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Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
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Expert Picks
Though Miami gets Brevin Jordan back, it is down 13 players ahead of kickoff. There is a reason this line flipped to Virginia Tech. The Hokies have stronger play up front, and the Hurricanes have been a bit overvalued all season. Virginia Tech has played up to its competition, and it is motivated after a loss to Liberty last week that has to stick in the craw of the players and coaches.
The value is on the Hokies now that this have moved down to nearly a pick'em. They have been a disappointment in the ACC race and need a win in order to keep their bowl hopes alive. The Hurricanes have found a way to pull out some close games but this rates as a flat spot after last week's frantic comeback against NC State.
Miami, when motivated, is a top-10 team. The hope is that the disinterested Hurricanes squad that showed up in Raleigh last week, doesn't show up to Blacksburg on Saturday. I won't hold the Hokies' loss to Liberty against them. However, they faced a QB that has similar skill set to Miami's D'Eriq King, and King is a much more polished passer. Look for Miami to play up to the competition and take care of business.
The Hokies' defense got absolutely torched by Liberty quarterback Malik Willis through the air and on the ground last week, and are in for a long day on Saturday again. Hurricanes quarterback D'Eriq King is one of the most dynamic players in the country, and will keep his team in the mix for a spot in the ACC Championship Game.
Virginia Tech is favored here as if this game will be played before a typical, pre-coronavirus rowdy crowd at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. That home edge the Hokies enjoyed in the past is gone, but it appears to be built into this number. Also not being factored are the huge strides QB D’Eriq King has made in Miami's three wins following its lone loss of the season against Clemson. Virginia Tech has dropped three of its last five after falling to Liberty last Saturday. The Hokies can’t forget it about it either because it’s all the local media is asking about. I’m on Miami.
I live by a few rules in my life, and one of them has always been to beware the ranked underdog. You see a matchup between a top-10 team against an unranked opponent and wonder how the unranked team can be favored. You think "I'd be stupid not to take the points with the top-10 team!" Don't, that's what they want you to think. It's a trap! Also, Miami isn't nearly as good as its ranking suggests. The 2020 season is weird, and Miami being in the top 10 is just another symptom of it. Take the Hokies.