Final Staff Predictions for Virginia Tech vs. Old Dominion

Five of the team's writers offer up their picks for who claims tonight's Week 3 clash.

Sep 6, 2025; Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech running back Terion Stewart (8) runs the ball during the second quarter. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

It's game day! Today, the VIrginia Tech Hokies take on the Old Dominion Monarchs at 7:30 p.m. ET in Tech's second home game of the season.

Below are score predictions from five of our writers in advance of today's Week 3 showdown:

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Taylor Bretl: Expectations heading into Week 3 were for Virginia Tech to at least split its matchups against South Carolina and Vanderbilt. But now with the Hokies at 0–2, the pressure to win against Old Dominion grows. There were encouraging signs early against Vanderbilt, with Virginia Tech’s 20–10 lead at halftime, but giving up 34 unanswered points in the second-half put that quickly to rest. 

Old Dominion won its first game of the season in Week 2 and has shown an explosive run game in both contests. Quarterback Colton Joseph leads all quarterbacks with 228 rushing yards, while the running back corps has chipped in with 257 yards on just 35 carries. If Virginia Tech can bottle up Old Dominion’s ground game — which ranks second nationally in yards per carry — and force the Monarchs to win through the air, the Hokies could earn their needed first victory of the season. 

Final Score: VT 27, ODU 23

Jackson Caudell: Old Dominion has given Virginia Tech plenty of trouble over the years, and this time should be no different. ODU has a very good mobile quarterback and a stingier defense than you might think, as they held Indiana to only 27 points. There is not a lot of reason to believe in Virginia Tech at this point in time, and I think the end of the Brent Pry era might be coming faster than we anticipated.

Final Score: ODU 24, VT 21

James Duncan: In what is a do-or-die game for head coach Brent Pry, he needs to come out and have his team play a complete, four quarter game of football. He cannot afford to fall to 0-3. I believe he will be more aggressive on third and fourth down to continue drives. The defense, which looked strong for the first six quarters of football this season, I think will have a bounce back game against Old Dominion. In Week 1 against the elusive LaNorris Sellers, the Hokies did a stellar job containing Sellers in the pocket and limiting his running ability. They will need to do the same here against Colton Joseph, who is a very capable running quarterback. If they can do that, Virginia Tech will be securing its first victory of the season.

Final Score: VT 24, ODU 13

Luke Hubbard: After a heartbreaking loss to Vanderbilt, where the Hokies couldn't get anything going in the second half, this is a great opportunity for them to put the last game behind them and move on. I think Virginia Tech will have a fire lit underneath them, and if they can come out fast, they should be able to win this game. The key will be playing Virginia Tech football for 60 minutes. They've played great in spurts, but they need to put it together for the entire game. If Kyron Drones uses his legs well and the defense doesn't give up too many explosive plays, the Hokies should be able to walk away with a win.

Final Score: VT 30, ODU 20

Thomas Hughes: Through the first two games, the opposing rushing attack has been the Hokies' kryptonite — not necessarily due to volume rushing from the signal-callers (Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia tallied 61 rushing yards, while LaNorris Sellers put up 25 net yards, but gained 62), but how that mobility opens up the rest of the ground game. After a pair of games, Virginia Tech's defense has allowed 190.5 rushing yards a contest and now awaits Old Dominion, anchored by sophomore signal-caller Colton Joseph. Joseph currently tops all FBS quarterbacks with 228 yards through two games and should find some form of success against the Hokies tonight. As I said in my "Closing Thoughts" article last night, this is a game that I feel does go Tech's way due to the level of opponent they're facing but this one is by no means secure.

Final Score: VT 21, ODU 14