CFB Computer Picks, Analysis and Best Bet For West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech on September 22, 2022

West Virginia and Virginia Tech are both in different stages of their rebuilds, but none of that will matter when they clash at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia for this exciting rivalry game at 7:30PM ET on Thursday, September 22. There's nothing quite like a Thursday night game in Blacksburg, as Virginia Tech's fans get rowdier than usual for these mid-week affairs. 

Will the Hokies take advantage of the energy that "Enter Sandman" gives them before the game? You might want to keep reading our West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech betting preview to find out. 

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West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Computer Picks

Predictive Analytics Data

• 52% chance West Virginia win on the money line
• 53% chance Virginia Tech covers the +1.5 spread
• 56% Virginia vs. Syracuse goes Under 51 total points

For the best CFB computer picks, check out our West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech data predictions. They are constantly updating based on hundreds of different data points.

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Analysis

The Spread

West Virginia brought in Graham Harrell as its offensive coordinator before this season and the Mountaineers offense has definitely taken a step forward. The team has scored at least 38 points in each of its three games, with quarterback JT Daniels now up to 753 yards with six touchdowns and two picks on the year. The problem for West Virginia is that the team has lost the defensive edge that Neal Brown's squads usually play with. 

While the Mountaineers are scoring a lot of points, they are 1-2 for a reason and it's that they can't stop anybody. That was on full display when they they gave up 55 points in a home loss to the Kansas Jayhawks two weeks ago. The team did regroup and earn a 65-7 win over Towson last week, but West Virginia was a 39-point favorite in that game and a blowout win over an FCS program should be expected. 

Things won't be quite as easy for the Mountaineers against a Hokies team that appears to be heading in the right direction after being upset by the Old Dominion Monarchs in its season opener. 

MORE: CFB Futures Probabilities

Since losing that game to Old Dominion, the Hokies have won two in a row and one of those victories was a 27-10 beatdown of the Boston College Eagles. Virginia Tech held BC to four rushing yards in that game, and the team has now held three opponents in a row to 80 or fewer yards. That's massive when looking at this game, as new head coach Brent Pry appears to have gotten through to the Hokies on that side of the ball. 

Pry came over after serving as a defensive coordinator under James Franklin at Penn State, and he was expected to get things right for a Virginia Tech program that had been used to having elite defenses with Bud Foster leading the unit. The fact that the Hokies are already playing well defensively is big, and that's especially true of this match-up. 

Pry should have a good idea of what to do to slow down an Air Raid offense like Harrell's, and we expect Virginia Tech to come up with big stops when it matters most. And considering the Mountaineers have such a porous defense right now, Hokies quarterback Grant Wells should find a way to get comfortable here. Since throwing four picks against Old Dominion, Wells has thrown for 454 yards with three touchdowns and no picks in his last two games. We expect him to put up some big numbers against West Virginia — especially if Virginia Tech is able to establish the running game. 

Since Brown became the head coach of the Mountaineers, his teams are just 1-3 against the spread as road favorites. We expect that to go to 1-4, as we're backing the Hokies. 

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The Over/Under

This will be an interesting match-up to watch, as all of West Virginia's games have gone Over the total and all of Virginia Tech's have gone Under the total. And while we do think the Hokies will end up winning this one, it's hard to see it not going Over. 

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The Pittsburgh Panthers are a lot like the Hokies in that they pride themselves in their ability to get stops. But they still ended up getting involved in a shootout with this West Virginia squad, as the two combined to score 69 points in the Backyard Brawl. That Pittsburgh defense is better than this Virginia Tech one, so we think this one will end up being played at a similarly high pace with some big plays for both teams. 

As previously mentioned, we expect Virginia Tech's defense to come up with a few more key stops in this game, but don't mistake that for us thinking the Hokies will shut the Mountaineers down. 

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Best Bet

Virginia Tech +3

West Virginia is just 5-12 straight-up and 6-10-1 ATS when playing teams with winning records under Brown, and we think the team will fall short of coming away with a victory in a hostile road environment on Thursday. That's why we have Virginia Tech +3 as our best bet. And we suggest putting a half-unit on the moneyline here. 

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