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The final day of 2019 kicks off with the Belk Bowl between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Kentucky Wildcats.
This will be the last game for Virginia Tech’s longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster, so the Hokies will have somewhat of a motivation factor with that. Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker was put into the starting lineup, and the Hokies scored 30 or more points in six of his seven starts.
It’s certainly been an unusual season for Kentucky, which lost its starting quarterback Terry Wilson the second game of the season. Sawyer Smith started a few games for the Wildcats before they decided to shift wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. to quarterback. He will be headed to the NFL after this game. Not many passes have been thrown by Kentucky this year.
Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming
The Belk Bowl will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and can be seen on ESPN and WatchESPN.
Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends
Spread: Virginia Tech (-2) vs. Kentucky
Point Total: 46.5 O/U (-110)
Money line: Hokies (-130), Wildcats (+107)
- Kentucky is 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games.
- The total went under in six of Kentucky’s last nine games.
- Virginia Tech is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games.
- The total went under in four of Virginia Tech’s last five games.
The Best Bet
I think we have a case of the wrong team being favored here. Kentucky may run the ball 40 times this game, but it’s an offense that worked down the stretch, averaging 44.3 points the last three games. The Wildcats are going to cover this number, and they are going to win this game by 10 points. Take Kentucky on the money line. If you don’t feel like taking that risk, go after the Wildcats on the spread.
Pick: Kentucky +2
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