Virginia Tech Opens As Slight Favorite in Week Three Road Test vs Maryland

The Hokies are going to be favored on the road against the Terrapins this week, but should they?

Sep 12, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies defensive lineman Mylachi Williams (37), defensive lineman Aycen Stevens (42) and linebacker Curtis Jones Jr. (30) celebrate a sack during the fourth quarter against the Old Dominion Monarchs at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Virginia Tech Hokies are 2-0 and are off to a good start in the James Franklin era.

While not as dominant as their opening weekend win over VMI, Virginia Tech took care of Old Dominion handily on Saturday, which is a big deal to Virginia Tech fans, given how much trouble the Monarchs have given Virginia Tech over the years, including an embarrassing beatdown that cost Brent Pry his head coach job last season.

But the first real test is going to come on the road Saturday in Maryland.

Franklin, who coached at Maryland in two separate stints, including as the offensive coordinator from 2008-2010. He is also plenty familiar coaching against Mike Locksley and Maryland from his days as the head coach at Penn State.

This will be a big test for a number of reasons, one of them being that the Hokies are going to be favorites on the road for the first time this season. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Virginia Tech has opened as 3.5-point favorites against the Terrapins on Saturday night, and the over/under has opened at 52.5

Can they get a win?

Sep 12, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Bryce Baker (22) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Old Dominion Monarchs at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maryland is not one of the big contenders in the Big Ten, but they are going to be a threat because of quarterback Malik Washington, who is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the Big Ten. While Ethan Grunkemeyer has looked strong to start the season for the Hokies, this is going to be the first time that Virginia Tech has walked into a game with a disadvantage at quarterback, though not by much.

Brent Pry and the defense are going to have to be ready for the challenges that Maryland poses on offense. I think that is going to be the key to the game and if the Hokies can take care of the ball and make life difficult for Washington, than they are going to emerge from this game victorious.

Virginia Tech raced out to a 34-3 lead and then Old Dominion got some late scores to make the game look closer than what it really was, but Franklin loved what he saw out of the starters on defense:

"If you look at the stats when our starters were on the field, I think they're going to be pretty impressive, and our whole thing with [defensive coordinator} Brent Pry and defensive line coach Sean Spencer] and our time together has been about being disruptive and getting people off schedule and getting them into obvious passing situations," Franklin said. "I think you guys got a chance to see today what we've been talking about, our edge players as well as our D-tackles and how disruptive those guys can be."

Virginia Tech and Maryland face off next Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or Fox Sports.

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