Georgia Tech hosts Boston College with both teams 1-2 in the ACC

Georgia Tech needs a win at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday more than it has needed one all year. The Yellow Jackets are 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the ACC, and Boston College comes to Atlanta at 3-3 with the same 1-2 conference mark. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. EDT on ACC Network. Whoever loses falls to 1-3 in league play, and that is a hard place to climb out of with six games left.

The two teams are trending in opposite directions. According to ESPN's game preview, Georgia Tech lost 34-24 at Virginia Tech last week even though Alberto Mendoza threw for 335 yards and Jordan Allen caught 10 passes for 120 yards. Boston College beat Pittsburgh 27-21 in the same window. Mason McKenzie threw for 295 yards in that game, and Landon Wright turned two catches into 122 yards. The rivalry has been close lately: Georgia Tech won last season's meeting 36-34, Sports Illustrated's BC site noted.

The numbers ESPN lays out show where Georgia Tech has struggled. The defense gives up 392.2 yards per game, 110th in FBS, and opponents convert 43.2 percent of their third downs. The Jackets are minus-4 in turnover margin and average 70.5 penalty yards a game. Mendoza has been efficient, completing 71.2 percent of his passes for 1,528 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Justice Haynes leads the team with 462 rushing yards.

Boston College wins with defense. The Eagles allow 169.3 passing yards per game, 18th nationally. The offense scores only 20.3 points per game, 118th in FBS, and McKenzie carries a lot of it: he leads the team in both passing (1,262 yards, seven touchdowns, seven interceptions) and rushing (444 yards). The Eagles have also scored on only 60 percent of their red zone trips, which ranks 135th.

What it means for Saturday

Neither team has beaten a strong opponent. Georgia Tech's two wins came against Mercer and Duke, with the Duke game decided 28-25 at home. Its four losses include one-score defeats to Colorado and Stanford. Boston College has beaten Rutgers, Maine and Pittsburgh, and its losses to Virginia Tech and No. 21 SMU were both within a score or two. Both teams lost to Virginia Tech: Georgia Tech by 10 on the road, Boston College by seven at home.

Georgia Tech is favored on the board for this game, which tracks 11 venues. Novig has the Jackets at -5.5 (-115) and -203 on the moneyline, with Boston College at +190. The best Georgia Tech price anywhere is Hard Rock Bet's -200 moneyline. On the spread, Hard Rock Bet has the Jackets at -4.5 (-115), and BetMGM gives Boston College +6 (-108), so the venues differ by a point and a half. ESPN reported an opening line of Georgia Tech by 4.5. The total is 50.5 at Novig and as low as 49 at Pinnacle. Sportsbook hold ranges from about 4 to 7 percent.

The ESPN preview also points out that Georgia Tech is 1-5 against the spread this season and Boston College is 4-2. The Eagles have kept games close. Saturday comes down to whether a Georgia Tech defense that has struggled can stop a Boston College offense that has trouble finishing drives.