College Gameday is coming to Blacksburg! The Virginia Tech Hokies are 4-0 and looking to move into the Top Ten with a win this weekend over the Clemson Tigers. A win would be a small modicum of revenge for Clemson knocking off Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship last season. That’s easier said than done though. Clemson has looked fantastic this year and although quarterback Kelly Bryant is no Deshaun Watson, he’s done enough to make this team a national title contender for a third straight year.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 5 game is set for Saturday, September 30, 2017, at 8 p.m.
ET at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia. This game will be broadcast on ABC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Clemson -6.5
Virginia Tech +6.5
Over/Under: Check Back Later
Odds Analysis
If Clemson would have ended up covering against Boston College, that would have been an all-time bad beat. The Tigers took it easy for the first three quarters against BC last week, entering the fourth quarter tied at seven with their conference foe. It was a clear letdown, lookahead situation with the Tigers having just knocked off Auburn and Louisville in consecutive weeks and with Virginia Tech looming this week. Despite being a 33.5-point favorite, the Tigers almost covered in the final frame, ripping off 27 straight points when they finally decided to turn it on. It highlighted once again how good this Clemson team is when it is locked in.
The Hokies took it easy against Old Dominion last week. They cruised to a 38-0 win over the Monarchs to move to 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS on the season. Give Virginia Tech credit for getting up for the opponents they have since beating West Virginia in its season opener. The Hokies slate these last three games has been dreadful, but they have stayed focused and kept winning.
Matchup to Watch
Let’s be honest, we have no idea what to make of Virginia Tech. The Hokies have played four games, but only West Virginia was a decent foe. Josh Jackson has been great in his first four starts and he has awarded Justin Fuente for naming him the starter in the opener. He is averaging 9.8 yards per pass and has 11 touchdowns with just one interception this season.
The running game has been good too, but that’s what Clemson will try to shut down in order to make Virginia Tech one-dimensional. The Tigers have a fantastic defensive line and they will probably be able to stop the Hokies from getting going on the ground. This unit has depth to, so tired legs won’t be too much of a factor.
Player to Watch
Bryant isn’t the natural passer that Watson was, there’s no getting around that. Although he has been somewhat efficient this season, he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and looks much more comfortable running the ball than he does in the pocket.
To that effect, Bryant has run the ball a ton for a quarterback that’s not in an option offense. He has thrown 109 passes this year, but has taken off with his feet 66 times, far more than any of his running backs. It has worked thus far, but Virginia Tech has a very good defense and Bud Foster might be able to force Bryant to do what he doesn’t want to do, throw the football.
Free ATS Pick
It’s hard to go against Clemson, but this feels like a low scoring game to me. I expect the number to reach seven, and perhaps cross it, so wait to take Virginia Tech. The difference between 6.5 and 7 is huge and you don’t want to end up losing this because of the hook. This game will go a long way to deciding both sides of the ACC.
College Football Odds: Clemson 24, Virginia Tech 17
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