Virginia Tech quarterback Connor Blumrick will make his first college start when he and the Virginia Tech Hokies take on the Maryland Terrapins in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. A 6-foot-5 junior who transferred from Texas A&M, Blumrick has seen limited action this season for the Hokies (6-6), completing 7-of-16 passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 231 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. He will square off against Maryland (6-6) and Taulia Tagovailoa, who is one of the most prolific passers in program history.
Kickoff is at 2:15 p.m. ET. The Terrapins are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Maryland vs. Virginia Tech odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 55. Before making any Virginia Tech vs. Maryland picks or Pinstripe Bowl 2021 predictions, make sure you check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the third week of the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-30 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has dialed in on Maryland vs. Virginia Tech and revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of the model’s college football picks. Here are the college football odds and trends for Virginia Tech vs. Maryland and the Pinstripe Bowl:
- Maryland vs. Virginia Tech spread: Terrapins -3.5
- Maryland vs. Virginia Tech over-under: 55 points
- Maryland vs. Virginia Tech money line: Terrapins -175, Hokies +150
- MD: DB Jakorian Bennett ranks third in the country in passes defended per game (1.5)
- VT: RB Raheem Blackshear ranks fifth in the ACC in rushing yards per carry (5.94)
Featured Game | Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Maryland Terrapins
Why the Terrapins can cover
Tagovailoa is in the midst of a record-breaking season. The younger brother of former Alabama and current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Taulia already has broken the program’s single-season records for completions, passing yards and 300-yard passing games. He needs just two touchdown passes to tie the single-season record of 26 set by Scott Milanovich in 1993.
In addition, Maryland has a playmaker in the defensive backfield in Jakorian Bennett. A 5-foot-11 senior from Mobile, Ala., Bennett leads all Power Five players with 16 pass breakups this season. He has a pass breakup in five straight games, with eight over that span.
Why the Hokies can cover
Virginia Tech’s rushing attack is on a roll. Led by Blackshear, the Hokies have run for 1,503 yards (250.5 yards per game) over their last five games with six touchdowns. They also are averaging 5.7 yards per attempt over that span.
In addition, Virginia Tech enters the game as the better team in turnover margin. The Hokies are +2 (14 takeaways/12 giveaways) in turnover margin this season. Meanwhile Maryland is -7 (11 takeaways/18 giveaways). Only Indiana (nine) has forced fewer turnovers than Maryland among Big Ten teams.
How to make Maryland vs. Virginia Tech picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 53 points. It also has an against-the-spread pick that cashes in more than 60 percent of simulations. You can see the model’s Virginia Tech vs. Maryland pick only at SportsLine.
So who wins Maryland vs. Virginia Tech? And which side is covering more than 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Virginia Tech vs. Maryland spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is on a 43-30 run on top-rated picks, and find out.
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