Birmingham Bowl Preview: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5) will meet up with the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6) in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday, December 27 at 3:30 PM ET at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. Check out this college football betting opportunity, which shows the Yellow Jackets favored with a point spread at -3.0 (-110).

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Betting Preview

The Yellow Jackets last battle was an eight-overtime thriller defeat against the (previously) seventh-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. This snapped their two-game win streak prior to that game.

The largest lead the Yellow Jackets had was a 17-0 run building up in the second quarter. However, they allowed the Bulldogs to score 21 points in the fourth quarter to eventually force the beginning of the overtime series. One key area of their success in keeping this game close was having possession of the ball for over 37 minutes.

Haynes King stood out with 26 of 36 completions totaling 303 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the rushing attack with 24 carries amounting to 110 yards and three touchdowns. His presence will also be key to this matchup.

The Yellow Jackets are producing 29.1 points per game and rank 60th in the nation. Their defense allows their opponents to accumulate 24.8 points per game, putting them at 67th. This is a narrow margin of victory, but their strength of schedule is ranked 22nd, showing one of the tougher ones out there.

Vanderbilt Commodores Betting Preview

The Commodores have lost their last three games and are 1-4 over their recent five. Their latest defeat was a 36-23 performance against the Tennessee Volunteers, where they had a large lead but could not hold onto it.

They were up 17-7 after the first quarter, but then allowed the Volunteers to post 17 unanswered points in the second quarter and eventually run away with it. It also did not help that the Commodores did not score again until the fourth quarter. Diego Pavia posted eight of 17 completions that totaled 104 yards, a touchdown, and a costly interception.

Offensively they got off to a good start, but they only managed to put up 212 yards while allowing the Volunteers to put up more than double with 538. They also had 15 first downs while the Vols had 29.

The Commodores average 26.7 points a game and rank 76th. Their defense allows 23.1 points a game and ranks 49th. This margin of victory is solid, and their strength of schedule ranks 19th.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie offers you the best Birmingham Bowl odds, with the Yellow Jackets as three-point favorites. Market predictions have this as a close one, favoring the Yellow Jackets with a 52.1 percent chance of winning. The Yellow Jackets are slightly more appealing on both sides of the ball, showing that they have the potential to cover the spread.

Final Pick: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets -3.0 (-110)