The Virginia Tech football team will begin its season on Sunday when the Hokies face the South Carolina Gamecocks in Atlanta (3 p.m., ESPN) for a neutral-site game.
Oddsmakers at Caesars Virginia Sportsbook have set the Hokies as a 7.5-point underdog. However, as our research discovered, the Hokies often thrive when they’re not considered the favorite.
While some analysts believe the Hokies are the most underrated team in the ACC this season, they are not expected to finish as a top team in the conference. BetVirginia.com, as part of our Virginia sports betting analysis, was curious to see how underdog college football teams perform. Using TeamRankings.com data from every season since 2003, we found out how often teams and conferences win as underdogs and how often they cover as underdogs.
First, the teams that won straight up most often when they were underdogs:
Rank | Team | Win % As Underdogs |
1 | Georgia Bulldogs | 43.2% |
2 | Utah Utes | 43.0% |
3 | Oregon Ducks | 41.5% |
4 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 40.9% |
5 | Miami Hurricanes | 40.6% |
T6 | LSU Tigers | 40.2% |
T6 | Clemson Tigers | 40.2% |
8 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 39.4% |
9 | BYU Cougars | 38.3% |
10 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 38.0% |
As you can see, the Hokies aren’t the only ACC team on the chart. In fact, among the Power 4 Conferences, the ACC in general outperforms the other three outright. Will this Virginia college football betting trend continue in the 2025 season?
Rank | Conference | Win % As Underdogs |
1 | ACC | 30.4% |
T2 | Big Ten | 29.2% |
T2 | SEC | 29.2% |
4 | Big 12 | 28.9% |
Most consider the Hokies to be an underdog this season. The Hokies return just five starters from last year’s 6-7 squad that lost to Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. At bet365 Virginia Sportsbook, the Hokies have odds of +4000 to claim the ninth conference title (that includes their time in the Big East and Southern conferences) in school history.
The ACC media picked Virginia Tech to finish 11th in the conference this season. However, one media member – out of the 183 who voted – predicted the Hokies to win it.
Rank | Team | Cover % |
1 | Utah Utes | 66.0% |
2 | Clemson Tigers | 60.6% |
3 | Kansas State Wildcats | 59.7% |
4 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 58.3% |
T5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 58.1% |
T5 | Georgia Bulldogs | 58.1% |
7 | Northwestern Wildcats | 57.0% |
8 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 56.5% |
T9 | Miami Hurricanes | 56.3% |
T9 | BYU Cougars | 56.3% |
If you really want underdog odds, you might want to consider the Hokies winning their first national title. At Fanatics VA Sportsbook, coach Brent Pry’s team has odds of +80000, or 800-1, to not only make the College Football Playoff but win the whole thing.
Rank | Conference | Cover % |
1 | ACC | 52.6% |
2 | Big 12 | 52.1% |
3 | SEC | 51.2% |
4 | Big Ten | 50.2% |
BetVirgina.com is your source for the Hokies analysis during the upcoming college football season. In addition, we provide up-to-date reviews on the sportsbooks licensed in the commonwealth as well as the best Virginia sportsbook promo codes available.
USA Today photo by Eric Canha
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
