Week 1 of the NCAA football schedule closes with a battle in the ACC as No. 19 Florida State plays host to No. 20 Virginia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium. This is the first meeting between these two schools since 2012 with the Seminoles Sportsbook as the 7.5-point favorites and the total Sportsbook at 57 points.
- Florida State is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games in September.
- Virginia Tech is 10-3 SU in its last 13 road games.
- Florida State has gone UNDER in six of its last nine games vs the ACC.
View Virginia Tech vs Florida State matchup page
Hokies have been Strong on the Road
Packing up the bus for a road game looking for success hasn’t been an issue for Virginia Tech of late. The Hokies are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games away from home dating back to 2015. Additionally, they are 3-3 ATS over that span when they are single-digit road underdogs. The Hokies were 5-3 SU in conference play in 2017 but were just 1-3 ATS when they were underdogs over that span. This is just the second time since 1991 that Virginia Tech has played a road game against Florida State, with the most recent meeting coming in 2008.
Last season was a great learning opportunity with a fairly young squad. Josh Jackson will be under center for the second straight year after coming off a season in which he threw for 2,743 yards and 19 touchdowns as a freshman. Although Jackson had a strong aerial game, the rushing attack averaged just 3.86 yards per carry – only 34 teams had a lower average. Lastly, the Hokies defense was ranked 13th last season, allowing just 319.3 yards per game, and although they did lose some pivotal players, they should once again be quite strong.
Florida State looks for a bounce-back season
Although the Seminoles had a winning 7-6 season in 2017, it didn’t come without adversity. Starting quarterback Deondre Francois appeared in just the Sportsbook game of the season when he suffered a knee injury and was done for the season. Florida State then went 3-5 SU in conference play, including 0-7-1 ATS. However, it did appear as though the Seminoles figured something out down the stretch as they went 4-0 SU and ATS, including beating Southern Mississippi in the Independence Bowl. The 2016 season was essentially a reverse of 2017, as they went 5-3 SU against ACC teams and 4-4 ATS.
One hurdle Florida State has heading into the season is its defense. It was a bright spot in 2017, giving up just 331.1 yards per game which was good enough for 18th in the nation. However, the Seminoles are only returning three starters, including senior Demarcus Christmas, who enters his third season as a starter. With another season with Willie Taggart as the coach, perhaps the 4-0 SU ending to last season is a precursor to what’s in store for this year.
Should you be on the UNDER?
With two top-20 defenses from last season, Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 57 points. Virginia Tech went UNDER in six of its eight conference games last season, going OVER 57 points just twice all season. Similarly, Florida State has gone UNDER in six of its last nine contests against the ACC and went OVER 57 points three times all year. With two ranked teams meeting with fresh defenses entering the season, points could be hard to come by and the UNDER could be the bet to make.
