Miami Hurricanes vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Odds, College Football Pick

Miami is working on regaining the upper hand in its rivalry with Virginia Tech, winning three of the last four meetings straight up and going 4-1 against the spread over the last five. The Hurricanes hope to continue those runs and stay alive in the ACC Coastal race when they visit the Hokies in Blacksburg on Thursday night.

Point spread: The Hokies opened as 4.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 23.9-20.4 Hokies (College football picks on every game)

Why the Miami Hurricanes can cover the spread

Miami was off to a 4-0 start to this season but is now coming off consecutive close losses to Florida State and North Carolina. Two weeks ago, the Hurricanes lost to the Seminoles on a blocked extra point with just over a minute to go. Last week, they rallied against the Tar Heels but came up a score short in a 20-13 defeat.

Miami trailed North Carolina 20-3 at the half, pulled to within seven points with nearly seven minutes left on the clock but couldn't complete the comeback. Earlier in the day, the Hurricanes missed out on a couple of scoring opportunities, once when they had a short field goal blocked and later when they failed on a 4th-and-1 attempt from just outside the Heels' red zone.

The Miami offense might be struggling a bit at the moment, coming up with only 32 points over the last two games, but the defense is holding opponents to just 314 yards and 14 points per game so far this season.

Why the Virginia Tech Hokies can cover the spread

Virginia Tech was on a 3-0 run both SU and ATS until being upset last week at Syracuse 31-17.

The Hokies fell down 7-0 two minutes into the game and trailed 17-3 at the half, but they pulled themselves back in it by driving the second-half kickoff 83 yards to a touchdown. They then tied the score at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter on a Jerod Evans touchdown pass and a two-point conversion. Unfortunately, Virginia Tech ran out of gas from there.

On the day, the Hokies got stuffed on a 4th-and-1 at the Syracuse 38-yard line, had a touchdown negated by a penalty, missed a field goal, threw an interception from the Orange 7-yard line, gave up a touchdown on a halfback option and allowed Syracuse to convert on four fourth-down situations.

Two weeks ago, Virginia Tech defeated North Carolina 34-3; that same Heels team just beat Miami.

Smart pick

After getting upset last week, Virginia Tech is probably primed for a rebound. Miami, meanwhile, has been outgained in each of its three ACC contests by an average of almost 80 yards per game. The smart money here on the college football lines backs the Hokies.

Betting trends

Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech is 21-9 SU in its last 30 games on a Thursday.

Miami is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games after a loss.

All college football betting lines and point-spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.