An Exorcism in Norfolk – Hokies Win, But Did They Really?

Virginia Tech beat Old Dominion 37-17 Saturday night, finally exorcising some demons in Norfolk, but did the Hokies really “win” this weekend?  Sure, there were a lot of good things to take away from this particular victory, but was anyone really “happy” while watching this game? Is there anything that Hokie fans like about this decade-plus long series?

Thankfully, Virginia Tech ran away with the contest in the second half, ending a two-game skid at S.B. Ballard Stadium and relieving a little of the stress that this road game brings to Hokie Nation.  That is for now, at least, as there are still three more scheduled road trips in this VT-ODU contract.

If you are an Old Dominion fan and you are reading this, please do not take offense. This is not meant to throw shade your way.  Rather, it is an expression of disappointment in a prolonged contracted series that Hokie fans really do not like nor do they want.  But what can we do about it?  Unfortunately, not much.

Let’s go back a little to give context.  Very few Virginia Tech fans celebrated when this overly long agreement was signed, basically alternating home games.  Tech was coming off a bad breakup with East Carolina that was also a poorly received long-term, alternating series.

And then the road woes just poured gas on the fire.  In Tech’s first game at Ballard Stadium against the Monarchs in 2018, the Hokies gave up 632 yards and 49 points, lost their quarterback to a broken leg, fell to a team playing only nine years of football and four years in the FBS, and then dismissed their best pass rusher shortly afterwards.

The embarrassment meter was off the charts. Who knew that it would get worse?

Two years ago, Tech lost at Ballard again, this time on a last-minute touchdown.  The Hokies committed five turnovers, including a bad snap of a field goal attempt that turned into seven points the other way. This was also the game where Tech coaches were stranded in an elevator at halftime, the visitor locker room was burglarized, and Connor Blumrick lowered the boom on a fan who rushed the field.

It’s no wonder Hokie Nation hates this place.

And after two trips to the 757, Virginia Tech fans had two losses and tens of thousands of ODU fans who were going to continually remind us of that.  All we could do is be like Kevin Bacon in Animal House; assume the position and take the punishment.

It gets worse, because we aren’t even half way through this “rivalry.”

It is a series that started with a 38-0 Tech victory in 2017, and it is scheduled to run until 2031.  By the end of this contract, the two teams will have played 13 games over 15 seasons.  Through the life of this series, both teams will alternate as host each year except 2025 and 2026 when Tech will be home for two consecutive games in Lane Stadium 

As a fan, this excessively long, one-for-one model really grinds my gears.

Part of the problem with this contract is the lack of upside to playing so many games with Old Dominion, which was a frequently discussed topic leading up to the game.  Hokie Nation expects to win this one annually, so there is nothing celebratory about a victory.  And the flipside?  A loss to ODU makes national headlines and is an embarrassment for years.  And with thirteen straight matchups under these circumstances, fans can and will easily be desensitized to the matchup. 

I understand that playing in Norfolk allows Tech fans in the 757 an easier option for seeing their team play.  It can also help with recruiting in the area (when the Hokies win, that is).  But playing there every other year against a G5 school is just a little too much.

Another part of the frustration from the fanbase is the question of why Virginia Tech agreed to a long-term series that basically alternates home games.  Didn’t we learn from the East Carolina debacle not to do just that?

And power conference schools should not be giving away their home games like Halloween candy.  Home games are great revenue sources, something that is much needed in today’s college sports environment.  They also give team an advantage for an extra victory, which could be the difference between a going to a bowl or finishing below .500.  So why not play at home seven times instead of six?

Look at our neighbors to the north, Penn State. Because of their nine-game Big Ten schedule, they only play three non-conference foes annually.  They have successfully scheduled home games with two G5 or FCS schools every year since the modified schedule of 2020 (the Covid season).  All at Beaver Stadium.  All that revenue from 107,000 tickets, plus parking, plus concessions, plus hotels…

Why give that up for a road game at a G5 school?

The Nittany Lions just rounded out their non-conference schedule through 2028, and guess what?  All G5 and FCS opponents will play at Happy Valley.

Since 2021, Penn State’s only out-of-conference road games were home-and-homes with West Virginia and Auburn, two power conference schools.  Through 2028, they do have home-and-homes with Syracuse (P4) and Temple (in-state), but those are only two year agreements.

Penn State clearly puts great emphasis on playing at home.  Virginia Tech should do the same.

Ohio State, like Tech, is another P4 schools who has historically played a lot of in-state foes. However, they play those games at home! Akron, Toledo, Bowling Green…they always play at the Horseshoe.  Never away.  Ohio State’s only non-conference road games are against Power Conference schools, usually in a home-and-home series.

There is no reason for Virginia Tech not to do the same.

Playing those out-of-conference opponents at home guarantees at least seven games in Lane Stadium.  Unfortunately, 2024 will mark the third straight season that Tech has had six home games (or less, since the UVa game in 2022 was cancelled).  Hokie fans have to go back to 2021 for the last time they saw the Hokies play at Lane seven times.

Scheduling this many games in Blacksburg should be easy to do.  Most of the Big Ten and SEC schools play seven home games, with quite a few actually playing in their own stadiums eight times this year.

Granted, those two leagues each play nine conference opponents, which results in five home conference matchups every other year, but that just means that most of them manage to get their non-conference games at home too. 

Hokie Nation deserves this – to see their team play at home seven times a year.  Some circumstances, such as neutral site games, will throw an occasional wrench into the mix, but seven home games should be the norm, not six.

As if all of these objections to playing at Ballard Stadium every other year isn’t enough to frustrate fans, Hokie Nation had to suffer through a horrible broadcast on Saturday.  From the get go, the problems with audio were obvious and distracting.  The camera work was shoddy, and the weird angles just made for strange viewing.

Hokie Nation didn’t hold back on the criticism. Social media lit up with complaints. You can read a few here.

While I didn’t expect Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit to call the game with their “A-crew,” I certainly would have liked to view a production that was clean.  This one was far from clean, resembling a Friday night high school YouTube game.  It was a Mickey Mouse production, possibly the worst production I’ve seen of a Virginia Tech football game. 

(Author’s note: I realize the irony of that statement, as ESPN is owned by Disney, so all ESPN broadcasts are technically Mickey Mouse Productions! But you know what I’m saying here.)

That is what we get, though, for playing on the road at a G5 school and airing on ESPN+.  Add it to the list of reasons to do away with this series. 

Wake Forest just cancelled its return trip to Oxford after playing Ole Miss this weekend, so Hokie Nation might wonder why AD Whit Babcock doesn’t do the same?  It’s not that simple.

Wake had to buy out of their contracted second game with Ole Miss.  At a very large sum.  It was only one game, but Wake administrators decided it was worth it. 

However, the VT-ODU situation is much more complicated because of the number of games remaining in the contract.  Buying out seven games is FAR costlier than buying out one game.  Tech would need money to buy out of the contract, and then they would need more money to entice an FCS school to come to Blacksburg in 2025 and 2026, maybe even years after that. 

While Hokie Nation can dream about replacing seven years of ODU games with destination trips to Vegas (UNLV), New Orleans (Tulane), the Rose Bowl (UCLA), or even a return to Nashville (Vanderbilt again), financially, a buyout is not a good idea and it is not likely to happen.

While I don’t particularly enjoy watching Tech play G5 schools (or even FCS competition), I totally acknowledge the need for games like these.  College football has no preseason games, no scrimmages.  These G5 and even FCS opponents fill that need for P4 schools to get reps against someone other than their teammates.

And I fully support playing other in-state schools – just not every year, and certainly not alternating home and home games. Virginia Tech should play those teams at home, or at worst, in a two-for-one deal where two games are played in Blacksburg and one is on the road.

This is no disrespect to ODU or other G5 schools but rather a disdain for the current agreement with the Monarchs. Yes, I know the Virginia Tech athletic director signed off on it, so I shouldn’t complain, but after the failed ECU series and the downsides to this contract, it is not a long-term deal that I support.

Virginia Tech cannot buy themselves out of this deal. It is too expensive to do so.  Thus, as fans, we have to grin and bear it. The only option for fans is to support the team and hope they beat the Monarchs into submission.  If Virginia Tech can whip Old Dominion every game like Ole Miss did to Wake Forest last weekend, maybe ODU will want out of the series.

But don’t hold your breath on that – this is a great deal for ODU financially, and when the Monarchs win, which they have done twice already, they have something to hang over Tech fans for the rest of their lives.  And if ODU loses the game, they win with their wallets, so they still make out in the end.

So what is my point with this article? Admittedly, a lot of this is just a vent, as I am not happy with a thirteen-year alternating deal with a G5 school.  However, I am not alone in these feelings, and I think there are a lot of Hokies with whom this article will resonate.

But it is also to point out that there really isn’t anything Hokie fans can do about the situation.  The series will be played, likely to completion in the year 2031. Thankfully, this most recent road trip to Norfolk ended well, but for the next seven seasons, we just have to hope that Tech takes care of business against the Monarchs and make this a non-issue.

On to Rutgers!  Go Hokies!