NC State opens as a road favorite at UVA
After NC State found itself back in its winning ways with a rout of the Virginia Military Institute, the Wolfpack opened as a large road favorite for its game at Virginia on Friday night Sept. 22 in a nationally televised contest on ESPN.
According to the opening line at Circa Sports, NC State is a 10-point favorite for its ACC opener against a winless Virginia team. The over/under is set at 47.5 points.
NC State is coming off an all-around dominant effort against VMI, in which all three phases scored a touchdown in the 45-7 win Saturday afternoon at Carter Finley-Stadium.
The Cavaliers, however, enter the contest off a 42-14 loss at Maryland in which the Terrapins scored 42 unanswered points to win in convincing fashion Friday night. Virginia has been outscored 47-3 in the fourth quarter this season. The Cavaliers have dropped contests to Tennessee, James Madison and Maryland to open the 2023 campaign in Year 2 of the Tony Elliott era.
NC State has failed to cover the spread through its first three games. The Wolfpack was a 14-point favorite at UConn — a 24-10 win — and a seven-point underdog to Notre Dame, a 21-point loss. This past weekend, NC State was a 40.5-point favorite, but fell just short of covering that.
Virginia, meanwhile, is 1-2 against the spread this fall. The ‘Hoos failed to cover against Tennessee and Maryland, but their 36-35 loss to JMU was enough to cover the point spread. While the spread hasn’t been kind to Virginia this season, it has hit the over in all three games the Cavaliers have played this season.
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This week’s game between the Cavaliers and Wolfpack will mark the first meeting since 2020, a 38-21 NC State win in Charlottesville. Current NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong played in limited action for Virginia, and was 6-of-9 passing for 57 yards with 2 interceptions.
Armstrong, who served as Virginia’s starter for three seasons, threw for 9,034 yards with 58 touchdowns and 35 interceptions during his time with the Cavaliers. The Shelby, Ohio, native holds the ‘Hoos’ career passing record and set the school record for most 200-yard games through the air.
The left-handed quarterback will return to Scott Stadium for the first time since he entered the transfer portal. Through three games with the Wolfpack, Armstrong has thrown for 679 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, while adding 3 rushing touchdowns.
NC State leads the all-time series 35-21 since its inception in 1904, and it has won the past two meetings. Virginia hasn’t beaten the Wolfpack since its 33-6 win at Carter-Finley Stadium in 2012. The Wolfpack are 18-12-1 against the Cavaliers as the road team — NC State’s last loss in Charlottesville came in a 14-7 defeat in Charlottesville in 2006.
