Virginia Tech vs Duke: Hokies Close as 2 Point Favorites as Kickoff Nears
Virginia Tech remains very short favorites ahead of their road matchup shading the Duke Blue Devils.
The Hokies are favorites yet again, but Virginia Tech has underperformed as favorites this year. Tech lost to Vanderbilt in week one and failed to cover the spread on more than one occasion.
The Hokies closed as two point favorites before kickoff.
It’s no secret that Virginia Tech is not at the spot they wanted to be before the season started. The Hokies have just two weeks left in the year, and they still are not bowl eligible. It’s not like the team is bad by any metric either, Bhayshul Tuten is one of the best backs in the country, and Antwaun Powell-Ryland is arguably the best pass rusher in college football, but still, the Hokies’ record doesn’t reflect that.
All five of Virginia Tech’s losses were by ten points or less, four of the losses being one score games. The Hokies never really get blown out, but in close games Virginia Tech has struggled. As head coach, Brent Pry is now 1-12 in one-score games, with no one-score wins this year.
The Hokies need to find their footing this week and the matchup is in their favor.
The Duke Blue Devils approach this matchup with an entirely different backstory. Before the season, PFF projected Duke to have 6.2 wins on the season, and the Blue Devils’ consensus win total was 5.5.
It’s fair to say that Duke has fairly outperformed both of those numbers. The Blue Devils stand at seven wins, and the only teams in their way to nine wins are Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to say Duke could end with the third best record in the ACC, possibly tied with Clemson.
Many analysts believed that Manny Diaz was a risky hire for the Blue Devils, I wrote a piece in the preseason ranking ACC head coaches, and I placed Diaz as the twelfth best coach in the conference. Sometimes when things don’t always look right on the stat sheet, they work on the field, and that has been Diaz’s recipe for success.
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Additional Links:
Virginia Tech vs Duke: Final Score Predictions For Saturday's Game
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Reveal Uniform Combination For Matchup With Duke
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies DC Mentioned as Potential Candidate for NFL Job
RJ Schafer joined the On SI team in 2024, contributing to the coverage of Major League Baseball, Collegiate Basketball, and Collegiate Football at https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/. Prior to this, RJ built a strong portfolio covering Georgia Tech and the Tigers for the Bleav Network. With a solid background in sports journalism, RJ has conducted interviews with both collegiate and professional athletes, enhancing the depth and authenticity of his reporting. RJ's extensive experience in the sports industry has equipped him with a keen understanding of the dynamics and intricacies of both collegiate and professional sports. His work is focused on providing insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage, making him a trusted voice in the sports community.