NCAA Betting Preview: North Carolina at Virginia Tech

Two teams who have been a disappointment this college football betting season meet on Thursday night as No. 14 Virginia Tech hosts North Carolina (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Hokies were ranked in the Top 5 earlier this season while the Tar Heels were in the Top 25. The Hokies are still ranked and in good shape in the ACC while the Tar Heels may not even make a bowl game.

Virginia Tech is a 16.5 point favorite and the total is set at 43 at SBG Global.

The Hokies chance at a national title ended when they lost against Georgia Tech but Virginia Tech could still be in a BCS bowl game if they win the ACC. The Hokies are going to need help though since Georgia Tech is in control of the conference.

The Hokies also need to win their remaining games starting with Thursday against North Carolina. To do that they will need better play from quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He threw two interceptions against Georgia Tech in a 28-23 loss on Oct. 17. He may not have that much success against a North Carolina defense that ranks No. 7 in the nation.

The problem for North Carolina this season has been a poor offense. They finally showed up last week against Florida State but the defense blew an 18-point lead.

“It’s a little bit of a wake-up call for the defense,” coach Butch Davis said. “Reputations and rankings and stats and all that stuff is somewhat insignificant. You’ve got to play.”

North Carolina has averaged just 12.8 points in the last five games against Virginia Tech, all of which were losses. North Carolina simply doesn’t win against ranked teams on the road. They haven’t defeated a Top 25 team on the road since 2001.

Here are the college football betting stats for Thursday’s game:

The Tar Heels are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as an underdog. The Tar Heels are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.

The Hokies are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games. The Hokies are 29-13 ATS in their last 42 conference games.

The over is 4-1 in the Tar Heels last five games as a road underdog. The under is 15-5 in the Hokies last 20 home games. The under is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams.

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