Duke vs Virginia Tech Picks & Odds – Blue Devils Great Play As 3 Point Underdogs at Lane Stadium
- Duke (2-1) travels to Virginia Tech (2-1) Friday to face a Hokies team looking to avoid an 0-2 start to their ACC schedule
- Senior QB Quentin Harris has 8 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions for the Blue Devils
- The Hokies are laying a field goal at home; what’s the best bet for the game?
College football’s Friday slate for Week 5 opens in Blacksburg, Virginia, as the Duke Blue Devils are on the road to face the Virginia Tech Hokies in an important ACC clash. The Hokies look to avoid an 0-2 start in conference play.
The Duke vs Virginia Tech odds show the Hokies are favored by three at Lane Stadium, but should they be?
Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Tech Hokies Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | +3 (-115) | +123 | O 52.5 (-105) |
| Virginia Tech | -3 (-105) | -143 | U 52.5 (-115) |
*Odds taken 09/26/19.
Digging beyond the teams’ identical 2-1 records, the stats and trends indicate Duke could have the upper hand.
Quentin Harris Has Been Great Replacing Daniel Jones
With “Danny Dimes” tossing touchdown passes for the New York Giants, Duke needed to find a replacement at QBm and Quentin Harris has been that and more.
He’s completed 72.5 percent of his passes and has an 8-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Despite losing Jones and their top-three receiving threats from last season, the Blue Devils have been able to move the ball and put up points against two of their three opponents. (We’ll forgive them for the opening week Alabama performance, a 42-3 loss.)
Duke ranks 62nd in offensive efficiency which is 34 spots higher than Virginia Tech. I’d look for Harris to combine with freshman Jalon Calhoun for at least one score in this one.
Harris also racks up yards on the ground, leading Duke with 203 rushing yards. He really has looked a lot like Jones did last week for the Giants, which is good news when entering a tough stadium to play on a Friday night.
Can Duke Shut Down RB Keshawn King?
The Hokies freshman running back put up 119 yards on only 12 carries against Furman. The issue here is, Duke’s defense is much better than Furman’s. Duke ranks 31st in defensive efficiency which could pose a problem for Virginia Tech, which hasn’t scored more than 28 points in a game this season.
Virginia Tech True Freshman RB Keshawn King trying to give the Hokies a spark. pic.twitter.com/AMyt2YymRT
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) September 14, 2019
King will be required to handle more of the workload if Damon Hazelton Jr. isn’t able to make his season debut. Hazelton Jr. is listed as questionable and for betting purposes, I’d plan on him missing at least one more game. Missing weapons isn’t something the Hokies needed to deal with against by far the best defense they’ve seen this season.
Bet The Blue Devils
The overall team efficiency rankings have Duke sitting 33rd and Virginia Tech all the way down at 94th. Head coach Justin Fuente simply doesn’t have any unit he can rely on to to takeover a game, which makes giving up points a troubling exercise.
I’m going with Duke on the moneyline but if you’re more comfortable going the conservative route, feel free taking the points. Whatever you do though, fade the Hokies.
PICK: Duke ML (+123)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
