Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway — Bristol, Tennessee
When: Saturday, September 10, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Virginia Tech Hokies (+11.5) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (-11.5) – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Writer’s Pick: Tennessee Volunteers (-11.5)
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Betting on the Virginia Tech Hokies (+11.5)
Despite the ugly win, the Hokies can at least take pride on giving Justin Fuente the win in his debut as Virginia Tech’s new head coach, and also in their quarterback Jerod Evans, who gave us a glimpse of his true potential. The junior passed for 221 yards with four touchdowns and zero picks.
Those numbers were terrific without question, but now, Evans will have to prove that his season-opening performance was no fluke when he and the rest of the Hokies prepare for the “Battle at Bristol” against No. 17 Tennessee this coming Saturday.
Virginia Tech’s passing game could be huge here once again. All of its touchdowns versus the Flames came from catches, two of which were courtesy of Isaiah Ford. He finished with a game-high of 11 receptions for 117 yards in total, while his fellow receivers in Cam Phillips and Bucky Hodges managed to deliver one score apiece.
Defense, however, is where the Hokies remains as dangerous as ever, especially with long-time defensive coordinator Bud Foster still calling the shots. He’ll have Greg Stroman anchoring an aggressive defensive backfield that intercepted two passes during last week’s opener.
Virginia Tech, which is solidly priced at +2,200 to win the ACC, has won six of its last 10 games (4-6 ATS) overall.
Betting on the Tennessee Volunteers (-11.5)
Tennessee gave its fans a bigger scare in their Thursday-night opener with an upset-minded Appalachian State squad.
The 17th-ranked Volunteers, despite all of the high expectations and offseason hype, played horrible football, needing an extra period to escape with the 20-13 win. Both the defensive and offensive lines looked unstable and the same could be said for their quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who was held below 200 passing yards and one touchdown along with an interception.
If Dobbs and co. choose to be pushed around again, you can expect them to lose or struggle in their showdown with Virginia Tech this weekend. But if the real Volunteers decide to come out, they should be able to win and even cover the double-digit spread (-11.5). This team, after all, has the talent to do so, as the tandem of Dobbs and lead back Jalen Hurd still looks scary.
Hurd, who was Tennessee’s leading rusher for the past two years, finished with a team-high 110 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown versus the Mountaineers. This time though, he will face a stout Hokies defense, which only allowed 160 total yards in its own opener against Liberty.
The Vols are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their past 10 games overall. They are also one of the top favorites (+350) to win the SEC.
Writer’s Prediction
This should be a close game if both teams play to their true potentials. If so, I’d have to go with the Volunteers (-11.5) winning it by single-digits only.
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