Deposit Instantly Using Your Credit Card at Sportsbook.com!

The Janus Report: LSU vs Georgia Tech Chick-fil-A Bowl Free Prediction

Written by Steve Janus

chick-fil-a-pick-janus-123108 The Georgia Dome will be the site of tonight’s Chick-fil-A Bowl between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. LSU is just one year removed from a national title victory in last year’s BCS Championship. The Tigers ended their 2008 regular season at just 7-5, a far cry from what was expected from this group in what was considered by many to be a down year in the SEC. Georgia Tech surprised everyone with their 9-3 season behind first-year head coach Paul Johnson, who installed his option offense and saw immediate success. The Yellow Jackets’ season was capped-off by an exciting win over state rival, Georgia, while LSU finished their 2008 campaign with a disappointing loss versus Arkansas. Georgia Tech is currently favored by 4 over LSU.

LSU was inconsistent, but productive on offense this season. During the regular season, the Tigers averaged 30.3 points per game on 373 yards per game. The team was hurt by the dismissal of Ryan Perrilloux, who was slated to be the starting quarterback. Jerrett Lee has taken most of the snaps for the Tigers this year and he has struggled. Later on the season, however, the Tigers installed Jordan Jefferson at QB and the freshman played well for the most part. Jefferson will be interesting to watch, but he’s still young and a few years from being a big time QB in the SEC. With their problems at the quarterback position, LSU was successful on offense mostly due to their running game, led by Charles Scott, who ended the season with 1,109 yards and 15 touchdowns. The real disappointment for the Tigers this season came on the defensive side of the ball. As one of the best units in the nation last season, the Tigers looked mediocre by allowing 25.9 points per game and 327 total yards per game. Give an advantage to LSU in this game, however, because their rush defense has been solid, allowing only 3.3 yards per carry and 106 rushing yards per game. Playing a Georgia Tech team that relies so heavily on the run should be to the Tigers’ benefit.

Paul Johnson’s option system on offense ended up helping to earn the Yellow Jackets a 9-3 season and in winning Johnson ACC Coach of the Year honors. Tech racked up some impressive yardage this season, gaining 282 rushing yards per game, leading to 26.2 points per game. The passing game does suffer in this system, where the Jackets averaged just 95 passing yards per game on 47.1% completions. On the defensive side of the ball, Tech was also successful. They allowed just 18.2 per game and 313 yards of total offense against them. It doesn’t hurt that the Yellow Jacket’s slow the tempo of the game by holding onto the ball, but it’s all part of the plan for Georgia Tech, who seems to have found a winning combination this year.

These two teams certainly finished their regular seasons differently. LSU suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Ole Miss and Arkansas, while Tech finished strong with wins over Miami and Georgia. As much as LSU underachieved this season, it’s easy to want to jump on the hot. What I think wins this game for the Tigers is their talent up front on defense. The LSU defensive line should control the line of scrimmage and effectively slow down Tech’s offense enough for LSU to earn a little bit of redemption to their 2008 season.

Take the LSU Tigers +4

Predicted Score: LSU Tigers 34, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 24

It’s not to late to cash in this college football betting season with NCAA football picks from our top experts! We’ll help you beat the college football odds all through the bowl season with the best football picks on the planet!

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

Written by Steve Janus on December 31, 2008 · Filed Under College Football Betting Articles, News & Previews

Comments

Got something to say?