The No. 9 Florida Gators are receiving seven points from oddsmakers as they make a trip to their conference rival No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field. Interested parties are able to catch the action live on CBS and this vital daytime game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs Betting Preview
In this Saturday Southeastern matchup, Georgia is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 7 points. If they are wanting to play the moneyline, bettors would currently need to spend $300 in order to win $100 back on the Dawgs (-300). The Gators are getting +220 moneyline odds. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 51.5 points. If Georgia gets behind early, it will probably create a decent in-game betting opportunity.
The betting odds have shifted some from where they first opened. The opening line was 6.5 and the game’s over/under was set initially at 52.
The Gators are 6-1 against the spread (ATS) and are down 0.8 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U record of 3-3. The Bulldogs have lost 0.7 units this season. The team is 3-3-1 ATS and also has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Gators have gone 6-1 straight up (SU), including 4-1 SU against conference opponents. The Bulldogs are 6-1 SU overall and 4-1 SU in conference play.
The Gators continue riding high after a 37-27 victory over Vanderbilt on October 13Their defense allowed the Commodores to run for 107 yards on 22 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Ke’Shawn Vaughn had a productive day for the Commodores in that one with 56 rushing yards on seven attempts, along with 75 yards and a score on one catch. On the offensive side, Feleipe Franks completed 19 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Lamical Perine (121 yards on 23 rush attempts, one TD) and Jordan Scarlett (113 yards on 16 carries, one TD) provided the ground attack in the win while Kadarius Toney (four receptions, nine yards) and Perine (four catches, 93 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Georgia just lost 36-16 to LSU back in Week 7. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Tigers to kill the clock by rushing for 275 yards on 51 attempts, including three rush TDs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a solid outing in the win, recording 145 rushing yards on 19 attempts for LSU. For Georgia, Jake Fromm completed 16-of-34 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. D’Andre Swift (72 rushing yards on 12 attempts) and Elijah Holyfield (56 yards on seven carries, one TD) mounted the ground game in the defeat while Jeremiah Holloman (three receptions, 26 yards) and Riley Ridley (three catches, 75 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Breaking down the offensive play-calling, each of these squads has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Florida has run the ball on 59.0 percent of its offensive possessions while Georgia has an overall rush percentage of 60.5. The Gators have rushed for 197 yards/game (including 191 per game against Southeastern opponents) and have 10 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Dawgs are logging 226 rush yards per game (208 in conference) and have 16 total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season are any indication, then it seems like the Gators may be the more disruptive team in the trenches, as their offensive line has given up just 37 sacks while the D-line logged 23 sacks. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have allowed 22 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 34 times.
The Gators offense has tallied 211 yards per contest in the air overall (223 per game versus conference opposition) and has 16 passing scores so far. The Dawgs have produced 236 pass yards per contest (240.4 in the SEC) and have 15 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida has allowed 163 rush yards and 160 pass yards per game. The Georgia defense has allowed 174.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 136.3 yards per game on the ground. The Gators are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.52 to opposing QBs, while the Dawgs have given up a 4.59 ANY/A.
Offensively, Franks is up to 1,245 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 59 percent of his 155 attempts with 14 passing scores and only four interceptions. He has a 7.91 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.90 over the last two games.
We’re looking for Gators to maintain tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Lamical Perine (291 rush yards, one rush TD, 135 receiving yards) and Jordan Scarlett (316 rush yards, three rush TDs) have been significant focal points in the Florida offensive scheme.
In the home locker room, Jake Fromm has managed to complete 82-of-125 passes for 1,133 yards, 10 TDs and four INTs. Fromm’s ANY/A stands at 8.01 for the season and 7.41 across his past two games.
The Dawgs also like to leverage their backfield. Along with Riley Ridley (280 receiving yards, four receiving TDs), D’Andre Swift (312 rush yards, four rush TDs, 81 receiving yards) and Elijah Holyfield (424 rush yards, three rush TDs) have gotten plenty of action recently.
When these two teams met a year ago, Georgia won by five touchdowns 42-7.
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Georgia offense has lost three fumbles this season while Florida has let four get away.
The Florida D has 21 sacks on the year while Georgia has just nine.
Florida has produced 4.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.8 over its last two.
Georgia has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.2 over its last two.
In its last three matches, Georgia is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Florida’s last game was set at 51. The over cashed in the team’s 37-27 victory over Vanderbilt.
Over its last three matchups, Florida is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Georgia’s previous game was set at 50. The over cashed in the 36-16 defeat to LSU.
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