Orange Bowl

#12 Cincinnati vs #21 Virginia Tech
Dolphin Stadium, Miami
Thursday, January 1st 2009 - Kickoff 8:30 p.m

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These are the two stepsisters invited to the ball.

Virginia Tech : (9-4 SU, 5-7 ATS, Under 7-5)

The Hokies got an automatic berth as ACC champions, and although the conference failed to produce a national title contender, Virginia Tech had to run the gauntlet against some very good clubs to get here.

The Hokies are peaking at just the right time, as the freshman receivers have proven they can make the offense less one-dimensional, and they're giving quarterback Tyrod Taylor more options.

The Hokies also like to use QB Sean Glennon as a pocket-passing option, which gives them the kind of flexibility the last two champions from Florida and LSU enjoyed.

Tailback Darren Evans also has started to catch the ball out of the backfield a bit more, and Beamer has continued to praise freshman Dyrell Roberts, who played well against Boston College.

The Hokies had the #5-ranked strength of schedule in the nation this year while the Big East champion Bearcats clock in at #32.

Cincinnati : (11-2 SU, 6-6 ATS, Over 7-5)

The Big East has won three straight BCS games and would like nothing better than to defeat one of the three teams (along with Miami and Boston College) that bolted the league for the ACC before the 2005 season.

The Bearcats have a swift, ball-hawking defense with 10 starting seniors.

It's also been well documented how Cincinnati overcame all its quarterback issues this season. The Bearcats have a much better passing attack with quarterback Tony Pike and big-play receivers Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard.

Analysis

It's tough to pick which team is going to do well in this game as both team have a history of looking outmatched when finally getting to bowl games.

This is the second straight trip to the Orange Bowl for Virginia Tech; last year’s 24-21 loss to Kansas (+3) was the team’s fourth consecutive BCS bowl defeat while Cincinnati is 1-5 ATS in its last six bowl games.

The Bearcats have a decided edge in special teams and that could make the difference in a defense-dominated game.

The Verdict

This one will be close, but with the small handicap on offer, we prefer to have the Bearcats and their special teams on our side.

The Pick :

Virginia Tech 21-24 Cincinnati

HANDICAP BETTING :

Take the CINCINNATI BEARCATS to win and cover.