Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (2-0) @ Miami Hurricanes (1-0)
NCAA : Football 2009
Venue: Miami, Florida
Date 17th September 2009 - Kickoff 19:30 (ET)

Previous Matchups :

Georgia Tech 41-23 Miami
Miami 14-17 Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech 30-23 Miami
Miami 10-14 Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech 3-27 Miami

Georgia Tech lead all time series 10-4

Preview :

Both teams have got off to a reasonable start with victories over conference rivals. A high scoring game appears to be on the cards as both offenses have looked potent early on.

Miami have struggled in this fixture since joining the ACC but there seems to be a new swagger as coach Randy Shannon starts to show his influence on the team.

#14 Georgia Tech :

The Jackets have started the season with two wins, this is a little misleading as 1 win was over irrelevant Jacksonville State.

Last week saw Georgia Tech win a home opener against conference rivals Clemson. Tech got out to an impressive 24-0 lead before halftime.

Of great concern will be the fact that they allowed 27 unanswered points only to clinch victory with 2 field goals in the final 5 minutes.

Again the team looked mighty while running the ball, the triple option is tough to stop and no team does it better than Georgia Tech. On the negative side they only completed 4 passes and 1 of those was a trick play by the kicker.

Defensively things still look a little shaky, 3 throwing TD’s were allowed and over 100 yards were given up on the ground. Things must tighten up this week or there will be big problems.

#20 Miami :

The ‘Canes season opener was a classic, a come from behind 38-34 win against arch-rivals Florida State. This returned Miami to national prominence after several years in the wilderness and hopes have been raised for a conference title.

On offense Miami were awesome passing the ball with new phenomenon QB Jacory Harris passing for nearly 400 yards and 2 TD’s, only 90 or so yards were managed on the ground but few attempts were made and 3 TD’s were punched in from close range.

Miami struggled to contain the passing game and the DB’s look to be a real weak link in an otherwise outstanding defence. The key for the Canes will be to stop the Georgia Tech running game early in the game.

The Betting Verdict :

This should be a classic, running v passing, who will come out on top?

The key for Georgia Tech will be to make steady gains on the ground while using up the clock. Miami must look to get an early lead and make GT chase the game.

I believe the Miami defence has the edge and will ultimately have too much for Georgia Tech. The Canes will win a high scoring affair by a small amount.

The Pick :

Miami 35-30 Georgia Tech

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

The line is too tight at -5.5 points, instead try a play on the over/under market:

Take Over 54 points