In an early-season pivotal ACC matchup, the 2-0 Virginia Tech Hokies go on the road to take on the 2-0 North Carolina Tarheels.
The ACC has decided to do without divisions this year making things a little bit more interesting and with Clemson as the favorite, and trial member Notre Dame as the second favorite, that leaves North Carolina and Virginia Tech on the outside of a hypothetical ACC title game. But given all four team’s schedules and the new conference format, both the Tar Heels and the Hokies have a good chance of playing in the conference title game. And right now the question is: who is the third-best team in the ACC? Well, luckily for us we do not have to wait long for that answer.
(And no I did not forget Miami, but their test is also Saturday against Clemson so we’ll check back in a week).
Mack Brown is in his second year of his second stint as head coach of North Carolina and is already changed up the culture and outlook there. Expectations have risen from 7-5 to conference titles, recruiting has shot up putting them inside the top 15 in the 2020 and 2021 classes, and the play on both sides of the ball has seen an impressive improvement. Which for the ACC, all of this is great news as the conference looks to add some party to a league that has been lopsided for the past half-decade or so.
From 1995 to 2011 the Virginia Tech Hokies saw 13 10-win seasons but from 2012 to 2019 they have only seen just one 10-win season, but it seems that at the beginning of this new decade that the Hokies are well on their way to getting back to where this program was at before. Which again, is very beneficial for the ACC, adding another team to compete year in and year out with the Clemson Tigers.
This matchup will be a chess match. Led by running back Khalil Herbert, Virginia Tech’s run game is one of the best in the country, rushing for 319 yards per game, which accounts for about 60% of their offensive yardage. On the other side of things, North Carolina’s defense is holding their opponents just 54 yards per game on the ground. So will the Hokies run game carry them to a win? Or will the Tar Heels defense stand tall and put the Hokies in their place?
Here’s how to watch and bet on the Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina game.
- Date:Â Saturday, Oct. 10
- Start Time:Â 12:00 p.m. ET
- Location:Â Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Stadium: Kenan Stadium
- TV Info:Â ABC
- Odds:Â North Carolina -4.5, O/U 58.5
- Live Stream:Â WatchESPN
Prediction: While the main story of the game will be the Hokies’ run offense versus the Tar Heels’ run defense, the ultimate x-factor in this game will be North Carolina Tar Heels’ quarterback Sam Howell. Howell entered 2020 with some high expectations and while he has not played terribly, he has not played all that great either. But I think this is the game where he showcases his skill and leads his team to a big-time win. Howell throws for three touchdowns and limits his turnovers on the way to a Tar Heel win.
Score: North Carolina 37, Virginia Tech 27.
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