Georgia Tech at Boston College 2016 Week 1 Favorites

Posted by Eric Williams on Friday,August 5, 2016 6:11, EDT in

NCAA College Football News

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Boston College Eagles will kick off their respective 2016 regular seasons with an interesting matchup between two ACC conference rivals that are both looking for huge improvements after recording an identical three victories in 2015. Still, this matchup is offering gridiron gaming enthusiasts a ton of value. Now, let’s find out why with these college football spreads.

In Depth Analysis On The Yellow Jackets at Eagles 2016 Week 1 Favorites

When: Saturday, September 3, 2016
Time: 7:30 AM ET
Where: Avia Stadium, Dublin
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
NCAAF Odds: Georgia Tech -3.5

Bet The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at +3.5 Because…

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets need to turn things around in the worst way and just can’t get any worse than they were in 2015. Georgia Tech (3-9 SU, 3-9 ATS) went 1-7 in conference play in 2015 and lost their final four games just one year after winning the ACC Coastal division and playing in the prestigious Orange Bowl. The Yellow Jackets have six returning starters on offense, including senior quarterback Justin Thomas

The bad news is that Georgia Tech lost five of its top six running backs from its vaunted triple option offense and could have problems replacing them, not to mention they are inexperienced at the wide receiver position. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets have five returning starters, but that may not be such a good thing, seeing as how Tech forced just 17 turnovers last season while recording a pitiful 14 sacks.

Georgia Tech needs to find a replacement for All-ACC nose tackle Adam Gotsis, but the front seven could turn into a strength for the Yellow Jackets in 2016 if senior defensive tackle Patrick Gamble and end Francis Kallon play to their full potential. The biggest question marks surrounding Georgia Tech’s defense comes in the secondary where at least two new and inexperienced starters will take over this coming season.

Bet The Boston College Eagles at -3.5 Because…

The Eagles will likely have one of the best defenses in all of college football. Boston College (3-9 SU, 5-6-1 ATS) went 0-8 in ACC conference play, losing a whopping eight straight games to close out the 2015 campaign. The Eagles have six returning starters on offense and they’ll have a new coordinator after struggling mightily to score the ball a year ago (17.1 ppg).

BC will turn to Kentucky graduate transfer Patrick Towles to lad tem in 216 after he passed for over 5,000 yards in 28 career games with the Wildcats. The bad news is that Towles tossed an identical 24 touchdown passes and interceptions during his time at the SEC hoops factory.

The Eagles should rush the ball better for a couple of reasons in 2016. First and foremost, the offensive line will be more experienced after returning on starters in 2015. Also, the return of former starter Jon Hillman will help a rushing attack that averaged an uninspiring 3.9 yards per game in 2015.

Defensively, BC ranked a stellar first in points allowed per game in 215, but defensive coordinator Don Brown bolted for Michigan. Still, new coordinator Jim Reid has boatloads of talent, not to mention a half-dozen returning starters. The Eagles will almost assuredly have one of the best front sevens in the nation, led by defensive end Harold Landry, tackle Truman Gutapfel and linebacker Matt Milano. The secondary is also solid with safety John Johnson leading an experienced unit.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

I’m going to get right to the point by saying that I like Boston College to win and narrowly cover the spread, although I’m not real fond of the half-point that sits on top of the three-point line. Still, with Georgia Tech having its share of questions to answer, particularly on the offensive line and Boston College having an elite defense that won’t give up many points this coming season, I like the Eagles to get the win and narrow ATS cover.

Georgia Tech went 1-7 ATS in its eight conference games a year ago while Boston College compiled a solid 4-3 ATS mark as an underdog. I like the Eagle to cover the college football betting line by shutting down the Yellow Jackets.