Thursdays are for football, and along with the Buccaneers vs. Bills matchup in the NFL, we have two college football showdowns.
First, the Syracuse Orange look for their first ACC win of the season when they travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face a Virginia Tech Hokies team that's coming off a big win over Wake Forest.
Then, the Georgia State Panthers and Georgia Southern Eagles take the field in an in-state Sun Belt rivalry that could play a big role in the conference title picture.
Our college football writers broke down both games and shared their top picks and predictions for each, so be sure to check out both betting previews for Thursday's games below.
Thursday College Football Betting Previews
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups from Thursday's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies welcome in the Syracuse Orange to Blacksburg, Virginia, for a Thursday night Week 9 ACC matchup.
The Hokies are coming off a win at home over Wake Forest, while the Orange have failed to win a game over the past three weeks.
Syracuse has had a tough stretch against some of the ACC’s best, playing Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State all in the last three weeks. This should be a competitive game against the next tier of ACC teams on a Thursday night in Virginia.
Do the Orange have the ability to tune out Metallica’s "Enter Sandman" and steal a win as a 3-point underdog in Blacksburg? Let’s dive into the Syracuse vs Virginia odds and find a prediction in this college football betting preview for Oct. 26.
Syracuse Orange
Syracuse has been a consistently solid team in the ACC the last few years, and it looks to get back on track after starting 0-3 against three of the best teams the conference has to offer.
Cuse finished at 4-4 in ACC play last season, so I would expect it to bounce back and start winning some games under head coach Dino Babers, who has been with the Orange since 2016.
The Orange have been solid on offense when it comes to scoring points, averaging 28.6 points per game with quarterback Garrett Shrader. The issue arrives when it comes to gaining available yards and staying on schedule. The Orange rank 94th in Success Rate on the ground and 67th through the air.
They have been just about average at everything offensively. While they're more than capable of scoring given some short fields, they will struggle to sustain long drives and put up points.
Defensively, Syracuse has been pretty stout this season. It allows an average of only 22 points per game and ranks 49th in Defensive Success Rate. These defensive stats are headlined by a top-10 Havoc ranking, proving this defense can fly around and create problems for opposing offenses.
The Orange have forced 12 turnovers this season through seven games, keeping the team’s overall turnover differential even. Forcing turnovers is always key and will be again in Blacksburg against a Virginia Tech team that ranks 89th in Havoc Allowed.
The Syracuse defense will need to show up in a big way in order for it to pick up its first conference win of the year, especially if that means making things easier on the offense.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech enters this one coming off a big home win over Wake Forest while sitting at 2-1 in conference play. Overall, the Hokies sit at 3-4 after a rough start to the season, but things are seemingly trending in the right direction for them.
The Hokies seem to always play better at home with a great atmosphere in Blacksburg.
That should help an offense that's been solid this season but hasn't quite been elite. Virginia Tech averages 24 points per game this season, but like Syracuse, it struggles to move the ball effectively, ranking 93rd overall in Offensive Success Rate.
This offense benefits greatly from its average starting field position, as the Hokies rank 59th nationally in that area. They also do a solid job of taking care of the football with only eight turnovers this season through seven games.
They'll need to take care of the ball this week and utilize the passing game effectively against a Cuse team that ranks middle-of-the-pack in Defensive Passing Success Rate.
Virginia Tech’s success all stems from its defense. While the Hokies allow 24 points per game, they rank 28th in Defensive Success Rate.
The discrepancy between points and Success Rate arises from their inability to limit the explosive play. Virginia Tech ranks 103rd in defensive explosiveness, which has plagued it in its losses.
Unfortunately for VT, Syracuse can take advantage of this weakness, as it comes in at 69th in offensive explosiveness. The Hokies will need to come into this game focused and limit the big play to find success.
Syracuse vs Virginia Tech
Betting Pick & Prediction
The real story of this game will be which mediocre offense can put up enough points to win the game.
Both of these defenses have proven to be stout, and I think Syracuse will struggle to take advantage of Virginia Tech’s inability to stop the big play, especially on the road.
Give me the under 47 in this one.
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Georgia State vs. Georgia Southern
By John Feltman
Thursday Night Football with the Fun Belt? And both teams have great offenses? Yes, please.
Let's head out to Statesboro, Georgia, where we have a terrific in-state Sun Belt Conference matchup. The Georgia Southern Eagles will look to build off of their win last week when they host the Georgia State Panthers.
These schools are a three-hour drive down I-75 away from each other, so these rivals will be extra juiced for this one. Plus, the winner of this game will be in the driver's seat for a seat in the Sun Belt Championship game.
These offenses sure know how to put some points on the board, but what's even more intriguing is the contrasting styles these teams possess.
Let's break down both of these teams and uncover the right betting angle with a prediction for Georgia State vs. Georgia Southern.
Georgia State Panthers
I was really impressed with Georgia State's defense last week, as it dominated the Louisiana trench from the opening kickoff.
The Panthers won the game, 20-17, and they seemed to have bounced back since their lone loss of the season against Troy on Sept. 30.
Louisiana managed to rack up only 289 total yards, and 124 of those were notably gained through the air — the majority of which came when the game was already out of reach.
This is something to keep in mind for this particular matchup since the Eagles are 132nd in rush rate. You can pretty much eliminate any run game from the equation, which should set up these Panthers pass-rushers nicely.
If you have yet to watch Georgia State this season, this Thursday evening is a great opportunity to do so. The rushing duo of quarterback Darren Grainger and tailback Marcus Carroll is as electric of a tandem as it gets.
Grainger wasn't too effective last week on the ground, managing only 18 yards rushing. However, he remained efficient through the air, completing 18-of-22 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.
It'll be interesting to see how the Panthers' rushing attack does against a stout Eagles front. Georgia Southern ranks 46th in Defensive Rushing Success Rate and 61st in Line Yards.
If the Panthers can establish the run game early, that'll set their passing offense up for even more success against a weak Eagles secondary. I like their chances of capitalizing past the 40-yard line, as the Eagles sit 105th in Defensive Finishing Drives.
Although I have concerns about the Panthers' secondary against this pass-heavy Eagles offense, I still believe they should cause some drives to stall. Despite ranking 99th in Defensive Havoc, Georgia State comes in at 50th in Defensive Finishing Drives.
Georgia Southern Eagles
I thought Georgia Southern would bounce back big last week against Louisiana-Monroe, and that was certainly the case in the early going. The Eagles got off to a hot start offensively, and they led 28-7 early on.
However, Clay Helton's team went to sleep in the second half, and at one point, their large lead was clipped to three with under 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Eagles ultimately held on to win, 38-28, but this second-half effort is something to monitor heading into this matchup.
This is a terrific matchup for quarterback Davis Brin to expose this awful Georgia State secondary. He has been a bit turnover-happy of late, which isn't too surprising given his history. However, I expect Brin to have plenty of time to throw and the Eagles to sustain long, successful drives against a Panthers defensive unit that struggles to keep teams out of the end zone.
Georgia Southern's lack of running plays should not change its offensive upside in this matchup, considering the Panthers' defensive strength lies in the trench.
Defensively, the Eagles could cause a few turnovers this evening. They rank 16th in Havoc, so getting into the backfield should set this Georgia State offense up for some long down and distances.
I was happy to see that Georgia Southern sits 26th in PFF tackling, which is massive against a Georgia State offense that relies on explosive run plays. If the Eagles are going to win this game, they will have to shut down the Panthers' rushing attack, which is the bread and butter of their offense.
Georgia State vs Georgia Southern
Betting Pick & Prediction
This is such a tough game to pick a side, so in a coin-flip type of matchup, I definitely lean with the home team. As much as I love Shawn Elliott's Panthers, I think the Eagles will get the job done at home.
I hate backing Brin to begin with, but I think he'll be able to take advantage of this weak Georgia State secondary. I'm also a fan of the Eagles' Havoc advantage on the defensive side of the ball, which should give the Panthers' rush-heavy offense fits all night long.
There's always the worry that the Eagles will take their foot off the gas once again, but I think Brin should finally clean up the turnovers this week. Georgia Southern will have to reach the end zone more often instead of settling for field goals, which is something that's been a struggle all season.
Ultimately, I think it's safe to back Helton's team at home here unless Carroll and Grainger go bananas on the ground. However, I have faith in this Eagles offense to carry the team even if that's the case.
