You know you’re getting the effort in this one.
Vanderbilt is playing its first bowl since 2018 and haven’t won one of these things since the end of the 2013 season. Georgia Tech beat UCF in last year’s Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla, but this is just the program’s fifth bowl appearance since 2013.
It’s been a fun year for the Yellow Jackets. It started with a win over Florida State in Ireland, finished with a thriller of a loss to Georgia, and along the way it knocked off Miami, beat North Carolina, and pushed through a rough schedule.
Vanderbilt was a stunner with its win over Alabama, victories over Virginia Tech and Kentucky, and good push against Texas and LSU. It’s a fun team with a playmaker in QB Diego Pavia who’s worth the price of admission.
Georgia Tech vs Vanderbilt: How to Watch the Birmingham Bowl, Game Preview
Date: Friday, December 27, 2024
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
How To Watch: ESPN
Venue: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Teams: Georgia Tech (7-5), Vanderbilt (6-6)
Why Vanderbilt Will Win
The Commodores aren’t missing all that much, and Georgia Tech is. There aren’t enough missing Yellow Jackets to be a massive killer, but there’s enough to be annoying.
And Pavia is still around, and this might not be his last game, either.
The Commodores have a veteran baller under center – he played in two bowl games at New Mexico State – who has a way of making things happen on third downs time and again. Pavia doesn’t turn the ball over, the team doesn’t make a slew of mistakes, and Georgia Tech’s defense doesn’t force turnovers.
This isn’t a Vandy team that can lose any semblance of control. It’s 1-4 when turning the ball over, 5-2 when it doesn’t. Georgia Tech might come up with one takeaway, but it’s not generating two in this. But to all this off, Pavia has to be deadly accurate, and …
Why Georgia Tech Will Win
Here’s the problem for Vanderbilt. It doesn’t turn the ball over, but neither does Georgia Tech – just eight on the year. The Commodore offense has to own third downs, and Georgia Tech is the best in the ACC and among the best in the nation in third down stops.
And then there’s that accuracy thing. How did Vandy beat Alabama, Virginia Tech, and Kentucky? Pavia hit EVERYTHING. The team is 4-0 when he connects on 75% or more of his passes, and 2-6 when he doesn’t.
No one has hit the Yellow Jacket defense for more than 70% – Florida State and Notre Dame got to 70% – and the team is 4-0 when keeping passing games from getting to 60%.
Vanderbilt and Pavia failed to get to 60% seven times and …
Georgia Tech vs Vanderbilt: Who Will Win?
Haynes King is playing.
The Georgia Tech quarterback was the best player on the field in the classic against Georgia, and he’s supposedly going to give it a go.
The lack of Yellow Jacket defensive pressure will be a problem, but Pavia will be contained just enough to keep him from making too many magical plays.
These two teams will keep the score close, it’ll be a well-played game – even if the fireworks aren’t there – with Georgia Tech winning the third down battle to keep the Commodores from owning control.
Georgia Tech vs Vanderbilt Birmingham Bowl Prediction, Betting Lines
Prediction: Georgia Tech 27, Vanderbilt 23
Line: Georgia Tech -3, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 4
– Birmingham Bowl Expert Picks
