College Football Betting – Over/Under Picks on Georgia Tech

Just one season ago, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets surprised many in the college football by ripping off an 11-3 record and winning the ACC.

But as you get set to make your 2010 college football bets, will the Yellow Jackets again reign supreme in conference? We’ll debate, as we look at their projected over/under total of 8 regular season wins.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets- Over 8 Regular Season Wins (-125) or Under 8 Regular Season Wins (-105):

As with any Paul Johnson coached option team, things will start at quarterback, where they welcome back the multi-skilled Josh Nesbitt.

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 60% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? Find out more exciting details HERE.]

In his second full year in the option attack Nesbitt blossomed in 2009, throwing for 1,689 yards and 10 scores. More importantly was what he did on the ground, where the junior was the Yellow Jackets second leading rusher, at 991 yards and 18 touchdowns.

While Georgia Tech has to replace some talent at the skill positions, the picture isn’t nearly as bleak as some are making it out to be. The Yellow Jackets will miss running back Jonathan Dwyer, who rushed for 1,346 yards in 2009, but he should be adequately replaced by Anthony Allen. Allen- who spent his first season in Atlanta a year ago after transferring from Louisville- averaged 9.7 yards per carry, and scored six times. Roddy Jones and Marcus Wright each rushed for three touchdowns.

As for the passing game, it is certainly a work in progress, as Georgia Tech must replace DeMaryius “Bay-Bay,” Thomas, a first round pick of the Denver Broncos. But with the Yellow Jackets throwing the ball so little, remember, Thomas was mostly used as a blocker and diversion in this offense. While his skill won’t easily be replaced, his numbers (especially with an improved Nesbitt) should be.

The bigger concern for Georgia Tech is the defense.

Sure the stats might not look terrible (With the team finishing in the top half of college football in total defense and scoring defense), but remember, this unit was barely on the field, considering that Georgia Tech was second in the country in time of possession. When they were on the field however, they gave up too many big plays, allowing the opposition to score 29 points a contest in their last three outings (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS). New defensive coordinator Al Groh was brought in to make this defense (Which returns eight starters, but must replace All-American defensive end Derrick Morgan) more aggressive.

When making your college football bets though, remember, it’s not always just about players, schemes and coaching. Sometimes it comes down to other factors, and none is more important than scheduling. Georgia Tech certainly caught a few breaks in that department this year.

The Yellow Jackets will be favored in no less than six of their first seven games, with only a visit from North Carolina looking like a true test before October 23. However, after that, the next three games are key, with visits to Clemson and Virginia Tech back-to-back, with Miami coming to Bobby Dodd Stadium the following week. And as always, they Yellow Jackets will close with Georgia.

We’re not saying that the Yellow Jackets are as talented as last year, because truthfully, they’re not. However, with that manageable early schedule, Georgia Tech simply needs to manage their tough three-game stretch toward the end of the season, to put themselves back in the thick of the ACC race. Meaning, the play here, is to bet them OVER that eight game win total.

That’s right, now in his third year, look for coach Paul Johnson to again put a highly successful team on the field in Atlanta. They’re not as deep as skilled as last year, but certainly more experienced, with most of their big games coming at home.

All that will lead to another big year in Atlanta. Which is all the more reason to take the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets OVER eight wins when making your college football bets.

The Pick: Georgia Tech OVER 8 Regular Season Wins (-125)