Georgia Tech and UCF take the stage Friday night as they play in the Gasparilla Bowl. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Gasparilla Bowl Georgia Tech-UCF prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Gasparilla Bowl was founded in 2008, originally known as the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. Since then, it has gone through multiple name changes and became the Gasparilla Bowl, named after the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, in 2017, as the game moved from St. Petersburg to Raymond James Stadium in Tamp Bay. Georgia Tech will be representing the ACC in this game, making it just the third time the ACC has been in the game. The ACC has won both their prior games with North Carolina State winning in 2014 and Wake Forest winning last year.
Georgia Tech enters the game at 6-6 on the year. After starting the season 2-3 with a loss to Bowling Green, a bowl seemed unlikely. They then upset Miami before losing to Boston College. Georgia Tech once again pulled the upset the next week, knocking off North Carolina, before winning two of their final four games to become bowl-eligible.
Meanwhile, UCF returns to this bowl for a sixth time. They have gone 3-2 in this game, last playing in 2021 when they beat Florida 29-17. They also entered the game at 6-6 but struggled in conference play. After starting the year 3-0, with three out-of-conference games, they would lose their first five Big 12 games of the year. The first win was over fellow Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati by just two points. After upsetting Oklahoma State, they would fall to Texas Tech before knocking off Houston in the last game of the year to make a bowl game. This is the first time a Big 12 team has played in this game as UCF moved to the conference this year.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Gasparilla Bowl Odds: Georgia Tech -UCF Odds
Georgia Tech: +4.5 (-105)
UCF: -4.5 (-115)
Over: 66.5 (-115)
Under: 66.5 (-105)
How to Watch Georiga Tech vs. UCF
Time: 6:30 PM ET/ 3:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Georgia Tech Will Cover The Spread
Georgia Tech comes into the game sitting 47th in the nation in points per game this year while being 39th in yards per game. This has been a run-first offense, as Georgia Tech is 64th in the nation in passing yards per game, but 17th in running yards per game. Haynes King comes in as the leader of the offense at quarterback. He threw for 2,755 yards this year while completing 61.9 percent of his passes. King also threw 26 touchdowns this year but did have 15 interceptions. He was solid almost all year though. His game with Georgia was the first time all year he did not have a touchdown pass.
Meanwhile, King was solid on the ground as well. He had 729 yards before adjustment for loss of yardage due to sacks. He also scored nine times on the ground this year, including twice against Georgia, and six times in his last four games. The Georgia Tech running game was led by Jamal Haynes this year. He had 933 yards on the season with seven touchdowns. While he averaged 5.9 yards per carry, he was solid after contact as well, with 3.14 yards after contact per carry on the season.
In the receiving game, Haynes King relies heavily on Eric Singleton. Jr. In 11 games this year he has 706 yards on just 47 receptions. He also scored six times this year. Outside of Singleton, there is Malik Rtuehrford. He was sure-handed this year, bringing in two of every three targets sent his way for 462 yards and three scores. He also had just two drops on the season.
The defense for Georgia Tech has not been great this year. They rank 105th in points allowed per game while sitting 122nd in yards allowed per game. They are one of the worst in the nation against the run, sitting 130th in rushing yards allowed per game, but they are 55th against the pass. Part of the quality play against the pass has been Kyle Kennard, who led the team in sacks, but he has opted out in this game and is in the transfer portal. Also in the portal is Kenan Johnson. He was one of their top corners this year, but Georgia Tech will have Jaylon King, who led the team with four interceptions.
Why UCF Will Cover The Spread
The UCF offense ranked seventh in the nation this year in yards per game while sitting 34th in points per game this year. Like Georgia Tech, it was a run-first offense. They were fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game while sitting 49th in passing yards per game. John Rhys Plumlee led the offense at quarterback. He threw for 2,102 yards this year and 13 touchdowns in nine games this year. Also, he threw just eight interceptions, with just one in his last four games. Further, Plumlee has just three turnover-worthy passes in his last four games.
Plumlee was also solid on the ground as well. He has 522 yards before sack adjustments while scoring five times. The focal point of the offense is RJ Harvey. Harvey comes into the game with 1,300 yards on the year, with 16 scores. He ran for over 100 yards in six of his last seven games while scoring two or more touchdowns in each of his last four. He also fumbled just twice this year and lost only one. Harvey last lost a fumble in week four against Kansas State.
In the receiving game, Javon Baker and Kobe Hudson have been great. Baker comes in with 43 receptions for 966 yards and six touchdowns. Meanwhile, Hudson also has 43 receptions for 885 yards and seven scores.
The defense ranked 63rd in the nation in points allowed per game this year while sitting 93rd in yards allowed per game. They were awful against the rush, sitting 125th in the nation, but solid against the pass, sitting 39th. Starting corner Corey Thorton is in the transfer portal, but defensive lineman Lee Hunter is around. He was the top run-stopper for this year, with 37 stops for offensive failures, and just three missed tacks; es.
Final Georgia Tech-UCF Prediction & Pick
This game features two great run offenses against two horrible run defenses. Both are top 25 in the nation in Rushing EPA this year on offense, while both run defenses are in the bottom third of the NCAA. UCF has the better run unit, and taking them on the money line, or even against the spread could be a good play, but the best play here is on the total. Do not expect a lot of stops in this game as the over hits with ease.
Final Georgia Tech-UCF Prediction & Pick: Over 66.5 (-115)
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