With the Georgia Bulldogs biding their time before reaching the College Football Playoff once again, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have let their slim chances of making the 12-team tournament slip sadly through their fingers. While Georgia had no issues getting past Charlotte on Saturday, Georgia Tech could not get out of its own way vs. Pitt, resulting in its second conference loss of the season.
This unexpected loss for the Ramblin' Wreck has resulted in the betting odds becoming even more in Georgia's favor. Some sportsbooks had Georgia laying as many as 14 points in their neutral-site affair coming in. For now, it looks like Georgia will be laying anywhere between 12.5 and 13.5 points at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Bulldogs' huge non-conference rivalry game with the Yellow Jackets.
Here are some of the betting odds for Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate heading into rivalry weekend:
- FanDuel Sportsbook: Georgia -12.5
- BetMGM: Georgia -13
- DraftKings: Georgia -13.5
While Georgia probably does not even need to beat Georgia Tech to reach the College Football Playoff, as ESPN's Football Power Index is giving the Dawgs a 98.4-percent chance to make it in already, defeating the Jackets for the umpteenth time in a row in Atlanta would remove all doubt. The last time Georgia Tech beat Georgia in Atlanta, Brent Key played in the trenches for George O'Leary.
Had Georgia Tech not messed around with Pitt, the betting odds may be closer to 10 or fewer points.
Georgia is not going to overlook Georgia Tech for one obvious reason
Entering Week 14, ESPN's matchup predictor is giving Georgia an 87-percent chance to win the latest rendition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, while Georgia Tech is only getting a 13-percent chance to pull off the monumental upset. While Georgia Tech may be thinking upset bid, keep in mind how last year's game went in Athens. It went to eight crazy overtimes with Georgia barely surviving at home.
Even though this game has no bearings on if Georgia gets to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game or not, it is all about playoff seeding for the Dawgs. A win over Georgia Tech to improve to 11-1 on the season would guarantee Georgia a top-six seed in the 12-team tournament. A loss to the Yellow Jackets to bring them to 10-2 will not knock them out, but maybe down to No. 8, 9 or even 10...
In truth, the betting odds are indicating that Georgia has the far more talented and better coached team. During last Saturday's telecast, Tarylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb relayed a conversation they had with Kirby Smart. They asked the Georgia head coach what his team does the best. Smart offered that Georgia does a better job of executing the plays that are being called than anything else.
Overall, Georgia's depth, talent and coaching advantage should prevail in this game. Smart has a ton of respect for Key, but Georgia has much bigger things on its horizon than merely Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. This may be Georgia Tech's Super Bowl, just like it is every year. Even if that is the case, Smart's team has come out on the winning side of this rivalry series in the last seven games.
Entering Friday afternoon, Georgia still owns the all-time series lead over Georgia Tech at 72-41-5.