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All year, Florida State has been underwhelming. Yet all year, the Seminoles have been unbeaten. And if the defending champions beat Georgia Tech Saturday in the ACC championship game, they’ll almost certainly earn a bid to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The Yellow Jackets (10-2) may pose the biggest test yet to Florida State, who will have Jameis Winston under center even as he awaits a judge’s ruling on whether he violated FSU’s student conduct code when a female student says Winston sexually assaulted her in 2012.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
The Basics
Who:
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
When:
Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
Channel:
ABC
Where:
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Line:
Florida State (by 4 )
Last Meeting:
Florida State 21, Georgia Tech 15 on December 1, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia
Scouting Georgia Tech
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This season, Georgia Tech has the fourth-best rushing offense in the country, averaging more than 300 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Justin Thomas leads the team’s rushing with 861 yards to go with his 1,460 passing yards. He also has rushed for 5 touchdowns and passed for 16.
Starting running back Zach Laskey, a senior, only has 748 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season.
However, this high-powered offense has lead to an average of 37.2 points per game — which goes nicely with their defense that gives up 24.1 points.
Scouting Florida State
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Florida State, on the other hand, gains most of its yards through the air. The almost 300 yards per game they pick up from passing make the fact that they only rush for 131.2 yards less of an issue. Winston has 3,250 yards and 21 touchdowns — with 17 interceptions — this season.
This offense scores 34.6 points per games while the defense gives up only 22.
Heavy’s Pick
Florida State 35, Georgia Tech 31
Georgia Tech relies on Thomas a lot, meaning it should be easy for a defense to figure out how to keep him under control. If Florida State can manage to do that, the Noles should be able to come out with a win — even if it’s a close game.