It’s always a big game when Florida (6-1, 5-2 ATS) and Georgia (7-1, 3-3-1 ATS) meet, regardless of where either school is in the SEC standings or national rankings.
With a little extra motivation after last season’s loss, the No. 5 Gators face the No. 8 Bulldogs in their annual showdown in Jacksonville with both teams still playing for a spot in the BCS championship game.
BetJamaica.com has Florida as 6.5-point favorites for the contest, with a 56.5-point total currently on the board. Action has been just about even on both sides throughout the week, as 53% of wagers have come in on the Gators for Saturday afternoon’s game.
Georgia won only its third game in its last 18 tries against Florida last October, as the Bulldogs outgunned the Gators 42-30 to cash as 7-point underdogs. If losing to Georgia wasn’t enough, Florida has to be fired up for retribution after Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt had all his players run on the field to celebrate after Georgia scored its first touchdown of the game in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs received two unsportsmanlike penalties for excessive celebration, but the damage was done – the Gators played tentatively following the bold display and couldn’t keep up with quarterback Matt Stafford and the Georgia offense the rest of the way.
Stafford finished 11-of-18 for 217 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, while running back Knowshon Moreno ran for 188 yards on 33 carries with three scores for the Bulldogs. Florida QB Tim Tebow went 14-of-22 for 236 yards with a TD pass for the Gators, as dual threat Percy Harvin racked up 97 yards of offense in the loss.
Florida comes into the game playing its best football of the season. The Gators rolled past Kentucky 63-5 last Saturday, as Tebow was an efficient 11-of-15 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. Tebow also ran for two scores for Florida, which covered easily as 25-point home faves at BetJamaica.com.
Georgia also has to account for the Gators’ Jeff Demps, who put up 117 all-purpose yards with a touchdown against the Wildcats. Demps has been a big factor in Florida outscoring its opponents 152-33 since a 31-30 loss to Mississippi on September 27, as the Gators now have the SEC’s top-ranked scoring offense at 42.0 points per game.
Moreno racked up 163 yards on 21 carries with a TD to lead the Bulldogs past LSU 52-38 last week. Stafford was 17-of-26 for 249 yards with two touchdown tosses for Georgia, which took backers to the bank as a road pick ‘em. A.J. Green caught three balls for 89 yards receiving with a touchdown, as the Bulldogs won despite allowing almost 500 yards offense to the Tigers.
Both schools head into the weekend relatively injury-free, although both have at least one key player that is likely to stay off the field. Gators running back Emmanuel Moody is questionable with a high ankle sprain, while Bulldogs linebacker Dannell Ellerbe is questionable with a sprained knee.
ATS trends point in both directions, meaning bettors have to delve deeper than usual to find some meaningful numbers. As far as the total goes, the game trends towards the over, which is possible despite the high number because of the talent level on both sidelines. Florida is 8-2 O/U in its last 10 SEC games, and is 14-5 O/U in its last 19 games on grass, while Georgia has played over in six of its last eight games at a neutral site.