A pair of ACC teams will face off in the prime time slot on ESPN on Thursday evening when the Syracuse Orange travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to face the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium in week 9 of the college football season with the game starting at 7:30 PM ET.

The Syracuse Orange enter this game with a record of 4-3 following a 3-41 loss on the road against the Florida State Seminoles while failing to cover the 18.5-point spread as a road underdog in week 7 of the college football season. Syracuse scored 3 points while compiling a total of 261 yards offensively which included 137 passing yards and 124 rushing yards while allowing 41 points and 535 total yards defensively which included 344 passing yards and 191 rushing yards. Garrett Shrader led the team in passing, completing 9 of 21 attempts for 99 yards. LeQuint Allen led the team in rushing with 19 carries for 110 yards while adding three receptions for 16 yards. Damien Alford led the team in receiving, catching two of seven targets for 37 yards.

Virginia Tech enters this game with a record of 3-4 following a 30-13 win at home against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons while covering the 1.5-point spread as a home favorite in week 7 of the college football season. The Hokies scored 30 points while compiling a total of 462 total yards offensively which included 321 passing yards and 141 rushing yards while allowing 13 points and 259 total yards defensively which included 243 passing yards and 16 rushing yards. Kyron Drones led the team in passing, completing 20 of 29 attempts for 321 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing with 15 carries for 59 yards. Jayling Lane led the team in receiving, catching three of six targets for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

BookMaker has the Virginia Tech Hokies listed as 3-point favorites at home against the Syracuse Orange on Thursday evening in week 9 of the college football season. Syracuse has won six of the last ten and two of the last three meetings while going 6-4 ATS in the last ten and 2-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. The Syracuse Orange are 3-3-1 ATS overall, 1-2 ATS on the road, 0-3 ATS as an underdog, and 0-3 ATS in conference games this season while the Virginia Tech Hokies are 4-3 ATS overall, 3-1 ATS at home, 2-1 ATS as a favorite, and 3-0 ATS in conference games on the year.

Syracuse is 2-6 ATS in their last eight games on the road against Virginia Tech and has struggled to cover the spread in any of their conference games this season going 0-3 ATS in conference games while Virginia Tech has covered the spread in all of their conference games going 3-0 ATS. I look for those trends to continue in this matchup which is why I will be laying the 3 points and taking the Virginia Tech Hokies at home when they host the Syracuse Orange on Thursday evening in week 9 of the college football season.