The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will face the Virginia Tech Hokies later this afternoon in the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Start time in today’s meeting between the two schools is set for 5:30pm ET; the game will be broadcast live on ESPN. Russell Athletic Bowl Odds have Rutgers listed as a -1 against the spread favorite and the Over/Under set at 42 points.
The line for this contest opened with Virginia Tech as a 2.5 point favorite, but with kickoff just a few hours away, bettor sentiment has shifted to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers did close out the season with back to back losses to Pittsburgh and Louisville, but it still had a more impressive year than Virginia Tech while playing a comparable schedule.
The Scarlet Knights closed out the season with a 9-3 record and they ranked 5th and 14th in points and yards per game allowed respectively.
Virginia Tech was one of the season’s biggest disappointments, finishing with a 6-6 record and fourth in an ACC Coastal Division that most pundits expected it to win. The Hokies, who snapped a streak of eight consecutive double digit win seasons, also needed wins over Boston College and Virginia in their final two games in order to keep their extended bowl run intact.
Virginia Tech did win those games, but it needed overtime to top the Eagles and it slipped past the four win Cavaliers by a meager three points.
So while the Hokies appear to have more momentum entering this contest, most are not convinced they are the better team. Tech’s offense struggled to put points on the board this season, and it is doubtful it finds the end zone all that much against a Rutgers team adept at keeping its opposition out of it.
Russell Athletic Bowl Odds:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights -1 (-110), Over 42 (-110)
Virginia Tech Hokies +1 (-110), Under 42 (-110)
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