After convincing home wins over VMI and Old Dominion to begin the 2026 season, the Virginia Tech football team is going to face a quick upgrade in terms of opponents. Their final 10 games will be against Power 4 Conference foes, beginning with their final non-conference game at Maryland, a Big Ten opponent, on Saturday night in College Park.
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After that, the final nine games are all against ACC opponents. The trip to Maryland is also the first true road game for Franklin at Virginia Tech, and it'll be under the lights. After both teams have begun the season 2-0, the early odds for the game were released, and the Hokies are a slight favorite on the opening line.
Virginia Tech opens as a favorite at Maryland
According to DraftKings, Virginia Tech opens as a 3-point favorite over the Terrapins, who have beaten Hampton, 62-0, at home, and they beat UConn, 38-14, on the road on Saturday. Once seen as a game that the Hokies should win is now going to be more difficult than originally thought. This is a huge test for Franklin, his staff, and the team under the lights.
Maryland has an electric quarterback in sophomore Malik Washington, who was also considering Virginia Tech before he committed to Mike Locksley and the Terrapins. Winning at UConn was big, as it was a good win for Locksley and his team given the problems the Huskies have given Power 4 Conference teams at home in years past. That was under former coach Jim Mora, but regardless, Storrs hasn't been a kind place for Power 4 Conference programs.
If there is someone who knows Maryland and Locksley well, it's Franklin from his time at Penn State. There doesn't seem to be much love-loss between the two teams, which should add more fuel to the fire on Saturday night.
It was these types of games at Penn State that Franklin struggled to win, and if the Hokies lose, not only will the obsessive Penn State trolls be out in full force, but it'll also cause some doubt among Virginia Tech fans. If the Hokies are going to continue to make strides under Franklin in his first season in Blacksburg, this needs to be a road win.
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