Every season, a lot of the biggest programs in the country schedule
teams from the FCS to start the season off with a nice, comfortable victory. It
doesn't always go according to plan, though. Just ask the Michigan Wolverines
how comfortable their game was against the Appalachian State Mountaineers from
three years ago...
On Saturday afternoon, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will hope to
avoid that same sort of embarrassment when they play host to an NCAA football
betting battle against the South Carolina State Bulldogs.
Nesbitt for Heisman???
It's already started. College football teams are already starting to campaign for their
superstars to win college football's most illustrious awards. Even though most
aren't considering Georgia Tech's captain as a serious Heisman Trophy
contender, that isn't stopping the Ramblin' Wreck from trying to promote QB
Josh Nesbitt.
And why not? Last year, Nesbitt's second leading the Yellow Jackets, he
accounted for 1,701 passing yards, 1,037 rushing yards, and a total of 28
touchdowns. In the proverbial "tune up" game last season against
Jacksonville State, Nesbitt rushed for 93 yards and a score and threw for 141
and a TD as well. He'll probably have to put up gaudier numbers than that this
week to turn the heads of the voters at the outset of the season.
Still, this is a triple option attack that the likes of South Carolina State just isn't able to stop. The
athleticism isn't there for the Bulldogs on defense, and Nesbitt should have a
field day tearing this 'D' apart.
Long Road to Score TDs
SCSU is going to
be led by senior QB Malcolm Long, who put together a fantastic season last year
for the MEAC champs. He threw for 2,488 yards and 20 TDs against just ten INTs.
The problem that
the Bulldogs are going to have in this game is the fact that their leading
rusher from a year ago, Will Ford, has departed as the MEAC's all-time rushing
champ. Now, head coach Buddy Pough recognizes that it will be up to Long to try
to get the ball into the end zone.
The Georgia Tech
defense last year was prone to some big plays, as the Ramblin' Wreck allowed
360.3 yards and 24.8 points per game, both of which kept them outside of the
Top 50 in the nation in those respective categories.
Still, with new
defensive coordinator Al Groh calling the shots, anything less than a shutout
would be considered unacceptable. Head Coach Paul Johnson admitted that last
season, his defense didn't play up to its potential. Now in a 3-4 scheme, Groh
hopes he can change that and bring this 'D' back to where it should be, amongst
the best in the ACC.
A Bulldog Sized Betting Line
Though limits on
these FBS vs. FCS games aren't nearly what they are at most sportsbooks for the
regular college football wagering wars, there is still plenty of money to be
made in this one.
The Bulldogs are catching a hefty 31 points right now at
5Dimes Sportsbook.
One must remember
that this was a fantastic FCS program last year that South Carolina State had.
The team went 10-2, with one of the two losses coming against the South
Carolina Gamecocks. The Bulldogs won the MEAC with an undefeated record in
conference, and lost in the playoffs at Appalachian State for the second
straight year.
In their history,
the Bulldogs haven't had much luck against FBS teams. They have been outscored
by the aggregate score of 181-20 in five games since 2007, but this could be a
completely different scenario.
Last year, Georgia
Tech took a 31-0 lead on Jacksonville State before ultimately only winning by
three scores. With a rebuilding defense and a questionable history about
playing down to the level of the competition, the Yellow Jackets odds might be
stacked against them in this one. We don't think that the threat is there for
GT to actually lose this game, but it might be one that is significantly closer
than the NCAA football lines suggest.