This season’s Sugar Bowl is not very sweet in the eyes of many national commentators and pundits. The story before kickoff is that other teams should play in this year’s event.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Michigan Wolverines – Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Sports betting line: Michigan -2
Why Virginia Tech Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your sportsbook review on this game, you need to realize that one very powerful dynamic is at work in Virginia Tech’s favor: This is the kind of game in which a team smarting from not only a blowout loss, but a perceived lack of respect, rallies around the flag to prove a point. Virginia Tech is naturally and rightly being dismissed heading into this game because it got crushed by Clemson, 38-10, in this past Saturday’s ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. Virginia Tech was supposed to have had the answers for Clemson after losing the first matchup by a lopsided 23-3 score, but after losing a second time to the Tigers in even more emphatic fashion, it’s clear that this bunch of Hokies is just not as good as previous versions. Injuries to the defense have limited the ability of coordinator Bud Foster to put his best 11 players on the field, but the larger point remains that Virginia Tech just hasn’t been as physically imposing in the trenches.
This might all seem like a reason to pick Michigan in this game, but the extent to which Virginia Tech has been written off is something to watch for. This is like the NCAA Tournament team who makes it into the Big Dance as a No. 12 seed and gets criticized. When the tournament arrives, this kind of team plays its best game and knocks off the No. 5 seed in the first round. Virginia Tech wants to show that it belongs in the Sugar Bowl, despite what the critics say. This is powerful emotional fuel, and it’s precisely the kind of motivation that often makes a difference in bowl games. The team with more incentive to win – or with more pressure on its back – is more likely to handle the extended one-month layoff with attention on the task at hand. This might be a pleasure trip for Michigan in New Orleans, but it’s definitely going to be all business for the Hokies, and that will matter a lot.
Why Michigan Will Win
The college football betting experts looking at this game are making it a pick ‘em game because Virginia Tech just isn’t that imposing. Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson gets punished by physical defenses, but after seeing Clemson’s fleet-footed athletes run past the Hokies in the ACC title game, Robinson and the rest of the skill players on Michigan’s offense should be licking their chops. Michigan head coach Brady Hoke has a first-class coaching staff featuring offensive coordinator Al Borges and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. Both men should be able to exploit the weaknesses in Virginia Tech’s overall makeup, enabling the Wolverines to catapult themselves into the national title discussion… for the 2012 season.
Who Will Win
It’s motivation, motivation, motivation in bowl games. Take Virginia Tech, a team that will feel as though it’s being disrespected.
College Football Betting Pick: Virginia Tech