UCF Knights at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Betting Preview

Geoff Collins is ahead of schedule at Georgia Tech. Collins knew the challenges at hand when he took over for Paul Johnson, as he was tasked with bringing the Yellow Jackets into the 21^st Century by moving away from the triple option offense that had defined the program for over a decade. In a true Year 0 scenario, Collins went 3-9 last year, but he did secure victories over Miami and North Carolina State to ensure this program didn’t finish last in the conference despite undergoing a complete overhaul.

The school’s decision to hire Collins is looking wise after Georgia Tech’s 16-13 upset victory over Florida State last weekend. The Yellow Jackets were a double-digit underdog by the college football betting odds at BetOnline in that game, and they overcame a 10-0 halftime deficit to pick up the win.

Georgia Tech has the chance to pick up another big victory this week when the UCF Knights come to Atlanta. The Knights are more than a touchdown favorite, but this will be their first game of the season. This game will take place on Saturday, September 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET, and it will be nationally broadcast on ABC.

College Football Betting Odds

UCF -7.5

Georgia Tech +7.5

Total 61.5

These two teams are polar opposites. Georgia Tech was 3-9 ATS last year under Collins, and the Yellow Jackets failed to score more than 28 points in any game as they were transitioning to a pro style system. UCF went 6-7 ATS in 2019, but the Knights scored 31 points or more in all but one of their games.

Georgia Tech Offense vs. UCF Defense

True freshman Jeff Sims made some mistakes in his first game running Georgia Tech’s offense, but he showcased the talent that led to Collins naming him the starter. Sims completed 24 of 35 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions, and he averaged 4.9 YPC when he made the decision to run. Those interceptions were mistakes that young quarterbacks make, but the promise is there for the future.

This offensive line didn’t have the best day, but the unit needed to be built up by Collins after so many left after Johnson resigned. Georgia Tech averaged a little over 4.0 YPC against a very good FSU defense, and that ground game could have even more success against a UCF defense that is simply average along the defensive line.

Georgia Tech has some promising young receivers in Malachi Carter and Ahmarean Brown, but this passing game is still a work in progress. UCF has a very good secondary that baits quarterbacks into mistakes under DC Randy Shannon, so Sims is likely to throw an interception or two on Saturday.

UCF Offense vs. Georgia Tech Defense

Dillon Gabriel took over the offense after it became clear that grad transfer Brandon Wimbush wasn’t the answer last season, and he had a solid freshman campaign. Gabriel completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 3,653 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interception, leading the Knights to a 10-3 record.

However, his mistakes did prove costly. All his interceptions came in three games. Gabriel tossed multiple picks against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Tulsa, and those were the only three games the Knights lost all season.

This offense has a ton of talent at the skill positions. Although Gabriel Davis left early for the NFL, Tre Nixon and Marlon Williams return to give Gabriel two of his top three targets. Otis Anderson and Greg McCrae are solid running backs that can grind out yards when needed, but the offensive line is a bit of a concern.

UCF will start two underclassmen and a grad transfer up front. Georgia Tech should have some of its better defensive players available after they didn’t make the trip to Tallahassee last week, so the Yellow Jackets could give the Knights problems in the trenches. UCF doesn’t have the absolute mess up front that FSU does though, so don’t expect the Yellow Jackets to hold the Knights to 3.2 YPC like they did against the Seminoles.

Prediction

Rust is a concern for the Knights, but this is a very talented offense that can punish the Yellow Jackets with their quick strike capability. With the line at 7.5, it’s best to wait until closer to kick off and hope to get UCF -7 for this game.

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