The Miami Hurricanes finally got the monkey off their back. This program had lived its own Groundhog Day over the last few seasons. Miami started the season strong, than played Florida State, lost in heartbreaking fashion, and went into a funk afterwards. Miami turned a corner by finally knocking off Florida State thanks to a last second miracle of its own and now optimism around campus is sky high. The Hurricanes will look to keep the good vibes going this week when the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets come to town in what may be a battle between the two best teams in the ACC Coastal.
This matchup in Week 7 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This game will be broadcast on ABC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Georgia Tech +7.5
Miami -7.5
Odds Analysis
Georgia Tech knows it should be 4-0 right now. The Yellow Jackets blew a late lead against Tennessee, but have cruised to victories elsewhere on their schedule. Georgia Tech is 4-0 ATS on the season, yet has not played a true road game to this point.
Like many teams in the southeast, Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Miami’s schedule. The Hurricanes are 4-0 this season, but have had two games postponed and one cancelled outright. They are 3-0 ATS against FBS teams this season, and might be favored in all of its games the rest of the way.
Key Injury
Unfortunately for the Canes, the win over Florida State came at a big cost. Mark Walton came into the game as Miami’s leading rusher, but injured his ankle and will be lost for the rest of the year.
Running back depth has been a big issue for Miami this year, as the Hurricanes just don’t have the talent they have had at the position in years past. Additionally, this team hasn’t run the ball well against the two conference opponents it has faced.
Miami ran for less than four yards per carry against Duke, and less than three yards per carry against Florida State. That is an issue heading into this game against Georgia Tech, where it will be facing a defense that is sixth in the nation in total defense.
Matchup to Watch
The big question in this one is whether or not Miami will be able to stop Georgia Tech’s triple option. Florida State’s two big running backs had a ton of success against this defense last week. Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick combined to run for over 200 yards against this defense, and were averaging almost seven yards per carry combined.
That’s music to the ears of Paul Johnson, who is overseeing the second-best ground game in the nation. Georgia Tech is averaging 396 yards per game on the ground, and has yet to be stopped by any opponent, scoring at least 35 points in every outing so far.
TaQuon Marshall has had a considerable amount of success throwing the ball this season, because of the success of the option. He is averaging over 10 yards per throw and has thrown four touchdowns without an interception.
Free ATS Pick
This is a tough spot for Miami. Although the Hurricanes are playing at home, Georgia Tech is coming off of a bye week. Meanwhile, Miami is coming off its biggest win in years, and there is sure to be a hangover effect.
Miami has not proved it can stop the run well enough and that is a bad sign here. If it had a week off before this game, I’d feel confident in the Hurricanes’ chances, but this is not a good time for this game. Georgia Tech will pull off the upset and take over the top spot in the ACC Coastal.
College Football Odds: Georgia Tech 31, Miami 23
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