8:00 PM EST, ESPN – Spread: Georgia Tech -4.0, Total: 54.5
College Football’s opening weekend takes us to Boulder, where Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes turn the page to a new season following an exodus of high-profile stars, hosting the troublesome Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who as many opponents have learned, are not to be underestimated. Coming into this season, there are few teams more curious than Georgia Tech, who on their day have proven to be quite the handful despite struggling against weaker opposition. Since taking over midseason in 2022, (Head Coach) Brent Key has done a tremendous job of rebuilding a program that had been stuck in neutral after years of running the option. Key led his alma mater to a respectable 4-4 finish, only to win seven games in each of the following two years. During this stretch, his Yellow Jackets have routinely punched above their weight class, owning a 11-4 ledger against the spread versus opponents with a win percentage above .750, even knocking off unbeaten (No. 4) Miami (FL) last November before nearly upsetting (No. 6) Georgia in a wild 44-42 affair that featured EIGHT overtimes to decide a victor. Furthermore, the Rambling Wreck is 7-4 ATS as underdogs under his watch. However, they have been maddeningly inconsistent when the shoe has been on the other foot; Tech is 6-15 ATS when favored by the oddsmakers, while going 2-7 SU and 1-8 ATS versus sub-.500 opponents. Needless to say, this something that needs to change, though there is optimism in Atlanta that further maturation will do these bugs some good. Key has fourteen returning starters, including seven on each side of the football, chief among them (Seniors) Haynes King and Jamal Haynes, who combined to rush for 1,531 yards and twenty touchdowns last season. Since transferring from Texas A&M, King (pictured below) has shown plenty of promise, leading the ACC in both passing touchdowns (27) and interceptions (16) in 2023, before cleaning up his act with a far more palatable TD/INT ratio last Fall (14/2), while completing a league-best 72.9% of his throws. He also proved to be quite a weapon on the ground, rushing 107 yards against North Carolina, 93 yards versus Miami, and 110 yards along with three scores at Georgia. The problem though has been availability for the dual threat, who dealt with injuries throughout the campaign, missing two starts along the way. If this kid can stay on his feet, then Georgia Tech can absolutely contend in the ACC, particularly with a softer schedule than the one they faced a year ago; in 2024, the Wreck battled eleven schools that competed in bowls in the previous season, though will be pitted against nine such sides this Fall.
From a betting perspective, Georgia Tech finished 7-6 straight-up last season, though ultimately failed to turn a profit against the spread (5-6-1), with just three covers over their final ten games. Since taking over midway through 2022, Key is 13-10-1 versus the spread, including a middling 5-5 ATS away from Bobby Dodd Stadium, 4-5 ATS when favored by the oddsmakers, and 4-4 ATS versus non-conference opposition. Furthermore, the Yellow Jackets have really enjoyed playing on this particular day of the week, covering five of their last six outings on Friday nights. Not only does tonight’s matchup mark the first venture out to Boulder for the Wreck, but this is also the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between these programs. Looking ahead, the bugs will return to Atlanta for a three-game homestand beginning with Gardner-Webb before a key ACC clash with (No. 6) Clemson, whom they have suffered SEVEN consecutive defeats to.
Meanwhile, after commanding the attention of the college football world for much of last Fall, what does (Head Coach) Deion Sanders have in store for his third season at Colorado? Needless to say, it has been quite a ride for Sanders (pictured below), who after a successful stint with Jackson State has revitalized a Buffaloes program that had been lost in the wilderness for the better part of two decades. From 2006 to 2022, this is a school that went a miserable 69-134 (.339), with just one winning campaign to speak of, flatlining 1-11 before Coach Prime arrived in Boulder. After embracing the Transfer Portal like few of his contemporaries could imagine, Sanders led the Buffs to a 4-8 finish in 2023 followed by a 9-4 ledger last Fall, which was nothing short of a whirlwind experience for all parties involved. Seriously, folks, this is a team that drew over fifty-four million viewers last year, including eight million in their Alamo Bowl clash with BYU, the greatest viewership in the history of the bowl. As a result, the school rewarded the 57-year-old with a massive $54 million stipend over the course of five years, making him easily one of the highest-paid head coaches in the nation. Granted, star power had a lot to do with it, as Sanders’ son, Shedeur, and (Heisman-winner) Travis Hunter, routinely garnered the attention of the media for their exploits on the gridiron. However, both stars have now taken their talents to the NFL, leaving everyone wondering how Colorado will manage to maintain their momentum in three of the Sanders’ reign. Well, as he has done before, Coach Prime has delved into the Portal yet again, this time netting the services of (Liberty Transfer) Kaidon Salter. In four years with the Flames, Salter racked up 5,889 passing yards and fifty-six touchdowns opposed to seventeen interceptions, along with another 2,006 rushing yards and twenty-one more scores between 2021-2024. While he was far more prolific in 2023 in which he was named Conference USA MVP, injuries limited Salter to eleven starts last Fall, amassing twenty-two fewer touchdowns.
From a betting perspective, Colorado finished 9-4 straight-up last season, while also proving to be quite profitable against the spread (9-3), including a whopping EIGHT consecutive covers at one point of the campaign. Since touching down in Boulder two years ago, Sanders is 16-8 versus the spread, including a stellar 9-2 ATS at Folsom Field, 9-3 ATS when receiving points from the oddsmakers, and 3-2 ATS against non-conference opposition. Furthermore, the Buffaloes have covered five of their past six home games, while going 9-2 ATS in their last eleven outings overall regardless of venue. However, it should also be noted that this is a team that has NOT relished competing on Friday nights of late, with just one spread victory in their past five contests on this particular day of the week, while matching that mark in their last five meetings with denizens of the ACC. With that in mind, we’ll have to see if they can reverse that trend with tonight’s first-ever meeting with Georgia Tech. Looking ahead, the Buffs will host Delaware next weekend, before hitting the road for the first time this Fall with a trip to BIG XII adversary, Houston, whom they have yet to encounter since joining the conference.