NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

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Clemson at Georgia Tech
By Joe Nelson


Louisville grabbed headlines last week with a dominant win and next week’s showdown with Clemson will be one of the biggest games of the season. Clemson must first fend off a surging Georgia Tech team in Thursday’s battle of 3-0 squads. Here is a look at the Thursday night ACC matchup to start the fourth week of the college season.


Match-up: Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Venue: Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
Time/TV: Thursday, Sep. 22, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Clemson -9½, Over/Under 57
Last Meeting: 2015, at Clemson (-7½) 43, Georgia Tech 24


The ACC went 12 years without a BCS Championship participant until Florida State won the final BCS Championship game after the 2013 season. Clemson made it to College Football Playoff game last season and the conference is growing in stature with Louisville’s statement win last week drawing a lot of attention. Clemson will take on the Cardinals next week at home setting the stage as potentially a deciding game in the ACC Atlantic and possibly the College Football Playoff bid pictures. That is assuming the Clemson can get by a Georgia Tech team that has shown clear improvement so far in 2016.


Coming off last season’s 14-1 campaign that ended with a five-point loss in the College Football Playoff Championship, Clemson entered this season as one of the favorites in the national picture. Junior quarterback Deshaun Watson entered the season as a clear Heisman Trophy contender and the expectations for the offense were very high with the bulk of the key players returning from a squad that posted over 38 points and 515 yards per game last season.


Clemson has reached 3-0 including a road win at Auburn but the scoring has been limited, managing just 19 points in the opener and then barely sneaking by Troy in the home opener with a 30-24 win. Against FCS South Carolina State last Saturday the Tigers scored 31 points in the first quarter en route to a 59-0 win, but the statistics for Watson have been disappointing with three interceptions already this season and just a 57 percent completion rate.


Wayne Gallman rushed for over 1,500 yards last season yet he hasn’t topped 200 yards through three weeks as the Tigers have only gained 4.2 yards per rush this season after averaging 4.9 last season. After missing last season due to injury, junior Mike Williams leads the Tigers with 15 receptions, but he is yet to find the end zone this year while 2015’s leading receiver Artavis Scott has had a quiet start with only 129 receiving yards while also being without a touchdown.


While the offense has perhaps underachieved so far this season the defense that entered the season with some question marks has impressed. Clemson only returned a couple of starters from last season’s ACC Championship team and lost five of last season’s top six leading tacklers. Clemson is 11th in the nation in scoring defense led by an impressive showing in the opener at Auburn holding a formidable offensive team to just 13 points and 262 total yards.


With a 3-0 start, Georgia Tech has already matched the program’s win count from last season’s ugly 3-9 campaign. After winning the ACC Coastal and giving undefeated Florida State a great battle in the 2014 ACC Championship, the Yellow Jackets had a disastrous follow-up season despite opening the year as a top 20 team on the heels of an Orange Bowl victory the previous winter.


After posting 69 and 65 in a 2-0 start last season, Georgia Tech lost nine of the final 10 games while going 1-7 in ACC play. The lone win in that run was a big one, however, beating then #9 and undefeated Florida State at home and six of the losses came by a single-score. This year’s team opened the season in Ireland, scoring a comeback win over Boston College. A modest 35-10 win over FCS Mercer followed and last week Georgia Tech gained some notice with a thoroughly dominant 38-7 win over Vanderbilt.


As usual, the Georgia Tech triple-option has produced some of the best rushing numbers in the nation with the Yellow Jackets compiling 257 rushing yards per game despite facing two games vs. formidable defensive teams. It has been Georgia Tech’s improved defensive numbers that will be worth watching, currently surrendering just 10 points per game while routinely allowing 25+ points per game on average in most of the Paul Johnson era. Clemson should be by far the best offense that Georgia Tech has faced this season and last season the Tigers posted big numbers in a 43-24 win in this matchup.


That game was the fourth straight loss for Georgia Tech and the yardage totals painted an even more dominant result than the score as Clemson had a 537-230 advantage with the Yellow Jackets held to a season low 71 yards rushing. Clemson rose to #5 in the nation after that win and never looked back, falling just short of a perfect season.


When these teams last met in Atlanta in 2014, Georgia Tech won 28-6 with Clemson’s offense shut down for just 190 total yards. Watson was hurt early in that game as Cole Stoudt was ineffective for the Tigers, but it was the second most lopsided defeat in a 49-8 S/U run for Dabo Swinney since the start of the 2012 season. Two Georgia Tech touchdowns came on interception returns of 85 and 62 yards, but Georgia Tech did put up 353 yards of offense against one of the nation’s best defensive teams in that game. The Tigers allowed just 261 yards per game on average in 2014, actually featuring far better defensive numbers than last season’s near championship squad.


Historical Trends: Clemson is 15-8 ATS vs. Georgia Tech sine 1994 though they are just 11-12 S/U in that run. Since 2008 when both Swinney and Johnson took over their respective programs, the series is knotted at 4-4 S/U with Georgia Tech holding a 5-3 ATS edge and the win in the biggest meeting, the 2009 ACC Championship game. Clemson is 26-42-2 ATS as a road favorite since 1990 including going 10-14 ATS under Swinney. The Tigers are 2-7 ATS as a road favorite since the start of the 2014 season but they lost S/U just once in that run, at Georgia Tech.


Georgia Tech is on a 6-11 ATS run as a home underdog going back to late in the 2003 season, but they have won outright in two of three instances the past two seasons. This spread projects to be the biggest home underdog spread for the Yellow Jackets since hosting Miami in 2004. Swinney is 15-0 S/U on the road since the start of the 2014 season, while Johnson is 39-16 S/U in Atlanta. Swinney’s first game as the head coach of Clemson was a 21-17 defeat at home vs. Georgia Tech in the middle of the 2008 season.

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Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

NCAAF Game of the Day: Clemson at Georgia Tech


No. 3 Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+9.5, 58)


Third-ranked Clemson survived two weeks of underachieving before returning to its dominant ways last week, and the Tigers can’t afford another subpar effort when they travel to Georgia Tech for an ACC showdown Thursday night. The Tigers put their 18-game regular-season winning streak on the line as they aim for their first victory at Georgia Tech since 2003.


No coach relishes a short week – Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson lamented the lost days of preparation – but it could be especially tough on the Tigers as they prepare to face the Yellow Jackets’ option attack. “It’s a difficult turnaround for us – and them. It’s hard for both teams to get ready really in three days,” Swinney told reporters. “Georgia Tech is always an incredibly difficult team to prepare for, but even more so when you’ve got a short week to get ready.” Clemson rolled up 537 total yards in a 43-24 home victory over Georgia Tech a year ago, a game the Yellow Jackets would like to forget. “We don’t talk about last year, other than the fact that they beat the fool out of us,” Johnson told reporters. “We just have to play better. I think we’re a little better than we were a year ago. We’ll see if they’re better or the same.”


TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.


LINE HISTORY: Clemson opened this game as double digit road faves at -10, but early action came in on Georgia Tech, moving the line to Clemson -8.5. Since then the line has bounced back to the Tigers, sitting currently at Clemson -9.5.


Meanwhile, the total opened at 57 and has been bet up one point to sit at the current number of 58.


INJURY REPORT:


Clemson - DE A. Bryant (questionable Thursday, foot), LB B. Boulware (questionable Thursday, ankle), CB A. Baker (questionable Thursday, knee), DB B. Dawkins (questionable Thursday, knee), OL C. Reeves (questionable Thursday, knee), WR H. Renfrow (out Thursday, hand).


Georgia Tech - DL J. Woods (questionable Thursday, upper body), OL T. Klock (questionable Thursday, ankle), OL J. Stickler (questionable Thursday, undisclosed).


WEATHER REPORT: Weather shouldn't be much of a factor for this ACC showdown. The forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies, with a very slight 12 percent chane of rain and a five to six mile per hour wind blowing across the field from east to west.


WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney will have his hands full trying to keep his Tigers focused on Georgia Tech Thursday night with a showdown with Louisville on tap next week. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets hope to improve on a dismal 1-3 SU and ATS record in their last four games in this series. Swinney will remind his team that Clemson’s last road loss was here in a 28-6 defeat in 2014." - Marc Lawrence.


ABOUT CLEMSON (3-0, 1-2 ATS, 0-3 O/U): After squeaking out six-point wins in their first two games, the Tigers routed South Carolina State 59-0 last week and put up predictably impressive numbers in the process, outgaining the Bulldogs 555-102. Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Deshaun Watson (692 passing yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions) hasn’t done much damage on the ground thus far, and running back Wayne Gallman (197 rushing yards, two TDs) has managed 74 yards over the past two games after rushing for 123 in the opener against Auburn. Clemson’s defense has picked up where it left off last year and ranks eighth nationally in total defense (250 yards per game) and 11th in scoring defense (12.3 points per game).


ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (3-0, 1-0-1 ATS, 0-1-1 O/U): Following a defensive struggle in a 17-14 victory over Boston College to open the season, the Yellow Jackets’ option attack has been in high gear the past two games, rolling up 955 yards in lopsided wins over Mercer and Vanderbilt. Quarterback Justin Thomas (169 rushing yards, one touchdown; 335 passing yards, one TD) is the catalyst for the offense, though running back Dedrick Mills (126 yards, four TDs) also has done some damage and Clinton Lynch (116 yards on nine carries) is a big-play threat. The Yellow Jackets have allowed 305 total yards per game but have been a bend-don’t-break unit, giving up only 10.3 points per game – seventh-fewest in the nation.


TRENDS:


* Home team is 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Georgia Tech is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games versus a team with a winning record.
* Under is 5-0 in Clemson's last five games in September.
* Under is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings at Georgia Tech.


CONSENSUS: Bettors are laying the chalk in this ACC matchup, with 62 percent of wagers on Clemson. When it comes to the total, 59 percent of wagers are on the Over.

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Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

Preview: Tigers (3-0) at Yellow Jackets (3-0)


Date: September 22, 2016 7:30 PM EDT


Thanks to third-ranked Louisville's 63-20 demolition of Florida State on Saturday, many college football followers already have the Cardinals' Oct. 1 date at No. 5 Clemson circled as a potential elimination game for one of the four College Football Playoff spots.


However, Dabo Swinney's Tigers still have one big obstacle before entering that contest undefeated.


Georgia Tech.


Don't laugh. Sure, the Yellow Jackets (3-0) are just midway down in the "Others Receiving Votes" section of this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll despite an impressive 38-7 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday. And Clemson (3-0), the national runner-up to Alabama a year ago, opened as a 11-point favorite for the nationally televised Thursday night contest.


But Bobby Dodd Stadium has not been too kind recently for the Tigers, who haven't defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta since 2003, or star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who sustained a knee injury playing there his freshman season.


"We've got a tough task ahead with an undefeated Georgia Tech team in Atlanta," Swinney said. "But we're looking forward to it."


Clemson is 3-0 for the third time in four years, while Georgia Tech already matched its win total from a year ago when it finished 3-9, but both teams are relatively unknown quantities.


The Tigers were unimpressive in victories against unranked Auburn (19-13) and Troy (30-24) to open the season, then learned precious little about themselves in a 59-0 demolition of South Carolina State last week.


Georgia Tech carved its 3-0 start out of victories against unheralded Boston College, Mercer and Vanderbilt.


Watson is looking forward to taking his team to Tech again, despite rekindling the memory of the 2014 injury. He partially tore his anterior cruciate ligament early in the game, though he wasn't even hit on the play.


The Tigers went on to lose 28-6, their most recent regular-season defeat.


"It was just one of those weird things that kind of happen," Watson said. "I have flashbacks about that play. Of course, it's going to pop up in my mind, but it won't be anything too serious."


To a man, Clemson's players say they are not looking past Georgia Tech and toward the potential showdown with Louisville -- an approach that should be expected given the Tigers' five consecutive defeats at the hands of the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.


Yet the Tigers are don't lack confidence.


"If we do our job and play Clemson ball, everything should take care of itself," Watson said.


The contest will serve as a measuring stick for the Yellow Jackets. Through three games, the Georgia Tech offense has started to look more like its old self. The option has been effective and the drives have been long and sustained. But the question remains: How good are the Yellow Jackets really?


That will be answered this week. If Georgia Tech can move the ball effectively against the Tigers, it could have something special.


"We've gotten better each game," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "We'll have to get way better because this is the best team we've played by a mile."


Georgia Tech is averaging 397.7 yards per game, 257.3 of that on the ground. But the Clemson defense ranks eighth in the nation in total defense (250 yards per game) and gives up just 92 yards rushing.


Johnson said his team's offense is better than it showed in 2015 but hasn't yet approached the high standards set in 2014. He added, "I think we have the potential to get where we were in '14."


That is possible if quarterback Justin Thomas continues to play as he did in the win over the Commodores. Thomas threw for 136 yards and one touchdown and rushed 11 times for 84 yards.


"We still have some issues, but from Game One to this point, we're night-and-day a lot better," Thomas said. "People are communicating more, coming off the ball better and as a whole we're starting to click. Got to keep getting better each week and not have any setbacks."


Thomas has been around long enough to know that Clemson will provide a reality check. This will be his third start against the Tigers -- he led Tech to the victory in 2014, but got pummeled 43-24 last year at Death Valley, rushing 14 times for 3 yards. He also threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted once and sacked twice. That was Georgia Tech's low point for the season.


"It's going to be a huge week," Thomas said. "We've got to dial it in."

[TheGame]

Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

ACC Report - Week 4
By Joe Williams


2016 ACC STANDINGS


Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under


Boston College 1-2 0-2 1-1-1 1-2
Clemson 3-0 0-0 1-2 0-3
Duke 1-2 0-1 1-2 0-3
Florida State 2-1 0-1 1-1 2-0
Georgia Tech 3-0 1-0 1-0-1 0-1-1
Louisville 3-0 2-0 3-0 3-0
Miami (Fla.) 3-0 0-0 3-0 2-1
North Carolina 2-1 0-0 2-1 2-1
North Carolina State 2-1 0-0 2-1 2-0-1
Pittsburgh 2-1 0-0 0-3 2-1
Syracuse 1-2 0-1 1-2 1-2
Virginia 0-3 0-0 1-1-1 0-2-1
Virginia Tech 2-1 1-0 1-2 2-1
Wake Forest 3-0 1-0 1-2 1-2




Clemson at Georgia Tech (Thurs. - ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Clemson finally jump-started its flagging offense in a 59-0 whitewash of FCS South Carolina State, gaining confidence ahead of its first league game against the Yellow Jackets. The Tigers head to Bobby Dodd Stadium as 10-point favorites looking to end a 6-0 ATS run by home teams in this series. The favorite is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings. Neither side has a very good mark against the number lately, as the Tigers are 4-10 ATS in their past 14 ACC games, and 2-7 ATS in their past nine road outings. The Ramblin' Wreck are 2-9-1 ATS in their past 12 games overall, 1-7 ATS in their past eight against teams with a winning record and 0-3-1 ATS in their past four ACC outings. The under is 4-1-1 in the past six meetings in this series in Atlanta.

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Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

NCAAF


Thursday’s games


Home team won last seven Clemson-Georgia Tech games; Tigers lost last five visits here, with last win at Tech in 2003. Jackets had only 71 rushing yards in LY’s loss at Clemson, after having 242+ in previous seven series games. Clemson won its two I-A games this year by 6 points each, with 19-13 win at Auburn; they’re 2-7 in last nine games as a road favorite. Tech ran for 289 yards in big win over Vanderbilt LW after struggling to beat BC in Ireland. Jackets are 6-6 as home underdogs under Johnson.

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Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

Tech Trends - Week 4
By Bruce Marshall


Thursday, Sept. 22


Matchup Skinny Edge


CLEMSON at GEORGIA TECH...GT 2-10 vs. spread last 21 on board since early 2015. Paul Johnson was 6-0 as dog in 2014 but only 1-2 in role LY. Dabo no covers first two TY and 2-6 last 8 vs. line in reg season, also 2-7 as visiting chalk since 2014.


Slight to Georgia Tech, based on extended trends.

[Satch]

Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

Preview: Clemson at Georgia Tech

When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, September 22, 2016
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia






Third-ranked Clemson survived two weeks of underachieving before returning to its dominant ways last week, and the Tigers can’t afford another subpar effort when they travel to Georgia Tech for an ACC showdown Thursday night. The Tigers put their 18-game regular-season winning streak on the line as they aim for their first victory at Georgia Tech since 2003.



No coach relishes a short week – Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson lamented the lost days of preparation – but it could be especially tough on the Tigers as they prepare to face the Yellow Jackets’ option attack. “It’s a difficult turnaround for us – and them. It’s hard for both teams to get ready really in three days,” Swinney told reporters. “Georgia Tech is always an incredibly difficult team to prepare for, but even more so when you’ve got a short week to get ready.” Clemson rolled up 537 total yards in a 43-24 home victory over Georgia Tech a year ago, a game the Yellow Jackets would like to forget. “We don’t talk about last year, other than the fact that they beat the fool out of us,” Johnson told reporters. “We just have to play better. I think we’re a little better than we were a year ago. We’ll see if they’re better or the same.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Clemson -9.5



ABOUT CLEMSON (3-0, 0-0 ACC): After squeaking out six-point wins in their first two games, the Tigers routed South Carolina State 59-0 last week and put up predictably impressive numbers in the process, outgaining the Bulldogs 555-102. Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Deshaun Watson (692 passing yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions) hasn’t done much damage on the ground thus far, and running back Wayne Gallman (197 rushing yards, two TDs) has managed 74 yards over the past two games after rushing for 123 in the opener against Auburn. Clemson’s defense has picked up where it left off last year and ranks eighth nationally in total defense (250 yards per game) and 11th in scoring defense (12.3 points per game).

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (3-0, 1-0): Following a defensive struggle in a 17-14 victory over Boston College to open the season, the Yellow Jackets’ option attack has been in high gear the past two games, rolling up 955 yards in lopsided wins over Mercer and Vanderbilt. Quarterback Justin Thomas (169 rushing yards, one touchdown; 335 passing yards, one TD) is the catalyst for the offense, though running back Dedrick Mills (126 yards, four TDs) also has done some damage and Clinton Lynch (116 yards on nine carries) is a big-play threat. The Yellow Jackets have allowed 305 total yards per game but have been a bend-don’t-break unit, giving up only 10.3 points per game – seventh-fewest in the nation.



EXTRA POINTS

1. The home team has won each of the last seven meetings, and the Yellow Jackets have won five straight clashes in Atlanta.

2. Swinney is 4-5 against Georgia Tech, one of only two ACC teams against which he does not have a winning record.

3. Georgia Tech is 7-2 at home against ranked opponents under Johnson, including wins over ranked Clemson teams in 2011 and 2014.



PREDICTION: Clemson 27, Georgia Tech 20

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Re: NCAA Football Betting Info 9/22

Trends - No. 3 Clemson at Georgia Tech


ATS Trends


Clemson
•Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
• Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
• Tigers are 8-3 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
• Tigers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games in September.
• Tigers are 17-8 ATS in their last 25 games following a ATS win.
• Tigers are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
• Tigers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 conference games.
• Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
• Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
• Tigers are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 road games.



Georgia Tech
•Yellow Jackets are 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
• Yellow Jackets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up win.
• Yellow Jackets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS win.
• Yellow Jackets are 14-6-1 ATS in their last 21 games in September.
• Yellow Jackets are 8-19-2 ATS in their last 29 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
• Yellow Jackets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
• Yellow Jackets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
• Yellow Jackets are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
• Yellow Jackets are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
• Yellow Jackets are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 games on grass.
• Yellow Jackets are 1-7 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
• Yellow Jackets are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
• Yellow Jackets are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 conference games.


OU Trends


Clemson
•Under is 5-0 in Tigers last 5 games in September.
• Over is 5-1 in Tigers last 6 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
• Over is 5-1 in Tigers last 6 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
• Under is 13-3 in Tigers last 16 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
• Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games overall.
• Over is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
• Over is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 road games.
• Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
• Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games on grass.
• Under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
• Over is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
• Under is 7-2 in Tigers last 9 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
• Over is 6-2 in Tigers last 8 conference games.
• Under is 11-4 in Tigers last 15 Thursday games.
• Under is 11-4 in Tigers last 15 vs. a team with a winning record.
• Under is 10-4 in Tigers last 14 games following a ATS win.



Georgia Tech
•Under is 3-0-1 in Yellow Jackets last 4 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
• Under is 3-0-1 in Yellow Jackets last 4 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
• Under is 3-0-1 in Yellow Jackets last 4 games in September.
• Under is 3-0-1 in Yellow Jackets last 4 home games.
• Under is 3-0-1 in Yellow Jackets last 4 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
• Under is 5-1-1 in Yellow Jackets last 7 games overall.
• Under is 5-1-1 in Yellow Jackets last 7 games on grass.
• Under is 4-1-1 in Yellow Jackets last 6 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
• Under is 4-1 in Yellow Jackets last 5 conference games.
• Under is 3-1-1 in Yellow Jackets last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
• Under is 8-3-1 in Yellow Jackets last 12 games following a straight up win.


Head to Head


•Home team is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
• Under is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings in Georgia Tech.
• Favorite is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.