Bookmakers giving a 20-point spread in a game between a power conference team and a team from a Group of Five conference isn’t unusual. What is uncommon, though, is when the underdog is the one from the power conference.
Georgia Tech doesn’t need any reminders of how the public is perceiving it after a 42-0 loss on Saturday to No. 16 Ole Miss at Bobby Dodd Stadium. But Las Vegas has done it anyway, making the Yellow Jackets a 20-point underdog (as of Tuesday morning) to the Knights for their game in Orlando, Fla. It’s not unheard of for a team from a power conference to be a double-digit underdog to a team from one of the Group of Five conferences – the American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt – but it’s not the norm.
Through Week 4, there have been 82 games between power conference and G-5 schools. Of the 82, 10 power conference schools have been the underdog, according to teamrankings.com. The spread for the Tech-UCF game is the widest of the 10.
The wagering line is understandable. UCF is one of the top G-5 teams in the country and has a strong history of winning at home. Tech is undoubtedly struggling.
Tech fans might take hope in how those power conference underdogs have fared. Against G-5 schools as underdogs, they’re 7-1 thus far this season.
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