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Capitol One Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia Football Picks

Written December 31, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Georgia Michigan State Football

It’s always exciting when the Big 10 and SEC do battle, and this time the No. 16 ranked Georgia Bulldogs take on the No.19 ranked Michigan State Spartans in the Capitol One Bowl. The Spartans finished the regular season at 9-3 and were a solid 6-2 in Big 10 play, as for the Bulldogs they to finished the season 9-3, and posted the 3rd best record in the SEC going 6-2 in the East division, with its losses coming to BCS powerhouses Alabama and Florida and to instate rival Georgia Tech in the final game of the season. For those of you looking to do a little NCAA football betting this bowl season, the oddsmakers have Georgia 7.5 point favorites over Michigan State at Sportsbook.com.

The Bulldogs have one of the nations best running backs in Knowshon Moreno, who totaled 1,338 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground this season, but thats not all this unit has, as quarterback Matt Stafford is considered one of the best NFL prospects at his position. Stafford wound up throwing for 3,209 yards with 22 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions while completing 61% of his passes. Stafford has two excellent receivers to throw the football to in Mohamed Massaquoi and A.J. Green, as Massaquoi grabbed a team high 57 passes for 910 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Green had 55 catches for a team high 951 yards and another 8 touchdowns. All these weapons have led the Bulldogs to just over 32 points a game and a very impressive 433.9 yards per game.

The defense hasn’t been as good as expected when the Bulldogs opened the season as one of the favorites to win the National Championship, as teams are scoring nearly 26 points a game and while they are only gaining 318 yards a game the Bulldogs just simply aren’t making the big play, and of the 40 touchdowns they have given up this season 23 have came on the ground, which is not good news going against Michigan States great rushing attack. Bet Georgia Bulldogs -7.5 at Sportsbook.com.

The Spartans big time rushing attack comes in the name of Javon Ringer who not only ran for 1,590 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, but Ringer ran it a ton, as he carried over an average of 30 times a game, and still managed to gain 4.3 yards per carry with teams putting 8 guys in the box on nearly every play. As for the passing game its in the hands of Brian Hoyer, and while his numbers won’t scare you, as Hoyer has just 2,235 yards with 9 touchdowns, this is an experienced quarterback that will be under center for the Spartans. The two big threats in the receiving game are Blair White and Mark Dell, both had over 600 yards receiving with Dell leading the way with 3 touchdown catches.

The Spartans defense is pretty solid as they are giving up just 22 points a game this season, while teams average nearly 358 yards a game of total offense. The Spartans are solid against the run giving up just 4 around yards a carry, and stopping Moreno is going to be the main focus for this unit. The problem is the Spartans are giving up nearly 12.5 yards per completion in the passing game, and even if they find a way to stop Moreno, its unlikely they can keep Stafford in check in well, but don’t be surprised if the Spartans put a scare into the Bulldogs in this one. Bet Michigan State Spartans +7.5 at Sportsbook.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Georgia -7.5
I think both teams will be able to run the football in this one, which will keep Michigan State in it longer than many might expect, but when it comes down to it having a quarterback like Matthew Stafford under center is going to prove to be to much for the Spartans.

Predicted Score: Georgia 34 Michigan State 24

Get the best NCAA football picks and grab the latest NCAA football lines for all the bowl games this week at Betfirms.

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