Virginia Tech and Maryland will renew their old series from when they were both members of the ACC when they square off in Wednesday's Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The two were in the ACC from 2004-14 before Maryland left to join the Big Ten.
The Terrapins are fresh off of a 40-16 shellacking of Rutgers in their regular-season finale, which sent them into bowl practices on a high note after losing five of their last six going into the game vs. the Scarlet Knights. The Hokies topped rival Virginia 29-24 to close out a 6-6 regular season that included the dismissal of coach Justin Fuente in mid-November.
What should you expect to see in the Bronx? Let's break down the matchup and make picks straight up and against the spread.
Maryland vs. Virginia Tech: Need to know
Hokies running game heated up: The Virginia Tech running game hit its stride during the second half of the season. The Hokies rushed for 227 yards or more in five of their last six games, including 320 in their win over Virginia. Raheem Blackshear put up 169 of those yards and averaged 9.39 yards per attempt against the Cavaliers, which established their identity going into the bowl layoff. Blackshear will be off to the NFL after the game, and there's no doubt that he will want to go out in style.
No Braxton Burmeister: The 12-game starter under center announced his intent to enter the transfer portal last week despite throwing for 1,960 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Hokies. It was reported that he still wanted to play in the bowl game but was told that he should go ahead and move on by the Virginia Tech staff. With Burmeister out, expect Blackshear to shoulder the load even more than he normally does.
Big stage for Taulia Tagovailoa: The redshirt sophomore for the Terrapins has set numerous program records in his short time with coach Mike Locksley, and the big stage in the Big Apple will be huge toward the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder stepping out of his older brother Tua's shadow and setting the stage for a potential Heisman Trophy run in 2022. He has 3,595 passing yards and 24 touchdowns through 12 games, and sliced-and-diced Rutgers to the tune of 312 yards and three touchdowns the last time he stepped between the white lines.
How to watch Pinstripe Bowl live
Game: Pinstripe Bowl
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 29 | Time: 2:15 p.m. ET
Location: Yankee Stadium -- New York
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Pinstripe Bowl prediction, picks
I'll take the Terps to win and cover in what should be a very interesting game. Blackshear will be the focal point for Maryland's defense, and it'll do enough to slow down what should be an incredibly one-dimensional Hokies squad. Plus, college football is an offensively-driven sport these days, and Maryland has the explosiveness to get Virginia Tech outside of its comfort zone. Prediction: Maryland (-3.5)
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