The Georgia Bulldogs seem to have found their man in Kirby Smart. Smart’s second year in Athens was an unabashed success. Much like his mentor Nick Saban, he started off slow in his first year, but then ratcheted things up to a level that Georgia fans hadn’t seen in decades. The Bulldogs stomped most of their SEC East brethren on their way to a conference title and eventually a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. However, Smart was unable to best his mentor and ended up losing the title in overtime. It was a tough end to the season, but there’s no doubt that Georgia is back. The Bulldogs open their season with a Week 1 tilt against an FCS opponent, the Austin Peay Governors.
Watch this Week 1 matchup live on Saturday, September 1, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Austin Peay +43
Georgia -43
Over/Under 56.5
Odds Analysis
Many sportsbooks don’t have CFB betting odds available for this game since Austin Peay is an FCS opponent. However, those that do list Georgia has an enormous favorite. Currently, the Bulldogs are a 43-point favorite on the NCAAF betting line with a total of 56.5.
Coaching Angle
When Georgia scheduled this game, Athletic Director Greg McGarity thought he was getting a pushover in Austin Peay. The Governors went winless in 2015 and 2016, eventually running up a 29-game losing streak before breaking it last season. However, Will Healy has proven that he is capable of incredible turnarounds, and he almost led the Governors to the FCS playoffs in 2017.
Austin Peay ended up going 8-4 in 2017 and should have made it to the postseason. Three of the Governors’ four losses came against FBS foes in Cincinnati, Miami (OH), and UCF, and Austin Peay was somewhat competitive in all three games. Their other loss was to Jacksonville State, a team that has not lost a conference game in four years and has ended up as one of the FCS’s top three teams entering the postseason every season during that timespan as well. Healy is probably not long for Austin Peay, but he has done wonders during his short time on campus.
Matchup to Watch
The Governors are going to have a very hard time stopping Georgia’s potent running game. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are in the NFL now, but the Bulldogs are set to have one of the best ground attacks in the country once more in 2018. The offensive line returns four of five starters to a unit that helped Georgia average 258 yards per game on the ground in 2017, and the new starter is a highly touted Parade All-American.
Replacing Chubb and Michel is an enormous task, but D’Andre Swift will do a very good job replicating their production. Swift saw significant action as a freshman last season, averaging 7.6 yards per carry on 81 carries. Barring injury, he is a lock to go over 1,000 yards this season behind this offensive line, and he has a dynamic that Chubb and Michel lacked. Like his name, Swift is a speedster that can blow by opponents, and he should easily go over 100 yards against Austin Peay if Smart gives him the carries.
Free ATS Pick
There’s no doubt that the Bulldogs are going to pick up the win here. Smart is building something special in Athens, and Austin Peay is not going to deter it. The Governors are a team predicated on the run, and that’s something that the Bulldogs should have little trouble stopping.
At the end of the day, I think the number is a bit too large for Georgia to cover considering how much the Bulldogs will keep it on the ground and grind it out, but it won’t be close.
College Football Odds: Georgia 44, Austin Peay 3
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