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Odds Favor Alabama over Virginia Tech in Week One Betting
9/5/09
College football fans are in for a huge treat in the opening week of play as
two heavyweights in the Alabama Crimson Tide and Virginia Tech Hokies prepare to
do battle. The victor will be rewarded with a marquee win and the loser will
take a serious hit to their chances of making the BCS Championship.
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have Alabama the early favorite at -6.5, but don’t count the Hokies out. This
game will take place in Atlanta, Georgia. Let’s take a look at this matchup.
The Hokies are 1-10 all time against Alabama, with their last victory coming in
1998. If they wish to improve on that record they will have to score points on a
very tough Crimson Tide defense, and cause confusion for Nick Saban’s relatively
inexperienced offensive unit. The secondary will have their hands full with WR
Julio Jones, but if anybody can stop him it would be Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech did a wonderful job last year, ending their season with a
dominating victory over the Big East Champion Cincinnati Bearcats in the Orange
Bowl. They are going to win games this year the same way that they did last
year; with a strong running game and a terrific secondary. They are returning 17
total starters and should have a tough team this year.
Some potential problems come in QB Tyrod Taylor and the offensive line. Taylor
is a skilled player, but is injury prone. The junior is quick on his feet and
will keep the pass rushers guessing, but he needs to improve his passing
accuracy. The offensive line is relatively strong by Virginia Tech standards,
but could still use some work. They will get a big test from the Alabama
defense.
Alabama is back and looks as strong as ever. Nick Saban didn’t take long to
bring this team back to life, sneaking up on teams last year and getting upset
wins en route to a 12-0 regular season record. What is the problem now? They
won’t be surprising or sneaking up on anyone. The cat is out of the bag. They
return 9 starters from a lockdown defense that was rated third in the nation
last year.
First year starter Greg McElroy is tasked with leading Alabama past the Hokies.
He isn’t as big (or as good) as his predecessor John Parker Wilson, but he is
good enough to get the job done. He has a plethora of strong WRs in Julio Jones,
Marquis Maze, Mike McCoy and Darius Hanks. Jones is the best of the bunch, a
physical player who is not afraid to cut across the field. He can make things
happen. Maze is the best down field threat on the team and he possesses great
speed.
The defense is where the Crimson Tide shines. They have two players who are
almost assuredly going to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft in NT
Terrence Cody and LB Rolando McClain. The defense is very athletic. Not only
that, but it is a deep unit. Some would argue that the second string players
have more potential than the starters! They will be keeping Virginia Tech on
their toes in this one.
It will be interesting to see how effective RB Darren Evans is in this game. He
racked up 1,200+ yards as a freshman for the Hokies, but will have a tough
challenge in the Alabama defense. Freshman Ryan Williams will also be a threat
on the ground for Virginia Tech. Both have enormous potential and can’t be
overlooked by opposing coaches.
The line is solid at -6.5 for the Alabama Crimson Tide. This game promises to be
a physical and exciting one, but Nick Saban and company may be just a notch
ahead of the Orange Bowl winning Virginia Tech Hokies. While it would come as no
shock if Virginia Tech found a way to win this game, it appears that Alabama
will handle them. We'll take the SEC over the ACC any day. While the number is
still under a touchdown, we'll take our chances with the Tide -6.5. We'll also
lean towards the Under 38 in this one. 24-10 Tide sounds about right!
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