Georgia at Tennessee Line

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the Tennessee Volunteers will host the Georgia Bulldogs in what should be an entertaining SEC East matchup. The Volunteers improved to 3-1 overall with a 41-10 win over Buffalo this past week, but are 0-1 in SEC play with a 23-33 loss at Florida. The Bulldogs knocked off Mississippi State 24-10 for their third straight win after opening the season with back-to-back losses against Boise State and South Carolina. While the Volunteers have played just one conference game, Georgia is now 2-1 in the SEC with wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State. These two teams have alternated wins over the last eight seasons, with Georgia winning 41-14 at home a year ago.

Taking a look at the week 6 college football spreads, oddsmakers currently have Georgia favored by 1-point over Tennessee with the total set at 57 points.

Georgia Bulldogs:

A lot of people wrote the Bulldogs off after starting the season 0-2, but two straight conference wins have this team sitting tied on top the SEC West with Florida and South Carolina. A big reason Georgia has been able to get things turned around is a defense that has allowed just 23 points over the last three games. Not only are the Bulldogs not allowing teams to put up points, but they are barely letting them move the ball at all. They have given up just 408 yards of total offense in their last three games combined.

Freshman running back Isaiah Crowell is quickly becoming a star in the SEC. Crowell has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the Bulldogs three SEC games. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry on the season and is a big reason why the Bulldogs have won three straight. The only concern with Crowell is he has scored just three touchdowns on the year.

What was really impressive about the Bulldogs win over Mississippi State is they won without a big game from starting quarterback Aaron Murray. The sophomore had two touchdown passes for fifth consecutive game, but was just 13 of 25 for 160 yards with three interceptions. Those turnovers are the only thing they kept Georgia from completely blowing this game wide open.

Murray could have another tough day ahead of him this Saturday, as the Volunteers come in allowing just 198.5 passing yards a game. While Murray could be in trouble, Crowell figures to have another big day on the ground against a Tennessee defense that is giving up 139.8 rushing yards on average.

Tennessee Volunteers:

Tennessee will look to improve to 4-0 at home this season with a win over the Bulldogs. The Volunteers have had a couple of easy non-conference wins over Montana and Buffalo, but they did dominate Cincinnati (4-1) 45-23 at home early this season.

The Volunteers are led by sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray, who has thrown for 1,328 yards with 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Bray was the only offense against Florida, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Both of Bray’s interceptions game against the Gators, and he will have to limit those mistakes if Tennessee is going to win this game.

Bray will go up against a Georgia defense that ranks 4th in the country, holding opposing quarterbacks to just 151.6 passing yards a game. The problem for Tennessee is they are going to have to attack the Bulldogs strength, as they have really struggled to move the ball on the ground. Tennessee is averaging just 111 rushing yards a game, and had -9 yards in the loss to Florida.

Bray will likely spend a lot of the game looking to connect with sophomore wide out Da’Rick Rogers, who leads the team with 27 catches for 442 yards and six touchdowns. Without a big game from Rogers, I have a hard time seeing the Volunteers escaping with a win.

Betting Trends:

Georgia is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a favorite.

Tennessee is 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog of 0.5-3.0.

Steve Janus went a perfect 5-0 last Saturday and is 13-2 over his last 15 college football plays. Be sure to stop back and see who the expert has picked to win in week 6!

Comments

Got something to say?