College Gameday Crew Makes Their Pick For No. 12 Georgia Tech vs Duke

Who did the gameday crew pick for today's big ACC clash between the Yellow Jackets and the Blue Devils

Kirk Herbstreit broadcasts from the ESPN College GameDay set with his dog, Pete, prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gameday has arrived.

No. 12 Georgia Tech is on the road for a massive ACC clash with the Duke Blue Devils. Both teams are unbeaten in ACC play and a win here would give the other team a clear path to get to Charlotte and play for the ACC Championship. The loser is not going to be eliminated, but they are going to have a tougher road to climb if they were to drop this game today.

This is going to be a matchup of two of the ACCs best offenses and a high-scoring game is possible.

Ahead of kickoff, the College Gameday Crew made their pick for the Yellow Jackets and the Blue Devils and it was a clean sweep.

Kirk Herbstreit- Georgia Tech

Nick Saban- Georgia Tech

Desmond Howard- Georgia Tech

Pat McAfee- Georgia Tech

Jelly Roll (Guest Picker)- Georgia Tech

Major Test

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) runs out of the pocket in the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Duke head coach Manny Diaz is one of the most respected defensive coaches in the country and Key said as much about the Blue Devils on Tuesday.

"I mean, they move. They play a lot of different, not necessarily different fronts, but different variations of what they do. I mean, whether it's zone pressure or man pressure, different line stunts and games inside. You know, their D -line gets off the ball, it's vertical. You know, I think they're fourth in the country in havoc rate as a defensive line.And, you know, but everything that's good, there are also disadvantages as well. We've got to take advantage of those times when they come up and be able to be consistent with it throughout the game. We've got to control the tempo of the football game. And I'm not saying control the clock. What it is. Again, I'm not going to get into a game plan here, but I respect Manny a lot. I've known Manny a long time. A good person, good family man, you know, and damn good football coach."

Key also talked about the difficulty of slowing down their offense which is one of the best in the country:

"Yeah, I mean I don't think you, you stop them, they're going to get their yards, they're going to get points, we want to limit that as much as we can, and we've got to do things that we've done well, got to continue to do them. I'm not sitting here and giving you the game plan of what we're going to do, and then putting our players in positions to be able to make plays. But look, you guys know how I am. I'm about, you know, there's a ton of plays and calls and blitzes and coverages and runs and passes and all that stuff is cool and fun, but, you know, how hard are you going to play to the football, how are you're going to work to get off a block to sustain a block, you know, to tackle a guy and get him down where he, you know, catches the ball, make plays on the football, protect the football, be a disciplined team. That's what's important. That's what's really important. That's what our DNA as a team is. We've got to continue to do that well and improve on."

Georgia Tech and Duke is one of the most pivotal games in the ACC this season.