FRANKLIN—Excitement is building locally for the first gridiron meeting of Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities on Saturday, Nov. 26.

The two schools, which are roughly seven miles apart, will meet in the first round of the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. It is the first playoff appearance for either school.

NSU graduate and Franklin native James Riddick Jr. believes the Spartans will win the game at ODU’s Foreman Field by seven points.

“I’m excited and pleasantly surprised they were able to turn it around so quickly and make the playoffs,” said the 2001 graduate.

The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member said he will be on the road and will most likely miss the game, which could be as big as the school’s rivalry with Hampton University, called the Battle of the Bay, especially since ODU and NSU schools will enter into an agreement to play annually for the next six years.

“It’ll probably be a rivalry for years to come,” Riddick said.

ODU graduate Don “Stump” Blythe Jr. said he expects the Monarchs to come out on top, but he was reluctant to give a prediction on the score.

“I really think it’ll be a close game,” Blythe said. “It could go either way, but I think it will be a 7-point game.”

Both teams are 9-2 going into the contest and Blythe also predicts the start of a rivalry for both schools.

Blythe, a 1988 graduate of ODU and Franklin native, said he would be unable to attend the game because of holiday family obligations, but will watch the game on ESPN 3.

Franklin High School graduate and Norfolk State sophomore Damian Britt definitely feels there is a rivalry between the schools, adding that the Spartans will come out on top.

“This is one of the biggest games we’ve had so far,” Britt said. “It’s the first time Norfolk State could make it somewhere in a long time.”

Dr. Joe Edenfield, Paul D. Camp Community College vice president of financial and administrative services, got his doctorate in philosophy in community college leadership from ODU.

He said he was excited when the Monarchs first introduced a football program and will be pulling for them.

“I’m very excited,” Edenfield said. “I like the Monarchs and I hope they do well.”

He said a school can benefit from an athletic program, with a strong football presence.

“The business side of me knows that if you want to grow your university you have to have an athletic program and a strong football program has to be a part of that,” he said.

The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. and will air online on ESPN 3 and on ESPN Radio at 94.1 FM.