Week 13 College Football: NC State vs. Georgia Tech
The ACC has the standalone spotlight for Thursday night, as NC State takes on Georgia Tech. It would have been a much more difficult situation for the Yellow Jackets had they played right after the Miami upset, but they’ve had extra time to come down from that high and also to get Haynes King healthier.
As a result, the one-time ramblin’ wreck is a nine-point favorite in Atlanta against a Wolfpack squad vying for bowl eligibility.
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NC State Wolfpack at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-9, 52)
7:30 p.m. ET
It has been a far more compelling season for Georgia Tech, as they picked off Florida State to open the campaign and then beat Miami to upset the College Football Playoff dynamic in the ACC. The win over Florida State has not aged well by any means, but it was thought to be very impressive at the time.
In the meantime, Georgia Tech’s season actually looks a lot like NC State’s. Injuries at the quarterback position and general inconsistency have led to a group of losses and wins that can be scrutinized. NC State’s road win at Cal and home blowout of Stanford, who just beat Louisville last week, both look pretty good. They’ve also lost at home to Wake Forest, a team that will fall short of a bowl berth in all likelihood.
Georgia Tech doesn’t have any outwardly bad losses this season. They’ve played a very tough schedule and have lost at Syracuse, Louisville, and Virginia Tech in conference play. Their other loss is to Notre Dame and a probable loss is on the horizon against Georgia.
The season for NC State was supposed to feature Grayson McCall at QB, but injuries and concussions forced him into retirement, so the future is now. CJ Bailey, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Miami, has a 12/5 TD/INT ratio. While NC State’s running game has only averaged 3.9 yards per carry overall, Jordan Waters has 4.9 and the two backups are both over five yards per carry. Bailey’s empty carries and some sacks have lowered the average in a big way.
Tech is definitely better with King out there, as he’s posted a 9/1 TD/INT ratio and is also the team’s second-leading rusher with 446 yards and 5.4 yards per carry. The Tech defense is a very average unit on the whole, but the bigger story for me is that they’ve allowed 5.9 yards per play in ACC games.
I’m looking at NC State here. Georgia Tech is off of the big, noteworthy upset and has a higher ceiling with King, but the Wolfpack is only slightly worse on defense in conference action and I don’t see a huge offensive drop-off.
Pick: NC State +9
