By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports activities
The Huge 12 groups from the West might have missed out on the School Soccer Playoff.
Nevertheless it’s bowl season, and the video games matter to the packages concerned.
With 4 matchups to absorb earlier than the lengthy offseason, that is the ultimate sendoff we get for the 2025 season.
I preview the Pop-Tarts Bowl right here.
No. 22 Georgia Tech v. No. 12 BYU
Saturday, December 27
12:30 p.m. PT, ABC
Notre Dame didn’t need this smoke.
After each packages had been snubbed by the Playoff Committee, a matchup between BYU and the Irish appeared destined. It will have been the highest non-Playoff bowl recreation and drawn substantial consideration.
However the Notre Dame administration needed to spite Disney/ESPN, so the Cougars bought a matchup with Georgia Tech as an alternative.
And to be truthful, BYU and Notre Dame did comply with a home-and-home beginning subsequent season. So, it’s not as if the Irish fully ran and hid.
Regardless, the Yellow Jackets are a fairly gifted workforce and current an intriguing matchup.
Their offense begins and ends with quarterback Haynes King. Comparable in some methods to Bear Bachmeier, King places his physique on the road to maneuver the ball.
Coming into the sport with 922 yards speeding and 15 touchdowns on the bottom, King is among the many elite QBs in school soccer.
How the BYU line of defense handles him may resolve the sport.
However King isn’t solely a robust runner. Finishing 71.7 % of his passes for two,697 yards, he single-handedly powers Georgia Tech’s whole offense.
Cease him, and BYU will win.
On the opposite aspect of the ball, GTU’s protection is center of the pack within the ACC. The Yellow Jackets enable 25.0 factors per recreation, slotting them in tenth within the league and 71st nationally.
However, much more telling, Georgia Tech’s run protection is 93rd within the nation, giving up 169.7 yards speeding per recreation.
That’s not good for the analytics and signifies BYU ought to come away with a victory.
So long as the Cougars handle the ball on offense and maintain King moderately in test, BYU ought to get the win.
Miller covers School Basketball and School Soccer in addition to Method 1 racing as a Senior Author and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports activities.
