[Tommy]

By Vegas Experts Staff.

Two teams trying to salvage dissapointing seasons meet in the Emerald Bowl, as the Utah Utes tangle with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Not only did these respective squads fail to meet preseason expectations, but both also failed to turn a profit at the betting window. That's especially true for Utah, who at 2-9 ATS, had the worst record against the number of all 56 bowl teams. Georgia Tech fared a bit better, with a 5-6 pointspread mark, but the Yellow Jackets still finished in the red. The line for this contest has moved up a point and a half from the open, as Tech is now favored by 8.5. The total, on the other hand, hasn't moved an inch, and currently sits at 46.

Just one season removed from being the darlings of the College Football universe, it was a sharp fall from grace for first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and his Utes this season. Last year at this time, under the guidance of Urban Meyer, Utah was 11-0 SU and 9-2 ATS and headed toward an eventual 35-7 BCS win in the Fiesta Bowl over Pittsburgh. This season, the team came back down to earth, winning just 6 of 11 regular season contests. The Utes opened the season with an incredible 8 game ATS losing streak, while earning a 4-4 straight up mark. After opening the season with back-to-back wins against Arizona (27-24) and Utah State (31-7), Utah endured a stretch where they lost four of five games. Their lone victory was a squeaker, a three-point triumph over Air Force. However, TCU, North Carolina, Colorado State, and San Diego State all got the best of last season's Mountain West Champ, as Utah lost to those last three aforementioned squads in consecutive weeks.

However, the Utes finished strong, winning three of their final four, and finally earning a pair of covers. They qualified for the bowl season by the skin of their teeth, besting rival BYU on the road, 41-34, as a 10-point 'dog. Utah is also very dangerous when playing with rest, checking in at 6-0 ATS after at least a full week off.

Utah's potent offense should face a stern test when it faces the defense of No. 24 Georgia Tech. The Utes rank 12th nationally in total offense, producing 466.0 yards per game. But the Yellow Jackets are 12th in total defense, yielding just 296.4 yards per game. Yellow Jackets defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta has stifled some very good offenses this season. He'll have four weeks to prepare for the Utes. Some consider Tenuta to be the nation's premier defensive coordinator, which was evidenced by his defensive unit holding Auburn, Georgia and Miami to very little offensive production this season.

Including last year's Fiesta Bowl win, the Utes have won four straight bowl games. They've covered the number in three straight, including an often-forgotten 10-6 win in the '01 Las Vegas Bowl over USC.

At 7-4 straight up, Georgia Tech wasn't quite as disappointing as was Utah, but head coach Chan Gailey had higher aspirations than the Emerald Bowl. Gailey's team dropped two of its final three both on the field and at the betting window, but their lone victory during that stretch was a big one; a 14-10 upset of Miami in the Orange Bowl as a 19.5-point underdog. That win was able to somewhat soften the blow of the losses to Virginia and Georgia. Prior to stumbling down the homestretch, the Yellow Jackets were sitting pretty at 6-2, with only back-to-back losses to Virginia Tech and NC State. The loss to the Hokies proved to be the low-point of '05, as GT fell 51-7.

Besides the win over Miami, the season highlight for Georgia Tech came in the opening week as the Yellow Jackets downed Auburn 23-17, a team that went unbeaten last season. Surrounding the consecutive losses to Virginia Tech and NC State were a pair of three-game win streaks. Coming off a SU loss, GT is a perfect 6-0 ATS away from home.

With the wins over both Auburn and Miami, Georgia Tech joined top-ranked USC as the only two teams to defeat multiple teams currently ranked in the top ten.

One of just six schools in the country to play in a bowl game each of the last nine years, Georgia Tech has won its last two postseason games by a combined 103-24. Two years ago, the Yellow Jackets routed Tulsa in the Humanitarian Bowl, 52-10, and they cruised past Syracuse in last year's Champs Sports Bowl, 51-14.

The schools are meeting for the first time. They have one common opponent this season, North Carolina, which Georgia Tech beat, 27-21, but Utah lost to, 31-17.

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