Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Maryland 12/29/21 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Virginia Tech Hokies and Maryland Terrapins clash Wednesday in the college football New Era Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York. Maryland finished things off at 6-6 this year. The Terrapins are coming off a win over Rutgers. As for the Hokies, they’re sitting at 6-6 as well and fresh off a victory versus Virginia. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Maryland started out at 4-0 this year, then lost six of their next seven games to Iowa, Ohio State, Minnesota, Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan. The Terrapins were finally able to get another win in their last game versos Rutgers. 

In the Scarlet Knights matchup, Maryland posted points in every quarter on the way to a 40-16 blowout victory. QB Taulia Tagovailoa posted 312 yards with three scores, and Tayon Fleet-Davis led the rush with 152 yards and two touchdowns.

Over on the Virginia Tech side, they started out a promising 3-1 before falling to Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse and Boston college in their next five games. After a win over Duke and a loss to Miami, the Hokies finished up with a win over Virginia. 

Matched up against Virginia, the Hokies outscored the Cavaliers 12-3 in the second half on the way to a 29-24 victory. QB Braxton Burmeister put up 141 yards with a score, and Raheem Blackshear rushed for 169 yards and a TD on 18 carries. 

The Terrapins are 5-1 ATS in their last six non-conference games and 15-37 ATS in their last 52 after an ATS win. Maryland is 2-5 ATS in their last seven on grass and 9-29 ATS in their last 38 after a straight-up win.
Meanwhile, the Hokies are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 overall and 1-5 ATS in their last six non-conference games. Virginia Tech is 1-7 ATS in the last eight after an ATS win and 0-4 ATS in their last four after a straight-up win. 

PICK: I’m going to try Maryland in this one. The Terrapins posted a nice all-around effort in the Rutgers game, with 575 total yards (263 rushing), zero turnovers and a 9-of-15 mark on third-down tries. Maryland hasn’t found much luck in the win column lately, but much of that is due to being pummeled by a great Big Ten lineup this year. 

As for Virginia Tech, they pulled off a nice win themselves in their last game with 464 total yards  (320 rushing) on offense. The Hokies got into some issues with 10 penalties, but ultimately it all worked out. I like this matchup to be highly competitive as well, and you could really just flip a coin either way as far as covering/winning. Should be a great game.