Boston College and Virginia Tech square off in an ACC clash tonight in Blacksburg. ESPN has live coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Eagles have impressed this season under first-year head coach Bill O’Brien, who helped BC return to the top-25 for the first time in seven years after just two games.
The Hokies are celebrating their 30th year of Thursday night football at Lane Stadium. With “Enter Sandman” a big part of that tradition, Virginia Tech is 24-12 in Thursday night games.
Check out Boston College vs. Virginia Tech odds and prop bets on highly-rated sports betting apps, and we’ll offer up a prediction for your betting consideration.
BC vs. Virginia Tech odds: Spread, moneyline, total for Thursday, Oct. 17
Virginia Tech opened as a 7-point favorite, and the line moved slightly toward the Hokies in early Week 8 wagering action. The total has been 48.5 for most of the week.
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Boston College betting news and analysis
Boston College (4-2 SU, 3-2-1 ATS) is coming off a 24-14 loss at Virginia. The Eagles raced out to a 14-0 lead before the Cavaliers scored 24 unanswered points to notch the win.
BC is led by QB Thomas Castellanos, who has recorded four multi-TD games on the season. Castellanos, who used a bye week to help recover from some nagging injuries, has completed 67% of his passes for 12 TDs and four picks.
After running for 13 TDs last season, Castellanos has just one score on the ground this year. If he’s fully healthy, Castellanos is more likely to revert to his dual-threat form.
Boston College has been plagued by turnovers of late. The Eagles have five turnovers in their last two games, and that doesn’t bode well against a Virginia Tech defense that’s produced five in its past two games.
The BC defense has held opponents to 20.6 points per game, allowing no more than 27 points in a contest this year. BC has struggled to defend the pass, though, and the loss of top cornerback Amari Jackson won’t help that cause. He’s done for the year after tearing his ACL against Virginia.
Expect BC to employ plenty of zone looks on defense to try and contain Virginia Tech’s passing offense under QB Kyron Drones.
Virginia Tech betting news & analysis
The Hokies (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) dropped consecutive games to Rutgers and Miami before a 31-7 win at Stanford their last time out. Virginia Tech is also coming off a bye.
Drones is the ultimate dual threat at QB. He’s thrown for 1,155 yards and eight TDs, along with four interceptions. Drones has also amassed 278 rushing yards and three TDs on the ground.
WRs Jaylin Lane and Stephen Gosnell are Drones’ favorite targets. The duo has combined for more than 600 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Virginia Tech also excels on the ground with Drones and RB Bhayshul Tuten, who has already piled up nine rushing TDs on the year. Tuten averages 5.7 yards per rush.
DL Antwaun-Powell Ryland anchors the Virginia Tech defense. He’s fifth nationally with seven sacks. Overall, the Hokies have 21 sacks to rank fourth in all of FBS and first in the ACC.
Virginia Tech’s pass-rushing prowess is undeniable, but the Hokies aren’t nearly as effective against the run. BC would be well served to establish the run and get the ball out of Castellanos’ hand quickly to mitigate the effect of Virginia Tech’s pass rush.
BC vs. Virginia Tech ATTD scorer prop bets at FanDuel
Check out a sampling of anytime TD scorer bets for BC vs. Virginia Tech at FanDuel:
- VT Bhayshul Tuten -250
- VT Kyron Drones -105
- BC Thomas Castellanos +155
- BC Lewis Bond +170
- VT Jaylin Lane +185
Unsure if Castellanos is back to 100%, we’re backing Drones to score in this betting market. Tuten is juiced up too much for our liking.
BC vs. Virginia Tech prediction: Take the Eagles and the points in tight ACC affair
O’Brien will have a game plan to account for Virginia Tech’s pass rush, and we’re banking on BC to cover this number at seven and the hook.
Pick: BC +7.5