The big Week Zero matchup between Georgia Tech and Florida State is less than seven weeks away.
The Yellow Jackets and Seminoles will face off in the biggest college football game of Week Zero and will benefit from the presence of ESPN’s College Gameday. With a win over the defending ACC champions, Georgia Tech could announce itself as an underdog in the ACC.
Since betting opened, Florida State has been a double-digit favorite over Georgia Tech, with most bookmakers having the Seminoles as 13.5-point favorites. Currently, at Fanduel Sportsbook, Florida State is a 12.5-point favorite over the Yellow Jackets.
I’ve been saying for a few months that Georgia Tech has a much better chance of winning this game than most people care to admit, and on an episode of Late Kick with Josh Pate, he talked about the possibility of the Yellow Jackets pulling off an upset over the Seminoles:
“So this is one of those week zero games, I’m not a big fan of week zero as a concept, but it’s happening. Georgia Tech over FSU, how bold is that to you? It’s only an 8.25 to me. The line on this game is FSU -12.5, FSU has a new quarterback, they’re only 90th or something in return production. Georgia Tech on the other hand is coming off one of their best years in a while, they’re top 10 in return production, Haynes King is still the quarterback there so the advantage of quarterback experience is on Georgia Tech’s side. You felt something last year with them and they had some close losses too, a lot of their losses were close so maybe they’re a program that’s closer than people give them credit for. Good running game, it’s a good time to play FSU while they’re still learning to peel the sticker off a lot of the new pieces they got. I’m not ready to pick the matchup, but it’s only an 8.25 for me on the audacity scale. It’s “This isn’t totally out of reach for me. Duke beat Clemson in week one last year, so it was a turnover fest, but it counts, so anything can happen.”
ESPN college football analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy was discussing the Week Zero matchup between the Yellow Jackets and Seminoles on a recent episode of the Always College Football podcast and called the game a game with playoff implications and also called the Yellow Jackets a dangerous team:
“Florida State versus Georgia Tech is a game that has playoff implications. There’s no doubt about that. I mean, Florida State-Georgia Tech, Georgia Tech is dangerous. As the ACC has mentioned, I think Georgia Tech is in that contingent of teams that can beat anybody. Florida State has legitimate playoff expectations, as they should.”
“This game has huge playoff implications,” McElroy said. “People won’t necessarily frame it that way because Florida State is probably going to be a big favorite going into it, but this game is potentially important as we fast-forward to the end of the year and assess where the playoffs are.”
This is going to be a huge test for Georgia Tech next fall. The Yellow Jackets could be up for the challenge, though, thanks to their offense. Quarterback Haynes King, running back Jamal Haynes and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. will headline what should be an electric Georgia Tech attack.
Florida State was close to making the College Football Playoff this season and while they will lose some key pieces from this year’s team, Mike Norvell has done a great job recruiting and in the portal and will have another ACC contender next year.
I think the big question in this game will be whether Georgia Tech’s defense can slow down Florida State’s rushing attack. I have a question about Florida State’s passing attack, but you can count on Norvell to have a good running game on his teams. Georgia Tech was one of the worst teams in the country at stopping the run and if they can’t do that in Week Zero, it’s going to be a long afternoon.
Florida State’s defense could also be problematic, even for an offense as good as Georgia Tech’s. Patrick Payton and Marvin Jones Jr. could be the best pair of pass rushers in the ACC, and FSU could have the best secondary defense in the ACC.
Game odds are updated regularly and are subject to change. If you or someone you know is suffering from a gambling problem and would like help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
