Georgia football: Bulldogs open as favorites vs Auburn with good reason
Georgia football fans may be fretting about the upcoming game in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but the Bulldogs should take care of business.
If you’re a Georgia football fan you’re used to the noise. You’re used to the doubters and those who constantly want to label the Bulldogs as overrated or not being a truly elite team. It comes with the territory when your last national title was almost 40 years ago, and the close calls and almosts now outnumber the rings.
After knocking off rival Florida and pitching their third shutout of the season against Missouri, you’d think that noise would be quieted to a degree.
Wishful thinking.
The Bulldogs are about to travel to the unfriendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium to face another bitter rival, the Auburn Tigers. The same team in the same stadium that nearly wrecked the playoff chances for the Bulldogs in 2017.
Per the Action Network, Georgia has opened as a 2.5-point favorite against Auburn, despite ESPN’s FPI rating giving Georgia only a 47.4 percent chance to win, the only time this season Dawgs have not been projected to win by this metric.
So what does Vegas see that most others don’t?
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The facts are this; since the loss to South Carolina, every week for Georgia is essentially a win-or-go-home affair in terms of the College Football Playoff. Georgia isn’t the only team in that particular situation — even Alabama now holds that distinction — but the pressure from the national media and others seems to be amped up for the Bulldogs.
When it comes to that noise, Kirby Smart takes a much different approach than most coaches. Rather than instructing his team to “tune out” the noise, he invites it in. He actually wants the players to see how many people doubt them and what they have to say. If you’re a team as talented as the Bulldogs with their goals, that kind of motivation is invaluable.
What Vegas sees is the same thing most intelligent analysts see (that certainly rules out a lot of the talking heads) and what Kirby Smart sees in his team. This is a very, very good Georgia team. The loss to South Carolina was a blemish and a bad game. Even the best teams have them. But that’s not who Georgia is.
This is a championship-level defense, capable of shutting down any offense they see…yes, even LSU. Jake Fromm is a championship-level quarterback who continues to learn and grow. The Georgia running backs are probably the best in the nation, and Kirby Smart can keep rotating them in fresh and strong throughout the game. The Georgia offensive line is a group of athletic mammoths who have hit their stride recently.
Receivers are a weak spot? Okay, no argument there, but what team doesn’t have a weak spot? Given the choice of having some questions at receiver or a defense who gives up 46 points in a huge November game, I’ll take the former.
Georgia is favored in this upcoming game with Auburn for a reason, and that spread is likely to grow as the news about some of the injuries the Bulldogs suffered during the Missouri game is released, as Kirby Smart feels that Cager and the other offensive linemen who left the game early will be fine.
Everyone has seen how Auburn quarterback Bo Nix panics and crumbles when facing a strong front seven. Georgia’s defensive line could have a record day against the freshman. Don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs pitch yet another shutout and get just enough from the offense to walk out of Jordan-Hare a winner.