Auburn at Georgia Spread

Written by Jack Jones

The No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs host the No. 24 Auburn Tigers Saturday in a battle between Top 25 SEC teams. The Bulldogs have the inside track to an SEC East title as they lead South Carolina by a half-game. Georgia had won four straight over Auburn before a 49-31 home victory by the Tigers last season en route to winning the national title. It was a 21-21 game at the half before Cam Newton took over after intermission. Newton finished with 299 total yards and four touchdowns, while Aaron Murray threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

If you are looking to place a wager on this game, then you will find a spread of Georgia -13 over Auburn and a total set of 53 points.

Georgia

After opening 0-2, the Bulldogs have reeled off seven straight victories to grab a stranglehold on the SEC East division. They are coming off a 63-16 victory over New Mexico State last Saturday. Murray threw for 238 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, all of which came in the second quarter as Georgia raced out to a 49-3 halftime lead. Running backs Isaiah Crowell and Carlton Thomas were each suspended for this game after failing a drug test, but Georgia turned to Brandon Harton in the backfield. Harton rushed for 98 yards and a score.

Georgia (7-2, 5-1 SEC) ranks 36th in the country in total offense (428.8 yards/game) behind a balanced attack with 175.6 yards on the ground and 253.2 yards through the air. The Bulldogs are underrated defensively. They rank 7th in the land in total defense (282.0 yards/game) and 23rd in scoring defense (19.9 points/game).

Both Crowell and Thomas will return from their one-game suspensions this week. Crowell’s 689 rushing yards rank sixth in the SEC, while Thomas has chipped in 200 yards and two touchdowns. Murray is completing 60.0 percent of his passes for 2,060 yards with 23 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He spreads the ball around very well as four different receivers have at least 23 receptions and three touchdowns apiece.

Auburn

The Tigers have certainly outperformed a lot of people’s expectations this season. Auburn (6-3, 4-2 SEC) lost more starters than any other team in the country after their national title run last year. They have been finding different ways to win behind solid defensive play and a stable running game. The Tigers are coming off a 41-23 victory over Ole Miss on October 29th, and they have now had an extra week to prepare for the Bulldogs.

Clint Moseley threw the first touchdown pass of his career against Ole Miss, and he went on to throw three more. He finished 12 of 15 passing for 160 yards with those four touchdowns and no picks. Auburn’s defense forced three turnovers, and Michael Dyer ran for 177 yards and a score. Emory Blake also returned to action after missing the last three games with an ankle injury. Blake caught five balls for 71 yards and a touchdown. The loss was the 11th straight in SEC play for the Rebels.

Auburn ranks just 87th in the country in total offense (354.2 yards/game) and 73rd in total defense (400.7 yards/game). Moseley has run away with the starting quarterback job. He is completing 68.2 percent of his passes for 425 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Their backfield duo of Michael Dyer (989 yards, nine TD) and Onterio McCalebb (448 yards, two TD) is one of the best in the land. Despite missing those three games, Blake is still Auburn’s leading receiver with 24 receptions for 404 yards and five touchdowns.

Betting Trends

The Tigers are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 conference games, but just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog.

Georgia is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite, and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games. However, the Bulldogs are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 vs. a team with a winning record.

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