The 13-game scheduling agreement between Virginia Tech and Old Dominion signed back in 2012 is getting cut down by four games, as the two schools announced they’d come to a new agreement that will get rid of all of the Hokies’ future road games in Norfolk.
“As we continue to evaluate and align our future nonconference 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,” Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock said in a press release. “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.”
Virginia Tech will still host the Monarchs in 2025, 2026 and 2030, but their 2027, 2029 and 2031 games in Norfolk and their 2028 game in Blacksburg have all been canceled. The three games at Virginia Tech will now be guarantee games to make up for the lost home games ODU had in the original agreement.
“We have converted the three games at Virginia Tech into guaranteed games for Old Dominion, which will allow ODU to support our football program and student-athletes at a much higher level than had we left the contract as it stood. It also allows us to construct a more balanced nonconference football schedule that will benefit our program and our fans,” Old Dominion AD Dr. Wood Selig said.
Along with the three football guarantee games, Virginia Tech agreed to host Old Dominion in a guarantee game in men’s basketball no later than the 2027-28 season as part of the revised deal.
The Hokies are far from the first power conference program to cancel a previously agreed to slate of nonconference games, as schools often have some regrets about agreeing to games a decade or more in advance. That said, it’s hard not to see this as Virginia Tech looking to, at least in some part, not have to return to a place that has been a house of horrors for them in this series.
The Monarchs are 2-1 at home against the Hokies, with last year being the first time Virginia Tech got a win in Norfolk. Two years ago, items were stolen from Virginia Tech players’ lockers during a 20-17 loss at Old Dominion.
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