All the back and forth between the Virginia Tech and Maryland fan bases is done for the week, and it's finally time to line up and play the highly anticipated non-conference game on Saturday night in College Park.
Both teams come into the matchup at 2-0, with the Terrapins owning wins over Hampton and UConn, while the Hokies have wins over VMI and Old Dominion. However, when it comes to the two head coaches and fanbases, well, there is no love loss for several reasons.
Virginia Tech enters the game as the small betting favorite at most betting sites, but many feel that Maryland is the favorite to win outright. It really wouldn't be surprising to see either team walk away with the win, but this will be a tough task for Franklin and his team in their first road game of the 2026 season. So who will win? ESPN College GameDay made their picks on Saturday ahead and was nearly split down the middle.
ESPN College GameDay makes picks for Virginia Tech at Maryland game
Here is the breakdown for the picks from the College GameDay panel,
Desmond Howard: Maryland
Pat McAfee: Maryland
Nick Saban: Virginia Tech
Kirk Herbstreit: Virginia Tech
Guest Picker Morgan Freeman: Virginia Tech
So there you go, the College GameDay panel has spoken. Three-fifths of the set like the Hokies to win the game outright and get to 3-0 for the first time since 2017. This certainly feels like a game that could either go down to the wire, or Maryland is going to come out and use the bulletin board material as motivation and look to roll Virginia Tech.
One thing that stood out from the ESPN panel picks is that McAfee and Herbstreit both think that Franklin is building something in Blacksburg, and a win over Maryland on the road would only cement that early in his tenure.
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