The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the UCF Knights meet Friday in Gasparilla Bowl college football action from Raymond James Stadium. Georgia Tech finished off the regular season at 6-6 overall. The Yellow Jackets fell to Georgia in their most recent outing. As for UCF, they landed at 6-6 this year as well. The Knight beat Houston in their last appearance. Let’s get into our Georgia Tech vs. UCF prediction. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 

The Yellow Jackets weren’t able to win more than two consecutive games this year (which they did only once), but the good news is that Georgia Tech didn’t lose consecutive games at all. A pretty healthy run game—197.1 yards per outing on average and 22 total touchdowns—aided the Yellow Jackets in recording their six victories in 2023. 

Georgia Tech wasn’t able to keep pace with Georgia in their last game, but the Jackets still notched a respectable effort against the nation’s top squad. After a 21-13 first-half deficit, Georgia Tech ended up losing 31-23 in the end. QB Haynes King threw for 158 yards with two run scores, while Jamal Haynes led the rush with 81 yards on 15 carries. 

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Team Facts

• The underdog has won six of Georgia Tech’s last nine games.
• Georgia Tech has covered the spread in five of its last six games as an underdog.
• Georgia Tech has lost the first half in six of its last seven games against non-conference opponents.
• Georgia Tech has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
• Each of Georgia Tech’s last six December games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.

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UCF Knights 

Over on the Knights’ side, they won three straight to start the year, then hit a five-game win streak before a 3-1 run to close things out. UCF finished with an average of 32.3 points per game, with 259.1 yards per game, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions through the air. The run gave the Knights an average of 233.2 yards per game and 28 scores. 

UCF got that sixth win of the season over Houston in their latest outing. the Knights held a slim three-point lead going into the second half, then outscored the Cougars 14-3 from there in a 27-13 outcome. John Rhys Plumlee bagged 253 yards and a TD passing, but RJ Harvey did most of the heavy lifting on 136 rush yards and two scores. 

UCF Knights Team Facts

• UCF has won each of its last five games at Raymond James Stadium.
• The underdog has covered the spread in each of UCF’s last eight games.
• UCF has lost the first half in four of its last five games against non-conference opponents at neutral venues.
• Each of UCF’s last four games have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• UCF rank 34th among FBS teams for points per game this season (32.5).

ANDREW’S FREE GEORGIA TECH VS UCF PREDICTION

I’m staying with UCF. This should be a pretty interesting matchup regardless, though—especially if you’re a fan of the proverbial ground-and-pound attack. Both teams will be running a lot here. The Knights were pretty well-balanced on offense in their latest win over Houston, bagging 476 total yards with 223 of those coming on the ground. UCF’s scoring has been pretty solid in this 3-1 run as well, with 27 or more points in all three victories. 

As for Georgia Tech, they were playing from behind versus Georgia for most of the game but still managed 205 rushing yards in their latest loss. The Jackets have been consistent (but not dominant) scoring-wise for most of the year, notching 21 or more points in every outing. This one probably won’t be a super-high total—at least initially—but I do like a handful or rushing TDs on both sides in a UCF cover.