The No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs are heavy underdogs against the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. The daytime matchup is scheduled to get underway at 4:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to CBS.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs Betting Preview
In this Saturday Southeastern matchup, Alabama is projected as the big favorite and is currently giving up 13 points. The Crimson Tide are also receiving -550 moneyline odds while the Bulldogs are +375. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 63 points, and should one school can create a bunch of points early, it would likely create a solid live betting opportunity.
The Crimson Tide have recorded 1.0 unit so far in 2018 and are 8-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U mark of 8-4. The Bulldogs are up 3.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 7-4-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 6-5.
The Crimson Tide are 12-0 straight up (SU), including 8-0 SU against conference opponents. The Bulldogs are 11-1 SU overall and are also 7-1 SU in conference play.
These two programs met a year ago with the final outcome being a 26-23 win for Alabama.
The Crimson Tide are hoping to remain unbeaten following a 52-21 win over Auburn last week. The Tide defense allowed the Tigers to rush for 130 yards on 43 attempts, along with one rushing TD. On the offensive side of the ball, Tua Tagovailoa completed 25-of-32 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns. Damien Harris (41 rushing yards on nine attempts) mounted the ground attack while Henry Ruggs III (five receptions, 62 yards, two TDs) and Jerry Jeudy (five catches, 77 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Georgia just put together a 45-21 win over Georgia Tech. Jake Fromm completed 13-of-16 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns. D’Andre Swift (105 rushing yards on 14 attempts, one TD) and Elijah Holyfield (79 yards on nine carries, one TD) handled the running game as Isaac Nauta (four receptions, 36 yards) and Terry Godwin (two catches, 30 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Alabama has run the ball on 57.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Georgia has an overall rush percentage of 63.8 percent. The Crimson Tide have produced 206 rush yards/game (including 189 per game against Southeastern opponents) and have 28 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Dawgs are logging 260 rushing yards per game (233 in conference) and have 29 total rush TDs.
The Tide offensive scheme has logged 332 yards/contest in the air overall (332 per game against conference opposition) and has 44 passing TDs so far. The Dawgs have produced 221 pass yards per game (221.0 in the SEC) and have 28 total pass scores.
Alabama has allowed opponents to run for an average of 114 yards and throw for 168 yards per game. The Georgia D has given up 175.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 128.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Tide are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.61 to opposing QBs, while the Dawgs have given up a 5.07 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Tagovailoa is up to 2,849 yards this year, and has completed 171-of-247 attempts with 33 scores through the air and only two interceptions. He’s got a sparkling 13.06 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 14.80 over the last two games.
Jake Fromm has completed 156-of-228 passes for 2,130 yards, 23 TDs and five INTs for Georgia. His ANY/A stands at 9.57 for the season and 18.14 over his past two games.
RELATED: Week 14 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs
SU Winner – Alabama, ATS Winner – Alabama, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
The O/U for Alabama’s last game was set at 53. The over cashed in the team’s 52-21 triumph over Auburn.
As a team, Alabama has averaged 4.8 yards per carry across its past three outings and 6.4 over its last two.
Georgia has averaged 7.6 yards per carry over its last three contests and 8.2 over its past two.
Both teams have lost seven fumbles this season.
In its last three games, Alabama is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Georgia’s last matchup going into it was 60.5. The over cashed in the team’s 45-21 win over Georgia Tech.
In its last three games, Georgia is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Crimson Tide offense has produced 22 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Bulldogs have put up 10 such plays.
The Alabama defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Georgia has given up five such plays.
The Alabama offense has created 18 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Georgia has created 34 such runs.
The Crimson Tide defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bulldogs have given up six such runs.
The Alabama defense has twice as many sacks as Georgia this year (40 to 20).
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