Orange Bowl Virginia Tech vs. Stanford Spread Up a Half Point

The Orange Bowl Virginia Tech vs. Stanford spread was at -3.5 in favor of Stanford.  The line has only moved up a half point since opening at -3.  Nearly 85 percent of the spread betting action was on Stanford in this game, making it among the most lopsided of the College Bowl games in terms of wagering.  Money line action was 70 percent in favor of Stanford.  The total was 58 with even action.   

The Hokies are 5-1 Against The Spread in their last 6 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.  They are also 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games as an underdog.  The Cardinal are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.

DonBest.com’s Stephen Nover had this to say about Monday’s Orange Bowl:

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No disrespect to long-time and respected Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and Tyrod Taylor, the ACC player of the year, but it’s hard not to like Stanford at this pointspread.

Sparked by Luck, the Cardinal set a school record with 484 points in going 11-1. Their only loss was to undefeated Pac-10 champion Oregon, 52-31, as 6 ½-point road ‘dogs.

Luck threw for more than 3,000 yards, threw 28 touchdown passes – breaking the school record of 27 shared by John Elway and Steven Stenstrom – and was mobile enough to rush for 438 yards while being sacked just five times in 349 attempts.

Tyrod Taylor has drawn comparisons to Michael Vick due to his running and passing skills. The Hokies have an excellent ground attack featuring Taylor, Ryan Williams, Darren Evans and David Wilson. But the Hokies don’t have the vertical passing game Stanford has. The Hokies rank 75th in passing.

Luck may be the best pure passer in the country completing 70.2 percent of his throws. The Cardinal averages 40.3 points a game, eighth-highest in the nation.

Stanford also has an underrated defense. The Cardinal ranks in the top 25 in several categories, including scoring defense (11th allowing 17.7 points per game), total defense (24th), interceptions (17th) and rushing defense (24th).

- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com