Getty Georgia Tech's James Graham Jordan Mason celebrate
The postseason is still within reach for NC State as they travel to Atlanta on Thursday night to take on Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack are mired in a four-game losing streak but did show some offensive signs of life last week in a 34-20 loss to Louisville. Offense has been hard to come by for the Yellow Jackets, who are among the worst scoring teams in FBS. The triple-option attack has struggled to find consistency this season as freshman quarterback James Graham has averaged just 2.2 yards per carry on 75 totes this season for 166 yards.
We break down the line and offer our best bets and predictions for this matchup between the ACC rivals.
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NC State at Georgia Tech Game Details
Date: Thursday, November 21
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
TV: ESPN
Spread: Georgia Tech -2.5
Total: 47
*All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Line Movement
This line opened at a pick’em and has since been bet towards the home team with Georgia Tech -2 or -2.5 being offered at most, according to VegasInsider.com. The action is split with the Wolfpack getting 60% of the bets but Yellow Jackets receiving 67% of the money, according to The Action Network. This ratio indicates a slight reverse line move favoring Georgia Tech
The total opened at 48.5 and has been bet down slightly to 47.5 or 47 at most books with 64% of the bets and 52% of the money coming in on the under.
Betting Trends
- NC State is 2-8 ATS this season
- Georgia Tech is 2-8 ATS this season
- Under is 6-4 in NC State games this season
- Over is 5-5 in Georgia Tech games this season
- NC State is 0-4 ATS on the road this season
- Georgia Tech is 0-5 ATS at home this season
- Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings
- NC State is 3-9-2 ATS in the last 14 meetings
*All betting trends are courtesy of Covers
Prediction & Picks
Both of these teams have been pretty poor bets this season in the eyes of the oddsmakers, with the Wolfpack and Yellow Jackets going a combined 4-16 ATS. Despite that, NC State can still get bowl eligible with a win on Thursday against Georgia Tech, followed by next week’s rivalry matchup against UNC. The line movement in this game favors Georgia Tech with the public favoring NC State but the line moving in the direction of the Yellow Jackets. However, I’m concerned about the Georgia Tech offense, averaging just 16.9 points per game, dead last in the ACC and 124th out of 130 FBS teams. The Wolfpack haven’t fared much better, but freshman quarterback Devin Leary has played better of late with six touchdowns and just three interceptions in the last four games. Both of these teams are riding extended losing streaks, but the Wolfpack should be the more motivated team as the postseason is still within their grasp. Take the points, and also lean towards the first-half under.
PICK: NC State +2.5
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Follow Jared Smith on Twitter: @jaredleesmith