There will be plenty of big games to come this season, and a few have already transpired, but don’t overlook Friday night’s battle between Virginia Tech (4-0) and Pittsburgh (4-0).
Given how wide open the ACC is behind Miami, both of these teams will consider themselves in the mix for a bid in the conference championship game, so long as they win this one.
Virginia Tech is a 3.5-point favorite at home for this crucial battle in Blacksburg.
Pittsburgh vs. Virginia Tech odds, prediction
James Franklin is doing what was expected of him in his first year at Virginia Tech. Franklin never won the big one with Penn State, but he sure did win a lot of games.
So far, he’s 4-for-4 with the Hokies, and he’ll have a raucous crowd behind him at Lane Stadium for this visit from the Panthers.
Those fans have been starved for success for a long time, so it’s no wonder they’ll be geeked up for this battle, but allow us to pump the brakes on the Hokies for a minute.
You can’t do better than getting four wins from your first four games, but there is something to be desired from the results given the numbers and the quality of opposition.
Virginia Tech is averaging -0.2 net yards per play (5.0 for, 5.2 against) despite playing VMI, Old Dominion, Boston College and Maryland.
Pitt hasn’t played a murderers’ row either, but the Panthers have put up some eye-popping numbers.
Pat Narduzzi’s bunch ranks 15th in yards per play allowed (4.4) and is 31st in yards per play (6.3).
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The models like the Panthers, too. SP+ has them as the 20th-best team in the country, while Sagarin makes them 21st.
Winning in an environment like the one they’ll face Friday night at Lane Stadium isn’t an easy task, but the Panthers grade out as the better team, and should be getting more respect than this from the market.
The Play: Pitt +3.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
