A conference championship is on the line when the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles (12-0) take on the No. 12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2) Saturday in the ACC Championship. Both Georgia Tech (10-2) and Florida State (12-0) seek to keep up their positive momentum this week. The game will begin Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN or ABC.
Georgia Tech defeated Georgia 30-24 in its last game. Zach Laskey had an outstanding performance on the ground in the win, gaining 140 yards and three TDs on 26 attempts. Florida State was victorious last week as well, beating Florida 24-19 in their matchup. Nick O’Leary had a great game for the Seminoles, pulling in four balls for 52 yards and two TDs. Dalvin Cook also had a big day, contributing 144 yards on 24 carries.
The Yellow Jackets are small underdogs with Florida State favored by three in the game. For this contest, the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 58 points. The Yellow Jackets enter the game with records of 10-2 Straight Up (SU) and 8-4 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Georgia Tech is undefeated SU and ATS in its last five games. There is a good chance Georgia Tech will keep the ball on the ground. They have America’s 11th-ranked home running attack, averaging 282.2 yards per game. Recently, the Yellow Jackets may have discovered the secret to a better defense; they’ve only been allowing 18 PPG over their last five matchups, well under their season average of 24.1. During those last five games, Georgia Tech’s opponents have struggled to do anything in the passing game, only managing 211.2 passing yards per contest. If this game is going to be close, the Seminoles need to watch out for Georgia Tech’s ball thieves. They average the 13th-most turnovers with 2.2 per game. The Yellow Jackets make it hard on their opponents right from the first whistle, averaging 9.2 points in the first 15 minutes. Georgia Tech can top most teams in terms of time of possession. The Yellow Jackets have an average time of possession of 34:01 per game for seventh-highest in the nation.
On the other side, the Seminoles haven’t fared well ATS, sitting at 3-9. However, they are 12-0 SU this season. Odds are Florida State will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 299.2 passing yards per game ranks 13th in the nation. The Florida State pass defense has given teams nightmares during the past five games. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 221.6 passing yards against this terrifying bunch. The Yellow Jackets will have to stay focused in the third quarter against Florida State. The Seminoles usually start off the second half with dominance, averaging 9.1 points during the third quarter.
Predictions: SU Winner – GT, ATS Winner – GT, O/U – Over
Notes
Florida State is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games.
Georgia Tech is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Florida State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Georgia Tech’s last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida State’s last 5 games.
Georgia Tech is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing Florida State.
Florida State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Georgia Tech.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Georgia Tech’s last 6 games when playing Florida State.
Florida State is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Georgia Tech.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida State’s last 6 games when playing Georgia Tech.
Both teams are 7-0 SU when leading at halftime this season.
Florida State is 7-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Georgia Tech is 8-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Georgia Tech is undefeated (4-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 2-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Florida State defense has forced an average of 2.2 turnovers per game this season, but Georgia Tech is a perfect 3-0 SU when turning the ball over at least 2 times in a game.
Since the start of last year, Florida State is a perfect 16-0 SU against ACC opponents, while Georgia Tech is 11-5 SU against conference foes.
Florida State holds the upper hand in the passing game, according to overall FBS ratings. Its offensive passing game (ranked 13th nationally) will face the 58th-ranked pass defense of Georgia Tech, while its 64th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 122nd-ranked aerial attack of the Yellow Jackets.
Florida State also seems to have an advantage in the passing game when comparing just conference ratings. Its offensive passing game (ranked first in the ACC) will face the 10th-ranked pass defense of Georgia Tech, while its 11th-ranked pass defense will look to control the 13th-ranked aerial attack of the Yellow Jackets.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Georgia Tech is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its fourth-ranked rushing attack will face the 41st-ranked run defense of Florida State, while its 72nd-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 104th-ranked running game of the Seminoles.
Georgia Tech also has an advantage in the run game when comparing just in-conference stats. Its first-ranked rushing attack will face the sixth-ranked run defense of Florida State, while its ninth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 12th-ranked ground game of the Seminoles.
Georgia Tech has given up 20.2 points per contest at home, which is ranked only 38th in the nation. Florida State has put up 40.6 points per game on the road (ranked 10th overall).
