Earlier this year, Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock told his board that the Hokies (2-5, 1-2 ACC) needed more resources to be competitive in the ACC consistently, especially on the football field.
The disparity on the football field has been apparent this season. Virginia Tech has struggled mightily, and Babcock fired Brent Pry after the Hokies lost to Old Dominion in September. Interim head coach Philip Montgomery has led the school to a 2-2 mark since, earning a road win over NC State to show progress.
After losing two straight games, Virginia Tech will attempt to stop the California Golden Bears (5-2, 2-1 ACC) in a rare Friday night football contest for the Hokies. Can the visiting conference foe continue its strong season, or will Virginia Tech stop its losing streak? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this primetime matchup.
Before the season began, Virginia Tech fans believed quarterback Kyron Drones would have a breakthrough year. The senior signal-caller has completed over 60 percent of his passes for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he’s also thrown five picks in those games.
He’s posted middling stats against Power 4 opponents. In those five games, he’s averaging under 165 passing yards, completing just over 53 percent of his passes. The Golden Bears will continue that trend on Friday night, keeping Drones from reaching the 195-yard plateau needed to cover his player prop bet.
Cal’s wins have come over Power 4 programs, including double-digit wins over Oregon State and Minnesota. Their latest win – a 21-18 squeaker over North Carolina – is perhaps the most concerning victory.
That was an aberration for senior wide receiver Trond Grizzell. The 6-foot-4 athlete has been his team’s leading receiver in five of their seven outings, posting catches of 22 or more yards five times. Yet North Carolina held him without a catch last week. Bettors should expect him to rebound against the Hokies, and Grizzell will cover his player prop wager.
Junior running back Kendrick Raphael isn’t a household name, but the 5-foot-11 Cal running back could be playing on Sundays soon. In 2025, he’s earning more than four yards per carry, and he’s amassed 495 rushing yards and five touchdowns through seven games.
He’s been hit or miss this season, however. In four outings, he’s amassed 67 or more yards. In three other games, he’s finished with fewer than 50 yards. Which running back should bettors expect to take the field on Friday night?
The type of runner that surpasses his player prop mark. Virginia Tech just surrendered more than 260 rushing yards to Georgia Tech. That bodes well for the Golden Bears and Raphael to have a big Friday night performance.
Bettors can lean on one statistic more pretty regularly: teams struggle when traveling to the opposite coast. Teams doing that in the Big Ten Conference went a pathetic 6-22 in those games last year.
And this year hasn’t been any better for teams traveling multiple time zones. Stanford was destroyed when it came to Virginia earlier this season, but that same Cardinal team upset Florida State in a home contest last week.
The Golden Bears fall into that category on Friday. Yet Cal won its earlier “mega road” game, defeating Boston College on the road. That’s why bettors should take advantage of oddsmakers’ generosity and pick the underdog Bears to win against the struggling Hokies.