The final day of the bowl season kicks off in Jacksonville, where the Georgia Bulldogs will hope to overcome the dismissal of Mark Richt in the Taxslayer Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Penn State Nittany Lions +7
Georgia Bulldogs -7
Over/Under 43
ODDS ANALYSIS
We've seen relatively split action here in the Taxslayer Bowl. The spread which opened at Georgia -7 has held firm throughout the week with just a slight sense that the line is set to come off of that -7 and head to -6.5 instead.
The total of 43 was one of the lowest of the bowl season, and the number has already dropped to 42.5 and could be even lower if a cold front which is expected to dump a lot of rain on Florida next weekend arrives early.
KEY MISMATCH
Christian Hackenberg really struggled down the stretch this season. It begs to be remembered that games against Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State were all tougher than what he's going to face here against Georgia for our money.
However, he averaged just 200 passing yards per game, completed just over 51 percent of his passes and had a 3:3 TD/INT ratio in those games.
Still, Hackenberg is a legit pro. He only threw five picks this year against 18 total touchdowns between his arm and his legs. He doesn't throw the most accurate ball at just 53.3 percent completions, but he does have the ability to make all the throws, and he seems to get better as games progress.
Georgia's secondary once made Treon Harris look like Joe Montana, so it's worth remembering that problems could certainly arise.
KEY STAT
130.8 – The average number of rushing yards for Sony Michel in his last four games of the season. The Bulldogs seemed to turn a bit of a corner offensively after the loss to Florida we just referenced, and Michel is a big part of that.
This offense really needed a spark after Nick Chubb was lost for the season, but it took Michel quite a long time to get comfortable in his role as the primary back. He has at least 23 carries in four straight NCAAF games though, and we'd guess he'll have the ball in his gut at least 20 times here in the Taxslayer Bowl as well.
BETTING ANGLE
Georgia's last six games of the season all failed to reach the total. The offense didn't exceed 27 points in any of those games, while the defense allowed more than 17 just once. The average total number of points per game along the way for the Dawgs was just 28.0, 23.2 points less than the average total in that span.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
We just don't know where the playmakers are coming from here for Georgia. Without Chubb and Isaiah McKenzie, all of the big play threats are gone. Can the Dawgs really grind out a win against a Big Ten team which has made its living off of grinding out tough games like this one? We're not all that sure.
This is a huge game for Hackenberg, who believes he's a first round pick in the NFL Draft next year. He played really well in the Pinstripe Bowl last year, throwing for 371 yards and four TDs, and we think he'll be in for another good effort here to lead the Nittany Lions to a mild upset.
Penn State 26, Georgia 20
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on your television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Georgia Bulldogs will go down Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. ET at EverBank Field. The matchup will be televised on ESPN.
