There are a few reasons to like Virginia Tech

It is always a difficult challenge for oddsmakers to come up with an enticing line for a game involving a team that suffered a heartbreaking defeat the week before. That’s the case for tonight’s college football game featuring Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech.

The Hokies (6-2) will be looking to bounce back after giving up two touchdowns in the final 2 minutes 17 seconds in a 14-10 loss to Boston College last week. They are listed as three-point underdogs against the Yellow Jackets (5-3).

The bad news for Virginia Tech supporters is the team’s 2-5 record against the spread this season and a 1-4 mark against the spread in its last five games against a team with a winning record.

But the Hokies will have freshman quarterback Tyrod Taylor back after he was sidelined because of an ankle injury. Taylor, 5-0 as a starter, is expected to share time with Sean Glennon, who played the entire game against Boston College.

Virginia Tech will also be facing a banged-up Georgia Tech team that has won two games in a row but will be without two key injured running backs in Tashard Choice and Rashaun Grant.

The Yellow Jackets, who are 3-3-1 against the spread this season, will turn to Jonathan Dwyer and Jamaal Evans to carry a ground attack that rushed for 292 yards in a 34-10 victory over Army last week.

For those who still hold out hope that USC will regain form and win the remainder of its games while teams ranked ahead of the Trojans fall apart, Coach Pete Carroll’s team is listed at 100-1 to win this season’s BCS championship game, according to Sportsbook.com’s latest odds release.

Ohio State has the best odds at 3-2, followed by Louisiana State at 9-4. Oregon is at 5-1 with Oklahoma at 6-1 and West Virginia at 10-1. Two undefeated teams in Arizona State and Boston College are listed at 7-1 and 9-1 respectively.

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Baseball

The champaign-soaked uniforms of the Boston Red Sox may not yet be dry, but oddsmakers have already made them favorites to repeat as World Series champions next season at +500, according to Sportsbook.com.

The New York Yankees are No. 2 at +600. Cleveland and Detroit are tied at No. 3 at +1,000, followed by the Angels, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York Mets at +1,200.

Which teams have the worst odds? Washington at +30,000, and Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay at +20,000.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com