The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the country according to the College Football Playoff Committee and now they will face another tough test. The longest running rivalry in the Deep South has seen plenty of memorable games over the years and might have another this Saturday. Georgia is favored by less than a field goal over the Auburn Tigers and many are already calling on Gus Malzahn to work some magic and pull off the upset. However, the only time that Malzahn’s Tigers have been able to beat the Bulldogs was four years ago in the Prayer at Jordan-Hare.
Watch this regular season Week 11 matchup live on Saturday, November 11, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. This game will be broadcast on CBS.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Georgia -2.5
Auburn +2.5
Over/Under 47
Odds Analysis
Oddsmakers made Georgia a two-point favorite in this one and the spread has barely moved, with some money coming in on the Bulldogs. Georgia has won the last three in this series and nine of the last 11.
After Auburn’s collapse against LSU, there was a question about how the Tigers would respond. SEC schedule makers had done the team no favors by making Auburn play three straight conference road games and trips to Fayetteville and College Station were sure to test this team’s mettle. Auburn responded with the heart of a champion, blowing out Arkansas and cruising in a win over Texas A&M, covering both spreads.
Last week, Georgia took care of business against South Carolina. The Bulldogs were favored by too much in a letdown, look-ahead spot and failed to get the cover, but the victory was never in doubt. Georgia covered five straight games against FBS opponents prior to this one, but has now failed to cover in two of the last three.
Matchup to Watch
These two teams boast two of the best run games in the country. However, they have completely different styles when it comes to running the ball.
Auburn runs the ball out of the no-huddle spread and Malzahn likes to use formations and speed to exploit mismatches. This works pretty well against most defenses, but great defenses have been able to shut this down. The Tigers were completely unable to run the ball against Clemson in a 14-6 loss earlier in the season, and were shut down by LSU in the second half last month.
Kirby Smart and Georgia run the ball more in the traditional sense. In Smart’s attempt to turn the Bulldogs into an SEC East carbon copy of Alabama, Georgia has completely taken the air out of the ball. The Bulldogs are averaging just 18 pass attempts per game, and are running on 72.7 percent of their plays. It may be boring, but it’s impossible to argue with the results.
Player to Watch
The formula for Auburn’s offense has been simple for most of the year. If Jarrett Stidham struggles, Auburn is in trouble. Stidham was not good against Clemson and LSU earlier this year. He averaged just 3.4 yards per throw against Clemson and completed 35 percent of his passes against LSU.
If Auburn is going to knock off the No. 1 team in the country, Stidham will have to play well. Georgia’s secondary hasn’t been tested very much this season, and that’s something Auburn may be able to exploit with the right schemes.
Free ATS Pick
At the end of the day, this will come down to the battle in the trenches. Auburn’s offensive line has not played well this season and played a large part in Stidham’s struggles. Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Jake Fromm has showed remarkable poise on Georgia and has received great blocking from his line. That will be the difference maker in a Georgia victory.
College Football Odds: Georgia 30, Auburn 21
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