FSU football vs. Georgia Tech: Best bets for the game

FSU football enters the Georgia Tech game as a massive betting favorite, with the largest point spread against a Power 5 program all season.

The betting line opened around -20.5 and has grown to -25, likely because it looks like Georgia Tech will be without starting QB Jeff Sims, or he’ll be extremely limited if he does play. The thing is, Georgia Tech’s offense wasn’t very good with him, averaging only 16 points per game and less than five yards per play.

The betting total for the game is 47.5, implying a 36-12 win for the Noles. FSU’s offense has struggled at times to score in the red zone, and their field goal kicker has been shaky. Georgia Tech has a defense that is top-five at generating turnovers, and they defend the pass well.

They are also stingy in the red zone, but some of the better offenses have run the ball well against them. The conundrum, will Georgia Tech stack the box to defend the run and try to rely on their secondary to attempt to confuse Jordan Travis?

From a defensive standpoint, I think the Georgia Tech offense won’t be able to do much unless their defense can turn FSU over and provide a short field. Teams have played more zone against FSU of late, and we could see more of that, and that might mitigate some of Jordan Travis’s scrambling ability.

In the end, I think this game comes down to the following things: Georgia Tech’s defense wearing down because their offense can’t establish much. FSU’s ability to score or not in the red zone, and whether or not FSU can avoid turnovers.

With that information, I think the best bets to look at would be Georgia Tech +14 and total points 24.5 in the first half.

It’s FSU’s first-noon kickoff of the year, and they are coming off a bye week, so I can see them beginning the game somewhat slow, with them eventually finding their rhythm and nearly covering the spread for the game late.

**Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.