The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Tech Hokies get ACC play underway in the opening week when they meet at Lane Stadium on a nationally televised broadcast on Friday night. The Tar Heels went 8-4 (7-3 ACC) last year before losing, 41-27, to Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl. The Hokies posted a 5-6 record in 2020 for Justin Fuente and are looking to get a winning record this time around.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup as you plan your college football betting.
NCAAF Preview: #10 North Carolina at Virginia Tech
When: Friday, September 3, 2021, 6:00 pm ET
Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA
TV: ESPN
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network / Virginia Tech Sports Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN
NCAA Odds: Virginia Tech +5.5
Why should you bet on the Tar Heels?
Sam Howell returns at quarterback for the Tar Heels after leading the offense to 41.7 points and 537 yards per game in 2020. He threw for 3,586 yards with 30 touchdown passes against just seven picks, completing 68.1% of his passes. He will be in the early rumblings for the Heisman Trophy, although there may be some early hiccups as North Carolina lost their top two wide receivers and their top two tailbacks to the NFL. Khafre Brown and Josh Downs come in as the top wideouts this year, and graduate transfer Ty Chandler comes in from Tennessee with over 2,000 rushing yards in four seasons with the Volunteers.
All six of the top offensive linemen also return for North Carolina, so the battle of the trenches should go their way more often than not. On defense, the team’s leading tackler, Chazz Surratt, has moved on. Jeremiah Gemmel and Tomon Fox will have to lead the defense at linebacker, and Raymond Vohasek is a beast off the edge. The secondary has cornerbacks Kyler McMichael, Tony Grimes and Storm Duck at cornerback along with Trey Morrison at safety, a unit that might be the best secondary in the ACC. The defense only permitted 29.4 points per game in 2020, and if the defense is stout once again, this could be a long day for Virginia Tech.
Why should you put your money on the Hokies?
Virginia Tech lost two quarterbacks to the transfer portal, leaving Braxton Burmeister as the starter. Without a lot of depth at that position, the Hokies need to keep him healthy. Tailbacks Jalen Holston and Raheem Blackshear will have work ahead of them to prove that they are an elite unit. Wide receivers Tayvion Robinson and Tre Turner combined for 72 receptions, more than 1,100 yards and six touchdowns a year ago, and both are back.
Defense is the problem, as the team permitted 32.1 points per game in 2020, their worst season since 1973. Jordan Williams, a Clemson transfer, will lead the interior of the D-line. Amare Barro is back after posting an ACC-best 16 tackles for loss last season. Jermaine Walker is healthy again in the secondary, and Dax Hollifield and Alan Tisdale are a solid pair of linebackers. The Hokies have the talent on defense; they just need to mesh together and play the scheme.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
North Carolina has only covered once in their last five games — but the same is true for Virginia Tech. When the teams met last year, the game turned into an offensive barnburner. This time around, the Tar Heels have their veteran quarterback while Virginia Tech is working in a new guy. Virginia Tech is a tough place to win on the road, though. I’m predicting a final score of North Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 23 — meaning that the Hokies cover.
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