Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Virginia Tech Hokies Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/03/2025

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Friday, January 3, 2024

Venue:  Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Minnesota -9, VA Tech +9; Over/Under:  42.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Minnesota -9, VA Tech +9; Over/Under:  42.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Minnesota -9.5, VA Tech +9.5; Over/Under:  42.5 points

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  7-5 (5-4) (7th place, Big Ten)

Virginia Tech Hokies:  6-6 (4-4) (9th place, ACC)

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Minnesota Golden Gophers:  won their last game on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers 24-7.

Virginia Tech Hokies:  won their last game at home against the Virginia Cavaliers 37-17.

Minnesota is entering this game with a 7-5 record overall and they have a 5-4 record in their conference games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 3-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Wisconsin 24-7. Max Brosmer was the starting QB and he completed 17/26 passes for 191 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Darius Taylor led the team in rushing yards with 143. Elijah Spencer led the receivers with 75 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Koi Perich led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Justin Walley and Danny Striggow each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Virginia Tech is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 4-4 record in their conference games too. They are 4-2 in their home games, 2-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Virginia 37-17. William Watson III was the starting QB and he completed 14/21 passes for 254 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Bhayshul Tuten led the team in rushing yards with 124 and 2 TDs. Jaylin Lane led the receivers with 91 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Keonta Jenkins led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. led the defense in sacks with 3. Jaylen Jones and Mansoor Delane each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Minnesota listed as a 9 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Minnesota has looked good in their games this season with their 7-5 record overall and their 5-4 conference record which has them right in the middle of the Big Ten. They ended the regular season with a 24-7 win over Wisconsin and the Big Ten has been one of the best if not the best conference in the nation this season. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech has looked good in their games this season with their 6-6 record overall which was enough to get them to this game, but their 4-4 conference record has them right in the middle of the ACC. They weren't nearly as good in their road games either, and the ACC wasn't the strongest conference to play in this season. The ACC teams have been terrible in these bowl games so far and Virginia Tech doesn't have much of a passing game so it won't be tough for Minnesota to stop them here, especially since Minnesota does have a good defense. Virginia Tech won't get much done on offense here and their defense has also given up a lot of points against better offenses this year. Minnesota doesn't have a great offense, but they will put up enough points to win this game comfortably while their defense does the rest. The best way to place a bet here is on Minnesota to cover the spread in this game. 

Minnesota Virginia Tech Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, January 3, 2024 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Minnesota 23 Virginia Tech 7.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers: 16-10 ATS as a favorite. 8-2 ATS in non-conference games. 10-4 1H ATS after playing their last game on the road. 4-1 OVER after a bye week. 6-2 OVER versus good rushing teams - averaging 4.75 rushing yards/carry or more. 

Virginia Tech Hokies: 0-3 ATS against Big 10 conference opponents. 1-6 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 4-9 ATS in non-conference games. 5-0 OVER after a bye week. 6-3 OVER off a win against a conference rival. 12-6 1H OVER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  A. Gousby (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Green (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. Q. Redding (WR) Out - Undisclosed. P. Walsh (TE) Questionable - Leg. J. Williams (OL) Out - Undisclosed. R. Sunram (DL) Out - Undisclosed. S. Macy (DL) Out - Undisclosed. J. Wright (RB) Out - Undisclosed. S. Seidl (DB) Out - Undisclosed.

Virginia Tech Hokies:  B. Tuten (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Drones (QB) Doubtful - Undisclosed. C. Schlee (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Thomas (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Heath (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. P. Prioleau (RB) Questionable - Lower Leg. J. Stroman (SAF) Out - Undisclosed. L. Ghannam (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Copeland (DL) Out - Elbow. J. Tapscott (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. McDonald (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Gallo (TE) Questionable - Knee.

“We've got a good four-and-a-half hour bus ride with that axe, right in the aisle. We'll pass it around and switch buses. We take the rivalry very seriously. We love that axe. We don't take it for granted.” - P.J. Fleck after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their regular season finale. 

“It does point to the growth and development and the resiliency. More than anything, I’m just happy for this group to get this victory tonight. It was a hard-fought game, and we played well in all three phases, which we need to see. We have to be that kind of team, and we did it with a third-team quarterback.” - Brent Pry after his team’s win against UVA in their regular season finale. 

WR Jackson, Daniel 

WR Brockington, Le'Meke 

WR Spencer, Elijah

TE Kallerup, Nick

QB Brosmer, Max 

RB Taylor, Darius

WR Felton, Da'Quan 

WR Jennings, Ali 

WR Lane, Jaylin 

TE Gosnell, Benji 

QB Drones, Kyron 

RB Tuten, Bhayshul 

Passing: M. Brosmer (2617)

Rushing: D. Taylor (873)

Receiving: D. Jackson (863)

Touchdowns: D. Taylor (11)

Passing: K. Drones (1562)

Rushing: B. Tuten (1158)

Receiving: S. Gosnell (497)

Touchdowns: B. Tuten (17)

Coaches:

Minnesota Golden Gophers: P.J. Fleck (8th season)

Virginia Tech Hokies: Brent Pry (3rd season)