College Football Odds, Predictions, Picks: Our Top Bet for Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (Friday, Nov. 5)
David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Braxton Burmeister.
Virginia Tech vs. Boston College Odds
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 49.5 -115o / -105u | -130 |
| Boston College Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 49.5 -115o / -105u | +110 |
Boston College hopes to end its four-game losing streak Friday night as it welcomes Virginia Tech to town for an ACC matchup.
The Eagles program had high hopes after starting the season out 4-0 in non-league play, but the offense has struggled to replace the hole at quarterback since the injury to starter Phil Jurkovec.
In the BC's four ACC games, the offense has produced an average of 10 points per game with less than 300 yards of offense in each contest. Boston College has mustered up just 4.1 yards per play in that span, which ranks outside the top 125 in the nation.
The Hokies snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 26-17 win over Georgia Tech. VT now sits at 4-4 on the season, and this matchup with the Eagles will be pivotal if it wants to make a bowl game this season
Boston College's ability to manufacture some source of offensive production will determine whether or not its season can be saved.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech Offense
The Virginia Tech offense has finally found a piece to complement running back Raheem Blackshear in the backfield. True freshman Malachi Thomas has emerged and rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back games. The duo is averaging five yards per rush and has punched in seven touchdowns on the ground.
Quarterback Braxton Burmeister is the third leg in the rushing tripod for the Hokies as he leads the team in carries. As a passer, he’s averaged 7.2 yards per pass attempt and tossed nine touchdowns to three interceptions.
His go-to receiver, Tré Turner, exploded last week for 187 yards on seven catches including a 69-yard touchdown.
The rushing game should be on full display Friday night against a BC run defense that has proven to be vulnerable over the last two weeks.
Virginia Tech Defense
The Hokie defense had its worst game of the year two weeks ago, allowing Syracuse to put up 41 points on 550 total yards. Last week, the unit bounced back by holding Georgia Tech to 17 points and forcing two turnovers.
Linebacker Alan Tisdale had a monster game in which he finished with 12 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. He received an 85.6 preliminary grade from PFF, which is the highest of his career.
The Virginia Tech defense has been stout in defending the pass, where it ranks inside the top 10 in Success Rate. The group should have a field day with whichever quarterback Boston College goes with.
Boston College Eagles
Boston College Offense
The Boston College offense is to blame for the season goals dwindling away. It's lacked consistent quarterback play, the offensive line is struggling, and it hasn't racked up any explosive plays.
Running back Patrick Garwo has been the most consistent source of offense for the Eagles. Garwo has averaged 5.9 yards per carry and punched in five touchdowns, while the rest of the ball carriers have averaged just 2.8 yards per carry.
Redshirt senior quarterback Dennis Grosel has started every game since the injury to Jurkovec. He’s tossed six touchdowns to seven interceptions and averaged 6.3 yards per pass attempt. The ceiling is low for this offense with Grosel under center, as he has eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark only once this season.
Head coach Jeff Hafley finally pulled the plug and put in the true freshman quarterback Emmett Morehead last week. He completed 40% of his 15 pass attempts for 87 yards in his FBS debut. It was the first live-game action that Morehead had seen since his high school days in 2019 after his 2020 season was canceled.
It’s still to be determined who will be under center for Boston College in this game. But neither quarterback has proven capable of running the pro-style offense that Hafley implemented.
Boston College Defense
The Eagles' rushing defense has been deteriorating in recent weeks. The unit is allowing 5.0 yards per carry and 182 rushing yards per game against FBS opponents. In the last two weeks, it allowed over 620 rushing yards to Syracuse and Louisville.
The BC defense looks solid on paper against the pass, allowing just 187 yards per game, which ranks 15th in the nation. But they’ve only faced an average of 25 passes per contest (seventh-lowest in the nation) as teams have been running all over it.
The group hasn’t created any chaos, as it sits outside the top 100 in Havoc rating. Boston College has amounted only 12 total sacks, good for an average of 1.5 per game.
Virginia Tech vs. Boston College Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Virginia Tech and Boston College match up statistically:
Virginia Tech Offense vs. Boston College Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 90 | 42 | |
| Line Yards | 86 | 65 | |
| Pass Success | 96 | 31 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 35 | 119 | |
| Big Play | 110 | 87 | |
| Havoc | 55 | 102 | |
| Finishing Drives | 115 | 12 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Boston College Offense vs. Virginia Tech Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 88 | 72 | |
| Line Yards | 118 | 107 | |
| Pass Success | 77 | 9 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 27 | 74 | |
| Big Play | 92 | 49 | |
| Havoc | 97 | 76 | |
| Finishing Drives | 89 | 87 |  |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 66 | 15 |
| Coverage | 68 | 10 |
| Middle 8 | 99 | 71 |
| SP+ Special Teams | 53 | 50 |
| Plays per Minute | 80 | 66 |
| Rush Rate | 59.4% (36) | 56.6% (53) |
Data via College Football Data, FootballOutsiders, SP+, PFF and SportSource Analytics.
Virginia Tech vs. Boston College Betting Pick
Boston College was shredded by dual-threat quarterbacks in back-to-back weeks. Louisville's Malik Cunningham and Syracuse's Garrett Shrader combines for over 210 yards and four touchdowns. In total, the Eagles allowed over 620 rushing yards while allowing 6.4 yards per carry in those two matchups.
This week, they face another dominant rushing attack that's led by a mobile quarterback in Burmeister.
The Hokies have been a better team than their record appears, with close losses to West Virginia, Notre Dame, and Syracuse.
Boston College, meanwhile, has looked worse than its 4-4 record may appear. The season is slipping away from the Eagles' claws, and they don’t have a quarterback that can save it.
Pick: Virginia Tech -3 (Play to -4)
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