We’re used to seeing the Kentucky Wildcats owning the hardwood, but this program hasn’t historically done as well on the gridiron. This season it’s been a different story and exciting one in Lexington. The Wildcats have more than held their own with wins over South Carolina, Florida and Missouri. Now, they’ll get their biggest test to date as they get set to host the Georgia Bulldogs, a team that easily beat them 42-13, coving the spread a year ago.
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Date and Time:Saturday, November 3, 2018, 3:30 p.m. ET
Location:Kroger Field, Lexington, KY
Opening CFB Odds:Georgia -11.5, O/U TBD
Georgia vs. Kentucky TV Coverage:CBS
These two SEC teams converge each carrying a bit of momentum on Saturday. This past week, the Bulldogs rallied late to route a hated rival in the Florida Gators while Tyler Wilson stepped up big, leading a game-winning drive down the field late in the fourth quarter to allow the Wildcats to upset the Missouri on the road, winning 15-14.
Georgia has been favored in all eight games its played and are favored heavily again on for Saturday’s matchup.
So far, the Bulldogs have won all but one game, dropping the game to LSU despite being seven-point favorites on the road. It’s a bit of a similar situation in this one which could lead to the live betting linesswaying in Kentucky’s favor at least in a few places.
The Wildcats have only been favored in three games this season but boast the same 7-1 record as the Bulldogs. Kentucky has failed to cover the college football spread in all three games it was favored but is 5-0 ATS when entering as the underdog. In fact, they’re 4-1 SU in those game, too.
Kentucky is a messy team. Their offense is interesting. Quarterback Terry Wilson has been heavily criticized all year and while Benny Snell Jr. is an underrated rusher in the SEC, the offense is averaging just 25.6 PPG and ranks 102nd in yards per game. The air attack has been bad, but that’s what won the game last weekend against Missouri when Kentucky needed the win.
They need a win again, this time against Georgia. With his back against the wall, Wilson came out with an impressive drive late in the fourth, capped off by a touchdown pass to C.J. Conrad. That gave Wilson 267 passing yards in the game, his next highest in any game this year was just 163. The touchdown pass, gave Wilson a touchdown in each of the last three weeks.
Snell was shut down last week with a season low 3.5 yards per carry on 19 touches. He failed to score a touchdown. He needs to do more against Georgia. Overall, he’s live betting lines 960 yards on 179 attempts along with nine rushing scores.
The ground game needs to get going early for the Wildcats for them to have a chance against Georgia. He’s had at least 124 rushing yards five times this year and has 165 three times, including the week before last against Vanderbilt. The over on the rushing yardage total for Snell may be an interesting play at BookMaker.eu coming off his down week last week to suppress the number.
Defensively, Georgia is strong, but they’re better against the pass than the run. Wilson stepped up last week, but he’s got a very poor matchup coming up with the Bulldogs.
Speaking of the Bulldogs, they forced three turnovers in their last game against Florida. The win over the Gators was a good bounce back from their loss to LSU.
Georgia went on a roll in their second half against Florida and look to keep the momentum going on Saturday. Jake Fromm threw the ball exceptionally well, completing 70.8 percent of his passes on the day.
Fromm has been a bit up-and-down for the Bulldogs on a team that favors the run. He’s thrown for three touchdowns in two of his last three games and three of his last five, but he seems to fall off every other game. Kentucky has a good pass defense. He’ll try and overcome that disturbing pattern.
Live Bet Georgia vs. Kentucky at BookMaker.eu
If history is any indication, this game should go to the Bulldogs, they’re double-digit favorites and have beaten Kentucky eight straight years, including a 29-point victory last year. But, it’s been a bit of a Cinderella story for Kentucky this year. Even if they turn back into a pumpkin with a loss, they should fair far better than they did a year ago, keeping this game close. Given that, the odds on the live betting feature could lead to some quality bets for Kentucky.
With a win, the Wildcats could essentially punch their ticket to their first ever SEC Championship. That is a bit of a reach, but this game is in Kentucky and the Wildcats have already provided us several surprises. Still, look for Kentucky to at least keep this one close and if that’s the case, go with the Wildcats to cover the spread on thelive betting adjusted lines at BookMaker.eu. In the end, I look for Georgia to win, but it may be closer than some of the experts expect.
