Forgive us if the college football schedule doesn’t seem quite up to date this week, but there are several games taking place this weekend that were normally reserved for late November.

Washington-Washington State and Oregon-Oregon State were the two long-standing rivalries that lost value with the expansion of the Big Ten. And while Huskies-Cougars and Ducks-Beavers still mean a lot to residents of those states, their results no longer result in them being shut out of the Rose Bowl (or the equivalent if Pasadena hosts a playoff game).

But don’t be sad for OSU or WSU, as the Pac-2 has signed six schools from the Mountain West (Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State) for the 2026-27 season and probably has its eye on a few more (interesting duos include UNLV and Hawaii, New Mexico and UTEP, or perhaps a basketball switch with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s).

Closer to home, we have a showdown that didn’t decide ACC titles but was an annual one from 1957 to 2013: Maryland will face Virginia in September for the second straight year. Given the recent announcement of a four-year series in men’s basketball that begins in 2025, you might expect the two to meet again soon (the current deal was only for 2023-24).

“It creates excitement because, of course, there has been a regional rivalry between UVA in the past. We have people from our state. They have people from our state,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “It’s the longest game (series) we’ve played against an opponent over the years. I think that’s good for us.”

Maryland currently has 10 players from Virginia on its roster, including starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (Springfield) and top receiver Tai Felton (Ashburn). While Virginia has only two players from Maryland on its team this fall (Jahmeer Carter, a graduate defensive tackle from Baltimore, and Bryce Purnell, a sophomore defensive tackle from Annapolis), the real competition for players is in Northern Virginia, as the Cavaliers have players from Beltway-adjacent places like Burke, Alexandria and Vienna on their roster.

“We’re competing against each other. We’re competing for the same players. They (Maryland) aren’t far away,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “It’s convenient for both fan bases 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 up the calendar. In the last 23 years the Terps have been in the conference, their matchup with UVA has occurred five times in September, nine times in October and nine times in November.

There’s something to be said for having a traditional spot on the calendar and sticking with it, even if it’s not the last game of the season like Texas-Oklahoma or Alabama-Tennessee. Maybe this game can serve as each school’s traditional out-of-conference Power Four game, like Maryland-West Virginia was (36 of 38 regular-season games between the two schools from 1973 to 2021 have been in September).

Games on Saturday:

Virginia Tech (1-1) at Old Dominion (0-2), 6 p.m. (ESPN)

The Hokies face the ghosts of last September, when they lost 2-0 to the Monarchs in Norfolk. They began the Brent Pry era in 2022 with a 20-17 loss at Ballard Stadium, and many said the Justin Fuente era was, if not the beginning of the end, then at least the end of the beginning there in 2018 with a 49-35 loss.

ODU has lost two games by one possession, 23-19 against South Carolina and 20-14 against East Carolina (unfortunately, North Carolina and Western Carolina are not on the schedule, although they play Coastal next month).

Can the Hokies put the pressure they need on sophomore starting quarterback Grant Wilson (the Arlington native was sacked nine times and threw three interceptions in two games this fall)? They held him to 94 yards in a 19-point win over Virginia Tech last September.

Presto’s selection: Hokies keep ODU winless with 22-17.

Maryland (1-1) at Virginia (2-0), 8 p.m., ACC Network

Both schools were competing in the conference for the first time: The Cavaliers were able to make a nice comeback in the fourth quarter to win at Wake Forest, and the Terrapins suffered a bitter loss at home to Michigan State after having taken a lead.

Maryland won last year’s game 42-14 after allowing UVA to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on Anthony Colandrea’s first career start (263 yards passing but three interceptions). So far this September, the sophomore has completed 75% of his passes and has weapons like Malachi Fields (11 catches for 148 yards against Wake Forest). That will be a big problem for the Terrapin secondary, which was beaten by Michigan State last weekend to a big advantage.

On offense, Maryland will rely on the Northern Virginia connection of Billy Edwards Jr. and Tai Felton (18 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns in two games) against a defense that has allowed the third-most passing yards per game in the ACC. One wonders if the running game will return to form after gaining just 2.8 yards per carry in the loss to the Spartans.

Kippy & Buffy are returning to their roots this week by returning to the Commonwealth for their tailgate party. A bottle of Linden Vineyards 2020 Hardscrabble Chardonnay delivers flavor notes of “apple peel and a hint of vanilla flavors,” according to the winery’s website. “Medium-bodied with generous mid-palate fruitiness and a pithy textured finish.” Bring out the Gruyère and Gouda!

Presto’s selection: Terps finish the game with a lot of structure and a 31:24 final. Isn’t that a pithy…

Georgetown beats Sacred Heart, Howard defeats Morehouse College, Richmond rolls over Charleston Southern, Towson falls to Villanova, Morgan State slips at Ohio, William & Mary loses to Wofford.

Last week: 7-3. Overall: 14-5.

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