Georgia Bulldogs Game Saturday: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators odds and prediction for NCAA Week 9 game

It’s officially the greatest week of the calendar year. For the 100th time, the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators will face off in one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football.

Nary an assignment will be completed in Athens or Gainesville this week as the collective student bodies start a week long party in anticipation of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.

When the fanbases descend upon the River City this weekend, the Acosta Bridge will be lit up in Georgia’s red and black and Florida’s orange and blue. As they leave TIAA Bank Field after the game on Saturday night, the bridge will wear only the colors of the victor.

It’s one of many special touches that make this more than a game. It’s an event. And outside of the annual Red River Shootout between Texas and Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, there’s not another rivalry game in college football with the chutzpah of the Cocktail Party.

It’s an annual circle the date on the calendar game. A demarcation point in the season for the teams and their fanbases alike. The likely determinant of the SEC East champion most years. A game CBS locks in as it’s marquee, 3:30 matchup long before the first play of the season ever occurs.

This season, Georgia is the consensus No. 1 ranked team in college football, while Florida enters the game looking more hot mess than feared rival. But as this rivalry has shown time and again throughout its storied history, the Cocktail Party is where expected outcomes and championship dreams go to die.

Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators odds for Week 9:

As is customary, the Dawgs and Gators each come into this game rested and ready, coming off a bye week and two weeks to prepare for each other.

Georgia sewed up the first half of their schedule with a dominant win over previously undefeated Kentucky to enter the bye week unblemished at 7-0, the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, and the odds-on favorite to win the national title.

Meanwhile, Florida limped into the break following their third loss of the season, down by an LSU team that announced the following day that head coach Ed Orgeron would be relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the season. They also seem to be battling internal strife, with quarterback Anthony Richardson giving a non-commital response when asked if he was interested in transferring.

Everything would seem to be leaning in the Bulldogs favor, but this rivalry always seems to zig when everyone else expects it to zag.

Georgia enters the Cocktail Party matchup with the hated Gators as a 14.5 point favorite according to the latest odds from WynnBET. WynnBET currently lists even odds for both Georgia and Florida at -110 to start the week (bet $110 to win $100).

If you like betting totals, WynnBET currently lists the over/under for Dawgs-Gators at 50.0 points. There are also currently even odds on the total, with both the over and the under sitting at -110 (bet $110 to win $100).

Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators Prediction for Week 9:

Florida’s success in this game depends on their ability to run the football and sustain drives against a historically good Dawgs defense. Neither of their quarterbacks, Emory Jones or Anthony Richardson, has shown the ability to carry the Gators offense with their arm.

Like Kentucky and Arkansas before them, that’s a dangerous proposition for the Gators. No one on Georgia’s schedule has been able to overcome the ferocity of the Dawgs front seven and find success on the ground.

Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez entered the Wildcats matchup with the Bulldogs as the leading rusher in the Southeastern Conference. Against Georgia, he rushed for seven yards. Seven.

Although the Dawgs defense garners most of the attention of analysts and fans across college football, the offense has more than held its own.

With either JT Daniels or Stetson Bennett lined up under center, Georgia and offensive coordinator Todd Monken have exhibited a propensity to shapeshift according to what the opposing defense is giving them.

Against Arkansas and Kentucky, that meant controlling the line of scrimmage and running the football. On the Plains against Auburn, that meant stretching the field with deep shots to loosen up the defense and create holes late in the game for Zamir White, Kendall Milton, and James Cook to exploit for clock-churning runs.

Tood Grantham and his much maligned Gators defense is coming off of its worst performance of the season, allowing 49 points to an LSU offense that hadn’t score 30 points against a Power 5 opponent all season.

Rivalry game aside, this is a matchup that favors Georgia in all three phases. Florida will not be able to run the football and when pressed to throw, the Gators quarterback tandem of Jones and Richardson will be hurried often, prompting ill-advised throws that lead to multiple Dawgs defenders donning the Savage pads following turnovers.

Georgia’s offense will come off of the bye week composed and prepared, getting into a rhythm early and finding consistent success against a Gators defense will more holes than a golf course. The Dawgs should not only cover the two touchdown spread, but should also score enough points to keep the over squarely in play. Take both and the Dawgs to win straight up to hit the trifecta and cash a nice pre-Halloween parlay.

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