The 2024 college football season kicks off in a big way on Saturday with a top-10 team in action as No. 10 Florida State takes on Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus Classic in Dublin, Ireland. The conference showdown also kicks off an unprecedented year of ACC football after the league expanded to 17 full-time members with the additions of Cal, Stanford and SMU over the summer.
So, in a year of change, it’s fitting that the reigning ACC champs begin their pursuit of another conference crown in a most unique setting. Ireland has hosted games in Aviva Stadium, the home turf for Ireland’s national teams in both rugby and soccer, in each of the last two seasons and has future dates set for 2025 and 2027. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience for the players, coaches and fans but has come with some cost in terms of an accelerated fall camp schedule to accommodate the travel.
While pomp and circumstance of college football abroad will make for quite a spectacle, at the heart of this matchup are two teams with expectations of building on last season’s success. Florida State eyes another ACC title and with it a spot in the College Football Playoff after last year’s snub. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, has a ton returning from a team that finished tied for fourth place in the ACC standings and reached a bowl game for the first time since 2018. Any of their goals are still attainable with a win on Saturday, which brings midseason urgency to this early season showdown.
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech: Need to know
DJ Uiagalelei making his ACC return, Florida State debut: Another year brings another wave of new faces for Florida State as Mike Norvell has once again tapped the transfer portal for instant-impact additions. There are familiar names throughout the group of newcomers — including multiple players off last year’s SEC Championship squad at Alabama — but no player is going to command attention quite like quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Once one of the Seminoles’ biggest rivals from his time at Clemson, Uiagalelei arrives after a one-year stint at Oregon State that featured career highs in yards per game (219.8) and yards per attempt (8.4) along with the best passer rating since he became a full-time starter. The offense has a great foundation thanks to an experienced offensive line and some strong talent at running back, but being as dynamic as Florida State was last season will require Uiagalelei to help elevate the offense with the passing attack.
Georgia Tech hoping for improved defense: Brent Key’s breakthrough season with the Yellow Jackets was powered by an offense that led the ACC in rushing and ranked third in the conference (and top 30 nationally) in total offense, averaging 424.6 yards per game and 6.34 yards per play. That group brings back its starting quarterback, Haynes King, its leading rusher, Jamal Haynes, four of its five starters along the offensive line and three of its top four receivers. The biggest question mark for the Yellow Jackets heading in 2024 is the defensive side of the ball, which underwent a leadership change after finishing last in the ACC in total defense. Fixing that side of the ball is the challenge for new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci, who arrives after a successful defensive coordinator stint under Mike Elko at Duke. If Georgia Tech is going to pull off the overseas upset, it will need its defense to show more than a couple leaps in performance.
International travel producing close contests: Last year’s 42-3 win for Notre Dame against Navy in the Aer Lingus Classic broke a streak of one-score games when college football is played in Ireland. Each of the previous three times an early season game was hosted in Ireland, it produced a thrilling finish, including Northwestern storming back from a double-digit, second-half deficit to beat Nebraska 31-28 in 2022, Georgia Tech beating Boston College 17-14 with two fourth-quarter scores and Penn State winning with a walk-off field goal against UCF in 2014 for the first win of the James Franklin era.
How to watch Florida State vs. Georgia Tech live
Date: Saturday, Aug. 24 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Aviva Stadium — Dublin, Ireland
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech prediction, picks
I see this as a matchup-based play where the strengths and weaknesses for both teams could end up creating some stalemate possessions. New Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci was a part of Duke defenses that did a terrific job of limiting scoring over the last two years, and I think he’ll have some things cooked up schematically to make life tough on DJU. That will have Florida State responding by leaning on the run game, which is what I think will be their strength and keep the clock moving as opposed to pass-happy attack. On the other side of the ball, I think Georgia Tech’s offense will have its hands full with one of the best pass rush duos in the country with Florida State’s Pat Payton and Marvin Jones Jr. Their impact on the game will make it difficult for Haynes King to convert in third-and-long situations. Pick: Under 55.5
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