Florida State vs. Virginia prediction, odds: How to bet and watch online
The Florida State Seminoles try to end their early calamity on the road against a high-quality Virginia Cavaliers team on Saturday.
After a dramatically awful 2018 campaign, the hope was that the Florida State Seminoles would start to turn for the better under Willie Taggart in the 2019 season. But as they head on the road to Scott Stadium in Week 3 to face the Virginia Cavaliers, that just doesn’t appear to be the case out of Tallahassee.
Despite Taggart having his quarterback situation solved with James Blackman, a stud running back in Cam Akers and a defense that boast a litany of NFL-caliber talent, Florida State has been downright bad this season. They blew a big lead against Boise State in their opener and then needed a huge miscue from Louisiana Monroe last week to get the win there. It’s been highly disappointing thus far.
Things won’t get easier for the Seminoles against Virginia, either. Bronco Mendenhall’s Cavaliers enter this game as the No. 25 ranked team in the country and for good reason. Quarterback Bryce Perkins has been a star to this point, leading the team in both passing and rushing through two games. And with Bryce Hall and the defense showing out too, they look tough to beat.
More importantly for this matchup, Virginia knows who they are under Mendenhall. That is decidedly not the case for Florida State and Taggart as they look like a badly coached football team at this point. Heading into this game, that could be the biggest factor in all of this.
How to watch and bet on Florida State vs. Virginia
Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Scott Stadium – Charlottesville, VA
TV Info: ACC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Point Spread: Virginia -7.5
Moneyline: Virginia -280, Florida State +230
Over/Under: 55
(Odds via Bovada)
For my money, the roster talent in this matchup favors Florida State — and I don’t think that’s questionable. However, UVA is clearly the better football team on the field. Expect the Noles to continue hurting themselves, especially against a well-coached and dangerous team like the Cavaliers. Take the favorites against the spread and moneyline. With less confidence, also get after the under.
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Prediction: Taggart’s team is going to make explosive plays because Akers and Blackman are that good. However, it’s hard to imagine them doing so consistently enough against this top-tier defense. More importantly, it’s difficult to see Florida State putting the clamps on Perkins. Virginia should end up pulling away as the better coached and simply more ready team.
Final Score: Florida State 17, Virginia 30