No Bets About It: Virginia Vs. Virginia Tech Football Game Set For Dec. 12

Written By Dann Stupp on September 18, 2020 - Last Updated on October 6, 2020

The University of Virginia and Virginia Tech will have a 2020 football clash, after all.

The two VA powerhouses were slated to meet on the gridiron in a season-opener this weekend. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic scrapped the Sept. 19 football game.

Now, though, the Virginia Cavaliers and Virginia Tech Hokies have a new date for the previously postponed game.

The two teams will meet in a regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference finale on Dec. 12, officials announced on Thursday. It’ll serve as the annual Commonwealth Cup.

Coronavirus hits VA Tech

Like most conferences, the ACC tiptoed into the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, like other football programs, UVA and VA Tech were at the whims of the virus.

Although the Cavaliers’ student-athletes recently showed a positivity rate well below 1%, their intrastate rivals weren’t so unfortunate.

Although the school doesn’t release testing data, Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente said the failed tests had hit the Hokies hard. In fact, he said he’d be unable to field some positions this week because so many players were sick or forced to quarantine.

The rescheduled game takes place at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, which is the home stadium of the Hokies. Officials haven’t announced a start time or broadcast plans.

It’ll be the final regular-season game for each school, assuming it goes on as planned.

Virginia, which went 9-5 last year, beat Virginia Tech (8-5) in their 2019 matchup. The 39-30 victory snapped a 15-game winning streak for Tech in the Commonwealth Cup. The Hokies, however, are 58-38-5 all-time in the series.

Betting on University of Virginia vs. Virginia Tech?

Are you interested in betting on the Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game?

Unfortunately, even with soon-to-open Virginia sportsbooks, that won’t be possible – not within the commonwealth’s borders, anyway.

As part of the recently finalized sportsbook regulations, the Virginia Lottery Board has banned betting on in-state colleges and universities. They also banned wagering on youth sports, the Olympics, and all college props.

When Virginia’s first sportsbook operators open in January, they can’t offer any of those wager types.

VA residents’ legal options include venturing to West Virginia or Washington, DC. They both border Virginia and currently offer legal and regulated sports betting.

Other neighboring states of Tennessee, Maryland and North Carolina are also moving forward with their own sportsbook markets.

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Dann Stupp

Dann Stupp is a longtime sports journalist who’s written and edited for The Athletic, USA Today, ESPN, MLB.com and other outlets. He lives in Lexington, Virginia.

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