Joe Gavazzi
PERCEPTION/REALITY GAME OF THE WEEK …Duke (+2)
Duke at VA Tech (-2) 3:30 ET ESPNU
Why not take the better team as underdog in the face of public and linemaker perception that VA Tech remains the superior team? It simply aint so! In favor of VA Tech, I am well aware of their SOS (strength of schedule) advantage. They have played the likes of Ohio St., Pitt, NC State and Miami, while Duke has faced such creampuffs as Tulane, NC Central and Army. Also aiding the Hokies is the return of QB Brewer, who was leading the Hokies in a competitive battle against Ohio St. in Week 1, before exiting with a bum shoulder. But the reality is, despite those advantages, recent history shows that Duke is a superior entity. And until the line catches up, we must continue to play accordingly. Since 2011, 29th year VA Tech HC Beemer is just 19-37 ATS. This year, his Hokies are 3-4 SU ATS following last week’s loss to Miami, when a (-4) net TO margin resulted in a 30-20 loss. Last year’s contest between these two saw VA Tech survive (17-16) with Duke holding a narrow yardage edge 326-293. Duke will hunger for revenge for this loss and has had 2 weeks to prepare for this game. Under 8th year HC Cutcliffe, Duke is on a major run of 24-9 SU, 22-9 ATS L2+Y. An ever-improving defense, which has gone from allowances of 36 to 27 to 22 to 9 PPG this year is a major reason. It is good for the No. 4 defense in the land at 253/3.8 and a reason why the Blue Devils have covered 11 of their most recent 14 games on the road. The perception is that VA Tech should be the favored team. The reality is that Duke is far better and will easily get this victory.
