Things for the ACC have really gone well this year in the bowl season. In seven bowl games to date, the conference is 4-3, and now, the ACC champs, the Virginia Tech Hokies , will play in the Orange Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal. This NCAA football betting affair is key for the Pac-10 as well, as this conference has one embarrassing defeat and one amazing upset.
The Hokies have the ACC Player of the Year in QB Tyrod Taylor. Taylor's numbers might not be fantastic this year, but he certainly was the MVP of the conference and made some tremendous plays for Head Coach Frank Beamer. He could have just as easily packed it in this year after the team started 0-2 with the loss against the James Madison Dukes, but instead, Taylor was the man that really rallied these troops to victory after victory.
Taylor threw for 2,521 yards and 23 TDs this year, but most importantly, he only turned the ball over four times via picks. He also was the team's second leading rusher at 637 yards with five trips to the end zone.
The one thing that the fourth year man can do is get the ball up the field a long ways. Wide Receivers Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, and Dyrell Roberts averaged 15.9, 20.0, and 14.4 YPC respectively. Boykin was clearly the team's top target with 48 receptions, 763 yards, and six TDs.
On the ground, RB Darren Evans had a great season, picking up the slack for the often injured RB Ryan Williams. However, Evans, Williams, and RB David Wilson really made for a three headed monster. Evans rumbled for 813 yards, Wilson for 616, and Williams for 477, and the three combined for 25 visits to pay dirt.
V-Tech might have the top player in the ACC on its side, but the Cardinal have the man that is likely the top pick in this coming year's NFL Draft. Quarterback Andrew Luck is primed for some major success at the next level. Luck threw for 3,045 yards and 28 TDs against seven INTs. He completed 3,045 yards and rushed for 438 yards as well. His top target was WR Doug Baldwin, who caught 56 passes for 824 yards and nine scores.
On the ground, RB Stepfan Taylor came out of nowhere to be one of the top backs in the Pac-10. No, this man isn't Oregon's LaMichael James by any stretch of the imagination, but he did rush for 1,023 yards and 15 scores.
Stanford gets a ton of credit this year for averaging 468.7 YPG and 40.3 PPG this year, but this team was really made on defense this year. When this 'D' failed and allowed more than 24 points in a game, it went 2-1 SU and 0-3 ATS. When it allowed 24 points or fewer, it went 7-1-1 ATS and 9-0 SU. This team also pitched three shutouts this year, against the UCLA Bruins, Washington Huskies, and Oregon State Beavers.
The Hokies have gone 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games overall and are 39-17 ATS in their last 56 games against teams with a winning record. Stanford is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five overall, and is 4-1 ATS in its last five games played outside of the Pac-10.
In spite of the fact that the Hokies have won 11 games and are 10-1 ATS since losing to James Madison, they are 3 1/2 point underdogs at BetUS.com . The Orange Bowl odds feature a 'total' of 58.
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