After a second bye week in three weeks, the Virginia Tech football team will play the first of its final three games of the 2025 season on Saturday night against Florida State on the road. This is a matchup that could be considered the "James Franklin Sweepstakes" for the loser.
Franklin has been linked to the Virginia Tech opening, while many believe that if FSU moves on from Mike Norvell following the season, it could be a landing spot for Franklin. A Seminoles win moves them one game closer to becoming bowl-eligible, and would that be enough to save Norvell's job?
Florida State is 4-5 and coming off a 24-10 loss to Clemson on the road last Saturday night, and they opened up as a massive 12.5 favorite over the Hokies on Sunday at DraftKings. Since that day, the line has moved in favor of FSU, and it currently sits at 14 points at the time this article is being written
Point spread trending against Virginia Tech
Why is the line moving up against Virginia Tech? There could be many factors, but one of the biggest might be Florida State's 4-2 home record. That's right, they have won all of their games inside Doak Campbell Stadium in 2025. If they beat the Hokies, then they'll need to win one of their last two games, both on the road, at North Carolina State and Florida.
Going back to Saturday night's matchup, Virginia Tech will have a depleted roster heading down to Florida and facing a physical and talented FSU team. The Seminoles will have Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos under center, and he is someone whom Tech has had a lot of success against over the last two years when he was at BC.
However, he has more talented players around him at Florida State, despite their 4-5 record. Another factor is Virginia Tech's offense, which struggles through the air with QB Kyron Drones. Their running game has been good, but expect Norvell and FSU to look to shut that down. It will also be Florida State's last home game in 2025.
All of this adds up to a Hokies loss, but that's why they play it on the field.