Things haven’t gone quite as expected for the Georgia Bulldogs through the first seven games of the Kirby Smart era, but a win over the Florida Gators in the 93rd edition of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” would certainly calm the nerves of the Athens faithful. The Gators have held the recent upper hand winning and covering each of the last two meetings, so it comes as no surprise to see them heavily favored to come out on top of this Week 9 tilt.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 9 game is set for Saturday, October 29, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. ET at EverBank Field.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Georgia +7.5
Florida -7.5
Odds Analysis
Last we saw the Gators, they got Luke Del Rio back under center and proceeded to destroy the Missouri Tigers 40-14 as 13 point Swamp favorites even though he threw a trio of picks. Linemakers originally opened them up as 5.5 point favorites to get the best of the Dawgs this weekend. The betting public loved the opener immediately wagering it up to -6, -6.5, -7 and finally up to -7.5 where it currently sits.
Currently 70 percent of the tickets written are backing the Gators and expect them to win and cover their third straight in this series. A total is yet to be released, but you can expect it to be in the mid to high 40s like it’s been in each of the last seven meetings.
Revenge Angle
The Bulldogs got their salad tossed in last year’s game falling 27-3 in a game that went off the betting board at a pick ‘em. The combined 30 points cashed under tickets with ease to move the low side of the total to 4-1 in the last five meetings.
Florida almost doubled up the Dawgs in total yardage 413-223 with four Bulldogs interceptions doing nothing but keeping them behind the 8-ball all game long. Nick Chubb missed the game due to injury, while Sony Michel only managed 45 yards on just 13 carries. Jordan Scarlett went for 96 yards on nine carries, but will now have to deal with a much stouter Georgia run defense this time around.
Players to Watch
Chubb and Michel went missing in action in the Dawgs shocking 17-16 home loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores heading into the team’s bye. If the duo is once again nowhere to be found in this one, Georgia won’t have a shot in hell to cover let alone compete with the Gators in this matchup.
Florida owns a fabulous secondary and puts tons of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Frosh Jacob Eason has been hit or miss so far this season, and for him to be more the former than the latter in this matchup, he must get some relief from his ground game. If not, the Dawgs are going to lose their third straight in this series and do so in an extremely ugly fashion.
Free ATS Pick
I foresee this being a one score game either way. While Florida likely owns the better overall defense, there’s absolutely nothing I like about the offense. Smart possesses a fantastic defensive mind. With ample time to devise a plan of attack to frustrate the Gators offense, Georgia will no doubt be in this game till the bitter end. If Eason doesn’t turn the ball over or limits the impact of those turnovers, Georgia can win this game.
Points are going to be hard to come by unless both teams set the opposing offenses up with short fields due to miscues. With that, look for a defensive grinder and for the final outcome to be up in the air deep into the fourth quarter.
College Football Odds: Florida 24, Georgia 23
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