NCAAF Week 11 Showdown – Maryland Terrapins vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Two teams with the ACC title on their minds hook up in Blacksburg on Thursday night, and sports betting fanatics will get a chance to sink their teeth into all the action when the Maryland Terrapins (6-2, 4-3 ATS) do battle with the Virginia Tech Hokies (5-3, 2-5 ATS).
While the Terps have already been guaranteed a spot in a bowl game, Virginia Tech still needs one more victory to most likely assure itself of a bowl bid. Both teams are still very much in the hunt to meet up in Tampa Bay for the ACC Championship game, but Maryland knows it controls its own destiny. The Terps come in at #23 in this week’s BCS poll.
V-Tech has dominated the NCAA football betting proceedings since 1993, as it’s 3-0 SU and ATS against the Terps, and has averaged beating them by 31.7 points per game; both teams were off last weekend.
Maryland has been one of the most inconsistent squads for college football bettors in ‘08. One week, the Terps are losing outright to Middle
Tennessee State as 13-point favorites, while another, they’re beating Clemson in Death Valley as 11-point underdogs.
None of the core numbers for Maryland are impressive, but it keeps finding ways to win games. It ranks 63rd in total offense with 367 yards per game, and just 70th in defense at 366.5 yards per game. There isn’t a major category on either side of the football that Maryland ranks in the Top-25 in. RB Da’Rel Scott has emerged as a real threat in the rushing attack for the Terps of late, as he has tallied up 236 yards and a score in his L/2 games.
The biggest question on the minds of Virginia Tech bettors is who will be taking snaps under center. In their last game against Florida State, both QB’s Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon were injured and are in doubt this week. That’s awful news for an offense that already ranks 113th in total yards (280.5) and 114th in passing yards (120.0). Taylor and Glennon haven’t been efficient, as they have thrown just two touchdown passes against six interceptions on the season. That has put a ton of pressure on RB Darren Evans and the running game. He has eight touchdowns on the season.
When you speak of the V-Tech football program, a strong defense comes to mind. The unit has been strong this year, allowing 304.2 yards per game, but it hasn’t been as dominant as it needs to be for Tech to win the ACC.
Oddsmakers have installed the Hokies as 2.5-point favorites on the NCAA football betting line, with the ‘total’ coming in at 42 for this ACC sports betting affair.
Expect points to be at a premium on Thursday, as Maryland is 10-4 for ‘under’ bettors in its L/14 overall, while the last twelve games in Blacksburg have resulted in ten ‘unders’. The NCAAF betting trends don’t support either team, as the Terps are just 3-8 ATS in their L/11 road games, while the Hokies ring in with a 2-7 ATS mark in their L/9 home games.
