No. 22 Boston College at Virginia Tech (Saturday 3:45 p.m. ET, ACCN)
Spread: Boston College -2
What a mess the ACC has been this season. Is there anyone who can challenge Clemson’s autonomy, or will Dabo Swinney’s Tigers continue their cakewalk toward the College Football Playoff? Currently there’s a big gap from Clemson’s perch at the top of the conference down to the second tier teams.
One of the teams that fancies itself as a challenger to Clemson’s reign is Boston College, and the Eagles get the Tigers next week in Chestnut Hill in a game that could decide the ACC Atlantic if Boston College can hold up their end of the bargain this week in Blacksburg.
It has been a disappointing year for Justin Fuente and Virginia Tech in a season that started with a lot of promise in an opening weekend domination of Florida State. The Hokies leaped up the polls after that, but that was proven to be a red herring after the Seminoles flopped.
Since then, Virginia Tech suffered an embarrassing loss to Old Dominion, got blown out by Notre Dame, and watched Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech rack up 465 rushing yards in a home shellacking. That was sandwiched around a pair of wins on Tobacco Road against Duke and North Carolina that keeps the Hokies alive in the ACC Coastal.
It has been odd to see a Bud Foster defense get sliced and diced as much as they have this season, with Virginia Tech ranking 93rd in the country in giving up 425 yards-per-game. Teams are finding more success against Virginia Tech than normal, and when teams are finding success, they are find a lot of it as the Hokies rank 118th in the country in ISOPPP+.
Boston College’s ground game doesn’t present the same challenges as Georgia Tech’s triple-option, but A.J. Dillon is one of the best running backs in football and should be able to find holes in the Tech front. Sophomore QB Anthony Brown should be able to make some plays through the air that softens Virginia Tech up enough for Dillon to land some big body blows.
I think Boston College establishes itself as the ACC’s second-best team, sending the Hokies into further despair in a forgettable campaign.
Pick: Boston College 34, Virginia Tech 24