Virginia Tech Football: SP+ Predicts Final Score of Matchup vs Boston College
After a Saturday off, Virginia Tech is back in action this Saturday against old Big East rival Boston College. These two teams have continued their rivalry even after leaving the Big East and the latest matchup features two teams trying to gain momentum.
When the lines were released on Sunday, Virginia Tech opened as a touchdown favorite vs the Eagles. While Bill Connelly's SP+ does not not have the Hokies winning by a touchdown, he does have Virginia Tech getting the win, projecting them to win by a score of 28-23 and giving them a 63% chance to win.
🏃♂️😤 WEEK 8 SP+ PICKS 👯💁
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) October 13, 2024
Texas 32, UGA 25
Tide 29, Vols 26
Miami 32, Louisville 26
Ducks 43, Boilers 17
LSU 32, Hogs 27
ND 33, GT 22
A&M 36, Miss St 19
Michigan 26, Illinois 21
Iowa St 30, UCF 21
K-State 32, WVU 27
BYU 32, Okla St 23
Duke 26, FSU 18https://t.co/w7ALlZmjBl pic.twitter.com/7Fiqh36sWz
What exactly is SP+? Here is how Connelly explains it himself:
"What is SP+? In a single sentence, it's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. I created the system at Football Outsiders in 2008, and as my experience with both college football and its stats has grown, I have made quite a few tweaks to the system.
SP+ is indeed intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you're strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise."
Virginia Tech is no stranger to playing on Thursday night football and that is something that head coach Brent Pry talked about this week:
"Good to see everybody; it's been a little bit. I'm excited to be back in Lane Stadium. It's been nearly a month, I believe. Thursday night, a sold-out crowd, ESPN national television, Orange Effect—there's a lot to be excited about. Great opponent in BC, highly regarded head coach, a lot to be excited about for Thursday. You know, ESPN Thursday Night Football and Virginia Tech go hand in hand. Back when I was a young coach, watching the Hokies on Thursday night was one of my favorite things to do. Our guys are excited, our coaches are excited. I'm appreciative of our fan base; we've sold out every home game this season, which I don't think has been done in quite some time. Everybody's fired up. It's been a good week of practice. Again, a little bit of a different week as far as scheduling and things like that, but our 37th appearance on ESPN Thursday Night Football speaks volumes. This series is tied three to three on Thursday night against Boston College, so it's a rubber match. We want to get on top of this thing."
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell