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is favored by a touchdown for tonight’s primetime showdown at the Georgia Dome, but I’m high on the Hokies to take down the Tide.

Yes, I know what happened last season when Alabama stomped on a highly-hyped Clemson team in Atlanta to kickstart their terrific season, but this team is underhyped, if anything, and it’ll be a much different story tonight.

That Alabama team turned out to be pretty darn good, and while this one is too, the Tide have a new, inexperienced starter at quarterback in and new starters on the offensive line, which is something that I see a very talented Virginia Tech front four being able take advantage of.

Offensively, Virginia Tech just needs to play efficiently and be opportunistic. Even if Darren Evans was able to play tonight, the Hokies might have found the going hard against a strong run defense, so his loss isn’t exactly the death blow for their offensive gameplan. Redshirt freshman Ryan Williams was named the starter yesterday, but Josh Oglesby and David Wilson will both get carries, and depending on how Frank Beamer chooses to distribute the touches, he could have a running game that may not be prolific, but effective.

Of course, Evans’ loss does put the onus on to be ‘the man’, and this is his chance to really prove his worth now that he’s the undisputed #1 under center. Alabama will no doubt look to neutralize the threat posed by his speed and force him to make things happen through the air, but instead of trying to force things, he needs to be a game-manager and take what’s given to him.

Scoring chances won’t be plentiful for either side, and the defense and special teams units might account for as many touchdowns as the offenses do. The turnover and field position battles will be a key, and with Virginia Tech’s reputation for making plays on special teams and Alabama having the most dangerous return man in the country in Javier Arenas, one big special teams play can make all the difference in whose season gets off to a winning start.

Alabama has a defense that will be one of the nation’s best, but so will Virginia Tech. But the X-factor for me will be the Hokies’ ability to cause problems for Alabama’s new quarterback.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 13, Alabama 10

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