Another full slate of action arrives this Saturday in what has been a wild start to the college football season. With high-profile coaches already fired and expected National Championship contenders removed from the AP Top 25, the madness is in full swing. As part of the Week 8 Saturday slate, the Duke Blue Devils will host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
These programs have faced off 91 times in their history. Georgia Tech has won 55 of these matchups, including each of the last four, with one tie occurring back in 1951. Both of these programs are on the rise and last faced off in 2014, resulting in a 24-14 Georgia Tech win.
Looking at the odds for this year’s matchup, Duke enters as a narrow 1.5-point favorite and holds -120 odds on winning on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Georgia Tech holds +100 odds of pulling off the outright upset, with the game total set at 60.5 points.
This article provides a preview of both teams and offers a pick for the Week 8 matchup.
Georgia Tech vs. Duke prediction, preview
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets arrive with a 6-0 record on the season and have climbed to 12th in the AP Poll due to their strong start. They have defeated Colorado, Gardner-Webb, Clemson, Temple, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are 4-2 against the spread this season.
Haynes King captains the offense from the quarterback spot and sets the tone for this entire team. He has completed 71.2% of his passing attempts for 971 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while adding a team-high 440 rushing yards and an ACC-best nine rushing scores. Malachi Hosley and Jamal Haynes have each added 380+ yards on the ground and have combined for eight rushing touchdowns at the running back position. Georgia Tech has a well-balanced wide receiver attack with Isiah Canion, Eric Rivers and Malik Rutherford each pulling in 200+ receiving yards and each notching at least one touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Georgia Tech is allowing 21.0 points per game and 358.3 yards of total offense. It has allowed 12+ points in every game, and every team except for Gardner-Webb has put up at least 20. The Yellow Jackets are led in tackles by Kyle Efford with 35, and Amontrae Bradford has a team-high two sacks. As a collective unit, Georgia Tech has tallied 12.0 sacks and forced just four turnovers.
Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils enter with a 4-2 record on the season and are 3-3 against the spread. They suffered losses to Illinois and Tulane, but are entering with the momentum of a three-game winning streak over NC State, Syracuse and California. Duke also defeated Elon in the season-opener.
Darian Mensah headlines the production at the quarterback spot for the Blue Devils. The Tulane transfer has completed 69.8% of his passing attempts for 1,838 yards, an ACC-best 15 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Cooper Barkate leads the team with 475 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions, while Sean Brown also has over 400 yards through the air. Sahmir Hagans adds four touchdowns of his own. On the ground, Nate Sheppard leads the team with 447 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Anderson Castle leads the team with six rushing touchdowns and has 263 rushing yards.
Defensively, Duke is allowing 25.5 points per game and 375.8 yards of total offense. DaShawn Stone leads the team with 41 tackles, and Vincent Anthony Jr. has an ACC-best 10 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks recorded. The Blue Devils have 17 total sacks and 12 turnovers forced on the year.
Georgia Tech vs. Duke pick, best bet
While they have very different styles, both these teams enter with high-powered offenses and some concerns on the defensive side of the ball. Duke has scored 38+ points in each of its last three games, while Georgia Tech has tallied 30+ in four of its past five. The teams combine to average 73.2 points per game thus far. 60.5 is a high total, but completely in play for these two schools.
Expect the offense to be the takeaway of this matchup. Darian Mesah has tallied 250+ passing yards in all six games this year, which is the longest active streak in the FBS. Duke also ranks 11th in the country in passing yards per game and top 20 in total yards gained. Georgia Tech is allowing 358.3 average yards of offense already, and Duke has a more complete attack than some that have done damage against the Jackets already this year.
On the other side, Georgia Tech has not been held below 24 points in a game all season. Duke’s defense has had some flashes, but the unit can be a bit overly dependent on turnovers and are prone to taking risks. Haynes King does a nice job taking care of the football overall, and these chances will be hard to come by. Georgia Tech has the 11th-ranked red zone offense in the country, scoring on 92% of these trips. Duke’s defense ranks 80th in the country in yards allowed, while Georgia Tech is 13th in total yards gained.
Buckle up for a shootout and don’t blink at the high total. Expect both these teams to surpass 30 points individually and for this matchup to clear total.
