The Georgia Bulldogs aim to stay perfect as they take on the struggling Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday in a rivalry struggling to stay alive.
Through their first four games of the 2018 college football season, Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs have looked the part of a title contender. Despite already having played two tough SEC matchups to this point, they’ve passed both tests with flying colors. On Saturday, they’ll again be in conference play, but perhaps in their least trying matchup of that kind to date as they welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to Athens.
Despite highly touted quarterback recruit Justin Fields being added to the mix, Jake Fromm remains at the head of the Georgia offense this season and has looked quite impressive. The sophomore has shown growth from last season and has taken on more responsibility in the offense, answering the call with each throw. With guys like Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley to throw to, the passing game is in full-effect.
When you then factor in the run game that the Bulldogs can operate with behind a stout offensive line, led by D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield, it’s clear that this offense can win almost any battle. The defense has experienced some lapses to this point, but an inexperienced unit still has talent that should be able to grow as the season progresses, which they showed late against Missouri in a win last week.
Unfortunately for Tennessee and new head coach Jeremy Pruitt, they’ve done little to prove themselves early on this season. They have just two wins to their credit over four games, but what’s worse has been their losses. The Vols’ only two tough opponents to this point, West Virginia and Florida, trounced them in emphatic fashion.
Though there is hope that Pruitt can rebuild the program, it’s clear that the Volunteers still have a ways to go before that comes to fruition. Having said that, if they’re going to pull off an upset on Saturday, it’ll take a master-class effort from struggling quarterback Jarrett Guarantano.
TV and Game Info
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, GA
Stadium: Sanford Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: FuboTV, CBS All-Access
In something that you don’t often see with two storied SEC programs facing off, the Bulldogs are over four-touchdown favorites in this game. And considering how low the Over/Under for this game is, it seems the oddsmakers don’t expect the Volunteers to show many signs of life on Saturday afternoon in Athens.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Georgia -31
Moneyline: Georgia -12500, Tennessee +5000
Over/Under: 55
Prediction
While it’d be wonderful for Pruitt’s team to start to turn things around by playing competitively in such a huge matchup, it just doesn’t seem likely. The Bulldogs defense should attack a weak Vols offensive line all day long and the Tennessee offense almost surely doesn’t have an answer for the multi-faceted offensive attack that will be unleashed upon them.
Final Score: Georgia 48 Tennessee 10