Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Yellow Jackets Surprise DJ Uiagalelei, Seminoles?
The Florida State Seminoles will battle the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the very first college football game of the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon. Can the Yellow Jackets shock DJ Uiagalelei and the Seminoles as they retool their offense? NCAAF handicapper Peter Alexis is here to give his prediction and pick for this Week 0 ACC opener between Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Peter Alexis - August 20, 2024, 2:45 PM EDT
7 minFlorida State vs. Georgia Tech Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Yellow Jackets Surprise DJ Uiagalelei, Seminoles?
Florida State will head across the pond to take on ACC rival Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon from Dublin, Ireland as part of the 2024 college football opening weekend. It will be their first time back out on the field since a chaotic end to their perfect season, culminating in a 60-point blowout loss in the Orange Bowl.
The Seminoles will begin anew, this time as the 10th ranked team in the country. They started off last year with a thumping of No. 5 LSU, but this year's setup will be a little bit different. They are fired up about how their College Football Playoff berth was stolen from them, and are hoping to exact revenge with their revamped offense.
On the other side, Georgia Tech has lower expectations by oddsmaker standards, with just a 4.5 win total for their squad. However, they are bringing back nine of their 11 starters on offense, ranking 7th in returning offensive production. One of those returners is QB Haynes King, who put up 2,700 yards passing and 25 touchdowns, while adding 600 yards rushing and five more TDs on the ground last year. Only Heisman trophy winner Jayden Daniels hit those same milestones, putting King in pretty solid company for his efforts. The Ramblin' Wreck also enter off a much better note, upsetting UCF in their bowl game last season by double digits and plowing their way to 284 yards rushing. With all of those producers returning behind a strong offensive line, they could be a force early on.
Florida State opened as a 12.5-point favorite in the spring, before bouncing around and landing on 11.5 as the game approaches this weekend. The moneyline odds have the Seminoles up to -460, making the Yellow Jackets a somewhat heavy +350 neutral site underdog. Additionally, the point total has flown up to 55.5 after starting at 51.5 earlier this offseason.
NCAAF handicapper Peter Alexis is here to provide his prediction and pick for this opening weekend matchup of Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin.
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Start Time, Where To Watch, Odds
- Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
- Game Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Odds
- Spread: Florida State -11.5 (-110), Georgia Tech +11.5 (-110)
- Total Odds: O 55.5 (-110), U 55.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Florida State (-460), Georgia Tech (+350)
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Injury Report
Florida State
Questionable: N/A
Out: N/A
Georgia Tech
Questionable: N/A
Out: N/A
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Prediction
The Florida State Seminoles are looking for a fresh start after a controversial end to their 2023 campaign. Near the end of their perfect 12-0 regular season, star QB Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending leg injury. The Seminoles went on to survive in the ACC Championship, but did not earn a bid to the College Football Playoff despite the perfect record. The CFP Committee ruled that the team did not have a strong enough outlook to compete at the highest level without their best player, and took Alabama instead to fill the spot. Mayhem and chaos ensued, and a large contingent of the FSU team refused to play in the Orange Bowl, where they were eviscerated by 60 at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs.
With the controversy behind them, they will try to bounce back from that thumping with an opening weekend victory. However, the team has many new faces, including former Clemson and Oregon State QB, DJ Uiagalelei. They have lost their top-three playmakers in Travis, RB Trey Benson, and star receiver Keon Coleman, and will have a lot to replace on the offensive side. They have the talent to do so, but not the experience, and it may take some time to warm up.
This line has teetered back and forth between 10.5 and 12.5 since the spring, and is seeming to settle on the 11.5 number ahead of kickoff. Despite a massive public influx of 75% of the bets on the Florida State, the Seminoles are only getting 44% of the handle. We typically don't look to hop on a public side that is losing the money battle badly, and especially not in this case with a fresh team trying to figure everything out on the road in August. The Seminoles still have loads of talent on both sides of the ball, but the magic is gone from a year ago, and they have to start from scratch to get the train moving again. The Yellow Jackets will be hungry to take on the defending ACC Champs in the biggest game of opening weekend, and they may be able to surprise FSU early on across the pond.
This exact matchup took place four years ago on opening weekend of 2020, and the Yellow Jackets stormed into Doak Campbell Stadium and stunned the Seminoles. They were equal 12.5-point underdogs in that one as well, and were able to grind out a 16-13 victory to shock FSU in coach Mike Norvell's debut. The Seminoles team has gotten a lot better since then, but the experience remains on the Georgia Tech side to pull off these upsets with a gritty defensive performance. Speaking of upsets, who could forget their epic kick-six in 2015, where they blocked a 56-yard field goal on the final play of a tie game and ran it back to upset the Seminoles? History tends to repeat itself, and FSU just can't seem to swat the relentless Yellow Jackets away.
Georgia Tech also ranked 11th in the country in takeaways per game at 1.8 a season ago. They may have had some defensive woes, but their toughness and ability to force turnovers has been a staple of this program. With DJ Uiagalelei coming in to take over this offense, they have the chance to feast on him when he's at his least comfortable. Uiagalelei has struggled with turnovers in the past at Clemson, as well as throwing three interceptions in his final two games last year. Let's bet on him having a slow start on the road and back the Yellow Jackets to bring the noise early and cover this spread.
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Pick
- Pick: Georgia Tech +11.5 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds.
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