Game Preview - Blue Devils underdogs vs Hokies at Virginia Tech

Duke Blue DevilsVirginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech has won the ACC's Coastal Division five of the last eight seasons, and is the early leader this season.

The 6-1 Hokies will try to take another step toward another division title when they host 5-2 Duke Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium (3:30 pm ET, ESPNU).

Virginia Tech lost its season opener to Alabama, but has won six straight since, including a 19-9 decision over Pitt Saturday.

The Blue Devils themselves have won three in a row, after rallying to beat Virginia Saturday 35-22.

So the Hokies, at 3-0 in ACC play, lead the Coastal Division, while the Dukies are 5-2 ATS and just one win away from bowl-eligibility.

As of early this week Virginia Tech, which has won the last 12 games in this series by an average of 21 points per, was favored by 13 points over Duke.

This season the Hokies are 6-1 overall and 3-2-2 ATS against the number, while the Blue Devils are 5-2 and 5-2 ATS. As for the totals, Virginia Tech is 2-5 on the OU, and Duke is 3-4.



View Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Tech Hokies Odds and Stats.

Oddsmakers at Sportsbook opened the Hokies as -13.5-point favorites in the matchup, while the betting total had not been set at press time (check the college football odds at Sportsbook - along with a 50% bonus up to $1000 - for the latest on the over under).

It's a betting matchup between the No. 43-rated Hokies and the No. 69-ranked Blue Devils, according to the NCAAF Power Rankings here at Odds Shark. Predictive-scoring models run on this game indicate a potential 33-30 result in favor of the Blue Devils.



Duke won its last outing, a 35-22 result against Virginia on October 19. Duke covered in that game as a 2.5-point underdog, while the 57 combined points took the game OVER the total. Jamison Crowder hauled in 9 passes for 113 yards against the Virginia defense in the team's last game, leading Duke over the Cavaliers 35-22 on Saturday. The Hokies grabbed a Week 7 victory over the Panthers in their last game, winning 19-9 at Lane Stadium.

How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Virginia Tech's No. 95-ranked offense (23.14 PPG) against a Blue Devils defense that ranks No. 50 at 24.29 PPG. The Hokies passing attack has averaged 210.86 yards per game, less than the Blue Devils give up through the air (216.29 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Blue Devils feature the league's No. 10-rated road run defense, allowing 94.5 yards per game. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, ranks No. 96 in rushing offense at home.

A few Blue Devils at Hokies trends to consider:
Duke is 4-0-1 SU in its last 5 games
Duke is 7-14-1 SU in its last 22 games
Duke is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Duke is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Virginia Tech is 5-0-1 SU in its last 6 games
Virginia Tech is 6-10-3 ATS in its last 19 games at home
Virginia Tech is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Virginia Tech's last 7 games at home


Next up:
Duke at North Carolina State, Saturday, November 9th
Virginia Tech at Boston College, Saturday, November 2nd

 

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