The biggest game of the week in college football, not just the Southeastern Conference, is the one in Columbia, S.C., between Georgia and South Carolina. A lot is on the line.
Georgia Bulldogs @ South Carolina Gamecocks
Saturday, September 13th – 3:35 PM ET
Odds: Georgia -6
Why The Bulldogs Will Cover
They have the better team and are playing better. It’s just that simple. Georgia put together a strong performance in an early season win over Clemson. The Bulldogs pushed the Tigers around in the second half and won with old-fashioned football. Georgia did not need to be cute or clever. The Bulldogs just used physical, tough play on both the offensive and defensive lines to push back a talented opponent. If Georgia, with Heisman Trophy candidate Todd Gurley at running back, can establish its running game early and get a great performance from its offensive line, the Bulldogs can dictate this game from start to finish.
What should help Georgia to establish its running game is that South Carolina’s defensive line looks pretty toothless so far this season. The Gamecocks allowed 52 points to Texas A&M at home in their season opener, and while Georgia is much more of a running team than Texas A&M is, the key point from that loss to the Aggies was that South Carolina’s defensive line didn’t do anything impressive. If the Gamecocks can’t play better on the defensive line, they’re going to get blown out by Georgia this time. The Bulldogs have to be very happy about this matchup and how it works out. South Carolina is likely to miss Jadeveon Clowney in this contest. South Carolina’s defensive line was a lot better a year ago. It’s not up to par this season.
Why The Gamecocks Will Cover
They are playing at home and were caught off guard by Texas A&M. The Gamecocks probably weren’t expecting Texas A&M to play so well and throw the ball so consistently back on Aug. 28. The Gamecocks still had to adjust to a throwing team in week two, as they started slowly against East Carolina and seemed to be headed for a very long night. However, in the second half against East Carolina, the Gamecocks appeared to pick themselves up on defense. South Carolina was more physical. It generated a lot more pressure on East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden, who was hot in the first half but scored just seven points in the second half. South Carolina learned something about itself, finding a higher level of play on defense and making the kinds of adjustments that did not exist against Texas A&M.
Georgia has done well early in the season, but the Bulldogs were at home. How will Georgia play on the road? The Bulldogs have not won in each of their last two trips to South Carolina’s stadium. Aaron Murray is no longer the Bulldogs’ quarterback. Hutson Mason could very well slip up in this spot and give South Carolina an opening.
Outlook
If South Carolina has been playing possum, this is the time to come to life. However, Georgia looks so much tougher at the line of scrimmage that the Bulldogs should be able to win and cover.
Pick: Georgia -6
