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Wednesday night will feature the Pinstripe Bowl as bowl season continues. It's time to continue our college football odds series with a Maryland-Virginia Tech prediction and pick.
Both of these two teams ended the season 6-6, just barely enough to make a bowl game this season. Maryland started the season 4-0 but lost six of their last eight games to finish .500. The Big-10 conference was very competitive this season, with five schools all in the top-25 at one point this year. After getting blown out by Michigan 59-18, Maryland ended the regular season strong with a 40-16 victory over Rutgers. The team is led by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa who is the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa completed 68% of his passes this year finishing with 3,595 yards and 24 touchdowns. He put himself in the top-25 in FBS with those stats and has a chance to lead his team to a bowl victory.
Virginia Tech ended the season on a positive note after beating Virginia 29-24 in the regular-season finale. Virginia Tech started the season hot with a win against No. 10 North Carolina to start out the season. They moved up to No. 15 before losing to West Virginia 27-21 in Week 3. That would be the last time they were ranked all season but have a chance at a winning record with a win against Maryland. The team doesn't have anyone who really stands out, as the offense is more so a group effort when competing. Virginia Tech's defense allows 10 fewer points per game than Maryland.
Here is how FanDuel set the Maryland-Virginia Tech odds for the Pinstripe Bowl.
College Football Odds: Maryland-Virginia Tech Pinstripe Bowl Odds
Maryland: -3.5 (+104)
Virginia Tech: +3.5 (-128)
Over: 55.5 (-105)
Under: 55.5 (-115)
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Why Maryland Could Cover The Spread
The biggest concern for Maryland is their defense. They allowed 32.4 points per game this season which is not a good sign. Maryland averaged 27.3 points per game offensively so that is something that will need to change for Wednesday night. Their passing attack is what is going to cover this spread for the Terps. Tagovailoa averages over 300 passing yards per game and he will need to do that one last time against Virginia Tech. It's going to be a little tougher for him as Virginia Tech's defense only allows 219 passing yards per game. It's going to take an all-out effort for the Terps but they will need to put up a good amount of points in this one.
Why Virginia Tech Could Cover The Spread
Virginia Tech's defense needs to continue to play well if they want to cover this spread. They've won games with it in the past so it's nothing new for them. Quarterback Braxton Burmeister doesn't throw the ball all that often, as he finished with only 1,960 passing yards. They utilize a group effort in the run game and that is what they will do once again against Maryland. Virginia Tech needs to take advantage of the poor defense from the Maryland side of the ball. If they can establish a run game and find ways to score early, then they should have a clear path to covering the spread. They will need to contain Tagovailoa and his elite passing attack. Because their pass game is elite, you can't ever count them out. This game will be won or lost on the defensive end for Virginia Tech based on how they contain Tagovailoa.
Final Maryland-Virginia Tech Pinstripe Bowl Prediction & Pick
Both of these teams were not good at all against the spread. That makes it tricky to decide who will step up and cover this spread. I'm choosing this game based on how difficult the schedule was for Maryland this season. Maryland played a bunch of tough Big-10 opponents and I think that will benefit them in this game. I'm taking Maryland to cover this spread with their elite passing attack.
Final Maryland-Virginia Tech Pinstripe Bowl Prediction & Pick: Maryland -3.5 (+104)
