Georgia Tech Football 2017: Yellow Jackets open as favorites over Pittsburgh

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley | Sep 18, 2017

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 9: Members of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Cheerleaders perform during the game against Jacksonville State Gamecocks on September 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are seven and half point favorites over Pittsburgh in their first game of conference play.

After being off this past week due to their game against UCF being canceled, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have opened as favorites over the Pittsburgh Panthers. The over/under line has been set at 59 points which would be on par with the two most recent games that totaled at 59 and 71 points. The Jackets open as favorites despite losing by a field goal in each of the last two seasons.

More from Football

The Jackets enter Saturday afternoon’s matchup against Pittsburgh sitting at 1-1 after defeating Jacksonville State 37-10 two weeks ago. So far this season, the Yellow Jackets are 2-0 against the spread as they covered in their loss against Tennessee (+4) and their win over Jacksonville State (-14).

The Panthers, on the other hand, enter Saturday with a 1-2 record and are coming off an embarrassing 59-21 loss to Oklahoma State. So far this season, Pittsburgh is 0-3 against the spread failing to cover in their games against Youngstown State (-13), Penn State (+18.5), and Oklahoma State (+10.5).

When further inspecting each team, it’s easy to see why the Jackets enter Saturday as the favorites. The first major reason is that Pittsburgh’s offense is simply not as dynamic and dangerous as a year ago. Last season, the Panthers averaged 36 points per game through their first three contests, this year it’s down to just 21 points per game.

While the offensive struggles this year are a problem, they are magnified when considering the lack of improvement on the defensive side of the ball as well. So far through three games, the Panther has allowed 40 points per game.

To further back up the Vegas line on the game, ESPN’s FPI currently has the Yellow Jacket’s sitting as an 84.6% favorite to pull off the victory. Overall, Saturday’s game is set up to be a strong measuring stick of where the Jackets are at this point in the season.

One of the bigger questions entering Saturday is “can TaQuon Marshall carry over his success after a week off and carry it over into ACC play?”. That question and more will be answered on Saturday, but the Jackets opening up as a touchdown favorite is a good indication of where Vegas believes the team sits entering conference play.