Getting off to a strong start on their own field has become the norm for the Florida State Seminoles. The squad has posted a 30-9 all-time record when opening a season at home, including an 18-3 mark since 1975. The Seminoles will look to improve upon those numbers when they host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday in the 2020 season opener for both schools. Kickoff from Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Florida State has a new coach with a track record of fast starts in Mike Norvell, who won each of his four season openers with Memphis as the team outscored its opponents 153-70 in those contests. The Seminoles are 12.5-point favorites in the latest Florida State vs. Georgia Tech odds from William Hill, while the over-under for total points scored is 52. Before making any Georgia Tech vs. Florida State picks, be sure to see the college football predictions from SportsLine's Emory Hunt.
Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis for all levels of football since 2007, and he is a former running back at Louisiana-Lafayette. He knows the game from a player's and coach's perspective.
The football analyst was SportsLine's No. 1 college football expert last season. Hunt went 116-79 on college football picks against the spread in 2019, returning a huge profit of $2,976 to his followers. Hunt has also had a sharp eye for the tendencies of the Seminoles, posting a 14-3 ATS record picking for or against Florida State. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hunt has studied FSU vs. Georgia Tech from every angle and has revealed his picks over at SportsLine. Here are the college football odds from William Hill and trends for Georgia Tech vs. FSU.
- Florida State vs. Georgia Tech spread: Seminoles -12.5
- Florida State vs. Georgia Tech over-under: 52 points
- Florida State vs. Georgia Tech money line: Seminoles -475, Yellow Jackets +380
- FSU: The Seminoles are 1-4 against the spread in their last five overall games
- GT: The Yellow Jackets are 5-0-2 ATS in their last seven meetings with the Seminoles
Why Florida State can cover
Norvell could be just what the Seminoles need to get back to their winning ways, as he enjoyed plenty of success at Memphis. The 38-year-old went 38-15 in four seasons with the Tigers, ending his tenure with a 12-1 campaign in 2019. Florida State has particularly struggled in conference play, as it hasn't finished above .500 in the ACC since going 5-3 in 2016.
James Blackman will start at quarterback on Saturday after throwing for 2,339 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. In 29 career games, the junior ranks 12th in school history in both passing yards (5,079) and completions (390). Blackman has a deep threat in wideout Tamorrion Terry, who has averaged 49.1 yards on 17 career TD catches and has a school-record five of at least 70 yards.
Why Georgia Tech can cover
The Yellow Jackets endured a dismal season in 2019, going 3-9 overall and 2-6 in conference play, and only can improve upon their offensive numbers as they continue their transition away from the triple-option attack. The team was worst among the 130 FBS teams in red-zone offense last year, scoring only 60.7 percent of the time, and fourth-worst with an average of 286.3 total yards. Georgia Tech also had the sixth-worst third-down conversion rate (30.1 percent) and was seventh from the bottom in passing (133.9 yards).
Coach Geoff Collins has decided on a starting quarterback but won't be making it known until game time, leaving everyone wondering whether sophomore James Graham or freshman Jeff Sims will be under center. Graham completed 87-of-193 passes for 1,164 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season in 11 games, eight of which he started. Whoever starts will often be looking to connect with wideout Ahmarean Brown, who tied the school's freshman record with seven touchdown catches in 2019.
How to make Florida State vs. Georgia Tech picks
Hunt is leaning over on the total, and he's also found a critical x-factor he believes makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Georgia Tech vs. FSU? And which critical x-factor has Hunt jumping all over one side of the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the FSU vs. Georgia Tech spread to jump on Saturday, all from the expert who was up almost $3,000 last season on college football picks, and find out.
