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

The Virginia Tech Hokies hold the edge in the recent rivalry with the Miami Hurricanes, winning five of the last eight meetings straight up and going 7-4 against the spread over the last 11. In a big game in the ACC, one-loss Virginia Tech meets undefeated Miami on Saturday night.

College football point spread: The Hurricanes opened as 1.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 34.4-32.6 Hokies (College football picks on every game)

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Why the Virginia Tech Hokies can cover the spread

The Hokies ran their current winning streak to three with a 24-3 victory over Duke last week. Virginia Tech led 17-3 at the half, then secured the cover as 17-point favorites by adding a third-quarter score and blanking the Blue Devils from there on a sloppy night in Blacksburg.

The Hokies outgained Duke 387-183, outrushed the Blue Devils 187-101 and worked out a 33:29-26:31 time-of-possession advantage. Freshman quarterback Josh Jackson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another, and now owns a 18-4 passing touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio on the season. Meanwhile the Virginia Tech defense held Duke to under 100 yards of offense through the first three quarters.

The Hokies have now outgained each of their last seven opponents, four of them by 200 yards or more. At 3-1 in ACC play, Virginia Tech desperately needs a victory Saturday to make up ground on Miami (5-0) in the Coastal Division race.

Why the Miami Hurricanes can cover the spread

The Hurricanes bumped their winning streak to 12 games, the longest in college football, with a 24-19 victory at North Carolina last week. Miami spotted the Tar Heels the first six points of the game, but scored the next 17 to take a two-score lead. The Hurricanes allowed UNC to get within one score with three minutes to go, but quashed the upset attempt with a fumble recovery.

Miami QB Malik Rosier only hit on 16 of 38 throws on the day, but they went for 356 yards with three touchdowns. Meanwhile the Hurricanes defense forced four North Carolina turnovers, with two coming at key times.

Miami has now outgained five of seven opponents this season. At 5-0 in ACC play, the Hurricanes can clinch their first-ever berth in the ACC Championship Game with a victory Saturday and a Virginia loss to Georgia Tech.

Smart pick

Miami is unbeaten, but it is not playing great ball. The Hurricanes struggled mightily to beat a bad Tar Heels team last week, and their last four wins have come by a total of 18 points, a couple right at the end of the game. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, looks primed for a late-season run. Smart money here goes with the Hokies.

College football betting trends

The total has gone under in 10 of Virginia Tech's last 14 games against Miami.

Virginia Tech is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games on the road against Miami.

Virginia Tech is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games.

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