After its surprising win over then-No. 24 Pittsburgh on Saturday, Georgia Tech has been tabbed as a three-point underdog for its home game this Saturday against Duke.
It is perhaps evidence both of a wait-and-see approach from bookmakers regarding Tech under interim coach Brent Key and a show of respect for the Blue Devils and new coach Mike Elko. Interestingly, Duke was slightly less favored at home last Saturday against Virginia (2.5-point favorite) than it is for this Saturday’s game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The last time that Duke was a road favorite in a league game was in 2020 – against Tech, which went on defeat the Blue Devils 56-33.
Picked to finish last in the ACC Coastal Division in a preseason media poll (one spot behind Tech), Duke is 4-1 and defeated Virginia 38-17 in Durham, N.C., on Saturday. ESPN’s College Football Power Index gives Duke a 60.1% probability of defeating Tech.
It should be noted, though, that the Jackets had a win probability of 9.4% before upsetting the Panthers in Pittsburgh as a 21.5-point underdog. With the win, ESPN’s index projects a record of 3.9-8.1 for Tech with a 7.5% chance of reaching six wins and qualifying for a bowl. The projected win total before the Pitt game was 2.6.
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