Virginia Tech Hokies (5-4) vs. Duke Blue Devils (6-3)
November 23, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Duke Blue Devils +2.5 / Virginia Tech Hokies -2.5; Over/Under: +46.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Duke Blue Devils meet Saturday in college football action from Wallace Wade Stadium. Here’s a Duke vs Virginia Tech prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Duke vs Virginia Tech pick.
Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Preview
The Hokies went just 2-3 over their first five games, falling to Vanderbilt, Rutgers and Miami in that time. Virginia Tech beat Stanford, Boston College and Georgia Tech in the next trio before losses to Syracuse and Clemson.
On November 9 versus Clemson, the Hokies were up 7-0 by the break. Virginia Tech was outscored 24-7 in the second half for a 24-14 loss, though. QB Kyron Drones had 115 yards and an interception, while Da’Quan Felton led the receivers on six grabs for 68 yards.
Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview
Over on the Duke side, they got off to a nice start with wins over Elon, Northwestern, UConn, Middle Tennessee and North Carolina. Duke went 1-3 over the next four with losses to Georgia Tech, SMU and Miami but then beat NC State in their last game.
In their matchup with the Wolfpack on November 9, the Devils held a modest 19-12 lead going into the fourth quarter and powered out a 29-19 win in the end. Duke’s Maalik Murphy posted 245 yards with two scores, and Sean Brown led the receivers with 88 yards from five catches.
Why the Duke Blue Devils will win
- Duke has won each of its last 11 games against non-AP-ranked teams at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
- Virginia Tech has lost eight of its last 11 November games as a favorite.
- Duke has covered the spread in 10 of its last 11 home games against conference opponents.
- Virginia Tech has failed to cover the spread in 21 of its last 28 November games as a favorite.
- Duke has won the first half in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
- Duke has won the first quarter in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
Why the Virginia Tech Hokies will win
- The favorite has won 10 of Duke’s last 11 games at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
- Duke has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five November games as a home underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- The favorite has covered the spread in four of Virginia Tech’s last five games.
- Virginia Tech has won the first half in each of its last seven games against conference opponents.
- Virginia Tech has won the first quarter in four of its last five road games against conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Virginia Tech’s last six November games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of Duke’s last four games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.
Duke vs Virginia Tech Prediction
I’ll probably just stay with Duke. Also probably not touching it, though. The Blue Devils did a good job defensively in their last matchup with NC State, allowing just 3.9 yards per play and 3-of-15 on third downs with two takeaways. The offense had a rough day on just 276 yards (31 rushing), 16 first downs and an ugly 0-for-9 on third-down conversions though, so there’s plenty of work to do on that side of the ball.
As for Virginia Tech, they mustered just 228 yards (188 passing) 15 first downs, three turnovers and a 2-of-14 success rate on third-down tries in their latest loss to Clemson. The Hokies had scored 21 or more points in every game this year prior to that however, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them get back to business here. This one’s a coin flip cover/win-wise for me and I’m probably not touching it. Should be a fun matchup to watch, though.
