Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 6:30 PM CT
Location: Lane Stadium
TV: ACC Network
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): VT -51.5
Over/under: 57.5

The setup

Virginia Tech and VMI meet for the 80th time but the first since 1984. A rivalry that began in 1894 took a 42-year commercial break.

What I’m watching

VMI lost 38-10 to Idaho State in Week 0, with JoJo Crump completing 3 of 7 for 16 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT. The early warning is only 240 total yards. Virginia Tech allowed 378.1 yards per game last season, so this is a useful chance to see whether the opener was a one-game problem.

Personnel snapshot

• A veteran FBS core: VMI’s Ashley Ingram is in Year 1; Virginia Tech’s James Franklin is in Year 1. Virginia Tech returns 14 starters—8 on offense and 6 on defense.
• Can the defense dominate: Virginia Tech allowed 30.2 points per game last season. The standard against VMI should be higher than simply winning: the defense needs to control the game without help from the offense. That unit returns 6 starters.
• Familiarity versus a new offense: JoJo Crump led VMI’s passing in Week 0 (3 of 7 for 16 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT); Ethan Grunkemeyer is the projected starter for Virginia Tech (1,079 yards, 6 TD and 4 INT at Penn State in 2025).

Three quick analysis points

• The history: The Hokies lead 49-25-5, yet only seven previous meetings were played in Blacksburg. Tech has won five of the last six there, so the massive series was mostly built somewhere else.
• The coaching angle: James Franklin debuts at Virginia Tech with 128 career wins, the most ever by an African-American FBS head coach. His first game is against one of the program’s oldest opponents.
• The quarterback follow-up: JoJo Crump handled 7 pass attempts for VMI in Week 0. He completed 3 of 7 for 16 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT. Virginia Tech returns 6 defensive starters and ranked only No. 125 nationally at creating sacks and other disruptive plays, giving JoJo Crump a chance to settle in.

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.