2024 Birmingham Bowl Lines - Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt

Birmingham Bowl Lines - Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt Odds

In one of the more intriguing matchups of the 2024 bowl season, Georgia Tech football has accepted an invitation to play Vanderbilt in the 2024 Birmingham Bowl. The matchup pits Georgia Tech against Vanderbilt for the 39th time overall, but the first time in the postseason. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series, 20-15-3, but are 12-0-1 against the Commodores since 1948 and haven’t lost to Vandy since 1941. The Jackets have won six-straight in the series since a 10-10 tie in 1965. Most recently, Tech and Vandy have squared off four times since 2002, with the Jackets winning 45-3 (2002 in Atlanta), 24-17 in overtime (2003 in Nashville), 56-31 (2009 in Nashville) and 38-7 (2016 in Atlanta).

2024 Birmingham Bowl at a Glance

Date: Friday, December 27, 2024

Time (ET) / TV: 3:30 PM / ESPN

Venue: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama

Matchup: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

College Football Betting Lines

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets -3

Vanderbilt Commodores +3

Over/Under: 51

Birmingham Bowl Preview

Last game, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lost 44-42 against the Georgia Bulldogs as 17-point road dogs. The game went over the total of 49. Georgia Tech has a record of 7-5 straight up, 6-5-1 against the spread, and 4-8 over/under the total. Georgia Tech ranks 33rd for total offense, 49th for passing, 38th for rushing, and 62nd for scoring. Defensively they rank 46th overall, 82nd against the pass, 30th against the rush, and 68th for points allowed. Also, Georgia Tech ranks 5th for fewest turnovers lost and 120th for takeaways.

Last game, the Vanderbilt Commodores lost 36-23 against the Tennessee Volunteers as 10-point home dogs. The game went over the total of 47. Vandy has a record of 6-6 straight up, 8-4 against the spread, and 6-5-1 over/under the total. Vanderbilt ranks 123rd for total offense, 116th for passing, 86th for rushing and 76th for scoring. Defensively they rank 74th overall, 100th against the pass, 45th against the rush, and 49th for points allowed. Also, Vanderbilt ranks 2nd for fewest turnovers lost and 90th for takeaways.

Birmingham Bowl Prediction

In this situation, Georgia Tech is the more complete team.

Birmingham Bowl Format

The Birmingham Bowl debuted in 2006, and the matchup has conference tie-ins with the AAC, SEC, CUJSA, and MAC. This game was previously called the PapaJohns.com Bowl and the BBVA Compass Bowl before dropping its sponsors in 2015. the Birmingham Bowl was played at Old Legion Field from its inception through 2020. Now, the Birmingham Bowl is held at Protective Stadium, home to the UAB Blazers football program. Protective Stadium opened in October of 2021 to rave reviews. The payout for this bowl game is $1.3 million.

Birmingham Bowl Past Results

In the 2019 edition, Cincinnati dominated Boston College in wire-to-wire fashion for a 38-6 victory, the Bearcats' second Birmingham Bowl victory.

The 2020 installment of the Birmingham Bowl was wiped out by, what else, COVID-19. The game returned on Dec. 28, 2021. The Houston Cougars of the AAC faced the Auburn Tigers of the SEC and a mostly Tigers crowd. Houston erased a three-point deficit with a late touchdown to win it 17-13. n 2022, East Carolina beat Coastal Carolina 53-29 behind MVP Holton Ahlers’ 300 yards and 5 TDs passing.

In 2023, the Troy Trojans didn't have a long trip to Birmingham to face the Duke Blue Devils. The Trojans' comeback attempt came up short in the closing minutes. Duke will head back to Durham with a 17-10 win, their fifth bowl win in as many attempts.

Both teams played the game under the direction of interim head coaches. Trooper Taylor led the Blue Devils as their interim head coach, while the Trojans had defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato.

Troy ended the season with an 11-3 record and lost its first bowl game since 2009.

An unfortunate hiccup in Troy's bowl preparation was a stomach virus that affected multiple players. Notably, quarterback Gunnar Watson was having symptoms that he tried to play through but looked noticeably off. Watson ended the day with 21 completions on 36 attempts for 230 yards. Watson threw an interception on Troy's final possession as they tried to tie the game up.

The low score of the game points to how well both defenses played. The Troy defense forced two turnovers but somehow only managed two sacks against a Duke offensive line full of inexperienced players. Richard Jibunor was arguably the most disruptive, with two tackles for loss and a sack. The Duke defense also had two sacks in addition to ten pass breakups.

Troy's Kimani Vidal entered the season as the nation's second leading rusher. Unfortunately for him and the Trojans, the Duke defense had an answer for him. Vidal carried 17 times for 79 yards. Vidal had at least one rushing touchdown in each of his last three previous games, including five in the Sun Belt Championship.

2024-25 College Football Bowl Games

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