Georgia Listed as a 17-point Favorite over Georgia Tech
ATHENS - Dean Legge’s guide for betters heading into this weekend’s game with Georgia Tech.
On Sunday No. 5 Georgia opened as a 17-point favorite over Georgia Tech - the largest line in the series in the last 25 years. The 17-point line means the Bulldogs have about a 90% chance to win the game.
Tech started the season going 0-4 ATS, but has recovered to go 5-2 in their previous seven against the line. This is only the third time this season the Jackets have been an underdog (vs. Clemson -16.5; at Virginia Tech -3) this season. The Jackets have gone over in seven of their 11 games this season.
Since 1994, the Dawgs have on average been a 5.4-point favorite to beat the Jackets. The Dawgs have been favored slightly more in Athens, however, an average of 7.6.
In the previous 25 years, a ranked Georgia team has faced an unranked Tech squad only three times. In those games UGA is 3-0, was on average a 12-point favorite and won those games by an average of 27.3 points. Ranked Georgia is 6-0 against unranked Tech since 1994.
Georgia continues to be highly ranked. Under Kirby Smart, after the win over UMass, ranked UGA teams are 19-0 against unranked teams - winning by an average score of 39-14. In five of those 17 contests the opposing team scored ten points or fewer. In nine of those games the Bulldogs scored 41 points or more.
With the win over to No. 11 Kentucky, Kirby Smart is 9-6 overall against ranked teams, and 4-2 against top-ten teams.
THE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE
We’ve got national games spread out the entire weekend, but there are also fun rivalry games, too. We can get all weird with the Egg Bowl on Thursday night. Colorado State-Air Force is a rivalry game that kicks at 3:30 on CBC Sports. Texas plays at Kansas for some reason as the Big 12 race gets stranger by the week.
There are a string of tiebreaker scenarios, but if Texas beats Kansas they play for the Big 12 title. They will face the winner of the Oklahoma-West Virginia game. If Kansas beats Texas it starts getting pretty weird.
Missouri will complete the SEC East’s dominance over the West with a CBS showcase on Friday at 2:30. National power UCF will take on Tech-beaters South Florida at 4:15 on ESPN. Meanwhile, the Apple Cup is for the Pac 12 North at 8:30 on Fox.
Michigan-Ohio State meet for the Big Ten East at noon on Fox. Florida will have to beat the Noles to earn a trip to a New Year’s Six bowl game (hopefully against UCF). Bama-Auburn exchange Christmas cards at 3:30 on CBS. Maryland-Penn State will have their annual pre-game fight at that time on ABC.
The most interesting game of unranked foes is probably in Nashville with the Vols taking on Vanderbilt in a winner-take-all for the Birmingham Bowl. Ugh.
At night we get Clemson-Coots; Big Blue Nation and the Cards; Notre Dame-USC; Utah State-Boise… so some decent closers.
But A&M hosting LSU is the one to watch. The Tigers losing wouldn’t surprise me at all. The final game of the regular season kicks at 10:30 PM on ESPNU - Hawaii-San Diego State.
Yes, I will be watching it to conclusion.
TELL ME ABOUT THEM DAWGS
Georgia stayed put at No. 5 in this week’s AP poll. Meanwhile, in every game the Bulldogs have won, Georgia has done so by double digits. Georgia will play No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship on December 1. It is a rematch of the 2018 College Football Playoff Championship Game.
WITH A SHIVER IN MY BONES JUST THINKING ABOUT THE WEATHER
The Googles tells us that that in the hour of kickoff this Saturday in Athens we should expect it to be rainy with moderate temperatures. There is a 65% chance of rain for the game. Kickoff should check in around 49 degrees. The close of the game should be about 51 degrees. Wind for the game is set to be around 6 mph.
Only for a moment during the Vanderbilt game this season. The rain is expected arrive Friday afternoon and rain overnight, so conditions could be sloppy.