Virginia Tech vs Syracuse 10/23/21 College Football Picks and Predictions

The Virginia Tech Hokies and Syracuse Orange meet in a week 8 ACC college football matchup from Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Syracuse Orange come into this one looking to rebound after a narrow 17-14 loss to Clemson last time out. Garrett Shrader’s thrown for 818 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while Tommy DeVito’s tossed for 388 yards, a touchdown and 2 picks. Sean Tucker leads Syracuse in rushing with 948 rushing yards and 9 scores while the aforementioned Shrader also has 9 touchdowns with 418 rushing yards on the year. Tucker also leads the Orange’s receiving group with 224 receiving yards while Courtney Jackson has a team-high 20 grabs for 207 yards. Syracuse also has another four receivers with at least 100 receiving yards on the year. On defense, Mikel Jones leads the Orange with 64 total tackles while Cody Roscoe has a team-high 6.5 sacks and Marlowe Wax has 5 sacks as well this year.

The Virginia Tech Hokies also need a bounce back after a 28-7 loss to Pitt in their last game. Braxton Burmeister’s thrown for 1,064 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while also leading the Hokies in rushing with 212 rushing yards. Raheem Blackshear and Jalen Holston have combined for 373 rushing yards on the year. Tre Turner leads Virginia Tech’s receivers with 25 catches for 403 yards while Tayvion Robinson has 24 catches for 239 yards on the season. On defense, Nasir Peoples has a team-high 50 total tackles while Dax Hollifield and TyJuan Garbutt each have 3 sacks this year for the Hokies.

Syracuse is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog while the over is 4-1 in their last 5 games following a loss. Virginia Tech is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against a team with a losing record and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall while the under is 4-0 in their last 4 games following a loss.

This is a tough game to call as Syracuse has had a ton of success ATS this season, but there’s always a catch with the covers it seems. Like the win over Liberty was impressive at home, but the lost to FSU on the road but still covered. Lost to Wake at home, but scored 37 points at home. Same goes with Clemson but Clemson’s in a down year. This may be another excuse spot for the Orange with Burmeister injured, but as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter how, but as long as they’re covering. The Orange are competing and are making us money hand over fist. Virginia Tech is a tough place to go on the road and win, but Syracuse has a chance to keep this close. Give me the Orange and the points.