narrative and they want to see that. It's kind of a self assuring validation for them.True. When you know that SEC affiliation alone will get you bonus points, I guess there's no real incentive to schedule tough. I imagine Kentucky would also be reluctant to schedule another Power 5 team with Louisville already on the schedule. It may not be a great SOS boost, but I wouldn't mind a home-and-home with Vandy. Getting to go hang out in Nashville for a game would be pretty sweet, and they're at least still SEC.
I don't know how many points it will get but I do know for a fact, that if you are a recruit and an SEC school is interested, it will get you 2 extra stars.
Florida hasn't left the state to play anyone OOC in 25 years. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a home-and-home with them.
UGA and USCe, sure, let's make it happen.
This is how you get left out of the playoff. Ask Baylor.
Baylor is not in the #SEC. They were penalized more for that fact alone than their weak non-con schedule. It really doesn't matter who Florida plays. They could play 3 FCS teams and beat up on a 5-7 FSU team and still be in the playoff hunt with 1 loss and a conference title.
Exactly, because an SEC team will ALWAYS get the benefit of the doubt against anyone else because of the (absolutely incorrect) assumption that just by being in the SEC, their regular slate is so tough they shouldn't have to play anyone out of conference.
In the SEC, maybe. But if you show me four undefeateds from P5 conferences with decent OOCs, the issue is surely in doubt.
A one loss SEC champion will get in over undefeated big 12 and ACC teams every day of the week.
Baylor was left out because they didn't play a conference championship
Having seen my first Tech game at Miles Stadium, I hope I'm still around to see games scheduled for 2026 through 2029. I don't worry about what competition the Terps provide because a lot can change in ten years. Who knows maybe we will win a National Championship before 2026.
Trying not to share of a gif of a guy jerking off..
Somebody tell me how to post a gif
Copy and paste the link you get into the little picture window.
I have been in NOVA since 1968 and next year I am putting my house up for sale, so I can move to SW Virginia and we go and schedule a 4 game series with Maryland within the beautiful landscape of College Park. Are you kidding me? Who knows with Maryland, they may not even have a football team in 10 years (Just Kidding)
UMD (and their fans) price the tickets at ridiculous levels when the hokies come to town. Their fans suck, and barring a major culture change, their football team will remain to be terrible. I find it hard to believe that we can't arrange a better matchup regionally such as:
UGA, USCe, Michigan State, Northwestern, UF, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, more games with OSU/UMich/PSU. How about Nebraska? I liked their fans.
Why do you find it hard to believe? How few of those teams do true home and home series outside instate rivalries ? UF hasn't left the state in years for an OOC game, as for games with anOSU, PSU and Mich they are already on the schedule?
It's a good game, we have done poorly in Maryland since they left the ACC having more exposure is a good thing for us
They do have that Under Armor money.
Good, a chance to even as well as take control of the overall series.