I received an e-mail today from a fellow who works for a well-known online gambling service. He was passing along betting odds related to Virginia Tech football. Now, I’m not one to shill, and I could see right through what this guy was doing. He wanted me to publish the odds and include his service’s name—a free ad, a cheap come-on, as if I was running some sort of idiots’ picnic in this space.

But I know lots of you are inclined to burn a little cash every now and then on college football. No problem there. Would I ever bet on college football? No, no, a thousand times no. Ethics issues. That said, I do enjoy playing the ponies at The Greatest Sporting Venue In America (if you can resist the dulcet tones of a one Thomas Durkin, you have no pulse). 

So here now, without the name of the online gambling service (you can figure it out if you really want to use these), are some Tech odds ...

To win the national title—22/1 (USC is the favorite at 2/1)

To win the Coastal Division—11/10

To win the ACC title game—6/5

In more savory news, here’s another Tom Durkin call for the road, gang. Later.