ACC Football Showdown Week 9 College Football: Duke Blue Devils at (14) Virginia Tech Hokies

Duke-(14) Virginia Tech
Time: 3:30 PM ET, Oct 26, 2013
Spread: VAT -14
O/U: 47

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Duke has had one of its better seasons in recent history thus far, boasting a 5-2 record, but the Blue Devils have lost two of its three ACC contests and this one against Virginia Tech is also expected to result in a loss according to college football oddsmakers at Bovada who favor the Hokies by two touchdowns in this affair.

Duke has had an effective offense this season. Its generated 35.7 points per game, with an effective pass game (269.4 yards per game) and a solid rush attack (182.7 yards per game). The defense has been better, allowing just 24.3 points per game this season. The “D” was lit up by both Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh, though, so the Hokies could generate some big numbers in this, as well.

Virginia Tech has not produced a lot of offense this year, though, with the team ranking 82nd in the nation in passing yardage and 106th in the nation in rushing yardage. The Hokies have only been able to register success on the legs of a great defense, one which surrenders just 15 points per game. It’s been enough to elevate Virginia Tech to a No. 14 ranking in the polls, and if the offense can eventually get cooking the Hokies could become a legitimate threat to knock off a very good team in a premier bowl.

Logan Thomas has struggled with accuracy this season at QB for Va Tech, hitting just 55.2 percent of his targets, and he’s thrown six INTs on the season to just nine TDs. Thomas has rushed for an additional 157 yards on 77 carries, but the offense is just stagnant. Lead back Trey Edmunds has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and nearly three-quarters of Chris Mangus’ season yardage came on one play. The Hokies need to get a consistent attack to become a premier team, but for now it can rest on the strength of a defense that should be strong enough to put the clamps on a pretty strong Duke Blue Devil’s offense.

Duke Betting Trends:

OVER 4-0-1 in last 5 vs teams with winning home records; UNDER 9-1-1 in last 11 following bye weeks; OVER 7-1 in last 8 after accumulating more than 450 total yards previous game.