Friday September 2nd Free College Football Pick Virginia Tech VS Old Dominion

Friday CFB Free play. My selection is on Old Dominion plus the points over Virginia Tech at 7 pm et on Friday.

I get the sense that a lot of folks are willing to give Virginia Tech the benefit of the doubt entering this season-opening clash with Old Dominion (let’s not forget when the Monarchs staged a massive 49-35 upset win over the Hokies in 2018), despite all of the question marks the Hokies carry entering the 2022 campaign.

Virginia Tech has a new head coach with a new staff which means a new offensive coordinator installing a new system and to make matters worse, there are a slew of new faces at all of the skill positions on the offensive side of the football. I’m just not convinced it’s all going to go smoothly right out of the gates.

Old Dominion brings a ton of continuity into the season on offense, even if the defense will need to work out some kinks early on. While an offensive explosion is by no means imminent against what should be a strong Hokies defense, I do feel the Monarchs are well-positioned to keep pace with what is likely to be a limited Virginia Tech offense here.

The key for the Monarchs might just be stopping the Hokies ground game and it’s worth noting that was ODU’s defensive strength a year ago and should be once again in 2022 given the returning talent up front. If they can force the Hokies offense into obvious passing situations, their admittedly vulnerable pass defense should be able to hold up its end of the bargain.

I believe there’s a good chance we see the Monarchs control the football for extended stretches on offense and on the flip side, ultimately force the Hokies into a couple of critical mistakes that should at the very least keep this one closer than most are expecting. Take Old Dominion.