By: George Ahearn

After two weeks of nonstop running around and subsequently failing to turn in a betting preview, it is time to return to my bread and butter. In games I have written a preview for, I have yielded an 8-3 record. On the other side, the picks I have simply tweeted out have returned a forgettable 7-8-1 record. Clearly, the thoroughness of writing a betting preview creates some positive gambling mojo. Ask any gambler, your mojo can be what carries you through the weekend.

This weekend we have one of the less exciting slates in recent weeks, yet that doesn’t change anything in terms of finding winners. We start the betting preview off with one contest tonight, and the rest will be published tomorrow. Buckle up for the weekend, as this week’s betting preview proves to be the largest yet, and in tonight’s game, we are introducing the three-unit system.

Syracuse (+3) v. Virginia Tech

The Hokies are infamous for their home crowds, week after week proving they are one of the most hostile environments in the nation. Virginia Tech has won their last two home games handedly, winning 38-21 over Pitt and 30-13 over Wake Forest. It has frequently been proven that if you wish to back the Hokies, back them at home, as at least you know the fans will come to play.

For Syracuse, they started their season an impressive 4-0, handling out-of-conference opponents Army and Purdue. Yet, the Orange were dealt a brutal hand to open ACC play, facing off against Clemson, UNC, and Florida State in their first three conference games. To no one’s surprise, ‘Cuse dropped all of these contests and now sit at 4-3. 

While fading the Hokies at home is a dangerous game to play, we have to remember the state of this Virginia Tech football program. The storied program has been faltering for the ladder half of a decade and hasn’t turned in a 10-win season since Justin Fuente’s first year at the helm back in 2016. Now in the first year of head coach Brent Pry, the nation is still unsure if he can return the Hokies to glory.

My take? Not yet. Maybe down the line Pry can prove to be the guy, but I don’t buy it at this moment. Instead, I’m buying a Syracuse team coming off a bye who has been dismantled in their three previous games. 

Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader has played college football since 2019 when he suited up as a freshman for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Now in his fifth-year of college football, Shrader has some valuable experience that he’ll look to use to end his career on a high note.

The utter embarrassment Syracuse has faced over their last three contests coupled with a bye week should have the Orange ready to match the intensity of the Hokie crowd. Once that first touchdown is scored, everyone should settle in, and I expect the ‘Cuse to win outright. 

The play? Syracuse +3 (3u)