One of the most popular non-BCS bowl games every year is the Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly known as the Peach Bowl.
This year’s game will once again take place in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome, which will be sold out for the 13th straight year (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The game’s popularity stems in part from the matchup, which pits a Southeastern Conference team against one from the ACC. This year, Tennessee will face No. 12 Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech is a 5.5 point favorite at SBG Global and the total for the game is set at 49.5.
While it would seem that the Hokies would be the obvious pick in this game, they have traditionally struggled against SEC teams. The Hokies are 0-4 against the SEC since the 2004 season so they have something to prove in this game.
“There’s no denying that,” Virginia Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray said, “It’s something we want to prove: Hey, we can beat an SEC team. We can compete with them and play with them and beat any or all of them.”
The Hokies lost to Auburn in the 2005 Sugar Bowl and in 2006 to Georgia in the 2006 Chick-fil-A. Add in a blowout loss to LSU in 2007 along with a 34-24 loss to Alabama this year and the Hokies are starving for a win versus an SEC team.
“It’s always great to be playing for your conference, but for me it’s a little more personal,” senior tight end Greg Boone said, “We’ve played three SEC teams since I’ve been here – Georgia, LSU and Alabama – and gone 0-3. As a senior, I really want to go out with a win.”
The Volunteers, meanwhile, don’t seem too concerned about the SEC-ACC thing.
“I don’t think the records of conferences have anything to do with anything as far as bowl games, because it doesn’t matter,” Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin said, “This is Tennessee versus Virginia Tech.”
Here are the college football betting stats for Thursday’s game:
The Volunteers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as an underdog. The Volunteers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight non-conference games.
The Hokies are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as a favorite. The Hokies are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 non-conference games.
The under is 5-0 in the Volunteers’ last five Bowl games. The under is 5-1 in the Hokies’ last six games overall.
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Title: Chick-fil-A Bowl Preview: Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech
Duration: 0:00
Submited by: SBGGlobal.com
Category: Sports Roundup
Added on: December 31st, 2009
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