Clemson vs. Georgia Tech prediction: Yellow Jackets identity helps pull off upset win

Atlanta should be rocking on Saturday afternoon. Georgia Tech is set to host Clemson for an incredible ACC opener for both programs. Setting the pace in conference play is as important as ever in the College Football Playoff era. Earning a win means one step closer to possibly earning an automatic bid.

So when looking at this matchup, Josh Pate sees the ACC picture being set. And not because Clemson establishes itself in a conference they have dominated under Dabo Swinney. Instead, Pate is picking Georgia Tech to win and pull off an upset.

“Georgia Tech is going to win this game outright,” Pate said via Josh Pate’s College Football Show. “And then it really paints an interesting picture in the ACC. Frankly, it already is. Even if Clemson wins this game, Georgia Tech is not out of anything… I’ve felt that upset for a while. So, I’m going Georgia Tech to win outright.”

Pate used one word to explain why — identity. He knows what Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key wants to bring to the table. This year’s Clemson team? Not so much, mainly on the offensive side of the ball. Clemson has yet to really get the run game going and after a ton of preseason hype surrounding Cade Klubnik‘s wide receiver, injuries and poor performance stand out through two games.

The feeling for Pate goes back to well before getting any data points on the two teams, though. He circled this one on the calendar and is finally putting his stamp on Georgia Tech.

“Whose identity do you trust more?” Pate asked. “Whose identity? Whose more in touch with their identity? Because I think the answer is Georgia Tech, I think the answer is the underdog. I kind of banked on them being in this game because of that hunch, even in the preseason. That was before I even knew what Clemson was going to look like. For all I knew, they were going to beat LSU. But I’ve had this one circled and have for a while… I know Georgia Tech won’t flinch here.”

Recent results heavily favor Clemson, going back nine years. Georgia Tech’s last win in the series came in 2014 when former head coach Paul Johnson went up against Swinney. Key is looking to be the latest team to take down Clemson, getting a program-defining win to kick off the Week 3 slate.