Offenses Will Have Edge As Georgia Tech Takes On Colorado

Georgia Tech vs. Colorado, 8:00 ET

We are loaded with games all week for College Football, and this is the start of the march to the National Championship. I know a lot of people would say it is too early to think about the College Football Playoff, but the reality is that any team with real hopes of joining that mix has to win early. Two wins could take certain teams out of the mix. I don't think anyone has real expectations that Georgia Tech or Colorado will be able to make the Playoff this year, but a loss here could potentially ruin their chances anyway. 

Georgia Tech had a mediocre season last year. They ended the year with a 7-6 record after losing to Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl. They were at least reasonably close in the game against Vandy, losing by eight points. They also had some really impressive games last year. They lost to Syracuse, Lousiville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Georgia. Four of the losses came on the road, with Notre Dame beating them at home. The most interesting game was between them and Georgia. That game went into eight overtimes and saw Georgia win 44-42. The point being that they were competitive against a lot of good teams, better teams than Colorado. With that in our minds, what has changed for Georgia Tech? The big news for them is that they have Haynes King still under center. This is actually his sixth season, but he could be one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC. They also have Jamal Haynes returning so the combination of these Haynes should have them running well. The offensive line is also really talented, so this offense could be very tough to deal with. Their defense wasn't that good last year and they have a lot of room for improvement this year. I don't expect them to have a great start defensively, but their offense should be able to make up for that until they figure out their pieces.

Any conversation about Colorado needs to discuss Deion Sanders. Their head coach is what draws the national attention, and he is the reason that this program is even relevant. Sanders was always my favorite player growing up, but I do understand why people don't like him. Although Colorado has improved over the past two years, there is still a lot of frustration that they haven't really had big wins. How will Colorado respond to losing their starting quarterback, and two-way sensation, Travis Hunter? They turn the ball to Kaidon Salter, and he can be productive on the ground for the Buffaloes. I have some questions about how efficient he can be as a passer, but there are many successful teams who have a run-first quarterback. On defense, the team took a big step forward last year, after being one of the worst in 2023. I do think they have a solid enough defensive line. Their secondary lost Hunter, but they should still be fine. 

This is not going to be a great season for Colorado. They have a tougher schedule than last season, but the benefit of this one is that Georgia Tech is on the road. I don't know that the Buffaloes will cover this spread, even as the host team. Instead of betting the side, I actually like the total in this game. I think there are a lot of questions for the Georgia Tech defense, and I think their offense should have enough continuity to get past an improved Colorado defense. Back the over.

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