Mississippi State has opened as a 7.5-point favorite over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the 2014 Capital One Orange Bowl, according to betting website Oddsshark.com.
Both teams are coming off of 10-win regular seasons, while the Yellow Jackets fell just a few points shy of an ACC Championship as well. The two teams haven't met since 2009, and MSU is 0-4 all-time against the Ramblin' Wreck.
I was a bit surprised that the line opened that high, however MSU does own the SEC's fourth best rushing defense (despite what you saw against Ole Miss), and the Jackets are a triple option team, rarely going to the air at all outside of longer 3rd downs or late game situations. The matchup, at least on paper, looks good for MSU, hence them being a touchdown favorite.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season 8-3 against the spread, covering games against Southern Miss, South Alabama, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, beating the spread against LSU, Auburn and Alabama, and failing to cover against UAB, Arkansas, and Ole Miss.
Coverage of the old SEC showdown in the Orange Bowl is set to start at 7:30 pm ET on New Year's Eve with kickoff closer to 8 pm. The game will be televised by ESPN.
Make sure you check back here between now and New Year's to learn more about the Yellow Jackets and this matchup.
