Virginia at Miami Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The Miami Hurricanes look to continue their recent surge as they host the Virginia Cavaliers Thursday in Week 9 college football action. Virginia has been a thorn in their side in recent years, winning three of the last five meetings. The Cavaliers topped the Hurricanes 24-19 at home last year despite being a 14-point underdog, which is very close to the spread again this season. You can catch this ACC showdown on ESPN at 8:00 EST Thursday night.

According to the latest college football odds, Miami is a 13.5-point favorite over Virginia.

Miami

The Hurricanes are clearly one of the best three-loss teams in the country. Miami (4-3, 2-2 ACC) picked up an impressive 24-7 home win over Georgia Tech last Saturday for their second straight victory. They won 30-24 at North Carolina the previous week. All three of Miami’s losses have come by eight points or less, including two against ranked opponents in Kansas State and Virginia Tech.

Now that most of their players have returned from suspensions, the Hurricanes are hitting on all cylinders. Miami’s defense has been particularly tough, and that was on display last weekend against one of the nation’s most potent offenses. Georgia Tech came into that game average 517 yards of offense, but were held to just 211 by the Hurricanes. Miami forced three turnovers, including a fumble that was jumped on in the end zone by JoJo Nicolas for a touchdown.

Jacory Harris has been solid since returning from his suspension. Harris is completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns to four interceptions. Lamar Miller has carried the load offensively, rushing for 799 yards (5.8/carry) and six touchdowns. Tommy Streeter (21 receptions, 428 yards, five TD) and Travis Benjamin (26, 350, three TD) are their best playmakers at receiver. Miami ranks 79th in the country in total offense (366.8 yards/game) and 61st in total defense (378.5 yards/game). They are scoring 29.4 points and giving up 21.3 points this season.

Virginia

After a surprising 24-21 win over then-No. 12 Georgia Tech on October 15th, the Cavaliers laid an egg last week and suffered their worst loss of the season. NC State came into Scott Stadium and stole a 28-14 victory away from Virginia (4-3, 1-2 ACC). The Cavaliers were held to just 249 total yards and they committed four turnovers in the loss. Quarterbacks Michael Rocco and David Watford were a combined 11 of 35 passing against the Wolfpack, and Watford threw three picks.

Head coach Mike London hinted towards making Rocco the full-time starter this week. Rocco led a 14-play, 72-yard touchdown drive in their first series, but was hampered by several dropped passes from his receivers the rest of the way. For the season, Rocco is completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,186 yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Watford is only connecting on 42.3 percent of his attempts.

Perry Jones has been a reliable runner for the Cavaliers. He has rushed for 576 yards and two touchdowns, while Kevin Parks has chipped in 386 yards and a team-high seven scores. Kris Burd is their go-to receiver with 34 grabs for 447 yards, but he has yet to find the end zone. Jones is also second on the team in receptions (27), which he has turned into 236 yards and one score. Virginia ranks 48th in the land in total offense (407.4 yards/game) and 19th in total defense (314.3 yards/game). According to those numbers, this is a very solid three-loss team as well.

Betting Trends

The underdog is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

The Hurricanes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record, but just 16-40-1 ATS in their last 57 games as a home favorite.

The Cavaliers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog of 10.5 or greater, but only 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games overall.

If you want to know which team to take in this game, then sign up for a premium package from expert handicapper Jack Jones today.

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