Forgive us if the college football calendar seems a bit off this week, but there are multiple games this weekend that used to be reserved for late November.
Washington-Washington State and Oregon-Oregon State were the two long-standing rivalries devalued with the Big Ten’s expansion, and while Huskies-Cougars and Ducks-Beavers still means quite a bit to the residents of those states, their results no longer mean being bumped from the Rose Bowl (or its equivalent when Pasadena hosts a Playoff Game).
But don’t feel sad for OSU or WSU, as the “Pac-2” has pulled six schools away from the Mountain West (Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State) for 2026-27 and likely has their eyes on a few more (intriguing duos are UNLV and Hawaii, New Mexico and UTEP, or perhaps a hoops move with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s).
Closer to home, we have a showdown that may not have determined ACC titles but was a yearly matchup from 1957-2013: Maryland meets Virginia for the second straight September. With the recent announcement of a four-year series in men’s basketball beginning in 2025, one may think that they’ll be meeting again sometime soon (the current contract was for just 2023-24).
“It creates some excitement because of some of the past, obviously UVA being a regional rivalry. We’ve got guys from our state. They’ve got guys from our state,” Maryland Coach Mike Locksley said. “It’s the longest game [series] that we’ve played against an opponent over the years. I think it’s good for us.”
Maryland has 10 players from Virginia on its current roster, including starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (Springfield) and leading receiver Tai Felton (Ashburn). While Virginia has just a pair of players from Maryland on its team this fall (Baltimore graduate student defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter and Annapolis sophomore defensive tackle Bryce Purnell), the real competition for players lies in Northern Virginia as the Cavaliers have players from Beltway-adjacent locations like Burke, Alexandria and Vienna on their roster.
“We’re recruiting against each other. We’re battling for the same players. They’re (Maryland) not far away,” Virginia Coach Tony Bennett said. “It’s convenient for either fan base to travel to the game. I’m all for it, if it works out.”
Placement is everything
The ACC did the two schools no favors by moving the matchup all over the calendar. In the final 23 years the Terps were in the conference, their matchup with UVA was played in September five times, October nine times and November nine times.
There’s something to be said about having a traditional spot on the calendar and sticking to it, even if it’s not the last game of the season like Texas-Oklahoma or Alabama-Tennessee. Perhaps this game can serve as each school’s traditional nonconference Power Four game, like how Maryland-West Virginia was (36 of 38 regular season meetings between the two schools from 1973 to 2021 were held in September).
Saturday’s Games:
Virginia Tech (1-1) at Old Dominion (0-2), 6 p.m. (ESPN)
The Hokies confront the ghosts of September’s past as they’re 0-2 against the Monarchs in Norfolk. They started the Brent Pry era with a 20-17 loss at Ballard Stadium in 2022 and many said the Justin Fuente era witnessed, if not the beginning of the end, at least the end of beginning there in 2018 by losing 49-35.
ODU has dropped a pair of one-possession games, 23-19 to South Carolina and 20-14 to East Carolina (sadly North Carolina and Western Carolina are not on the schedule, although they do play Coastal next month).
Can the Hokies apply the necessary pressure on second year starting quarterback Grant Wilson (the Arlington native has been sacked nine times while tossing three interceptions in two games this fall)? They held him to 94 yards passing last September in a 19-point Virginia Tech win.
Presto’s Pick: Hokies hang on to keep ODU winless, 22-17.
Maryland (1-1) at Virginia (2-0), 8 p.m., ACC Network
Both schools have had their first taste of conference play, with the Cavaliers enjoying one sweet fourth quarter comeback in their victory at Wake Forest and the Terrapins dealing with the sour come-from-ahead defeat at home to Michigan State.
Maryland took last year’s game 42-14 after spotting UVA a 14-0 first quarter lead, as Anthony Colandrea’s first career start faded (263 yards passing but three interceptions). So far this September, the sophomore is completing 75% of his passes and has weapons like Malachi Fields (11 catches for 148 yards against Wake Forest). That’s going to be a major concern for a Terrapin secondary that was ripped for huge gains by Michigan State last weekend.
On offense, Maryland will look to the Northern Virginian connection of Billy Edwards Jr. and Tai Felton (18 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns over two games) against a defense that’s allowed the third-most passing yards per game in the ACC. One wonders if we’ll see the running game return to form after gaining just 2.8 yards per carry in their loss to the Spartans.
Kippy & Buffy return to their roots this week by going back inside the Commonwealth for their tailgate. A bottle of Linden Vineyards 2020 Hardscrabble Chardonnay delivers tasting notes of “apple peel and hint of vanilla aromas,” according to the winery website. “Medium bodied with generous fruit in the mid palate and a pithy structured finish.” Break out the gruyere and gouda!
Presto’s Pick: Terps finish with plenty of structure in a 31-24 final. Isn’t that a pithy …
Georgetown gets by Sacred Heart, Howard handles Morehouse College, Richmond rolls past Charleston Southern, Towson tumbles to Villanova, Morgan State slips at Ohio, William & Mary loses to Wofford.
Last Week: 7-3. Overall: 14-5.
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