Birmingham Bowl: 3 bold predictions for Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt

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Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, two teams that instilled trepidation among SEC supporters during the 2024 football season—one with a decisive victory over Alabama and the other providing a thrilling contest against the Bulldogs—are set to face each other in an exciting matchup in the Magic City.

Both founding members of the SEC, although Tech departed in 1964, these teams have faced each other 38 times. The Yellow Jackets hold a series advantage with a record of 20 wins, 15 losses, and 3 ties, having triumphed in all four encounters this century, the most recent being a 38-7 victory in 2016. Consequently, they currently retain the rivalry trophy, a cowbell, which has been in Atlanta since Tech’s 13-0 victory in 1948.

Who: Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 ACC) vs.Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC)
Where: Birmingham Bowl
When: 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27
TV: ESPN
Spread: Georgia Tech -2.5, O/U 51.5

Let’s get bold.

  1. WR Malik Rutherford, Georgia Tech have a big game: With top wideout Eric Singleton Jr. heading to Auburn via the transfer portal, the redshirt junior from Miami, FL, is set to step up in Birmingham. Having racked up nearly 1,500 receiving yards during his time at Tech, he’s poised to be King’s go-to guy in the matchup against the Commodores.
  1. Defensive losses are too much for Commodores to overcome: The Commodores’ defense is in shambles because of the transfer portal. They’re missing at least 13 defensive players, with eight of those being from the defensive line. This is a squad that was already allowing 25.2 points and 145.5 rushing yards per game. I anticipate that King and Haynes will have a field day against this weakened defensive front.
  1. Basically, this should be a close game: Georgia Tech is all about that Brent Key football style, focusing on a solid 3-4 hour session of power running. QB King’s mobility might be crucial, and if he can snag a couple of third-down conversions, I believe the Yellow Jackets will start to pull ahead in the end.

Both teams are eager to see how their quarterbacks will perform heading into next season, so I anticipate a tight contest that won’t be settled until the fourth quarter. However, Tech seems to have a slight edge with their more powerful offense, which should help them come out on top in the end.

Georgia Tech 24-21 Vanderbilt

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