The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Louisville Cardinals will face off in an ACC battle at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday. This game is set to take place at 3:30 p.m. ET in Louisville, Kentucky, and will air on ESPN2.
The 2-0 Cardinals are 10.5-point favorites in their first true test of the season in a game with an over/under set at 57.5 total points.
Let’s take a look at my Georgia Tech vs. Louisville predictions and best bet for Saturday, September 21.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Louisville Cardinals Prediction
- Louisville vs. Georgia Tech Pick: Over 57.5
My GT-Louisville best bet is on the over with the best line currently available at BetRivers, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Georgia Tech vs. Louisville Odds, Spread, Line
| GA Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -105 | 57.5 -105o / -115u | +265 |
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -115 | 57.5 -105o / -115u | -335 |
- Georgia Tech vs Louisville Point Spread: Georgia Tech +9.5 · Louisville -9.5
- Georgia Tech vs Louisville Total: Over/Under 57.5 Points
- Georgia Tech vs Louisville Moneyline: Georgia Tech ML +265 · Louisville ML -335
Georgia Tech Football vs. Louisville Football Preview
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Betting Preview: Defense Leaves Much to be Desired
Georgia Tech kicked off its season with what many thought was an impressive win in Dublin over Florida State. This helped the Yellow Jackets get ranked after their 2-0 start before they fell to Syracuse in a three-point loss.
Now at 3-1, optimism is still high at Georgia Tech following a drubbing of VMI last weekend, but it remains to be seen what we can expect from this team going forward.
The Yellow Jackets rank 18th in offensive success rate and 13th in fishing drives this season. They run the ball most often, where they rank 23rd in rushing success rate and 33rd in rushing PPA. When they do throw the ball, they are impressively still 14th in passing success rate and 13th in passing PPA this season.
Quarterback Haynes King has completed an astounding 77% of his passes this year for 962 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception. King is averaging 0.40 yards per dropback and a 54% success rate on the year.
Defensively, Georgia Tech ranks 87th in success rate and 86th in finishing drives. The Yellow Jackets' rushing defense ranks 45th in success rate allowed and 34th in rushing PPA allowed, but their passing defense leaves much to be desired.
This team ranks just 109th in passing success rate allowed and 95th in passing PPA allowed this year. The Yellow Jackets are 103rd in PFF coverage grade and 85th in pass rush grade, as they haven’t been a threat to stop the pass at all.
Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview: A Mystery After Easy Wins
While Georgia Tech has already played four games this season, Louisville is one of the few teams that has only played two.
Coming off of a bye, we don’t know much about Louisville to this point in the season. They crushed both Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, but those were both games that they should have won in the manner that they were, so they didn’t really teach us anything about where this team is at.
Through these two easier games, Louisville unsurprisingly ranks sixth in offensive success rate and 20th in finishing drives. They are second in rushing success rate and rushing PPA, while ranking 17th in passing success rate and 26th in passing PPA.
The Cardinals return eight starters on offense this season, including four offensive linemen. Tyler Shough transfers over from Texas Tech to take over at quarterback and Ja’Corey Brooks has joined this receiving corps from Alabama.
This offense ranked 44th in SP+ last season and should be respectable once again, as most Jeff Brohm offenses are.
Louisville’s defense was actually its strength last season, ranking 36th in SP+. There is a chance that it is even better this year with seven starters back on this side of the ball, including five of the top seven tacklers and most of the secondary.
This year, Louisville's defense is eighth in success rate overall, including sixth in rushing success rate, which may prove to be key against Georgia Tech.
Louisville vs. Georgia Tech Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Louisville and Georgia Tech match up statistically:
Georgia Tech Offense vs. Louisville Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 23 | 6 | |
| Line Yards | 76 | 48 | |
| Pass Success | 15 | 26 | |
| Havoc | 30 | 20 | |
| Finishing Drives | 13 | 69 | |
| Quality Drives | 33 | 3 | |
Louisville Offense vs. Georgia Tech Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 2 | 45 | |
| Line Yards | 11 | 8 |  |
| Pass Success | 18 | 95 | |
| Havoc | 7 | 57 | |
| Finishing Drives | 19 | 84 | |
| Quality Drives | 16 | 76 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 88 | 46 |
| PFF Coverage | 105 | 74 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 51 | 92 |
| Middle 8 | 11 | 36 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.8 (37) | 30.3 (115) |
| Rush Rate | 52% (53) | 48% (91) |
How to Bet My Georgia Tech vs. Louisville Pick
I think this game will come down to the matchup between Louisville’s passing game and Georgia Tech’s secondary. The Yellow Jackets have not been able to stop the pass to this point in the season, and the Cardinals will be looking to throw the ball.
If Shough can remain effective through the air, then Louisville will have no trouble putting points on the board in this game.
Louisville’s defense will likely be the toughest unit they have faced to this point, but I think that Georgia Tech’s offense will be able to put up at least respectable numbers on offense.
Louisville’s major weakness this season has been allowing explosive runs, as both Austin Peay and Jacksonville State actually had an EPA per rush above the 40th percentile against this team despite being shut down elsewhere.
I think between Louisville’s passing attack and Georgia Tech’s capable offense, we see this game play toward the over with a final score resembling last year’s 39-34 matchup between these two squads.
I’d take the over here at 57.5 and would take it up to 58, as both 58 and 59 have been key numbers in the past.
Pick: Over 57.5 (Play to 58)
How to Watch Georgia Tech vs. Louisville
| Location: | L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, KY |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 21 |
| Kickoff Time: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN2 |
GT vs. Louisville Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in both of Louisville's games this season.
- Georgia Tech is 3-1 against the spread this season.
Louisville vs. Georgia Tech Weather
