Pitt vs. Georgia Tech Odds
| Pitt Odds | -3 |
| Georgia Tech Odds | +3 |
| Moneyline | -150 / +130 |
| Over/Under | 57.5 |
| Time | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | ACC Network |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute college football odds here. | |
We have a critical inter-conference matchup in the wide-open ACC on Saturday, as the Pitt Panthers face off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
A victory for either team would place them near the top of the Coastal Division.
The Panthers rebounded from their loss to Western Michigan by blowing out New Hampshire last week. This will be Pitt's first conference game and it's looking to make a statement with its high-powered offense.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, is coming off a massive upset of North Carolina. It was a complete team effort with a spark provided by their backup quarterback.
The Yellow Jackets are home dogs once again, but can they maintain the spark to pull off another upset?
Pitt vs. Georgia Tech Betting Preview
Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh Offense
Pitt's offense has been potent, to say the least, so far this season.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett has been slinging it all over the field but has done it with great accuracy and efficiency. He's completed over 74% of passes and holds a 15-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Pickett's completion percentage is certainly not inflated by short passes as he averages over 10 yards per attempt.
While the air show gets the majority of the attention, the Panthers haven't been too shabby on the ground. It's an important part of their offensive flow as they run at a 51% rate.
Pickett actually accounts for a great deal of the team's rushing success, with 30 attempts and two touchdowns this season. Pickett's scrambling ability is necessary since lead back Vincent Davis has been underwhelming, only picking up 3.6 yards per carry.
Pickett's passing prowess has put the Pitt offense amongst the elite in offensive metrics. The Panthers are third in Passing Success, ninth in Big Plays and No. 1 in the nation in Finishing Drives.
This offense is averaging over 52 points per game and will be a big challenge for the Yellow Jackets.
Pittsburgh Defense
This Panthers defense may look stout on paper, but its performances against the two Power Five teams it has played tell a different story.
In its loss to Western Michigan, Pitt gave up 517 yards, with 337 of those coming through the air from a quarterback who hadn't thrown for over 300 yards since November of last season.
Against Tennessee, we saw the dual-threat abilities of both Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker give the Pitt defense issues. Milton broke off a 54-yard run before leaving due to an injury. Hooker followed up by rushing for 49 yards at 5.4 yards per carry.
This could be a problem since Georgia Tech's spark on offense usually comes from dual-threat quarterback Jeff Sims.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech Offense
Sims had a coming-out party against the Tar Heels, taking over late in the second quarter and taking full advantage. He was explosive on the ground rushing for 128 yards on 10 carries.
Sims' ability to run the read option and roll out of the pocket completely changed the dynamic of the Yellow Jackets' offense.
He also supplied a majority of the points as he scored three times, including this 50-yard run:
GOODNIGHT pic.twitter.com/xoFzl83jRw
— Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (@GTAthletics) September 26, 2021
Sims also proved to be more than capable of throwing the football. He went 10-of-13 for 112 yards and finished with a 98.6 quarterback rating.
His performance may have secured him the starting job.
If anything, Sims should be heavily involved in the game plan moving forward and could become a real problem for opposing defenses.
Georgia Tech Defense
After their season-opening loss to Northern Illinois, the Yellow Jackets defense has come around. They held Clemson to only 284 total yards and may have just had their best defensive performance against North Carolina.
Georgia Tech's defense was flying all over the field as they stuffed multiple runs and caused a ton of pressure on Sam Howell.
In the end, the Jackets had 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
It's a performance that they'll be needing to replicate against Pitt as when they gave Howell time he was able to pick apart the Yellow Jackets' secondary.
With a passing offense just as talented coming into town this week, getting pressure will be key for Georgia Tech to stay in the game.
Pitt vs. Georgia Tech Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Pitt and Georgia Tech match up statistically:
Pitt Offense vs. Georgia Tech Defense
Georgia Tech Offense vs. Pitt Defense
Pace of Play / Other
Data via College Football Data, FootballOutsiders, SP+, PFF and SportSource Analytics.
This is a matchup of two potentially explosive offenses.
The duel between Pickett and Sims could make this a very entertaining start to Saturday's slate.
What's in question is the play of both these defenses. Will Pitt be prepared for a mobile quarterback? Will Georgia Tech come out with the same energy that they did against North Carolina?
Pitt vs. Georgia Tech Betting Pick
The Yellow Jackets are in a letdown spot coming off their big victory against North Carolina. Pitt should be well prepared for Sims and Tech's offense may start slower since it's tough to get up emotionally two weeks in a row.
Also, we've seen some reverse line movement with the total. It opened at 59 and has a majority of the bets in favor of the over, but the line has ticked down.
I'm gonna take this market read and count on Pitt's defense to keep this total down
Pick: Under 58.5
