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It’s the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (again) as the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 in SEC) meet the Florida Gators (5-2, 3-1) in Jacksonville Saturday afternoon.
Game time at EverBank Stadium is 3:30 PM ET.
Georgia, with its win streak at 24 games (34 in regular season), is a 14½-point favorite (total at 48½), according to college football odds.
Moneyline is Bulldogs -650, Gators at +480.
Georgia is leading the series, either 55-44-2 (Georgia stats) or 54-44-2 (Florida stats)..
Dawgs on Defense
Georgia’s second choice (+265) to win a third title in a row, as per college football championship odds. Michigan is the current favorite, priced at +225.
White not as dominant as past teams, Georgia is winning, entering after a 37-20 victory at Vanderbilt two weeks ago. It was the Bulldogs outgaining Vandy, 552 yards to 219.
Ranked eighth in scoring defense (15.2 points per game), Georgia is remaining quite stingy when the other guys have the ball. It’s surrendered 263 yards/game (fourth in nation).
Quarterback Carson Beck (2,147 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, four interceptions) has completed nearly 74 percent of his passes, though careless with his throws at times.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is averaging 18½ yards per catch, while Dominic Lovett leads with 31 receptions.
Daijun Edwards (480 rushing yards, six touchdowns) is the featured rusher this season.
Georgia’s average of 38.8 points/game ranks eighth nationally.
If you’re a fan of such things, Georgia has a 19-poll run as the top team in the land.
Outgaming the Gamecocks
Florida was also off last week, that after a wild, 41-39 win over South Carolina. It was a Graham Mertz-to-Ricky Peaersall touchdown pass with 47 seconds remaining which lifted the Gators. Teams ended with a combined 959 yards of offense, 736 through the air.
Mertz (1,897 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, two interceptions) has an accuracy rate of 76.2 percent. Pearsall (44 receptions, 619 yards, three touchdowns) is far and away the target of choice to date.
Montrell Johnson Jr. (438 rushing yards, four touchdowns) and Trevor Etienne (407 rushing yards, three touchdowns) are a tough combination in the backfield.
Defensively, the Gators enter with issues, having surrendered 866 yards in past two games.
UGA, Though Close
While the Georgia Bulldogs are clearly the better team in this game, the Florida Gators have the ability to score some points.
Grab two touchdowns-plus with the Gators in a game which figures to go over, too.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
