ACC Championship 2014: TV Info, Odds and Predictions for FSU vs. Georgia Tech
Florida State is hoping to play for a second consecutive national championship, but the squad must first get past Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship.
The Seminoles finished the regular season 12-0, extending their incredible winning streak to 28 consecutive games. While there has been debate over which is the best team in the country, Florida State will almost certainly earn a spot in the College Football Playoff with another win Saturday.
However, Georgia Tech isn't going to play the role of the Washington Generals and simply roll over in this one. The Yellow Jackets have won five games in a row, including last week's overtime road victory over Georgia, and they have the talent to beat anyone in the nation.
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With Florida State barely escaping a few tough challenges in recent weeks, this game has upset written all over it. Make sure you tune in for one of the biggest games of the college football season.
When: Saturday, December 6 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Watch: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)
- Over/Under: 58.5
- Spread: Florida State (-4)
Good Jameis or Bad Jameis?
A year ago at this time, Jameis Winston was sealing his Heisman Trophy campaign with a dominant performance in the ACC Championship Game against Duke. He finished his freshman year with 4,057 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a NCAA-best 184.8 passer rating.
Unfortunately, he hasn't been anywhere near as consistent this season. Winston has only 21 touchdowns in 11 games with an embarrassing 17 interceptions. Only three players in the nation have more picks this year.
The most recent performance was arguably the worst of his career as the quarterback went just 12-of-24 for 125 passing yards and four interceptions in a win over Florida.
On the plus side, Florida State has clearly learned how to win without Winston playing at his best. Head coach Jimbo Fisher explained how the rest of the team carried him against the Gators, per Jared Shanker of ESPN.com: "Jameis always has got it on his back and brings us back with the other players around him functioning, but we did it [Saturday] with the running game and great defense There are a lot of other parts of this team that are very good, and when they have to be used, they can be used."
This is clearly a very talented roster that can win games no matter who is under center. The team proved that earlier in the year with an overtime win over Clemson with Sean Maguire at quarterback.
Of course, things are much easier for the Seminoles when Winston plays like an elite passer. He has the tools needed to succeed, but he has not shown it lately.
In all likelihood, this game will come down to whether the quarterback can avoid mistakes and play to his potential.
Run, Run, Run
Georgia Tech has a very simple philosophy on offense: Run the ball until the team stops you and then run some more.
Thanks to the play of Justin Thomas, Zach Laskey, Synjyn Days and others, the Yellow Jackets rank third in the nation in rushing offense. The fact that they rank near the bottom of the list in passing is irrelevant because no one seems to be able to stop the option attack on the ground.
Head coach Paul Johnson has created exactly what he wanted in the offense and has seen plenty of success with it, as ESPN's Joe Schad noted:
Bleacher Report's Kyle Kensing believes the coach has done a great job this season:
Although the Yellow Jackets can keep teams off balance with a pass every now and then (Thomas has 16 passing touchdowns this season), opponents know that they will run most of the time. The only question is whether you can stop it.
This could be a problem for Florida State, currently allowing 145.8 rushing yards per game to rank 42nd in the nation. Not only would this allow Georgia Tech to move the ball and score touchdowns, but it will also help maintain possession and keep the Seminoles offense off the field.
If you were trying to find a blueprint to beating the defending national champions, this is the way to do it.
Prediction
A number of teams have had Florida State on the ropes this season but haven't been able to close them out. Squads like Louisville, Florida and Miami gave the game away with multiple turnovers, while Boston College simply could not score enough to secure a win.
However, Georgia Tech doesn't have either of these problems. The Yellow Jackets have a plus-11 turnover margin this season, which has helped them average 37.2 points per game to rank 17th in the country.
The defense can jump on Winston's mistakes—a likely scenario after the quarterback has thrown 11 interceptions in the last five games—and turn those into scores. While controlling possession, Florida State will have limited chances to light up the scoreboard.
Thomas will run wild on offense and give the Seminoles defense fits in what should be a close game.
With everyone around the nation rooting for the Yellow Jackets, they will hand Florida State its first loss in two years.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 27, Florida State 24
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