We made it, everyone! We made it!
With tears of joy streaming down my face, I bring you the first game pick of the 2024 college football season. And what better way to start than with the Aer Lingus College Football Classic across the pond in Ireland.
A game this special requires a bet of equal importance, and that is why I'm focusing on just one half of it.
The pick — Florida State vs. Georgia Tech first-half total UNDER 28 (-120, Caesars)
What better way to start a Saturday than with sweaty brows.
This will undoubtedly be one of the scarier bets to place this weekend, but the numbers and reasoning, I think, are there to back it up.
What will ultimately decide the matchup is whether either team has the stomach to challenge the other’s defense through the air. Both Florida State and Georgia Tech have strong secondaries, and with FSU rolling out unpredictable DJ Uiagalelei and Georgia Tech going with unreliable second-year quarterback Haynes King, the game is trending towards some run-heavy action.
The Yellow Jackets ran on 56% of their snaps last season. With Uiagalelei making his Seminoles debut, expect him to be eased into game play, especially against a good Georgia Tech secondary.
With lots of running early and Georgia Tech’s improved defense, Florida State's big-play chances should be kept to a minimum for a half. And with the Seminoles’ dominant secondary and superior defensive line, the Yellow Jackets might struggle to gain traction as a run-dominant team.
Oh, the average total at Aviva Stadium for these games since 2012 is about 49, meaning low scoring is common.
It’s the first game of the season, so let’s have some fun and get that heart rate up a bit early!
BONUS TIME — New Mexico +13.5, Hawaii -39.5