ACC Championship 2014: Odds, Preview, Predictions for FSU vs. Georgia Tech
Depending on your rooting interests when it comes to Florida State, Georgia Tech is the final hope for knocking off the defending champion Seminoles before the College Football Playoff or the final obstacle in their way.
If things follow the same script that they always do with Florida State, Jameis Winston and Co. will fall behind early and come from behind to win in the fourth quarter. If that happens, the Seminoles will be firmly in the four-team postseason with a chance to defend their crown.
Read on for some of the essential information for the game, as well as a look at the keys to the contest.
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Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Spread: Florida State -4 (via Odds Shark, as of Friday morning at 11 p.m. ET)
Keys to the Game
Establishing Momentum
Florida State hasn’t lost for two seasons, but Georgia Tech has a five-game winning streak of its own. It should be very confident heading into this contest, and a quick start would only serve to boost that confidence.
That quick start is likely for the Yellow Jackets considering Florida State has fallen behind in the first half nine different times this season, including five of the last six games. While the Seminoles consistently play with a deficit, Georgia Tech runs the ball 78 percent of the time.
It plays ahead of the chains with that type of attack and creates third-and-short situations, which are much easier to pick up on the ground. Consistently extending drives will gradually wear the Florida State defense down and open up more holes later in the game.
College GameDay noted that Georgia Tech has made a habit of starting fast:
Florida State has fallen behind all season, but it hasn’t faced a running attack like that of the Yellow Jackets. Ideally for Georgia Tech, it will keep the clock running all game and force Winston to watch the action from the sidelines.
Triple-Option
Georgia Tech controls the clock and pace of the game with the triple-option offense.
Interestingly, this will not be the first time Florida State faces the triple-option this season. It played against The Citadel and allowed 250 rushing yards, thanks to a number of different looks and misdirection plays.
Justin Thomas, Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days spearhead the Georgia Tech ground attack and are certainly better athletes than Florida State saw when it struggled to stop the option from The Citadel. That could be a problem on Saturday.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher discussed the matchup, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com):
"It's a whole different perspective of how you have to defend their offensive attack. It's going to have to be a complete gameplan overhaul as far as different things you do. Everybody had a certain way they play that.
You have your plan, you know what you do. We work on those things in the offseason when you have to play teams like this and then you try to implement based on what they do.
"
The triple-option is one of the trickiest offensive sets to prepare for, largely because teams rarely see it, and it is a great way to neutralize any perceived talent advantages. The Yellow Jackets will use it early and often against Florida State in an effort to keep Winston on the sidelines.
Jameis Winston Avoiding Turnovers
Winston deserves credit for winning every time he takes the field, but he has thrown 11 interceptions in six games and has to face a defense that has 17 picks on the season.
The Seminoles may boast an athletic advantage at the wide receiver position and across the board in general, but turnovers are the great equalizer. If the Yellow Jackets can force a couple of quick turnovers and set the triple-option up in ideal field position, they can put the Seminoles behind early.
An early deficit would force Winston to throw the ball even more, and those throws would give Georgia Tech’s opportunistic defense a chance to create even more turnovers and further neutralize Florida State’s talent advantage.
While there are certainly a number of intriguing aspects to this game that could suggest a potential Georgia Tech upset, Florida State has thrived in situations where it has its back against the wall all season.
Cliche or not, the Seminoles find a way to win at the end of games, and there is no reason to expect anything different this time around.
Winston will eventually find a groove and hit Nick O’Leary underneath for critical gains and Rashad Greene over the top for game-changers. If that softens up the defense, running back Dalvin Cook will hit the gaps along the line.
It would be crucial if Winston could get his team the lead at any point in the second half. The Yellow Jackets were 122nd in the country in passing yards per game and are not built to sustain drives through the air.
That will be their ultimate undoing on Saturday, much to the dismay of the teams behind Florida State in the College Football Playoff standings.
Prediction: Florida State 31, Georgia Tech 24
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