Undefeated Pitt and Virginia Tech Battle for ACC Supremacy

There is an old adage that you don't really know what a college football team is until October. We are now there with a tripleheader of action on the first Friday of the new month, and that slate is clearly headlined by an early big game in the ACC. It's almost a prove-it matchup between unbeaten teams as Pittsburgh visits Virginia Tech . The winner would own a huge early tiebreaker for that second spot in the ACC title game with nearly everyone expecting Miami to make it in.  Bet on college football at DraftKings, where new users get $150 in bonuses when they spend $5+:

It's a 7 p.m. ET kick on ESPN at Lane Stadium. The weather in Blacksburg via weather.com: Mostly cloudy skies early then periods of showers late. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. At DraftKings , 85% of the handle and 59% of the bets are on Virginia Tech -2.5, while there is split action on the total of 54.5.

There are 22 unbeaten teams still standing in the FBS, and this is one of two games this week pairing two of them along with No. 7 Alabaman vs. No. 17 Mississippi State on Saturday. Pitt and Virginia Tech are two of nine teams that are both unbeaten and unranked, although the winner will likely be in Monday's new polls.

Don't believe me on the prove-it part? Believe it or not, this is the first game in modern college football history between unranked power conference teams that are both 4-0 or better. In fact, it's the first matchup nationally between unranked teams that are both 4-0 or better since 1985.

"I think there's biases out there," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said this week about neither team being ranked. "I think it's a joke, quite honestly, the preseason rankings."

You can try  college football betting  on the  best sports betting apps , but first you should check out the  SportsLine Projection Model  for picks on games from both the simulations and our  experts . We have a strong play here for those who want to get into  parlay betting  for Pitt vs. Virginia Tech.

Pitt vs. Virginia Tech same-game parlay

- Hokies alt +3.5 - Alt Under 57.5

DrafKings price: +117 (subject to change)

Miami is clearly the class of the ACC thus far. It hosts both of these clubs later in the season and is given a 69% shot by the SportsLine Projection Model of winning the league title for the first time. The Hurricanes are -350 favorites at DraftKings. Whether the ACC gets a second team into the College Football Playoff may come down to how the winner of this game fares the rest of the way with Louisville and SMU already holding league losses.

Currently, the model gives Pitt the second-best chance to win the ACC at 6.7% and the third-best shot in the league of reaching the playoff at 18.2%. DK has the Panthers at +1950 to win the ACC and +900 to reach the CFP for the first time.

When you think of Pitt in recent years under Narduzzi, you probably think of defense. But he has one of the ACC's most interesting quarterbacks in sophomore Mason Heintschel , who is +14000 to win the Heisman Trophy as he seeks to lead the Panthers to only their second 5-0 start in the past 35 seasons.

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Which 2026 Heintschel will we get? In two games vs. non-power schools this season, blowouts of Miami of Ohio and Bucknell , he's averaging 428.0 passing yards per game with 13 passing TDs and no interceptions. In his two games against power schools, wins over UCF and Syracuse , he's averaging 167.5 pass yards with zero TDs and a pick.

Heintschel had at least six pass TDs in both those wins, becoming the first QB in ACC history with multiple six-pass TD games in a season. No QB had done it nationally since Bailey Zappe in 2021. This is the Panthers' first road game, and I believe that's absolutely a big deal. You can only simulate those conditions so much.

I don't want to completely forget about Narduzzi's defense as that unit is still excellent. It's allowing just 8.5 PPG, third in the FBS. The Panthers have yet to allow a point in the first or third quarter. The Hokies are second in the ACC in scoring at 43.3 PPG.

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Virginia Tech looks reborn already under first-year coach James Franklin, formerly of Penn State – and he brought some players with him via the transfer portal. The Hokies are 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and haven't started 5-0 since 2005. The model gives them a 5.0% shot to win the ACC and a 19.0% chance to make the playoff, behind only Miami in the league. DraftKings has Virginia Tech at +1500 to win the ACC and +700 to make the playoff.

Junior QB Ethan Grunkemeyer is one of those players who followed Franklin from State College, and he has been great in completing 74.3% of his throws for 1,012 yards, eight TDs and no INTs – his streak of 234 consecutive pass attempts without an interception is the longest active in the FBS. Meanwhile, Franklin's defense will get after Heintschel as Virginia Tech leads the FBS with 45 tackles for loss and is third nationally with 17 sacks. VT totaled 19 sacks last season.

Narduzzi and Franklin had little love for each other from when Pitt and Penn State faced off. The first signature win of Narduzzi's tenure with the Panthers was a 42-37 upset of Franklin's Nittany Lions in 2016. But Franklin won the other three matchups. Pitt and Virginia Tech haven't met since 2023.

I essentially flipped the spread to where now we are covered on a last-second Pitt win on a field goal. Hopefully that weather will move in a bit earlier to keep the scoring down, and the Under is 5-1 in the Panthers' past six. I trust that Pitt defense to play well at least, but Heintschel has had his issues vs. big-boy teams. The SportsLine Projection Model has Tech prevailing 29-24.  Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter .

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/pittsburgh-vs-virginia-tech-odds-picks-parlay-winner-would-become-serious-acc-title-game-threat/)._