Florida vs. Georgia Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The 22nd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs square off against the Florida Gators Saturday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The Bulldogs are looking to put an end to a three-game losing streak in this series. They haven’t forgotten last year’s 34-31 overtime loss to Florida, and they will certainly have payback in mind as they look to hand the struggling Gators a fourth straight defeat. Kickoff is set for 3:30 EST Saturday in a game that will be nationally televised on CBS.

Taking a look at the college football lines for Week 9, I find that there has been no spread set for this game just yet due to a few injuries that need sorted out. I’ll come back and post the line as soon as it’s up.

Georgia

After back-to-back losses to then-No. 5 Boise State and then-No. 12 South Carolina to open the season, the Bulldogs have reeled off five straight victories. Georgia (5-2, 4-1 SEC) has played a pretty easy schedule during this run, but they’ve taken care of business nonetheless. The Bulldogs are coming off a 33-28 win at Vanderbilt, and now they have a bye week to prepare for the Gators.

Aaron Murray threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns against the Commodores to lead his team to victory. Vanderbilt had the ball twice over the final 2:30 of that game to try and go in for the game-winning score, but the Bulldogs’ defense came up big. Bacarri Rambo sealed the game with an interception with only 1:10 remaining, which was the third pick of the game by the Georgia defense.

In last year’s loss to the Gators, Murray threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw three picks. Tight end Orson Charles had a big game with six grabs for 108 yards and a score, and he’ll certainly be a focal point in the offense in this year’s meeting as well. Georgia’s defense must step up if they want to get their revenge this season. The Bulldogs gave up 231 rushing yards to the Gators last year.

Georgia has done their part defensively this season, ranking 6th in the country in total defense (273.0 yards/game). They are 18th against the run (102.0 yards/game) and 9th against the pass (171.0 yards/game). The Bulldogs rank 45th in the land in total offense (411.1 yards/game) with 162.4 on the ground and 248.7 through the air. Murray is completing 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,653 yards and 16 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Freshman running back Isaiah Crowell has been as good as advertised, rushing for 608 yards and four touchdowns.

Florida

The Gators opened the season 4-0 under head coach Will Muschamp, and appeared to have turned things around after a down season last year. Florida (4-3, 2-3 ACC) has looked like a young, inexperienced team since. The Gators have lost three straight games in blowout fashion. While they came against three Top 25 opponents in then-No. 3 Alabama (38-10), then-No. 1 LSU (41-11) and then-No. 24 Auburn (17-6), it’s still not a good sign for this team.

Florida has also had a bye to prepare for the Bulldogs after their loss to the Tigers on October 15th. The Gators were held to just 194 yards of total offense, and they committed three costly turnovers in defeat. To their credit, they were playing without starting quarterback John Brantley and tailback Jeff Demps. Freshmen Jacoby Briskett and Jeff Driskel combined to go 14 of 28 passing for 120 yards in the Auburn loss.

Senior QB Brantley (right leg) returned to practice Monday and is probable for Saturday against Georgia. “I feel like John will be ready to go for the game,” coach Will Muschamp said. Brantley was injured in Week 5 against Alabama and has missed the last two games because of the injury. He had been solid before getting hurt, completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 942 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Demps (ankle) is also probable to return this week.

Florida ranks just 88th in the country in total offense (353.7 yards/game). They are 40th in rushing (175.7 yards/game) and 94th in passing (178.0 yards/game). What has saved them is a stop unit that ranks 11th in the land in total defense (289.1 yards/game). Chris Rainey has been doing it all for this offense. Rainey has 500 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with team-highs in receptions (18), receiving yards (275), and receiving touchdowns (two).

Betting Trends

The Gators are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 meetings with Georgia, 7-1 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games, and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a bye. However, Florida is just 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning record.

Georgia is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall during this little five-game winning streak. But the Bulldogs are only 7-19 ATS in their last 26 vs. a team with a winning record, and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a bye.

Looking to cash in this weekend on the college gridiron? Look no further as expert handicapper Jack Jones has you covered.

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