Virginia Tech Hokies vs. West Virginia Mountaineers – College Football (September 18, 2021)

For the first time since 2005, Virginia Tech is headed to Morgantown to meet up with West Virginia. They have not met since 2017, a game won by the Hokies.

West Virginia is 2-5 since 2000 against Virginia Tech, and these two rivals will be ready to go on Saturday afternoon. The ACC would love to pick up a few more impressive non-conference victories before conference play begins.

Clemson, Miami, NC State, and Florida State all suffered in the non-conference slate. The conference needs to save face by being more competitive and winning these pivotal matchups.

The same is known for the Big 12 with West Virginia. They opened their season with a loss at Maryland, and they need to ride the ship to get back on track.

Both of these squads need a win to garner the momentum needed to challenge for a conference crown. Here are the latest odds for this non-conference clash.

This game has a tight spread at the top mobile apps for NFL betting, with West Virginia pulling in as the mild favorite.

Virginia Tech has gone 5-3 as a road underdog under Justin Fuente, but it is odd to see a ranked team as an underdog against an unranked squad. We saw Arkansas, a better team arguably than both of these squads, as a home underdog last week against Texas.

The experts have made it loud and clear that Virginia Tech has a way to go before becoming a bona fide Top 25 squad.

West Virginia is 3-1-1 in their past five games as a 3-point (or less) underdog. This matchup should come down to the wire, and Morgantown will bring the intensity.

Here are the keys to victory for this old Big East rivalry that will be played in Morgantown this weekend.

The Hokies can win ugly similar to programs such as Iowa, Northwestern, and Wisconsin have over the years. Those teams all have similarities that Virginia Tech had consistently shown during the Frank Beamer tenure.

Defense and special teams can carry a program to productive seasons.

Justin Fuente entered the season on the hot seat and is at an impressive 2-0 start. A win here would go a far way to keeping his job. They host Richmond, making it a likely 4-0 start before they have a bye week and head to Notre Dame.

A loss would put a dent into their ACC dreams of contending for the Coastal crown over the likes of Miami and North Carolina. While the non-conference games don’t impact the standings, the confidence makes a difference.

Braxton Burmeister was able to take care of the ball in their upset victory over North Carolina.

The Hokies moved the chains with his legs and had help from Raheem Blackshear and Jalen Holston. The dynamic duo provided enough punch to play keep away from the UNC offense.

A similar recipe would allow the Hokies to have a strong possibility of pulling the road upset off.

The Mountaineers have the better offense, as long as Seth Doege can avoid the turnover bug. He got benched in their comeback victory over Army in the Liberty Bowl.

There are solid weapons at the disposal of Doege, thanks to a tremendous backfield. The team ran roughshod over Long Island, but it will be more challenging against Virginia Tech. Leddie Brown ran for over 1,000 yards in a shortened 2020 season with nine rushing touchdowns.

He will have another productive year running behind an offensive line that averages well over 300-pounds.

Offenses that can score on a few plays are often given leeway throughout the game.

An offense like the Hokies will need to catch lucky breaks to execute with consistency. West Virginia can throw a few incomplete passes because they can take the top off the defense for 30-plus yard connections with Doege slinging the pigskin.

Sam Jones and Winston Wright Jr. are fully capable of getting open down the field for Doege. As long as WVU can take care of the football, they will find a way to win this one in Morgantown.

This game should have some lead changes, and the Hokies may feel disrespected going into the matchup. These old Big East rivals will be reacquainted rather quickly in this one.

West Virginia has played with a more aggressive approach while in Morgantown. The road woes were a concern last season at 0-4.

The Mountaineers are a completely different team at home, and Neal Brown will get his second win over a Top 25 squad with West Virginia.

The Mountaineers are slight favorites in this one, and Morgantown will be rocking. The value is on a solid Mountaineers squad that should be able to connect on enough offensive plays.

Losing a close one as they did in the opener and having a week off per se (see Long Island blowout) is a blessing. The points could be risky, especially laying three in a game that may come down to the final drive. There isn’t much juice involved, so take advantage of the Moneyline before the value turns for the worst.

The selection here is West Virginia winning outright at home, where they went 5-0 last season.