Virginia Tech Hokies on upset alert by Old Dominion Monarchs

Don’t look now, but the No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies could be upset on the road by a team that hasn’t won yet in the form of the Old Dominion Monarchs.

It’s been a strange September for the ACC. While the Clemson Tigers look to be a College Football Playoff contender once again, their ACC Atlantic rival Florida State Seminoles are rebuilding under new head coach Willie Taggart. With the Louisville Cardinals having to adapt in a post-Lamar Jackson world, contenders in the ACC Coastal like the Virginia Tech Hokies certainly had their shot at vying for the Playoff.

However, Justin Fuente’s bunch is having more than a hard time with a team they least expected to: the Old Dominion Monarchs. Yes, the Old Dominion Monarchs. Sure, Old Dominion had been a solid FCS team before joining Conference USA in 2014. However, the Monarchs are 0-3 on the year and have the Hokies on upset alert.

While both schools play in the Commonwealth of Virginia, it’s strange to see a Power 5 team like Virginia Tech agree to play this one in Norfolk. Had this one been in Blacksburg, maybe the Hokies win it comfortably in front of the home crowd?

Apparently, the Monarchs were ready to get up for this game. Virginia Tech, not so much. Hokies quarterback Josh Jackson struggled mightily against the Old Dominion defense. He completed only 50 percent of his passes for 151 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Though he averaged 9.5 yards per attempt, he had to exit the game late with an injury.

Meanwhile, Old Dominion quarterback Blake LaRussa has channeled his inner Taylor Heinicke and is carving up Bud Foster’s Hokies defense. LaRussa has thrown for well over 400 yards and three touchdowns through the air. You factor this one being played in front of the Old Dominion home crowd, and here we are.

Should Virginia Tech fall on the road to Old Dominion, it is both a bad look for the Hokies, as well as the ACC. Virginia Tech was a contender in the ACC Coastal and maybe even a Playoff contender if they could beat Clemson in the conference title bout. However, a loss to a Group of 5 team eliminates the Hokies from top-four talk entirely.

The ACC has not fared well in non-conference games. Clemson looks legit, but even another contender in the Miami Hurricanes, Virginia Tech’s biggest roadblock in the division, have a bad loss on their résumé. That loss to Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers in Arlington still stings. This one versus Old Dominion possibly ruins the Hokies season.