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Virginia Tech will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. They will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. The two teams have hit a rough patch recently, with three consecutive losses each.
Virginia Tech traveled a rocky road last season, and unfortunately for them the road hasn't gotten any smoother. They fell 24-17 to Marshall on Saturday.
The losing side was boosted by Kyron Drones, who rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns. That's his first two-touchdown performance this season.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's 8-4 record from last season has become a distant memory after another unsuccessful outing. They took a 41-24 bruising from North Carolina on Saturday.
Pittsburgh's defeat came about despite a quality game from Rodney Hammond Jr., who rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Not only did both Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh lose their last games, neither team covered either. Looking ahead, the matchup is expected to be close, with Pittsburgh going off as just a 2.5 point favorite. Be careful betting Virginia Tech against the spread as while they're 1-3 ATS overall, they're only 1-4 against Pittsburgh in their most recent matchups.
Virginia Tech ended up a good deal behind Pittsburgh when they played in their previous matchup last October, losing 45-29. Thankfully for Virginia Tech, Israel Abanikanda (who rushed for 320 yards and six touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
