California vs. Virginia Tech Prediction and Picks for Friday, October 24th, 2025
Use Code SSWC The college football weekend opens up with a Friday night ACC clash, as the California Golden Bears (5-2, 2-1 ACC) make the trip out east to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-5, 1-2 ACC). We’ve got you covered with our California vs. Virginia Tech prediction. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 ET from Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA. Don’t get sacked this football season! Try our College Football Picks!
Bears Playing Well, Climb To 5-2
Coach Justin Wilcox is in his ninth season as the lead man of the California Golden Bears football program, and he has posted a 47-52 (25-44 CONF) record over the years. This is the team’s second season in the ACC, and the Bears are looking competitive so far. They’re 5-2, notching notable victories over Oregon State (34-15), Minnesota (27-14), Boston College (28-24), and North Carolina (21-18), most recently. From a sports betting perspective, they’ve gone 3-4 ATS and 5-2 to the under.
In terms of personnel, it’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele leading the offense this season. The freshman has been serviceable, but not overpowering. He enters the weekend with 1,696 yards on a 60.9% completion rate, adding 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Sagapolutele’s top targets in the passing game are WRs Jacob De Jesus (406 yards, 3 TD) and Trond Grizzell (400 yards, 1 TD). RB Kendrick Raphael has spearheaded the rushing attack, gaining 495 yards and five touchdowns on 115 carries (4.3 YPC).
- At 2-1 in ACC play, Cal is priced at +10000 to win the conference championship.
- Offensively, the Bears are scoring 21.8 points per game (95th), while averaging 322.8 yards per week (112th).
- Defensively, they are 61st in the country this year, conceding 25.0 points per game. They’re allowing 345.7 yards per contest, which is 37th.
Hokies Slide to 2-5 in Ugly 2025 Season
Meanwhile, the 2025 campaign has been filled with turmoil for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Coach Brent Pry got fired after an 0-3 start, losing games to #13 South Carolina (24-11), Vanderbilt (44-20), and Old Dominion (45-26). This paved the way for interim coach Philip Montgomery to take the reins. The Hokies are 2-2 under Coach Montgomery, and they sit at 2-5 overall with a conference mark of 1-2. They’ve lost consecutive contests to Wake Forest (30-23) and #13 Georgia Tech (35-20). The recent loss to Georgia Tech was on October 11th, meaning Virginia Tech will be entering this game off of a bye. They’re 1-6 ATS this season, while seeing four of their seven games go under the total.
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Senior quarterback Kyron Drones is back under center this season, and it has been a mediocre campaign for him. The signal caller has thrown for 1,397 yards on a 60.5% completion rate, adding 11 touchdowns and five picks. Drones also has 277 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. RB Marcellous Hawkins is the lead back with 364 yards and a touchdown on 64 totes (5.7 YPC). Out wide, WRs Ayden Greene (331 yards, 1 TD) and Donavon Greene (274 yards, 2 TD) lead the way.
- Virginia Tech’s offense has been mediocre this season, ranking 101st in scoring (20.5 PPG), while putting up 342.2 yards per game (94th).
- On the defensive side, the Hokies are 110th this season, allowing 33.2 points per game. In terms of yardage, they’re 93rd, conceding 412.0 yards per contest.
California vs. Virginia Tech Pick
Spread Pick for California vs. Virginia Tech
- California Bears +4.5 (-110) (5 units)
This line opened at California +2.5, and it has since been bet out to Cal +4.5. I can understand the movement, and I would probably say Cal +3.0 is appropriate for this type of game. So, being that I can get +4.5, I’ll gladly take a flier on the Golden Bears in this spot.
Mostly, I have no interest in laying more than a field goal’s worth of points with Virginia Tech. They’ve gone 2-5 SU this season, with their wins coming against FCS Wofford and (38-6) and an NC State team (23-21) that’s trending downward heavily. As you can see, the Hokies only beat the Wolfpack by two points. They might win this game, but I don’t expect it to be by more than 5 points. Tech is just 1-7 ATS in its last eight games, as well as 3-9 SU in its last 12. They’re also 109th in turnover margin per game (-0.7), compared to Cal’s mark of 54th (+0.2). I have to take the Bears plus the points here.
Over/Under Pick for California vs. Virginia Tech
- Over 49.5 (-115) (5 units)
I’ll play the over in this game. Building on my case to back Cal, they’ll also have a pretty favorable matchup on offense. They’re taking on a Tech defense that is allowing 33.2 points per game against FBS-level opposition (110th). The Hokies have conceded 30+ points in two straight games, as well as in four of their seven games overall in 2025. The Bears are a pass-heavy team, throwing the ball on 55.7% of their plays (22nd). They’ll face a Hokies defense that is 131st in opposing completion percentage (70.4%)! Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele should pick apart this defense all night.
On the flip side, the Hokies do have a veteran quarterback in Kyron Drones. With an extra week of prep and a home-field advantage, he’s in a good spot to put up some points as well. A 27-24 final is well within reach, and I won’t be surprised if we skew higher and see both teams eclipse the 30-point threshold.
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