The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-3) will head up to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (4-3) in an ACC battle this Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set to take place from Lane Stadium at 12 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Both of these teams are still in contention for the ACC Championship Game and will likely need to win out in order to get there, so this serves as a quasi-elimination game for these purposes.
A quarterback injury looms large in this matchup, but these two teams may still be evenly matched top to bottom.
Virginia Tech is favored by 10 points on the spread with a total sitting at 52 points.
Let’s take a look at my Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech predictions and my college football picks for Saturday.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Virginia Tech Hokies Prediction
- Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Picks: Georgia Tech +10.5
My Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech best bet is on the Yellow Jackets spread, with the best line currently available at Caesars, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Odds, Spread, Lines
| Georgia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11 -115 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | +320 |
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11 -105 | 53.5 -110o / -110u | -425 |
- Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Spread: Georgia Tech +11 · Virginia Tech -11
- Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Over/Under: 53.5 Points
- Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Moneyline: Virginia Tech -425, Georgia Tech +320
Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Week 9 Betting Preview
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Betting Preview
Last weekend the Yellow Jackets hosted Notre Dame and had a poor showing on both ends of the ball, allowing an 81st percentile Success Rate and only putting up a 35th percentile Success Rate of their own on offense.
Quarterback Haynes King missed this game with an injury but the Georgia Tech rushing game, which has typically been very good this year, was completely shut down as they had just a 13th percentile EPA Per Rush in this game.
King is slated to miss this game as well, and Zach Pyron will start once again. Pyron completed 19 of his 37 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Irish, averaging -0.14 EPA Per Pass. He was the team’s leading rusher with 11 carries for 59 yards on the day.
The Yellow Jackets rank 15th in Success Rate and 15th in EPA per Play this season. They have primarily been a rushing offense, averaging 36 rush attempts a game and ranking 41st in Rush Success Rate and 26th in EPA Per Rush.
Jamal Haynes is the team’s leading rusher with 558 yards on the season, but Haynes King has been big in this department as well with 385 yards and six touchdowns of his own.
Georgia Tech has been effective through the air this season, ranking 16th in Pass Success Rate and 23rd in EPA Per Pass, but it remains to be seen how this will look this weekend with King out once again.
The Georgia Tech defense ranks 64th in Success Rate allowed and 81st in EPA per Play allowed this season. It's 38th in Rush Success Rate allowed but 100th in Pass Success Rate allowed.
The Yellow Jackets rank 26th in PFF’s Run Defense grades but only 133rd in Pass Rush grade and 105th in Coverage grade.
Virginia Tech Hokies Betting Preview
Virginia Tech’s offense will make for an interesting matchup against this Georgia Tech defense.
While the Yellow Jackets excel at stopping the run, that has primarily been how Virginia Tech has moved the ball this season. VT ranks 116th in passing plays per game this season and ranks 41st in EPA Per Rush and 72nd in Rush Success Rate.
Last weekend against Boston College, Hokies running back Bhayshul Tuten carried that ball 18 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns. On the season he now has 871 yards and 12 touchdowns on 125 carries, giving him an average of seven yards per carry.
The Hokies are 71st in Success Rate and 50th in EPA Per Play on offense. Through the air, they are 54th in Success Rate and 56th in EPA Per Pass.
Quarterback Kyron Drones is averaging 0.09 EPA per dropback this season with 1,33 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions. Drones has also added 379 yards and five touchdowns of his own on the ground.
Virginia Tech ranks 65th in Success Rate allowed and 35th in EPA Per Play allowed. Their pass defense has been well above average, ranking 49th in Pass Success Rate allowed and 27th in EPA Per Pass allowed.
However, their rushing defense ranks 82nd in Rush Success Rate allowed, 105th in PFF Run Defense Grade and 57th in EPA Per Rush allowed.
The success of Virginia Tech’s passing defense largely hinges on their defensive front. They rank 6th in PFF’s Pass Rush grades this season but only 110th in Coverage grade as they have been much stronger on the front end of the defense.
Georgia Tech’s offensive line ranks 28th in PFF’s Pass Blocking grades so they may stand a chance of neutralizing this pass rush.
Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech match up statistically:
Georgia Tech Offense vs. Virginia Tech Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 37 | 75 | |
| Line Yards | 88 | 72 | |
| Pass Success | 18 | 40 | |
| Havoc | 20 | 27 | |
| Finishing Drives | 24 | 11 | |
| Quality Drives | 39 | 39 |  |
Virginia Tech Offense vs. Georgia Tech Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 70 | 39 | |
| Line Yards | 51 | 7 | |
| Pass Success | 78 | 98 | |
| Havoc | 96 | 80 | |
| Finishing Drives | 34 | 51 | |
| Quality Drives | 66 | 70 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 117 | 24 |
| PFF Coverage | 108 | 109 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 121 | 26 |
| Middle 8 | 30 | 23 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.4 (53) | 26.9 (58) |
| Rush Rate | 55% (45) | 60% (33) |
How to Bet My Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Pick
King being out is a major knock against Georgia Tech in this game, as I think they would stand a chance to win outright if he were healthy.
He is integral to their game plan both through the air and on the ground, but I think Pyron should be able to stand a chance against this Virginia Tech defense that hasn’t been particularly good at stopping the run or in covering the pass this year.
The way to beat Georgia Tech’s defense has been through the air and while Kyron Drones has been a capable passer this season, I don’t anticipate the dropback passing game being part of his skill set or the game plan in this matchup.
Despite the change at quarterback, I think that Georgia Tech will be able to keep this game within double digits and hang around with the Hokies in what should be a matchup between equally-matched teams.
Pick: Georgia Tech +10.5 (Caesars)
Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Start Time, TV Channel, Location, How to Watch
| Location: | Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 26 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ACC Network |
Georgia Tech takes on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 12 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech Betting Trends
- Virginia Tech has received 33% of the tickets and generated 58% of the money.
- The over has landed 82% of the bets and 89% of the cash.
Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech Weather
