Christian Alexander continues to connect at a 62-percent clip on his college football selections. Check out his Miami-Georgia Tech selection by clicking on his Thursday pick pack!

#23 Miami (7-3, 4-2 ACC) at Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3 ACC)
Thursday, November 20
7:45 PM ESPN
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field (Natural Grass)
Sports.com Line: Georgia Tech -3.5, O/U 40.5

Thanks to a late Virginia Tech touchdown last weekend, I was able to cash a ticket on the Hokies (+4) as they ultimately lost 16-14 to Miami. That win pushes my Thursday night record to 8-5 (62%) on the year.

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Looking towards this week’s game, we again are in the ACC and again have Tech playing Miami – with a couple key differences. One, this time it’s Georgia Tech and two, this game is in Atlanta.

ESPN certainly picked a good time to show a string of ACC games on Thursday nights because the race to make it to Tampa, site of the conference’s championship game on December 6 is extremely tight and thus these games have plenty of meaning.

Few expected Miami to be this heavily in the ACC Coastal Division mix this season, especially after starting the season 2-3. However, the Canes have ripped off five straight wins are in the driver’s seat for a trip to the ACC Championship. In fact, Miami could stamp their ticket to Raymond James Stadium with a win this Thursday and a little help this weekend from a team or two.

Miami’s winning streak has not gone unnoticed as the Hurricanes are ranked (#23) for the first time since Sept. 16, 2006.

Miami has put together wins with an effective, but certainly not overwhelming offense made up of two quarterbacks in Robert Marve and Jacory Harris and a pair of dangerous running backs in Graig Cooper and Javarris James. The first option for coach Randy Shannon is most certainly the running attack but Marve and Harris have shown that, when needed, they can pass the ball as well.

Miami appears to be catching Georgia Tech at a good time as the Yellow Jackets defense has been dented for 80 points total over their last three games. With left tackle Jason Fox set to return from an ankle injury, the Miami offense should be in high gear and will certainly test the Yellow Jacket defense.

Defense is just part of the current struggles for Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, as while his defense is getting gashed, his offense can’t seem to hold onto the ball. In fact, the Yellow Jackets rank 118th of 119 Division 1-A teams with 17 fumbles lost.

That stat goes a long way in explaining how Tech has dropped two of its last three games, although ironically enough, their one win in that stretch came against Florida State when Georgia Tech safety Cooper Taylor's caused FSU RB Marcus Sims to fumble as he was heading into the end zone with 45 seconds left.

One thing is for sure, when Johnson can get his offense to hold onto the ball, they can be very effective with their spread option rushing attack. Georgia Tech ranks second in the ACC with over 350 yards per game and eighth in the nation with over 250 rushing yards.

However, lack of a consistent passing attack (QB Josh Nesbitt has a 48.3% completion rate), the aforementioned turnovers and an alarming number of sacks (GT QBs are sacked once every 7.9 pass attempts) currently have Johnson searching for answers.

One thing is clear this Thursday night. If the Yellow Jackets don’t figure it out soon they can forget about any thoughts of making the ACC Championship. Not to mention, with their arch-rival Georgia on deck, Johnson and crew could easily end their regular season dropping four of their last five games.

The good news for Georgia Tech is they have won three straight against Miami and lead the all-time series 9-4. That said, Miami is 3-1 on the road this year and a sparkling 3-0 ATS on the road. Overall, the Hurricanes are 4-4 ATS in 2008. By contrast, the Yellow Jackets are 4-1 at home and 3-1 ATS at home. Overall, Georgia Tech has been one of the better teams against the number in 2008 as they are 6-2 ATS.