Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse Line September 7 Opens at Yellow Jackets -1.5

The Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse betting line opened at Yellow Jackets -1.5 Sunday.  That number quickly moved to -2.5 at BetOnline.

The Yellow Jackets had a 7-6 record last season, and they won the Gasparilla Bowl. Their offense scored 31.1 points per game (43rd in the nation), while their defense conceded 29.5 (97th).

Despite this 7-6 record, oddsmakers had Georgia Tech stepping back a bit this season and winning just 5 regular season games.  To think they are nearly halfway there with a 2-0 record entering Week 3.

Georgia Tech kicked off the season with an upset over FSU in Week 1, playing abroad in Dublin, Ireland.

“That was a really good win for the Georgia Tech family,” Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key said this past week. “It was on a stage that allowed Georgia Tech to get a lot of exposure. A lot of people were able to find out things they might not have known about Georgia Tech.

“But,” he quickly added, “that game’s over.”

They followed that one up with a 35-12 statement win against Georgia State.

Haynes King threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and Georgia Tech never trailed in a comfortable 35-12 win over Georgia State on Saturday night.

It was a balanced offensive effort for Tech, which accumulated 499 yards of offense (274 in the air, 225 on the ground). Five different Yellow Jackets scored a touchdown.

“The key to it all is being able to get guys touches,” Key said of that Week 2 win. “When you have a lot of guys who can be explosive, in order to be explosive you have to get the ball to explosive playmakers. We created different ways to get those guys the ball.”

Syracuse was expected to win 7 regular season games and walked away from Week 1 with a victory over Ohio that hardly came easy. 

Kyle McCord threw for a career-high 354 yards and four touchdowns, Trebor Pena tallied three scores, and Syracuse rebounded from a sluggish start to down the Bobcats 38-22 Saturday as the Fran Brown era got off to a successful start.

“That's one of the perks about playing a lot of football,” Orange QB Kyle McCord said. “You're not always going to have a picture-perfect start. Obviously, would've liked to have started fast, drive down the field and score. When that's not the case you just have to have faith in your preparation and that it's a long game.”

The Very Early Line Review

Based on the Week 1 Sagarin Ratings, we got a number of Orange 1.79, rounded to -2.  We anticipated a pretty big jump in the ratings for Georgia Tech.

Assuming the line range stayed within 1 to 2.5, the favorite when the wrong team is favored has covered at a 23.5% clip with our own model data over the last two years.  In other words, the dog has done mighty well in such scenarios.

Week 2 numbers came in Tuesday.  Now we get a number just shy of Syracuse -3.

An overlay also gives a heavy edge to the dog.