Georgia football: Despite Vols improvement, Dawgs are solid favorite

Georgia football is taking on rival Tennessee this week, but it looks to be same story, different chapter as the Vols invade Athens.

Big Orange is coming to down, and Georgia football fans are set to dispatch of another rival after last week’s sound thrashing of the Auburn Tigers.

While this may not be the same Tennessee team that Georgia has solidly whipped for three straight years, it’s doubtful Jeremy Pruitt’s team has mustered enough offensive prowess to pose any real threat to what looks to be an elite Georgia defense.

Series Record: Georgia leads, 24-23-2
Last Meeting: Knoxville, Tn., Georgia 43 – Tennessee 14
TV: CBS
Local Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (IMG) – Scott Howard (PxP); Eric Zeier (analyst); Chuck Dowdle (sideline)
SiriusXM RADIO/Internet: 81/81/81 (Georgia broadcast) ONLINE: GTV on georgiadogs.com
Streaming: fuboTV

Georgia football: Weather and Odds vs Tennessee

Fans should plan on bringing some rain gear to the game and having plenty of tent cover if they plan on tailgating. According to the Weather Channel, there will be rain and scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon in Athens, with a high of 76 degrees. The overall chance of rain is 80 percent.

Bulldogs big favorites against the Vols

Once again, the Bulldogs are heavy favorites coming into the game. Georgia is a 12.5-point favorite according to the latest odds from FanDuel., with the over/under coming in currently at 43.5 points. If what we’ve seen the last two weeks from Georgia’s defense is any indicator, it may take the Bulldogs scoring at least 40 of those points to hit the over.

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Georgia an 88 percent chance of winning vs Tennessee.

When the Bulldogs have the ball

After facing a much-improved Arkansas defense and a typically sound Auburn defense, the Bulldogs get to go up against a Tennessee team allowing a similar 19.5 points per game and giving up 361.5 yards per game, 254 of those through the air.

This could mean another shot for Stetson Bennett to show some swagger and find receivers Kearis Jackson and George Pickens for some big gainers.

The Vols are pretty solid against the run, so Georgia’s offensive line will need to make another step forward as they did between the Arkansas and Auburn games so that the play-action pass will still be effective for Bennett.

When the Vols have the ball

The Tennessee offense has improved drastically since the 2019 meeting between these two SEC East rivals. The Vols also own the conferences longest current winning streak at seven games, dating back to their Oct. 27, 2019 win over South Carolina.

This could be the first big test for the Bulldogs defense, who will need to find a way to rush quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who is having his best start ever as a college player. If Guarantano has time, he could find some holes in a Georgia secondary that — while strong — is still yet to be truly tested.

Shutting down the Tennessee run game with the front four will be key so the linebackers can focus on closing potential holes in the zone. Watch for the Georgia defensive line to really give former Bulldog Cade Mays some problems.

Prediction: Dawgs cover the spread and then some with a second-half surge.