Bodog Beat

This was a bad year for the Big East and the ACC. (Wikimedia Images)

But that’ll be forgiven if the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-2 SU, 6-6 ATS) and the Virginia Tech Hokies (9-4 SU, 5-7 ATS) put on the kind of New Year’s Day extravaganza they’re both capable of at the Orange Bowl.

Virginia Tech is a 2-point underdog at Dolphin Stadium. The Hokies are coming off a 30-12 victory over Boston College (+1) at the ACC title game, while the Bearcats were flat in their 29-24 win at Hawaii (+7.5). The Warriors were up 24-10 in the fourth quarter before handing Cincinnati a touchdown and a safety.

This is the second straight trip to the Orange Bowl (8:15 p.m., FOX, with live betting) for Virginia Tech; last year’s 24-21 loss to Kansas (+3) was the team’s fourth consecutive BCS bowl defeat. Cincinnati is 1-5 ATS in its last six bowl games.