It’s been a tale of two vastly different seasons for these two teams. For the Missouri Tigers, the hits haven’t stopped. Mizzou’s lone win this season came against FCS Missouri State, and its defense has been continually gashed. Embattled head coach Barry Odom is thought to be a lock to be fired at the end of the season, as the Tigers defense has completely collapsed this year. For the Georgia Bulldogs, it’s been a very sweet year. Georgia looks like one of the best teams in the country, and might be the one team in the SEC able to knock off Alabama. Kirby Smart’s defense might just be the best defense in the country and that’s saying something this year.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 7 game is set for Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.
ET at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. This game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Missouri +30.5
Georgia -30.5
Over/Under Check Back Later
Odds Analysis
Missouri started the season 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS, but finally picked up a cover by hanging close with Kentucky last week. The Tigers put up a ton of yards on Kentucky’s defense, and were very close to pulling off the victory. It was by far their best performance against an FBS opponent so far this season, and gives the team reason for optimism going forward.
The Bulldogs may not have been too impressive in non-conference play at the start of the year, but have really come on strong since they started playing SEC opponents. Georgia knocked off Mississippi State by 28, Tennessee by 41, and Vanderbilt by 31, and easily covered the spread in each of those games. The under cashed in Georgia’s first five games thanks to a very strong defense, but last week’s game against Vanderbilt went over the total.
Matchup to Watch
Defense wins football games at the end of the day, just ask Kirby Smart. Georgia’s defense has been lights out this season, not allowing 20 points or more to any opponent yet at the halfway mark. It all starts up front with the big boys, who are a huge reason for Georgia’s success. The Bulldogs are allowing just 2.9 yards per carry this season and are third in the nation in terms of total defense.
As for Missouri, this defense is just bad. The Tigers have only played one very good offense, but are still ranked 111th in the country in total defense and have given up 25 touchdowns through five games. It’s a total effort too, as the pass defense ranks 109th in the nation, and the run defense ranks 98th. The defensive coordinator was fired after the third game of the season, but this defense is still dreadful.
Key Stat
Georgia will look to run the ball as much as possible in this one. There are few non-option offenses that have a greater run-pass disparity than Georgia this year. The Bulldogs have run the ball on 73.2 percent of their plays, and that helps them control time of possession and keeps the defense fresh.
They once again have a stable of solid running backs too. Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and D’Andre Swift are the team’s three leading rushers and all three are averaging at least 6.8 yards per carry this year.
Free ATS Pick
This is Georgia’s last game before a bye week prior to its annual showdown against Florida. Although some might think that this is a nice spot for a letdown, Smart has this team dialed in and won’t let them take a week off while they are still climbing in the polls. He will constantly remind them that they had to rally to beat this Missouri team in Columbia last season and that will lead to a big win.
College Football Odds: Georgia 51, Missouri 10
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