College Gameday Crew Makes Their Predictions For Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame

Who did the Gameday Crew pick today in the big game between Georgia Tech and Notre Dame?

Host Pat McAfee dances on his chair to “Shout” during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College Gameday was in Austin, TX today for the matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, but the guys on set made sure to pick the game between Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.

To the surprise of no one, everyone on set picked Notre Dame to win the game.

This battle is going to be defined by who can overcome injuries most effictively. Will Pyron fill in for King and have success against one of the nation's best defenses? Or will guys on Notre Dame's defense step up in place of their star players and make life tough on Pyron?

Pyron started two games for Georgia Tech in 2022, a road win vs Virginia Tech and then a loss vs Miami the next week. Pyron played a lot in a road loss against Florida State, though he did not start the game (Zach Gibson did). Pyron got injured in the loss against Miami late in the third quarter and did not play the rest of the season. While King does pose as a threat in the run game, Pyron is a skilled runner as well. Georgia Tech has mainly used him as a short-yardage player this year, but in his start against Virginia Tech in 2022, he carried the ball 17 times for 66 yards. It should be noted that Georgia Tech is a much better team in terms of talent than they were when Pyron started and played in 2022.

Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is going to have to open the offense up today vs Notre Dame. While the running game will be important, Pyron has to make throws against Notre Dame. He only threw the ball once after he came in last week for King and it seemed like the offensive got very conservative. That is not going to work vs the Fighting Irish.

The good news for Pyron is that the Georgia Tech run game is one of the best in the country and has had its two best games of the year in the last two weeks. Last week, Georgia Tech ran for 371 yards vs North Carolina and the week before vs Duke, they ran for 245. The guy leading the charge is Jamal Haynes, who is starting to play his best football. Haynes has 536 yards rushing this season, averaging nearly six yards per carry and also having seven touchdowns. Chad Alexander has emerged as the No. 2 back this year and forms a nice 1-2 punch with Haynes. You also have to account for Pyron in the run game as well.

He is going to have two of the best receivers in the ACC to throw to as well. Malik Rutherford (40 rec, 509 yards, 2 TD) and Eric Singleton Jr (399 yards, 30 Rec, and 1 TD) can burn defenses deep if they stack too many in the box. Notre Dame has some young players in their secondary and it will be interesting to see if Faulkner dials some plays up to test them.

The tight end position for Georgia Tech has some injuries right now, but freshman Luke Harpring is starting to emerge and make plays. He had two catches last week and could play a role today.

The Georgia Tech offensive line is one of the nation's best. They have allowed only one sack (1st in the country) and they lead the way for the ACC's top rushing attack. Notre Dame's defensive line has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they have talented players such as Howard Cross and Rylie Mills and Duke transfer RJ Oben up front.

Coming into the game, Georgia Tech is 59th in the country in passing offense, 7th in redzone offense, and 25th in rushing offense.

This is going to be the best defense that they have faced though. Notre Dame is 10th in third-down defense, 20th in interceptions, 6th in passing yards allowed, 46th in rushing defense, 8th in scoring defense, 25th in sacks, 87th in tackles for loss per game, 5th in defensive passing efficiency, and 11th in total defense. This is an elite secondary even without Morrison. Jordan Clark is one of the best nickels in the country and while Leonard Moore (freshman), Christian Gray (sophomore), and Karson Hobbs (freshman) are young, they are very talented. The young corners also have the benefit of playing with the best safety in the country, Xavier Watts.

Additional Links:

High-End Recruits Expected to Be At The Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame Matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame: Game Preview, Matchup Breakdown, and Final Score Prediction

Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame: Three Notre Dame Defenders To Watch On Saturday Against The Yellow Jackets