Virginia Tech opens as a huge favorite against Old Dominion

The Virginia Tech football team opened the season in Week 1 as a double-digit favorite at Vanderbilt and lost in overtime. Saturday against Marshall, the Hokies once against were a double-digit favorite against the Thundering Hurd which ballooned to 20.5 before kickoff and they won by 17.

This upcoming week, the Hokies will hit the road again, this time in-state to Norfolk to play Old Dominion in another non-conference game and file this under 'here we go again' when it comes to the line released on the game.

Virginia Tech opens as a double-digit favorite against Old Dominion

For the third straight game, Virginia Tech opens as a double-digit favorite, this time as a 13.5-point favorite against Old Dominion on the road according to DraftKings. The Hokies come into the game at 1-1, while the Monarchs are 0-2 after losses at South Carolina in Week 1 and at home this weekend to East Carolina.

At the beginning of the season, this would seem like it should be an easy cover for the Hokies, even on the road, however, after two shaky first-half performances, that's not the case as of now. The offense has put up a grand total of six points, and two field goals against Vanderbilt and Marshall with the lone touchdown coming on a Jaylin Lane punt return at the end of the first quarter against the Hurd.

At first glance, 13.5 points seem like an awful lot to put down on Virginia Tech and it's going to be interesting to see if the line moves up as quickly as it did against Marshall where it was almost a three-touchdown favorite and failed to cover. Unless there is a better first-half start against the Monarchs, it's hard seeing them cover this line against a team that is desperate for a win after two straight losses to begin 2024.