NCAAF Week 9 Analysis - Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Florida State Seminoles
by Mike Rose
Atlantic Coast Conference football takes center stage on Saturday afternoon, and it’ll be a rematch of the 2005 ACC Championship Game and 2000 Sugar Bowl when the Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2, 2-4 ATS) invade Doak Campbell Stadium to clash with the Florida State Seminoles (5-1, 2-2 ATS) for the first time since 1991.
These two teams have only met once in the regular season of conference play, a game that Tech won 40-21 in Blacksburg last season. Florida State had covered the previous three college football betting match-ups.
Virginia Tech has been a tricky team to bet on or against of late, as the margin of victory in their L/10 games has been just 8.1 points per game. In those ten games, the final score has come within a touchdown of the spread six times.
Last Saturday was no exception when the Hokies traveled to Chestnut Hill. The defense did its job, holding the Eagles to 300 total yards and forcing five turnovers, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
However, the offense was once again pathetic as QB Tyrod Taylor only threw for 90 yards and an interception. Though the #18 team in the land was 3-point underdogs, the lack of consistent offense caused their 28-23 loss and yet another defeat for Virginia Tech bettors. The Hokies are now just 2-5 ATS in their L/7 overall games.
Things weren’t much better for Florida State bettors on ESPN’s Thursday Night Football telecast either. Though the Noles were victorious by a 26-17 final count over the NC State Wolfpack, they never found themselves ahead of the 11-point spread.
It was a relatively strong effort for the FSU offense, which managed 392 yards after getting stifled for the majority of the first half. QB Christian Ponder ended the day with 283 total yards without turning the ball over, his best game against an FBS opponent. RB Antone Smith had another strong effort on Thursday, racking up 89 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The defense had a dominant second half against the Wolfpack, and now ranks 3rd in the country with just 246.8 total yards per game allowed. The Noles rank in the Top-20 in every major defensive statistic.
The Seminoles are set to play their first game at Doak Campbell Stadium since losing 12-3 to Wake Forest back on September 9th. They’ve been installed as 4.5-point favorites on the NCAA football betting line. The ‘total’ is set at 45.5.
Even though both teams have had their struggles putting points on the board, the ‘over’ might be the way to go this weekend. The ‘over’ has cashed in eight of V-Tech’s L/11 games away from Blacksburg. October has been a good month for ‘over’ bettors in FSU games of late as well. It’s cashed in nine of the L/12 October games played.
Whether you prefer playing spreads, ‘totals’, or moneylines, BetUS has all the football betting action you can sink your teeth into this weekend, so login to your account right now and place your NCAA bets!
