Bowl season continues with a Big Ten/ACC matchup when the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Virginia Tech Hokies clash in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Friday, January 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Though the teams are in Power conferences they are far from powerful teams. The Hokies dropped three in a row and needed a win over Virginia in the regular season finale just to become bowl eligible. The Gophers also stopped a late slide with a Week 14 win over rival Wisconsin improving to 7-5. There’s a reason why the total is set at 42 with both teams struggling on offense. Early betting lines at the Bitcoin Sportsbook have Minnesota positioned as a 9-point favorite in the first ever meeting between the programs.
College Football Betting Lines
Mayo Bowl: Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech Betting Lines
Minnesota Golden Gophers -9 / ML -322
Virginia Tech Hokies +9 / ML +271
Over / Under 42
Following a close to the 2023 campaign that saw Virginia Tech win five of its last seven games, including a bowl victory over Tulane, there were bloated expectations surrounding the team entering this season. A number of starters returned, a rarity in today’s college football landscape, but you can’t account for injuries and the Hokies had their share at the most important position. The biggest hit was to Kyron Drones, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 17 TDs while adding 818 yards and five scores on the ground a season ago.
Drones missed a significant amount of time this season doubling his interception total from 2023 in far fewer attempts and he’s not expected to play on Friday. If that’s the case we’re likely to see true freshman William Watson III look to build off a strong first career start when he went 14 of 21 for 254 yards and a TD in a 37-17 win over UVA. A dual threat at the position, Watson also rushed for 48 yards and a score and will attempt to make the most of an audition for next season’s starting gig.
The line moved up a few points in recent days with news that Tech will likely be starting a rookie QB and with several key players entering the transfer portal or declaring for the NFL draft. Two starting offensive linemen have bolted and leading rusher Bhayshul Tuten has declared. Tuten rushed for 1,158 yards averaging 6.3 yards per pop while scoring 15 touchdowns. He would have taken a lot of pressure of Watson instead Jeremiah Coney has the most rushing yards among players expected to see action. Coney had just seven carries in the last two games and amassed 169 yards on the ground for the season.
It’s hard to win with that much upheaval on the roster and the Hokies added to it by making changes to the coaching staff at the end of the regular season firing defensive coordinator Chris Marve. VT was 58th nationally in total defense after ranking among the top 20 in 2023. The line opened with VT catching 5.5-points and has nearly doubled since.
Gophers’ coach P.J. Fleck is unbeaten in five bowl games and his club is poised to win another. One big difference between the clubs is stability with Minnesota’s roster virtually intact and an offense that was efficient down the stretch. Following a narrow loss to Michigan the Gophers upset USC as a 9.5-point dog starting a four-game winning streak. Max Brosmer has 17 TD passes an only five interceptions while Darius Taylor has amassed nearly 900 rushing yards and nine TDs.
Minnesota’s defense should dominate a depleted Tech offense. The Gophers are fifth nationally in total defense and rank among the top 10 allowing just 17.5 points per game. Nine points is a lot to give up in a game where offense isn’t on the front page of the menu. But Minnesota’s stability along with its strong defense and veteran leadership on offense should allow the Gophers to cover.
Mayo Bowl: Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech Same Game Parlay Picks
Minnesota -9
Minnesota / Virginia Tech UNDER 42
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
