ESPN's FPI Gives Georgia Tech a Slight Edge in Their Matchup Against Syracuse on Saturday

Georgia Tech can clinch bowl eligibility with a win on Saturday against the Orange

Kickoff is getting closer for Georgia Tech and Syracuse in a battle of two teams looking to get to a bowl game. The Yellow Jackets have not been to a bowl game since 2018, while Syracuse is looking to go to its second straight. The Orange started out the season 4-0, but injuries have played a big part of their season and why they are 5-5. 

The scary thing for Georgia Tech? They are favored this week. 

The Yellow Jackets are favored by a touchdown in Vegas and various analytical models like Georgia Tech to get their sixth win of the season on Saturday. 

Bill Connelly's SP+ has Georgia Tech winning but at slimmer margins than what the odds suggest.

SP+ has Georgia Tech favored by a point and winning by a score of 27-26. It gives the Yellow Jackets a 51% chance to beat Syracuse on Saturday.

What about ESPN's FPI?  I am not the biggest fan of FPI, but it is interesting to see how they have any particular game playing out. 

FPI is giving Georgia Tech a 54.8% chance to win the game on Saturday, similar to SP+.

ESPN uses its FPI (Football Power Index) as an advanced analytical model to help look at matchups and predict outcomes. In ESPN's own words: "FPI is a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward. The ultimate goal of FPI is not to rank teams 1 through 128; rather, it is to correctly predict games and season outcomes. If Vegas ever published the power rankings it uses to set its lines, they would likely look quite a lot like FPI."

Can Georgia Tech slow down the Syracuse running game on Saturday? / Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech can clinch bowl eligibility with a win over Syracuse this Saturday night at home and Key talked about the opportunity that lays in front of his team on Saturday:

"So up until Sunday, I had not said the word at all, it is the same mentality each week, it is a one-game season each week and that is the mentality each week and taken, but yeah on Sunday, I brought it up, I did. This is playoff football now, this is NFL Championship, win and you're in. There is no... there is no dwelling on the last game, it is boom and you have to move on and that is the way it works and we brought it up. We talked about it. It is a big deal for these kids, a really big deal. As an alumni here, it is a really big deal for me, it is a big deal for these guys coming back here, it is a big deal for Georgia Tech, it is a big deal for the athletic association, it is a big deal for the entire Georgia Tech community so heck yeah we talked about it and these guys understand that and know it is something special they have in front of them to work and get."

It should be a nice crowd for the game on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets host the Orange and we will see if Key can have his team ready to go for what is a huge game for the program. 

Georgia Tech vs Syracuse kicks off at 8:00 on the ACC Network this Saturday. 

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