NCAA College Football Betting - 2007 Georgia Tech Preview
Betus Pressbox
Articles
One of the more profitable ways to feed your
summertime NCAA football betting jones is to
pounce on those regular-season win totals. The
selection is limited at first, but even on the
display rack of the most popular teams in the
nation, there is value to be found.
One of the most eye-grabbing
teams on the futures market is the Georgia
Tech Yellow Jackets. The NCAA football odds
list has the Yellow Jackets fitted for seven
victories, with the “over” favored
slightly at –125. That should make for
excellent bulletin-board material in the Tech
dressing room.
These Jackets are
not your garden-variety 7-7 squad. They won
the ACC Coastal Division last year at 9-5 (7-2
in conference action, 7-5-1 overall against
the spread). It probably won’t
be as smooth a path to the ACC title game in
2007; however, there are myriad reasons to believe
Tech’s current talent level is strong enough
that it would take something drastic for the
Rambling Wreck to merely create a push, let alone
lose money.
The two major differences Georgia Tech supporters
can expect this year are in the offense and on
the calendar. The latter brings some cause for
concern. The ACC figures to improve across the
board this year, with Miami and Florida State
in particular seeking redemption and a return
to the national title hunt. The Jackets hit the
road to face the Hurricanes on Oct. 13. But Georgia
Tech does not have to play FSU this year; the
toughest Atlantic foe on the schedule looks like
the Maryland Terrapins, who should give the Jackets
a rude welcome on Oct. 6.
While the schedule has its landmines, the changes
Tech is experiencing on offense look more inviting
for handicappers. The three departures receiving
the most ink are wide receiver Calvin Johnson,
quarterback Reggie Ball, and offensive coordinator
Patrick Nix. Johnson is stealing the spotlight
here after the Detroit Lions snapped him up with
the No. 2 selection in the NFL draft. Arguably
the most talented college player available, Johnson
won ACC Player of the Year honors with a team-record
15 touchdown catches. He will be missed.
But how many touchdowns
would Johnson have caught with a better quarterback
at the controls? Ball certainly has talent,
and he did show some improvement last year
as Nix took the steering wheel on offense for
head coach Chan Gailey. It still wasn’t
enough to keep Bell from falling apart in the
second half of the season. He finished his final
college season with 20 TD throws, 14 interceptions
and two embarrassing performances against Georgia
and Wake Forest.
Business is expected
to pick up with Taylor Bennett under center.
Bennett nearly led Georgia Tech to an upset
Gator Bowl victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers
(-9.5), connecting on 19 of 26 pass attempts
for three touchdowns and just one pick. The
Jackets may have lost the game 38-35, but they
found themselves a new No. 1 quarterback. Bennett
finished 2006 with a 60.3-percent completion
rating in spot duty and appears entirely comfortable
running the offense. That should more than
mitigate the loss of Johnson to the pros and
the defection of Nix to the Hurricanes’ program.
It’s easy to fixate on Tech’s “skill” positions
and the roster turnover, forgetting that the
Jackets had one of the better defenses in the
nation last year with a stingy 16.8 points allowed
per game. Gailey has taken his lumps for last
year’s collapse and his flirtation with
a return to the NFL ranks, but he remains only
the second coach in Tech history (John Heisman
being the other) never to suffer a losing season.
His work with respected defensive coordinator
and “Associate Head Coach” Jon Tenuta
should pay handsomely in 2007; the Jackets return
24 lettermen and nine starters on defense and
will be even tougher to score against.
Stronger on both sides
of the ball, these Jackets are designed to
win between eight and 10 games. Don’t
be surprised if their total starts moving in
that direction before long.
With NCAA football just a couple months away,
the BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college
football Futures betting available for those
of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner,
Conference and Divisional winners and, of course,
the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet
NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today
in the Future / props section!
Posted on 7/31/2007 7:45:40 PM
College Football Betting - Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket
By Cliff Vicious
| More
2007 College Football Previews |
|
USE
THESE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS TO HELP YOU
WITH YOUR COLLEGE handicapping AT OUR SPORTSBOOKS
ONLINE this SEASON
|
