After finishing the regular season 6-6, the Virginia Tech Hokies take on the 11-2 Tulane Green Wave as 10.5-point favorites in a game with a 44.5-point total. Let’s dive into our Virginia Tech-Tulane odds, pick and prediction for this year’s Military Bowl. If you’re looking for more college football bets, check out our college football betting tools and our guide to betting on football.
Military Bowl Pick: Virginia Tech-Tulane Bet
Military Bowl Odds
Odds via bet365
Virginia Tech: -390 | Tulane: +310
Virginia Tech -10.5: -110 | Tulane +10.5: -110
Over 44.5: -110 | Under 44.5: -110
Expert: Matt Gajewski
Time: Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET
Virginia Tech-Tulane News & Notes
Virginia Tech Absences: CB Derrick Canteen, TE Daequan Wright, WR Da’Wain Lofton
Virginia Tech Coaching Changes: N/A
Tulane Absences: QB Michael Pratt, WR Jha’Quan Jackson, WR Lawrence Keys III, WR Chris Brazzell II, CB DJ Douglas, CB Kentrell Webb, LB Corey Platt Jr., OL Prince Pines, Edge Darius Hodges, CB Jalen Moore
Tulane Coaching Changes: HC Willie Fritz
Virginia Tech-Tulane Comparison
| Metric | Virginia Tech | Tulane |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | 98th | 109th |
| Overall Offense | 90th | 41st |
| Run Blocking | 109th | 48th |
| Pass Blocking | 95th | 100th |
| Pass Rate | 99th | 112th |
| Overall Defense | 75th | 28th |
| Run Defense | 117th | 31st |
| Pass Rush | 7th | 26th |
| Coverage | 85th | 45th |
Military Bowl Pick & Prediction
The 6-6 Virginia Tech Hokies take on the 11-2 Tulane Green Wave as 10.5 point favorites. At full strength Tulane is the likely favorite but will play this game without multiple players, while Virginia Tech remains fairly healthy. Additionally, head coach Willie Fritz already took the Houston job, raising motivation questions and explaining the current spread.
Starting with the Tulane offense, the Green Wave lost quarterback Michael Pratt and pass catchers Jha’Quan Jackson, Lawrence Keys III, and Chris Brazzell II, to some combination of the NFL, transfer portal, or injury. With backup quarterback Kai Horton also in the portal, Tulane will rely on third stringer Justin Ibieta or Horton himself, who has elected to remain with the team until the bowl concludes. Ibieta has actually played at times for Tulane in the past. He has solid mobility and relatively efficient pass numbers on a small sample. Unfortunately, he will be throwing to unproven receivers behind an offensive line that ranked 100th in pass blocking. With so much uncertainty in the pass game, Tulane may elect to lean on freshman 1,000-yard rusher Makhi Hughes.
If Tulane focuses on the run, this could be an avenue to success. Virginia Tech ranks 117th in run defense and 75th in overall defensive efficiency. However, this defense remains healthy, losing only corner Derrick Canteen to the portal. Motivation could be lacking for Virginia Tech in a meaningless game, but the Tulane offense and Hokies defense project as weakness on weakness.
On offense, Virginia Tech will rely on dual threat signal caller Kyron Drones. Drones rushed for 642 yards this season, while completing 57.4% of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt. Virginia Tech lost a few depth players from their offense, but most of their key contributors remain in place. This group features Da’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane, who combined for 1,191 receiving yards. Running back Bhayshul Tuten also notched 947 all purpose yards at the running back position.
As for Tulane’s defense, this unit will deal with multiple departures, including edge Darius Hodges, corner Jalen Moore, corner DJ Douglas, corner Kentrell Webb, and linebacker Corey Platt Jr.. The biggest concern remains the front-seven losses. Drones hasn’t always shown the ability to win through the air, making Virginia Tech’s run game exceedingly important. With vulnerabilities up front, the Hokies should find success through their run game.
Military Bowl Pick & Prediction and our Virginia Tech-Tulane Bet: Virginia Tech -10.5 (-110) at bet365
