Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina Odds and Picks
We’ll have two Sunday games to watch in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, and one of them features an intriguing matchup between the Virginia Tech Hokies and South Carolina Gamecocks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georga. We’re going to be diving into some of the biggest college football games of the week this season, and this one isn’t any different. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds and picks for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 1 College Football Betting Hub for a look at all of our college football betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How to Watch Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
When: Sunday, August 31st at 3:00 pm ET
Channel: ESPN
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of 1:15 pm ET on Friday, August 29th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: South Carolina -298, Virginia Tech +240
Spread: South Carolina -7.5 (-108), Virginia Tech +7.5 (-112)
Total: Over 51.5 (-108), Under 51.5 (-112)
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina Analysis
Last season was a complete failure for Virginia Tech. The Hokies were considered an outside threat to compete in the ACC, but they finished 6-7 and head coach Brent Pry was forced to make sweeping changes to his coaching staff. Pry fired his offensive and defensive coordinators, opting to bring in fresh voices in Philip Montgomery and Sam Siefkes. Montgomery is a proven play caller at the college level, while Siefkes has been coaching in the NFL since 2021.
Virginia Tech did lose some talent in the offseason, but the hope is that changes in scheme and increased attention to detail will mean improvements on both sides of the ball. On offense, Kyron Drones, one of the most electric dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, is still around, giving Montgomery a fun toy to play with. And while the Hokies did lose some excellent football players on defense, they did add proven talent in the transfer portal.
Offensively, I think there’s a real shot the Hokies get to the Gamecocks. Virginia Tech’s offensive line should be solid after Pry hired line coach Matt Moore from West Virginia. Moore brought some of his guys over from Morgantown, so this unit should be pretty decent right away. And the Hokies will be working against a Gamecocks defense that lost pretty much everything from last year’s fantastic front seven. With that in mind, Virginia Tech should be able to have some success on the ground in this game — whether that’s with the running backs or Drones’ legs. Drones should also have time to throw, as South Carolina lost Kyle Kennard and his 11.5 sacks from last year.
If Drones does have time to set his feet, he should be able to hit on some passes down the field. Montgomery is going to want more throws beyond the sticks than we saw from the Hokies last year, and the Gamecocks lost two of their best defensive backs from a year ago.
Defensively, things will be a little tougher for Virginia Tech, as slowing down LaNorris Sellers won’t be easy. Sellers wasn’t perfect for all of last season, but he was close to it down the stretch. He improved a lot as a passer as the 2024 season progressed, and he really found a nice groove in November. Sellers is also one of the toughest running quarterbacks to bring down, as he’s quick, shifty and strong. That’s why he ran for 647 yards and seven scores last year. And overall, he was the engine that sparked a nine-win season after a five-win year in 2023.
The issue for Sellers is that South Carolina did lose three starters from last year’s offensive line. The Gamecocks will also be playing their first game with offensive coordinator Mike Shula running the show. Shula was on staff last year, but Sellers’ success came with Dowell Loggains, now the Appalachian State head coach, calling the plays. Worse blocking and less system familiarity could lead to a slower start than expected. And Siefkes, who is highly regarded as a defensive mind, will surely be aggressive in trying to make Sellers uncomfortable.
I will also point out that South Carolina is just 1-3 both straight-up and against the spread in neutral-field games under Shane Beamer, whose father is a Virginia Tech legend. Also, the Hokies are 9-6 ATS in their last 15 games as underdogs of 7 or more.
This is also a game in which there has been significant reverse line movement, according to our VSiN betting splits pages. The public is all over South Carolina after last year’s tremendous season, but the Gamecocks have gone from -10 to -7.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. That suggests heavy sharp money on the Hokies.
As far as the total goes, the total is up at 51.5 after opening at 45.5 when lines first came out. Though the number is down a little from 52.5, which is where it was on Thursday. I don’t have a real lean either way there.
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina Prediction
On Thursday, August 28th, I gave out Virginia Tech +8 as one of my Week 1 college football best bets, which live on the VSiN Pro Picks page. That number isn’t out there anymore, as it’s down to 7.5. However, I’m good with taking the Hokies at that number. I see this being a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Perhaps South Carolina gets it home from there, but having the points should be the right move.
Bet: Virginia Tech +8 (-110)
