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Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati Football Picks

Written December 31, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Cincinnati Virginia Tech Football

Wrapping up what should be one excellent day of college football is the Orange Bowl that has the No. 12 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats taking on the No. 21 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies in two teams that might not have the nations best records, but were able to win their respected division. The Bearcats finished off an amazing season with 6 straight wins to go 11-2 overall but surprised everyone by going 6-1 in the Big East to beat out Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The Hokies don’t have a real impressive record for a BCS bowl game going just 9-4, but thanks to a second straight win over Boston College in the ACC Championship game the Hokies are the team playing in the big bowl game. For those of you looking to do a little NCAA football betting on the game this Thursday, the oddsmakers have Cincinnati 2.5 point favorites over Virginia Tech at Sportsbook.com.

The most surprising thing about the Bearcats success this season, is they have done it without a stable starting quarterback, as this unit was at one point forced to go to their 3rd string starter Chazz Anderson. It looks as though the season earlier starters in Tony Pike and Dustin Grutza are both going to be healthy and both could play in the game against the Hokies. Whoever is under center in this one there will likely be no surprises in who gets the ball, as the Bearcats have to of the best at the receiver position in Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard. Goodman had 78 catches for 977 yards and 7 scores, while Gilyard had an even better year grabbing 74 passes for 1,118 yards and 10 touchdowns. The running attack isn’t much to speak of, as the Bearcats average just 121 yards a game on the ground. While Jacob Ramsey let the team with 630 yards with 2 scores, John Groebel was close behind with 581 and provided the big plays with 7 rushing touchdowns.

The Bearcats have a pretty solid defense to boost as well, as they allowed some pretty explosive offenses this season to just 315 total yards, as they were both solid against both the run and the pass. The defense as a whole had a way of making the big as this unit forced 21 turnovers and a very impressive 36 sacks. The big plays for this defense come on the line, where Connor Barwin and Lamonte Nelms do their damage. Barwin led the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, while Nelms was close behind with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Bet Cincinnati Bearcats -2.5 at Sportsbook.com.

The Hokies are not exactly going to wow you with their play on offense, as they have had little success finding a quarterback to get the job done this season. Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon have both seen action, but have combined to throw for just over 1,600 yards with only 5 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Taylor will be the starter going into the game against the Bearcats, as his ability to run as well as pass make him the better fit. Taylor was second on the team with 691 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. The guy that really gets this offense going is freshman running back Darren Evans who led the Hokies with 1,112 yards and 10 touchdowns. Evans is the key to this offense, and if the Bearcats can find a way to stop him it really will make it hard for this team to move the football.

The reason the Hokies were able to get back to a BCS bowl game despite the offensive woes, was another big season on the defensive side of things, as the Hokies allowed opponents just 17.5 points a game and only 277 yards of total offense. Just like the Bearcats the Hokies are great both against the run and the pass, but what sets this unit apart from the rest is its ability to make the big plays, as the Hokies have not only sacked opposing quarterbacks 34 times this season, they have forced 30 turnovers as well. This unit has big time players all over the field, as Jason Worlids and Orion Martin are a force on the line combining for 31.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. Also worth noting is the play of linebacker Purnell Sturdivant and corner Victor Harris, as Sturdivant leads the team with 91 tackles, while Harris is one of the best corners in the country and has 6 interceptions on the season. Bet Virginia Tech Hokies +2.5 at Sportsbook.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Cincinnati -2.5
This game has all the makings of between a defensive dog fight, as both teams are strong on that side of the ball and fairly weak on the other. I am going with the Bearcats in this one, as I feel they will have the better success at moving the football. The Bearcats must keep Evans in check and I expected them to load the box to do just that.

Predicted Score: Cincinnati 21 Virginia Tech 17

Check out the best NCAA football picks and grab the latest NCAA football lines for all the bowl games this season at Betfirms.

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