Welcome to Week 8 of the college football season, sports betting family. As it usually does, the year is going by way too rapidly, but there are lots of exciting games left out there for us.
I've found some nice edges on Saturday afternoon's Georgia Tech vs. Duke game, which kicks off at Noon Eastern Time on ESPN. I've broken down all aspects of this matchup and came up with an early best bet to hopefully help build your bankroll.
Good luck and enjoy the action! This should be an exciting ACC battle in Durham, North Carolina. Let's get into it!
Online sportsbooks opened this line at Georgia Tech -1.5 on the look-ahead line back in the summer months. Surprisingly, the current number is now Duke -3, which is kind of a shock since Georgia Tech is still undefeated and ranked 12th nationally.
As for the game total, there's been a huge move toward the Over so far. The line opened at 54.5, and almost every sportsbook in the US is now dealing 61.5. There aren't really any strong outliers in the market for the total as of Monday afternoon.
Georgia Tech has been solid all year long, and they're coming off a fairly easy win over Virginia Tech at home last Saturday. The Jackets got out to an early 15-zip lead and never looked back on their way to a 35-20 win. Haynes King completed 20 of his 24 passes for 213 yards and a TD.
The Yellow Jackets' offense has been much better than most experts expected this season, as they rank 7th in yards per rush, mainly thanks to the dangerous combo of King and Jamal Haynes. Malachi Hosley has also gotten in on the action, as he's run for 384 yards and 5 TDs.
Georgia Tech's defense has struggled to stop the run, and that could be a problem against this Duke rushing attack. The Jackets rank just 110th in the land in yards per rush allowed.
Duke has had an up-and-down season so far in 2025. They lost to both Illinois and Tulane earlier in the year, but have since reeled off three straight wins against NC State, Syracuse, and Cal. That isn't exactly murderer's row, but the Blue Devils won in convincing fashion in each of those contests.
Darian Mensah has played lights out so far for Duke, as he's thrown for 15 TDs and only two INTs. Nate Sheppard has helped bolster a running game that ranks 26th in the country in yards per rush gained (5.0). Cooper Barkate (26 receptions, 475 yds, 4 TDs) has been the team's most productive receiver so far.
Duke's defense is one of the best in the conference at stopping the run, but they've struggled against the pass. However, their secondary often gets some nice help from a stellar pass rush that ranks 28th in sack rate.
These are the types of plays I've been makin' money on since 2001, baby! Wooohooo! We get a fantastic spot to play the Dukies, coming off their bye week at home. We have to ask ourselves why an unranked Blue Devils squad is favored over the No. 12 Yellow Jackets, who are a perfect 6-0.
Georgia Tech is a solid team, and I love their head coach, Brent Key. However, we have to remember that this is the same squad that needed OT to barely edge out a less-than-stellar Wake Forest team a couple of weeks ago.
Strength of schedule is also something to consider. Duke has played the 26th toughest schedule, while Georgia Tech has played the 56th toughest. My pure number makes Duke about a 4.5-point favorite, but I bumped that up to -7 for the bye week spot + a few other factors. Let's play Duke on the moneyline. Good luck, sports betting amigos!
Prediction: Duke 31- Georgia Tech 24