Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 5:00 PM CT
Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium
TV: ESPN+
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): ODU -41.5
Over/under: 55.5

The setup

These schools are separated by five miles, but ODU is 4-0 in the series. This is less a normal FBS buy game than a neighborhood argument in which Norfolk State has never had the last word.

What I’m watching

Norfolk St beat Winston-Salem 56-0 in Week 0, with Deljay Bailey completing 13 of 20 for 119 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT. Norfolk St already established the run, finishing with 306 rushing yards. Old Dominion allowed 140.1 rushing yards per game in 2025, which makes this a more meaningful follow-up test.

Personnel snapshot

• The FBS roster is rebuilding too: Norfolk St’s Michael Vick is in Year 2; Old Dominion’s Ricky Rahne is in Year 7. Old Dominion returns 5 starters—1 on offense and 4 on defense.
• Where points should be available: Old Dominion averaged 31.5 points per game last season; Norfolk St allowed 36.8. If those identities survive the roster changes, this is where the favorite should create separation.
• The pressure test: Deljay Bailey led Norfolk St’s passing in Week 0 (13 of 20 for 119 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT); Quinn Henicle is the projected starter for Old Dominion (57 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT in 2025). The tougher first assignment belongs to Deljay Bailey: Old Dominion produced 39 sacks last season.

Three quick analysis points

• Norfolk St kept extending drives: Norfolk St converted 7 of 9 third downs in Week 0 (78%). That is how an offense keeps its defense rested and controls a game.
• The scoring trend: ODU is favored by 41.5, yet its last three wins over Norfolk State came by 3, 14 and 3 points – 20 points total. The market expects twice as much separation Saturday as those three meetings produced combined.
• The opener trend: Two streaks collide: ODU ended 2025 with six straight wins, tied for the third-longest active streak nationally, but has lost three straight season openers. One of those habits ends immediately.

How the game is decided

Norfolk St owns the advantage of live game reps, but Old Dominion owns a full game of film on the new offense. The result turns on whether the Week 0 strength travels—or whether the same weakness shows up once the opponent has had time to target it.

Prediction

I make final predictions on my TikTok/YouTube/Instagram/Facebook pages @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.