The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes are off to a second straight 4-0 start to their season as they begin conference play at home against Virginia Tech on Friday. If “The U” wants to move to 5-0 for the first time since 2017, it will have to get past a resilient Hokies squad that almost battled back from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit last week against Rutgers.
This will be the first time these teams play in the regular season on a Friday since 1974.
The Hurricanes, who lead the ACC in both scoring offense and scoring defense, have won seven of the past nine contests in this series. But the Hokies are hungry for their first road win against an AP Top-10 opponent since winning at Ohio State in 2014.
Virginia Tech vs. Miami Betting and DFS Preview
All Virginia Tech vs. Miami odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
- Spread
Miami -17 - Moneyline
Virginia Tech +575, Miami -850 - Over/Under
55.5 - Game Time
7:30 p.m. ET - Location
Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, FL - Predicted Weather at Kick
80 degrees, cloudy and humid following afternoon showers/a thunderstorm - How to Watch
ESPN/ESPN+
Miami has been favored in every game it’s played this season — the last three by at least 16.5 points. The Hurricanes are 3-1 against the spread; their only blemish is a missed cover as 48-point favorites against Florida A&M (won 56-9).
The Hurricanes will enter Friday’s contest after scoring at least 50 points in three straight games for the first time in program history. In fact, it is only the fourth time in Hurricanes history they have scored at least 50 points three times in a single season with the other instances coming consecutively in 1999-2001.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
The Hurricanes are seeking to reverse a pair of troubling trends under Mario Cristobal. They are 4-12 against the spread in conference games and 3-8 against the spread as home favorites since he was hired in 2022.
Virginia Tech, too, has been favored in every game on its schedule this season but is just 1-3 against the spread. On the positive side, the Hokies have a mark of 9-6 ATS in conference games and 3-1 ATS against ranked opponents under Brent Pry.
In the eight games these teams have combined to play in 2024, only once has the game gone under the total.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB Kyron Drones (VT)
- QB Cam Ward (MIA)
- RB Bhayshul Tuten (VT)
- RB Jordan Lyle (MIA)
- RB Damien Martinez (MIA)
- WR Jaylin Lane (VT)
- WR Da’Quan Felton (VT)
- WR Xavier Restrepo (MIA)
- WR Isaiah Horton (MIA)
- WR Samuel Brown (MIA)
- WR Jacolby George (MIA)
- TE Benji Gosnell (VT)
- TE Elijah Arroyo (MIA)
Miami’s Cam Ward is currently a Heisman Trophy favorite. If he were to win it, he would be the first for the school since Gino Torretta in 1992. Ward has thrown for at least 300 yards and at least three touchdowns in all four games this season. Though he was not at his best last week against South Florida, Ward still completed 24 of 34 passes for a season-high 404 yards.
WHAT DID CAM WARD JUST DO
WOW
FIRST DOWN CANES pic.twitter.com/QmiwOctGEJ
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) September 22, 2024
True freshman running back Jordan Lyle scored on a 91-yard rush Saturday to surpass the school record for the longest running play from scrimmage, which was previously held on 90-yard scampers by Jackson Losch (1955) and Duke Johnson (2014). Lyle is one of only four FBS freshmen averaging over eight yards per carry this season (min. 25 attempts).
Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten is a player to watch, as he leads the ACC with seven rushing touchdowns this season. He had only one score on the ground entering the month of October last season.
Prediction for Virginia Tech vs. Miami
Miami has avoided much of the national limelight despite four straight wins by an average of 42 points per game.
The Hurricanes are a complete offense with talent and skill at every level. They have one of the nation’s best quarterbacks who leads FBS with 14 passing touchdowns. They have one of the nation’s best running attacks that ranks in the top 20 of FBS in yards per carry (6.1) and rushing touchdowns (12). And they are one of only five FBS teams, including the only one from the ACC, with at least eight players who have caught a touchdown pass.
While the Hokies will be their toughest opponent yet, the Hurricanes seem to be on a mission to earn national acclaim and can do that with a prime-time win in front of a national audience.
Give Virginia Tech credit for being only a few plays away from a 4-0 record itself. The Hokies were tied late in the fourth quarter in each of their two losses against Vanderbilt and Rutgers.
But with all due respect, Miami is on another planet compared to those schools and should prove that on Friday.
Though the Heisman Trophy candidate is going against the second-best pass defense in the ACC, Ward will have an opportunity to show why he belongs in that conversation and take some deep shots against an untested Hokies secondary.
Prediction: Miami 42, Virginia Tech 17
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.