There isn’t all that much of a doubt that the Florida State Seminoles and the Virginia Tech Hokies are two of the best three teams in the ACC this year. That being said, one of them will rule supreme in what could prove to be as crucial of a Thursday night NCAA football betting battle as we will see this year. All 12 members of the ACC are going to be watching this one, as this could change the entire course of the season in both the Atlantic Division and the Coastal Division. The Hokies will play host to the Seminoles in what could prove to be a preview of yet another ACC Championship Game in 2012.

Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech Hokies Picks & Info
Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech Hokies Date: Thursday, November 8th
Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech Hokies Location: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA
Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech Hokies Spread: Florida State Seminoles (-3)

Florida State’s offense is going to have to be the difference in this game. QB EJ Manuel could be well on his way to a Heisman Trophy type of a season, and with the national spotlight shining in this standalone game on the college football TV schedule, there is no doubt that this could be the game that makes or breaks his campaign. This also could be vital from the standpoint that it might be the only thing separating the garnet and gold and a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. Barring a setback at home against Clemson or on the road against South Florida, NC State, or Miami (and yes, we know that that is a heck of a lot of “ifs”), this will likely be the only challenge left on the slate for the Noles. The defense took some massive strides last year, and though it is hard to measure exactly how many starters are really back from last year’s team, there is no doubt that there are at least 15 that are going to be back that were in the regular defensive rotation.

Florida State Seminoles vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Virginia Tech 44 – Florida State 33 (ACC Championship Game)
2008: Florida State 30 – Virginia Tech 20
2007: Virginia Tech 40 – Florida State 21
2005: Florida State 27 – Virginia Tech 22 (ACC Championship Game)
2002: Florida State 30 – Virginia Tech 17 (Gator Bowl)
2000: Florida State 46 – Virginia Tech 29 (National Championship Game)

The Hokies could also reasonably be undefeated at this point too, though they have the unfortunate task of having to travel to Clemson and Miami in back to back weeks before this one kicks off, and it is hard to imagine many teams being able to get through that stretch of schedule without a blunder somewhere along the way. That being said, the V-Tech defense is going to have to be up to the challenge of containing the Seminoles. The Hokies really didn’t do a good job of that two years ago in the conference title game, but they did get their offense going full bore. The problem? QB Logan Thomas is now calling the shots and not QB Tyrod Taylor, and the rushing attack has really been diminished as well with RB David Thomas no longer in Blacksburg.

Florida State @ Florida State Free Picks^^: This is a tough call. Lane Stadium is used to hosting these Thursday nighters, and more often than not, the Hokies are the ones that come out on top in these situations. Florida State probably has the slightly better team, but we think that this game is going to mean more to V-Tech. Don’t be shocked if the Seminoles come back and win the war in the ACC Championship Game, where we expect these two teams to be meeting later in the campaign, but with the venue set in Blacksburg in primetime, we definitely want the field goal on our side.

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