The Georgia Bulldogs are on the cusp of the College Football Playoff, but will need to get past the Auburn Tigers on Saturday to make that happen.
With their win last week over Kentucky, the Georgia Bulldogs punched their ticket to the SEC Championship Game that will kick off December. However, Kirby Smart’s team has much larger aspirations than that as their College Football Playoff hopes remain in-tact. For that to stay the case, however, they need to keep winning, which means doing so against their third-straight ranked opponent, the Auburn Tigers.
Georgia has proven to be among the most talented teams in the country. There’s no throw that Jake Fromm can’t make, and his prowess is bolstered by the plethora of weapons around him. D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield provide a 1-2 tandem out of the backfield that is near unmatched in the country, while the likes of Riley Ridley, Isaac Nauta, Mecole Hardman and more give him weapons in the passing game.
The Achilles heel for the Dawgs this season has been both an inconsistent defense and the propensity to turn on cruise control. Neither has been an issue over the past two weeks, though, and Smart will look to keep that same focus and mentality alive with his team against an Auburn team that is capable of competing with them.
While the potential for competing is there, the Tigers have been a much lesser team than expected this season. The biggest reason for that falls on the offense, most specifically with quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The signal-caller has shown little progression from last year to this season, and the results have been disappointing.
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While that’s undeniable, so too is the talent that Auburn has on both sides of the ball. If they come out and execute early and can find Georgia sleeping a bit early on, they have the skill to make this a close game. Even still, it’d be a noteworthy upset if the Tigers were to go on the road to Athens and get the win.
Game Info
Date: Saturday, Nov. 10
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, GA
Stadium: Sanford Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
In truth, it’s a bit shocking to not see the Bulldogs favored by more than two touchdowns at home. Yes, Auburn is a ranked opponent, but they haven’t fooled anyone into thinking that they’re in the same conversation as UGA this season. As such, this line feels like it should be skewed even more in favor of the home team.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Georgia -13.5
Moneyline: Georgia -525, Auburn +415
Over/Under: 52.5
Prediction
In the simplest terms, I don’t believe that Auburn can hang with this Georgia team on any level. Their offense can’t match the firepower that the Bulldogs possess, nor can they chew up clock in the same manner. What’s more, their defense is just as imperfect as Smart’s group. In the end, this should be a third-straight decisive win over a ranked SEC opponent for the Dawgs.
Final Score: Auburn Tigers 13, Georgia Bulldogs 31