Clemson at Georgia Tech College Football Week 4 Odds

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets welcome the Clemson Tigers to town for some Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday afternoon. Clemson enters with a perfect 3-0 record, with a pair of wins over cupcakes (Furman and Georgia Southern) sandwiched around a cardiac arrest of a game at Texas A&M, which the Tigers won by two. Georgia Tech took down FCS foe Alcorn State in their opener but since have lost to AAC opponent South Florida and then to Pitt in their ACC opener, losing by five. The fact that Georgia Tech runs the triple option has long served as a potential thorn in the sides of the opposition, but they have not played particularly well in that scheme to this point in the season. Take a look at our NCAAF betting preview of this matchup from the Deep South.

Clemson at Georgia Tech College Football Week 4 Odds

Mornings look good on #Clemson 🌅 pic.twitter.com/NlkaqiT29V

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) September 20, 2018

When: Saturday, September 22, 2018, 3:30pm ET Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta TV: ABC Radio: Clemson Tigers Network / Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network Live Stream: WatchESPN NCAAF Odds: Clemson -16

Why should you bet on the Tigers?

Clemson is a team that wins with its defense first, and while some teams have had problems with Georgia Tech’s triple option, Clemson has not, as they have limited Georgia Tech to just over 120 yards on the ground per game in their last three meetings, and they have more than doubled the Yellow Jackets’ offensive output over that time. Given that the Yellow Jackets lead the nation in rushing (despite their 1-2 record), that’s an impressive stat. On offense, Clemson features two quarterbacks, Kelly Bryant (last year’s starter) and freshman Trevor Lawrence, who has come on nicely, throwing five touchdowns and just one interception. Bryant was shaken up in the Georgia Southern game, so Lawrence is currently listed as the starter. Tailback Travis Etienne is a powerful weapon out of the backfield, as he rumbled for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Georgia Southern. Clemson scores 38 points per game while giving up just over 13, so Georgia Tech will have their work cut out for them.

Why should you put your money on the Yellow Jackets?

Georgia Tech picks up yards on the ground in bunches. Against Pitt, they averaged almost six yards per carry and picked up 320 yards, but when they had to pass the ball, things didn’t go quite so well. Quarterback TaQuon Marshall was just 6 for 15 for 66 yards. He did run for 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but all teams have to do is load the box, even on longer downs, and the Yellow Jackets haven’t been able to make them pay. Against Clemson last year, Marshall was 3 for 13 for 32 yards, and the Tigers limited him to 23 yards on the ground. Georgia Tech’s defense was great against Alcorn State, but against tougher opponents they have been more porous. They gave up over 40 points to South Florida, who has had to adjust to a new quarterback after the departure of Quinton Flowers. They held Pitt to just 24 points, but then their offense sputtered when it counted. They average 510 yards of offense per game, including 393 on the ground, but they’re just giving up too much with their inability to throw the ball when they need to.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Georgia Tech has only covered the spread once in their last five ACC games and just four times in their last 16 games coming after a loss against the spread. Clemson has covered the spread eight times in their last 10 games after permitting no more than 100 yards the week before. Clemson has shown they can shut down the Yellow Jackets’ option, and while Lawrence is technically the backup at quarterback, he has shown that he can move the ball just as well as Bryant. I predict a final score of Clemson 38, Georgia Tech 13.