Football Prop Betting – Falcons/Yellow Jackets Head-to-Head

Two teams in the vicinity of Peachtree Street are undergoing a rebuilding job this season. The Atlanta Falcons went through hell on earth last year, betrayed by their star quarterback, a former #1 overall draft choice, and abandoned by their coach, who promised he was staying one day and found himself at a press conference at the University of Arkansas the next.

At Humanitarian Bowl last season, brought a new coach aboard (Paul Johnson) who will emphasize running the ball with his form of the option, which he calls the "flexbone spread."

Who is going to win more games this season?

Here are the odds according to BetUS:

BetUS Football Proposition Odds

Who Will Have the Most Regular Season Wins?

ATLANTA FALCONS +1.5 wins (-135)

GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS -1.5 wins (-105)

Georgia Tech has several "borderline" games that they could either win or lose, depending on how quickly they can adapt to the system Paul Johnson is installing. First of all, Jacksonville State, even though it now has an athletic hand at the controls in Ryan Perrilloux, should constitute a win. So should Duke and Gardner-Webb. Virginia, which Georgia Tech hosts on October 25, should not be very competitive. So six wins are within Georgia Tech's reach, it would seem.

Mike Smith, who was an assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars, has joined the Falcons as head coach and he is trying to pickup the pieces that were left by the indictment, conviction and imprisonment of Michael Vick and the sudden departure of former coach Bobby Petrino, who had already lost control of his team.

It is Smith's idea to toughen up the Falcons, and that means moving the football on the ground. He is also going to start the season with a rookie quarterback, Matt Ryan, who was the fourth pick in the draft. The thing about Ryan is that, while he is not the second coming of Dan Marino, he was a four-year player at Boston College who, considering the alternatives (Chris Redman, Joey Harrington) probably gives Atlanta its best chance to win now.

I guess the rationale toward my selection on this prop is that I think Smith is going to have a more successful time, at least early on, instilling his philosophy, because he went out and got a back who is a budding star in Michael Turner, who should be good for 1200-1400 yards. If they do as they pledge, and get Jerious Norwood, a serious speedster, involved more in the offense, that is going to take significant pressure off Ryan. Atlanta's defense spent too much time on the field last season, which undoubtedly contributed to their #29 overall rating. That should improve, and it will bring overall improvement with it. They won four games last year and I can see them winning six this season.

Georgia Tech lost its best running back, Tashard Choice, to the NFL (he's a Louisiana Tech when Johnson arrived. the point I'm making is, the transition is probably not going to take hold right away, though Johnson will eventually get the ship headed in the right direction.