As part of our preview coverage for Virginia’s week one matchup against the Richmond Spiders here’s who you should keep your eye on from both squads. 

#4 Chris Tyree – WR – Virginia

The Notre Dame transfer will don the orange and blue for the first time on Saturday and will look to deliver a breakout performance. Tyree has received extensive comparisons to Malik Washington who recorded 110 receptions for 1,426 yards, and nine touchdowns in 2023. Tyree recorded 26 catches for 426 yards in South Bend last year and with a pass-happy offense led by quarterback Anthony Colandrea, Tyree will look to take on a larger workload in Charlottesville. Tyree is also expected to take on the role as the Virginia kickoff returner so look out for him there as well. 

#5 Kobe Pace – RB – Virginia

Pace is set to be the starting tailback for the Cavaliers with the former Clemson transfer receiving a lot of praise for his efforts and work ethic in camp. So look out for the Cavaliers to establish the run early and look for Pace to take on the majority of the workload. Pace is seeking to reestablish his 2021 sophomore season where he averaged 6.16 yards a carry. 

Read more about Kobe Pace here: Virginia RB Kobe Pace Makes Big Strides in Preseason Camp

#15 Chico Bennett Jr. – DE – Virginia

The defensive end is also hoping to get out to a strong start in the season opener as the graduate student looks to, similar to Pace, reestablish old form. In 2022, Bennett Jr. led the Cavaliers with seven sacks and with Richmond giving up 39 sacks last season, he has an opportunity to start the year on a high note. 

#29 Kempton Shine – DB – Virginia

The Eastern Michigan transfer is coming off of an impressive fall camp, receiving praise from Tony Elliott, and will look to display his talents in his first game in the orange and blue. Shine left Eastern Michigan with 27 pass deflections, the second-most in program history. 

Read more about Kempton Shine here: Virginia CB Kempton Shine Impresses in First Fall Camp as a Cavalier

#11 Nick DeGennaro – WR – Richmond

DeGennaro was second team All-CAA last year and was recently named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List. In 2023, DeGennaro recorded 71 receptions for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns and will look to be a standout against Richmond as he faces off against Virginia’s corners.

#21 Jabril Hayes – DB – Richmond

Hayes received All-Conference honors last season in a year where he recorded three interceptions and five pass deflections. Against the Hoos, Hayes will look to disrupt Colandrea as the sophomore quarterback looks to find rhythm in the season opener as the junior looks to continue to build chemistry with his group of wideouts.

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West Virginia is looking to make a statement at home and to avenge last season’s loss as it welcomes Penn State in this Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup to open the 2024 college football season on Saturday.

Expect both teams to run the ball with authority, an area of expertise for these offenses.

Penn State returns its two-headed backfield of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen to help out as quarterback Drew Allar finds his deep ball.

West Virginia gets quarterback Garrett Greene and rushers Jaheim White and CJ Donaldson back, a combination that ranked third nationally with 229 yards per game a year ago.

What do the analytics say about the matchup? For that, let’s turn to the SP+ prediction model to forecast the game as Penn State and West Virginia renew their rivalry.

The simulations favor Penn State to come away with a sizable victory in the Week 1 matchup.

SP+ predicts the Nittany Lions will defeat the Mountaineers by a projected score of 34 to 20 and to win the game by an expected 13.9 points.

The model expects Penn State to win outright with 81 percent likelihood.

SP+ is a “tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” that attempts to predict game outcomes by measuring “the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.”

Penn State is an 8.5 point favorite against West Virginia, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook, which set the total at 51.5 points for the game.

FanDuel set the moneyline odds for Penn State at -310 and for West Virginia at +245.

If you’re using this projection to bet on the game, you should take…

Other analytic tools also favor Penn State to come away from West Virginia with the win.

That includes College Football Power Index, a computer prediction model that uses data points from both teams to simulate games 20,000 times and pick winners.

The index favors Penn State to win the game in 77.7 percent of its simulations, while West Virginia came out the projected winner in the remaining 22.3 percent of sims.

The model projects Penn State to be 13.8 points better than West Virginia on the same field, also good enough to cover the 8.5 point spread.

When: Sat., Aug. 31
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: Fox network

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Matthew Able, a four-star guard out of Fort Lauderdale, is one of the Hokies’ targets in the 2025 class. Able has been climbing up national ranks across the summer, picking up offers from Baylor, Michigan, and Miami over the summer.

Able holds 18 offers according to 247Sports, with the full list of schools including: Virginia Tech, Miami, Wake Forest, Northwestern, Baylor, Boston College, Michigan, Xavier, Brown, Dartmouth, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia, Georgia State, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New Mexico State, St. John’s, and Stetson.

He recently narrowed down his list of schools, and announced that he would make his commitment decision on Friday, August 30th. His final list of schools includes Baylor, Boston College, Miami, Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Xavier.

Able has described his interest in Virginia Tech, declaring, “I really like Virginia Tech. I would definitely say it’s a place I can come in and get a chance to play serious minutes and it’s another really good academic school.”

He is set to make an official visit to Blacksburg on October 4th, and he has also taken visits to Northwestern on August 1st, Wake Forest on August 2nd, and Miami on August 23rd.

Able has emerged among some of the best in the 2025 recruiting class over the summer, showing out for Austin Rivers SE Elite. Able dropped 35 points and seven rebounds against Southern Assault, home of four-star Caleb Steger, who also holds an offer from Virginia Tech.

Able is a relentless shot-first scorer who is extremely confident on the floor, and has no problem putting shots up, especially in clutch moments. Able is equally competitive on the defensive side, and is a very physical player in all facets of the game. His game is really balanced, but is highlighted by his high motor and relentlessness on offense. A really good athlete who would be a solid addition to the 2025 recruiting class, could be a potential top scorer in the nation at the collegiate level.