Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Florida State Seminoles Odds
| Georgia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -112 | 55.5 -108o / -112u | +350 |
| Florida State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -108 | 55.5 -108o / -112u | -454 |
Georgia Tech vs Florida State Projections | ||
|---|---|---|
| Action Network | Cunningham | SP+ |
| Florida State -19.5 | Florida State -15.8 | Florida State -19.3 |
The long wait is over. College football is finally back with a handful of games for Week 0, and it all kicks off with Georgia Tech vs. Florida State in Dublin, Ireland.
The goal of this weekly column will be to find bets to make early in the week to get the best possible price before kickoff on Saturday. That includes this weekend's season opener of Georgia Tech vs. Florida State.
The market clearly moves a lot over the course of the week. Money pours in from the time lines open on Sunday until kickoff on Saturday. Like any other sport, it's paramount to get the best price possible when betting on college football.
For example, a -6.5 favorite could move to -7.5 on Saturday morning, and then you run the risk of that team winning by one of the most likely outcomes — a seven-point victory — and you just lost your bet. It happens every week.
But that mess could have been avoided if the bet was locked in at -6.5 on Sunday afternoon.
I'm here to help you navigate the market by providing a few lines I'm buying right now — or other lines I'm waiting to buy later in the week.
The hope for this piece is to beat the market, get the best price possible, and in the long run, save you some money with closing line value. To do that, we'll utilize our Action Network PRO projections, ESPN's SP+ and my own projections to create a consensus.
With that said, let's dive into the Georgia Tech vs. Florida State odds and make a pick for Week 0's college football clash.
BJ Cunningham's Early Pick for Georgia Tech vs. Florida State
After an undefeated regular season in 2023, Florida State comes into 2024 with a lot of hype. However, it also has to replace a lot of key players.
Star quarterback Jordan Travis, wide receiver Keon Coleman and running back Trey Benson have all moved onto the NFL, but head coach Mike Norvell went into the transfer portal and found some great replacements.
DJ Uiagalelei transfers in from Oregon State to start at quarterback. While this move may be a downgrade from Travis, it's better than the other options on the roster, and he was pretty good in a run-heavy system in Corvallis.
Uiagalelei finished 25th among qualified quarterbacks in EPA, averaged 8.4 yards per attempt and had 20 big-time throws compared to just nine turnover-worthy plays.
He found plenty of success on play-action passes, averaging over 10 yards per attempt, which fits really well into Norvell's system. Last season, Travis had a PFF passing grade of 90 on play-action attempts, so anything close to that will be big.
Uiagalelei will also have a really good offensive line in front of him bringing back 190 starts and the fifth best PFF pass blocking grade last season.
The run game needs improvement, but bringing in Roydell Williams from Alabama will surely help things after he averaged 5.3 yards per carry with the Crimson Tide last year.
Georgia Tech's defense is likely going to struggle in the opener here. New defensive coordinator in Tyler Santucci comes in from Duke and will run an aggressive 4-2-5 defensive scheme.
The Yellow Jackets lose a lot of size and depth up front, which is a concern after allowing 5.4 yards per carry last year and finishing 122nd in EPA/Rush Allowed. Florida State should run the ball with success, which will also set up Uiagalelei's beloved play-action passes.
On the other side, there's a lot of hype surrounding the Georgia Tech offense. The Yellow Jackets bring back eight starters, including starting quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes.
King was a pretty average quarterback last season, ranking 76th among qualified quarterbacks in EPA while averaging 7.7 yards per attempt with a PFF passing grade of 70.7.
However, turnovers were an issue for him, as he committed 18 turnover-worthy plays and threw 16 interceptions.
King also relied on big plays far too often. Georgia Tech finished the season eighth in passing explosiveness, which could be a problem in this game considering Florida State allowed the second-fewest big passing plays last season.
For Georgia Tech to be successful in this game, it's going to have to run the ball.
While Haynes showed he had some electricity last season with 6.1 yards per carry, he struggled against high-quality run defenses — specifically in games against Louisville and Miami.
He's now going to see one of the nation's best defensive lines, as Florida State reloaded in the transfer portal and brought back a number of starters. Last season, Florida State allowed only 3.8 yards per carry in ACC play and finished in the top 20 in both Stuff Rate and Defensive Line Yards.
All three projection models are showing a decent amount value on Florida State here in the opener. Since this is a stand-alone game in Week 0, I have to imagine the public is going to flock to the favorite as we get closer to kickoff, so I would grab Florida State -11 at bet365 now.
My Pick: Florida State -11
