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Boston College v. Virginia Tech Football Lines & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Boston College rattled off three straight wins to close out the regular season and reaped the rewards. Its season ending run landed the Eagles a division title and a spot in the ACC Championship Game opposite the Virginia Tech Hokies. This matchup is a rematch of last season’s ACC title game which saw the Hokies beat the Eagles to land a BCS bowl. Both teams lost a lot of key players, but both teams have fought their way through to make it back to this point. Odds makers have slated this game as the tightest of the week, listing the Eagles as a 1-point favorite with the total set at 38.5.

Boston College lost standout QB Matt Ryan, its top offensive lineman, both of its veteran tailbacks and a couple more NFL-caliber guys on the defense. Two current defensive starters have been lost for the year due to injury and the QB went down as well. Still, the Eagles have kept on trucking and now only VA Tech stands in their way of a BCS bowl. A win Saturday means the Orange Bowl, a loss would likely send BC to the Gator, Chick-fil-A, Champs or Motor City Bowls.

Redshirt Freshman QB Dominique Davis did well in relieving the injured Chris Crane. He engineered the long winning scoring drive at Wake Forest, throwing for two touchdown passes without turning the ball over in the game. The good news for BC is that they have already played the Hokies and beat them this season 28-23. More good news is that BC’s defense and special teams have been playing outstanding football. The Eagles have had a non-offensive touchdown each of the last seven weeks: Rich Gunnell’s 65-yard punt return; Kevin Akins’ 13-yard return of a recovered fumble; Roderick Rollins’ scoop of Wes Jarvis’ blocked punt and 25-yard return; Paul Anderson’s 76-yard interception return; Marcellus Bowman’s 87-yard interception return; a 34-yard interception return by Mark Herzlich at Wake Forest; Billy Flutie’s nine-yard TD pass off a fake field goal and Robert Francois’ 36-yard interception return against Maryland. Herzlich also had another interception return for a score earlier in the season. If BC can continue to be as opportunistic as it has been throughout the season, it will put itself in great position to win this game. The Eagles lead the entire nation with 25 interceptions and have had a whopping 14 in the last five contests. The big question will be how QB Dominique Davis performs in the biggest game of his young career against a tough VA Tech defense. If you think the Eagles can win their fourth straight game to take home the ACC title, bet Boston College at Bookmaker.

As crazy as it sounds, “unranked” Virginia tech has a chance to go to the Orange Bowl with a win over Boston College. The Hokies are 8-4 on the season and 5-3 in the ACC after escaping rival Virginia 17-14 to clinch the ACC Coastal Division title last week. It has not been an easy road for the Hokies to get back here as they have had to replace 12 starters from last year’s conference championship team. Head coach Frank Beamer is blunt when he says this is the most inexperienced team he has had, but a win in the conference title game with a unit that has had to maneuver a tough road schedule and some devastating injuries will make things even more rewarding.

Perhaps an injury to Boston College’s starting QB opens the door for the Hokies this week as the still solid defense will get a crack at an inexperienced QB. The Hokies are surely not worried one bit that they lost to BC in the regular season as that is the same scenario which took place last year before VA Tech beat Boston College in the title game. While the Hokies like to run the ball with Darren Evans, who set a Tech freshman record for rushing yards last week (998 for the season), they may have to go to the air. Boston College has been much stronger in defending the run than the pass this season, but while it has given up a lot of yards, it has also come away with a lot of interceptions. So the Hokies will also have to focus on taking care of the pigskin. QB Tyrod Taylor bounced back from the worst start of his career to have one of his best against the Cavs. He connected on 12 of 18 pass attempts for 137 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a career-high 137 yards to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in his two-year career. I expect VA Tech to continue to put that ball in his hands and live and die by their playmaker this week.

Defensively Tech is suffocating. The Hokies have held four straight opponents to fewer than 250 yards, and they haven’t allowed a passing touchdown since Nov. 6. If you think the Hokies can win the ACC title for the second straight year, bet Virginia Tech at +1 at Bookmaker.

Get winning football picks right here from expert college football betting handicapper Jimmy Boyd to beat the football odds as often as the pros do.

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on December 2, 2008 · Filed Under College Football Betting Articles, News & Previews