College Football Pick Central Michigan at Virginia Tech 10-9-10

Central Michigan Chippewas (2-3) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (3-2)

Saturday, October 9th, 2010, 12:00PM EST

Line: Virginia Tech -22

The Virginia Tech Hokies are coming off a colorful win against North Carolina State, a team ranked 23rd heading into the game. Virginia Tech’s quarterback, Tyrod Taylor connected for 12 of 24 of his passes, for 123 yards and three touchdowns. The Hokies’ QB has been mediocre this season, with questionable performances in the team’s first two losses against Boise State and James Madison. The team has been without one of their young stars, Ryan Williams, but their second string back, Darren Evans has done a good job picking up the load. Right now Virginia Tech is surging, coming off colossal wins against East Carolina (49-27), Boston College and last week’s 41-30 win against NC State. Central Michigan has had a wild season, losing in overtime to Temple during their second week, and losing their last two games against Northwestern and Ball State.

Keys to the Game:

-          Central Michigan are 22-point underdogs, but beware; this team has shown primitive signs of reckless talent in their first five weeks of play. They’re averaging 290.8 passing yards this season behind their quarterback, Ryan Radcliff, putting them 19th in the nation.

-          Virginia Tech’s loss of their talented sophomore, Ryan Williams, has led the team to rely on their junior Evans. So far, Evans has done a great job keeping this team afloat in the running game; rushing for 324 yards and four touchdowns in 50 carries. Taylor has recently been able to find his junior receiver, Jarrett Boykin, who’s caught for 13 receptions for 290 yards and four touchdowns.

-          Central Michigan’s losses are by a combined total of 31 points. Their defense isn’t top of the line, but can hold its own. They should be able to fluster Virginia Tech’s Taylor, forcing him to scramble for yardage. They’ve got a 5’10’’ receiver in Cody Wilson, who will look to find some holes in the Hokies’ defense. Wilson has a decent 25 receptions for 460 yards and three touchdowns.

Too big of a spread here. Central Michigan doesn’t have the record to prove this but they should be able to put some competition into this one. It certainly is hard to ignore how hot the Hokies have been in the last few weeks, and they should come out as victors, but the lead won’t be as reassuring for them.

Free Pick: Central Michigan +22