Vanderbilt Football Opens as Underdogs Against Virginia Tech

Vanderbilt football is a three-point underdog ahead of its week two matchup with Virginia Tech, per the Action Network.

The Commodores travel to Blacksburg after Saturday’s 45-3 win over Charleston Southern that saw it cover the 36.5-point spread that it entered the game with. Virginia Tech opens its season Sunday against South Carolina.

Saturday’s matchup is the back half of a home-and-home series that saw Vanderbilt upset the Hokies at FirstBank Stadium last season. Virginia Tech is focused on South Carolina in this moment, but hasn’t forgotten the feeling that Vanderbilt gave it last season.

Vanderbilt ’s Diego Pavia runs the ball during Saturday’s game between Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville , Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. | Nicole Hester / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Definitely a revenge game,” Returning Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones told On SI’s Graham Dietz in an exclusive interview that was obtained by Vandy on SI. “Definitely a Redemption game.”

“For sure [a revenge game], we got a lot of guys that still have that bad taste in their mouth,” Virginia Tech linebacker Jaden Keller added. “Having that chip on your shoulder, having that usually adds motivation, fuel to the fire. It's huge. We got a whole bunch of guys that know what that feels like.”

The trip to Blacksburg represents Vanderbilt’s first real test of the 2025 season and its most difficult non-conference game by a significant margin.

In Vanderbilt’s 13 games a year ago, it covered in nine of the 13, including covering its largest line of the season as 33.5-point favorites over Alcorn State with a 55-0 victory. Virginia Tech was thought to be a contender to be a College Football Playoff team, but finished 2024 with a 6-7 record overall and a 4-4 record in ACC play.

Vanderbilt entered last season’s week one matchup with the Hokies as significant underdogs, but used its upset to propel it to a 7-6 season in which it knocked off No. 1 Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky as well as Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl. Now, it looks to set the tone for its season with another upset win over Virginia Tech.

“We're going to need to redirect our energy really quickly to the game against Virginia Tech, which is going to be really challenging for us,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said after Saturday’s win over Charleston Southern. “We're in a mode of execution now. And every week's a climb for us, and a challenge, and we can't waste time. Your mistakes now have consequences. This isn't training camp. And so I hope that we have a little better perspective on not heading into next week."