NCAA Saturday Football – Yellow Jackets at Hokies
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) have so far passed both exams for new coach Paul Johnson. On Saturday they will face their sternest test yet when they travel to Blacksburg, VA to square off against the Hokies of Virginia Tech (1-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup that is set to get underway at 3:30 PM ET at Lane Stadium (natural turf).
Saturday, September 13
BetUS NCAA Betting Odds: VIRGINIA TECH -7
Here are some of the NCAA football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* GT has won four of its last six games SU
* GT has covered five of its last seven road games
* GT has won four of its last six road games SU
* VT has won 11 of its last 14 games SU
* VT has won 11 of its last 13 home games SU
Also…
* VT has won and covered three of the last four meetings
* Three of the last four meetings have gone OVER the total
Well, that plan to redshirt quarterback Tyrod Taylor went out the window after the opening-game loss to East Carolina, and Taylor came back to action to rush for 112 yards as the Hokies bounced back with a tuneup win against Furman, Of course, Taylor is not a refined passer, and was sacked three times as he held the ball too long. Virginia Tech was a little more landlocked with Taylor at the controls; between him and Sean Glennon, they threw the ball just 13 times. But Taylor does provide a rushing element they don’t have otherwise.
And speaking of being landlocked, allow us to introduce you to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who also put it up just 13 times against Boston College in its drab 19-16 win over Boston College. Paul Johnson’s team was going to have trouble against BC’s rock-ribbed run defense, but rebounded from three first half fumbles to make the big second half plays, and took advantage of BC’s own miscues (three fumbles the Eagles committed in the second half) to come away with the winning points.
It may be too early to suggest that Paul Johnson is working his magic again at Georgia tech. But GT is easing into its new spread option offense, the secondary has four interceptions already, compared with five all of last season, and the Jackets have performed better than expectations in both games. Johnson had a great record as a dog when he was coaching at Navy, covering 20 of 29 attempts. And we’re hesitant to go too far with this Virginia Tech team that is without many potent offensive weapons, particularly when Taylor is not in the game.
We wouldn’t count on Virginia Tech making many special teams mistakes like the one that cost them the first game against East Carolina. But we’re compelled to grab the points with a Georgia Tech team that, while a work in progress, is showing itself to be hard-nosed and a quick study under Johnson. Let’s go with Georgia Tech, the seven-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA football betting odds.
