2011 Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Stanford Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Bet Virginia Tech vs. Stanford
Miami Gardens, FL (The Spread) - In what could be coach Jim Harbaugh’s final game as a Cardinal, Stanford will take on Virginia Tech in the 2011 Orange Bowl at 8:30PM ET tonight. Continue reading for odds, picks and trends on this BCS bowl matchup.
According to current college football odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, Stanford is a 3.5-point favorite over Virginia Tech in the 2011 Orange Bowl. The over/under total for this game is currently 58.5 points.
The Hokies won 11-straight games after dropping their first two and finished 11-2 on the season. They were also a solid 10-3 against the spread according to latest college football trends, which included a perfect 4-0 ATS record on the road.
The Cardinal finished the 2010 regular season with an 11-1 record, as their only blemish came against Oregon earlier in the season. They covered in seven of their 12 games this season with one push, and averaged a whopping 40.3 points per game.
Orange Bowl Free Pick:
Andrew Luck will make plays tonight, just as he always does. But VA Tech can control the tempo of this game from the start if they can get running back Ryan Williams running early. They also have the advantage of having a mobile quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, who can keep drives alive with his feet. If the Hokies are to win this game, they’ll have to do it with defense and special teams. Fortunately for them, those are two areas that Frank Beamer-led teams excel in. The Hokies are 10-1 against the number over their last 11 games and 16-4 ATS coming off a conference win the last three seasons. We think VA Tech wins this game outright, although with the number up to 3.5 at most books, we recommend taking the points anyway.
2010 ORANGE BOWL FREE PICK: VIRGINIA TECH +3.5