ESPN GameDay will visit Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday for the first time in a decade as No. 2 Clemson visits No. 12 Virginia Tech in an ACC title game rematch from last season and in the biggest game on the college football board on Saturday. The Tigers are 8-point betting favorites in the College Football odds for Week 5. Let’s see if they really can beat the Hokies.
Tech’s offense finished with 23 plays of 10 yards or more and rushed for 271 yards. Tech’s defense held ODU to just 64 yards rushing and harassed freshman quarterback Steven Williams all day. The Hokies were just too big and too powerful in the trenches for the Monarchs.
With the win, Tech moved to 4-0 on the season – its first 4-0 start since 2011. That year also marked the last time the Hokies won all their non-conference games.
Clemson at Virginia Tech College Football Odds & Game Info for Week 5
When: Saturday, 8 PM ET Where: Lane Stadium TV: ABC Stream: WatchESPN Radio: WCCP-FM 105.5(Clemson) / Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network (Virginia Tech) Opening College Football Odds: Clemson -8Welcome Back GameDay!
It’ll be the full GameDay crew’s first trip to Blacksburg since the 2007 opener against East Carolina, although that day — Virginia Tech’s first football game after the tragedy the previous April — had a much more somber mood. This is GameDay’s 11th time doing a Virginia Tech game. The Hokies are 4-6 in previous games the show has done. Tech is 4-1 in home games, however. In last year’s ACC title game, Clemson won 42-35 to advance to the College Football Playoff. Deshaun Watson had three TD passes and two TD runs. The Clemson star completed 23 of 34 passes for 288 yards, including TDs of 21 and 10 yards to Jordan Leggett and 15 yards to Hunter Renfrow for a 42-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter. He also rushed for 85 yards on 17 attempts for the Tigers. Watson’s Virginia Tech counterpart, Jerod Evans, was just as impressive. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound ran for two touchdowns and rallied the Hokies from a 21-point deficit to make it close at the end. Neither QB is still with the school.Latest College Football Odds Trends
- Underdog is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
- Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
- Home team is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
Top NCAAF Betting Picks to Parlay in Week 5
Why Bet On Clemson?
The Tigers (4-0) beat Boston College 34-7 last Saturday; it was 7-7 entering the fourth quarter. The Tigers won the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy, given to the winner of the game each season, for the seventh year in a row. On offense, the Tigers were powered by the run game, as all five of their touchdowns came on foot. Kelly Bryant rushed for a career-high 106 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Travis Etienne, who ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, won the Leather Helmet Award as the game’s MVP. Defensively, Clemson was sparked by Trayvon Mullen and A.J. Terrell, who both hauled in their first career interceptions, and Kendall Joseph, who had 10 first-half tackles. Clemson won its ninth game in a row dating, back to last year’s loss to Pittsburgh. The Tigers won its 35th of its last 37 games, dating back to the 11th game of the 2014 season. Clemson won its 19th of its last 20 ACC games and its 19th straight against ACC Atlantic Division teams. Clemson improved to 48-1 against unranked teams since 2011. The only loss was to Pittsburgh last year by one point. The Tigers won their 12th in a row in September and its 25th in a row prior to November. They improved to 4-0 in 2017. It is the third straight year and the fifth time in the last seven years that Clemson has started at least 4-0. The Tigers started 8-0 in 2011, 6-0 in 2013, 14-0 in 2015 and 9-0 in 2016. Bryant is the first Clemson quarterback to win his first four starts since Tajh Boyd won his first eight in 2011. Chris Morocco (1989) and Cullen Harper (2007) are the only other Clemson quarterbacks to win their first four starts in the last 30 years.Why Bet On Virginia Tech?
Tech beat Old Dominion 38-9. Virginia Tech tailback Steven Peoples scored three touchdowns, including two before halftime, and Tech’s defense notched its second shutout of the season. Josh Jackson completed 20 of 30 for 298 yards and three touchdowns, with an interception – his first of the season. Peoples finished with 135 total yards (73 receiving, 62 rushing) of Tech’s 582. Tech’s defense allowed Old Dominion to get past midfield just one time in the game. The Hokies held the Monarchs to 149 total yards. Tech has now scored 27 points off opponents’ turnovers through the first four games. Tech’s offense sputtered a little in the first quarter, but got things dialed up in the second quarter and scored five times in a six-drive stretch spanning the first and second halves. Overall, the Hokies played extremely well. They committed just one turnover, allowed just one sack and had just two penalties – both coming midway through the fourth quarter with the backups in the game.
Tech’s offense finished with 23 plays of 10 yards or more and rushed for 271 yards. Tech’s defense held ODU to just 64 yards rushing and harassed freshman quarterback Steven Williams all day. The Hokies were just too big and too powerful in the trenches for the Monarchs.
With the win, Tech moved to 4-0 on the season – its first 4-0 start since 2011. That year also marked the last time the Hokies won all their non-conference games.
Series History
- Total Meetings: 34
- First Meeting: November 24th, 1900. Charlotte, North Carolina
- Last Meeting: December 3rd, 2016. Orlando, Florida. ACC Championship Game
- All-Time Series: Clemson 21-12-1
- Largest Margin of Victory: Virginia Tech 50-6 (1924)
- Longest Win Streak: Clemson 9 (1955-1985)
- Current Win Streak: Clemson 4 (2011-2016)
