ACC Championship Game 2014: Early Preview, Predictions for Title Clash
The ACC and a potential spot in the initial College Football Playoff will all be up for grabs Saturday, Dec. 6 in Charlotte during the ACC Championship Game, but Florida State and Georgia Tech have more immediate concerns on their mind.
The Seminoles take on the hated Florida Gators Saturday, while the Yellow Jackets continue the ACC vs. SEC theme against their archrival, the Georgia Bulldogs.
However, once Florida State gets past its rivalry game, it will have to deal with a better-than-advertised and dangerous Georgia Tech squad. The Seminoles will have a two-season winning streak and playoff spot on the line in the ACC title clash, and the pressure will be squarely on their sideline.
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Still, that is the same pressure they have been playing with every time they have taken the field since they won last season’s national title.
As for Georgia Tech, it is 9-2 with wins over Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech and checks in at No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings. If it could upset Georgia and Florida State in consecutive weeks, it will play its way straight into a selection committee bowl game on New Year’s Eve. The bottom line is that there will be plenty at stake for more than just Florida State.
The Seminoles have shown an unfortunate tendency to fall behind early this season, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
If this happens again in the ACC Championship Game, it will be a serious problem against Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets are fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game and 14th in scoring offense. They will continue to put points on the board throughout the game with their triple-option threat and Justin Thomas mixing in the occasional pass (15 touchdowns through the air on the season).
If the Seminoles fall behind again, few teams in the entire country can work the clock and take the air out of the ball quite like the Yellow Jackets. Ball control and time of possession are the backbone of their offense, which makes it all the more difficult for opponents trying to dig out of an early hole.
Georgia Tech actually used that methodical offensive style and almost upset Florida State in the 2012 ACC title game in what was ultimately a 21-15 loss. Look for a similar formula this time around.
Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution pointed out why the Yellow Jackets are not the most ideal opponent for the Seminoles:
"Florida State has acted bored all season: It doesn’t start playing until it’s two touchdowns behind. If the Seminoles try that against a team that can control the ball and the clock via the run, they’ll get four touchdowns behind and they’ll lose. It would be no great shock if the team that took forever to get noticed is the one to deal FSU its first loss since Nov. 24, 2012.
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It is easy to criticize Florida State because it falls behind in so many games, but the important thing is that it wins. That is why it is the defending national champion and has an inside track for one of the four College Football Playoff spots.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher insinuated as much, via Heather Dinich of ESPN.com:
"Let me ask you this: How about the way everybody else hasn't finished? Our team has never not finished. The game is 60 minutes. This team hasn't lost in over two years. Everybody says 'game control.' That's something made up. As a coach, you talk about one thing: Finish. Get it done. This team wins in every way, shape and form you can win. Everybody else has failed at least once, no matter what you look at, and some of those teams have lost when they were over 20-point favorites.
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The Seminoles will have an understanding of Georgia Tech’s style and ball-control offense and come out of the locker room accordingly with more urgency than usual. They will know they can’t fall behind and will play like the game is on the line in the first quarter instead of waiting until after halftime.
Jameis Winston is still one of the best players in the nation and has his team at 11th in the country in passing yards per game.
Georgia Tech is a decidedly mediocre 58th in the country against the pass, and Winston and his crew of athletic receivers should be able to make plays through the air and dictate the tempo in the early going. North Carolina threw for 390 yards against Georgia Tech in a 48-43 victory, and the Seminoles are better suited than the Tar Heels to exploit the secondary.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets represent a stylistic challenge, but the Seminoles have the talent advantage at nearly every position. Talent often wins out when championships are on the line.
It will again in Charlotte in the ACC Championship Game, and Winston and company will clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Prediction: Florida State 31, Georgia Tech 13
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