In its one and only year in a conference, due to COVID-related schedule scrambling last year, Notre Dame won the ACC title. The Fighting Irish may not be football members of the ACC anymore, but Notre Dame has continued its mastery of the conference.
The Irish are 4-0 against ACC teams this season, beating Florida State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina by one score each and blowing out Virginia last week. Now the Irish look to go 5-0 against the ACC as they host Georgia Tech. Let’s get into the NCAAF odds for this game.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – 02:30 PM EST at Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame wants to get into position for a bid to the College Football Playoff. A win over the Yellow Jackets, losers of four straight games, won’t do much to improve Notre Dame’s resume, but a loss—or even a closer than expected battle—could be disastrous to the Irish postseason plans.
Georgia Tech will get the chance to play spoiler and get some pride back for the old ACC in South Bend on Saturday afternoon.
Struggling Down the Stretch
Georgia Tech is 3-7 and has completed ACC play at 2-6 on the year. The final two games for the Yellow Jackets are against No. 6 Notre Dame and top-ranked Georgia, a rough end to a season that hasn’t gone as planned.
Tech certainly doesn’t look like a 3-7—or 3-9—team. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said that when he looked at the talent on the Tech roster and then at the team’s record this year, it makes him scratch his head.
It’s likely making Tech fans pull their hair out. The Jackets have only been out of one game early—a 52-21 blowout loss to Pitt in early October. Their other six losses this year have been by a total of 38 points—or less than a touchdown margin. Tech has four one-possession losses this season.
Finishing Strong
Notre Dame will be looking to avoid a close game, and the recent history for the Irish looks promising in that regard. Notre Dame comes in winners of five straight, and the last four have all come by double-digits, with an average margin of 19.5 points.
It will be senior day for the Fighting Irish on Saturday, adding emotion to a game that might not have a heavily favored team fired up. Among the Notre Dame players taking the field for the last time will be quarterback Jack Coen.
He will have the chance to go out with a bang, facing a Georgia Tech defense that has allowed an average of 38 points per game over the last six. Opponents are averaging 544 yards of offense against the Jackets over those games.
Notre Dame’s defense has also produced big plays. The Irish are No. 14 in the nation with 19 takeaways and fifth with 14 interceptions, the most for Notre Dame in seven seasons. The Irish are also No. 14 in sacks, and 13 different players have taken down a quarterback this year. Notre Dame is also strong against the run, allowing just 2.9 yards per carry.
Last week’s 28-3 win over Virginia came on the heels of a 34-6 win over Navy, meaning the Irish haven’t allowed a touchdown in back-to-back games, the first time since 2012 that Notre Dame’s defense has accomplished that feat.
The Pick
The Irish are understandably the heavy favorites in this game. The question is whether Notre Dame will be able to muster up the fire to live up to expectations against a Georgia Tech team that is much more talented than it appears. Look for a Senior Day hangover to lead to a slow start and for Tech to hang uncomfortably close for your NCAAF pick.
NCAAB Pick: Georgia Tech +17 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
