The stage is set for a massive showdown between Georgia and Tennessee in the SEC on CBS Game of the Week as the Bulldogs host the Volunteers in a game with major conference and national implications. Though Georgia has won five straight in the series by an average margin of 28.6 points, Tennessee's emergence under second-year coach Josh Heupel makes the Volunteers a threat to hand Georgia its first loss since Nov. 7, 2020.
But there's a reason the Bulldogs have gone nearly two calendar years without losing, and taking down the reigning national champions on their home field will be no small feat for the Volunteers. Georgia enters ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense behind only Tennessee but also ranking No. 4 in total defense. The Bulldogs are elite on both sides of the football and have proved to be outright dominant when at their best.
Whoever wins is a near lock to represent the SEC East in the SEC Championship Game and will have an open path to the College Football Playoff. The loser won't be eliminated from CFP contention but could wind up needing help to make the four-team field as a one-loss team that did not play in their conference title game.
These teams have played every year since 1992, but rarely have the stakes been so high. While the border battle is always important for both teams, its meaning is magnified even more this season.
But there's a reason the Bulldogs have gone nearly two calendar years without losing, and taking down the reigning national champions on their home field will be no small feat for the Volunteers. Georgia enters ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense behind only Tennessee but also ranking No. 4 in total defense. The Bulldogs are elite on both sides of the football and have proved to be outright dominant when at their best.
Whoever wins is a near lock to represent the SEC East in the SEC Championship Game and will have an open path to the College Football Playoff. The loser won't be eliminated from CFP contention but could wind up needing help to make the four-team field as a one-loss team that did not play in their conference title game.
These teams have played every year since 1992, but rarely have the stakes been so high. While the border battle is always important for both teams, its meaning is magnified even more this season.
Heavy betting action on underdog Volunteers against Georgia.
The No. 1 team in the nation is an underdog and attracting extremely lopsided betting action in one of the most heavily bet college football games of the season.Top-ranked Tennessee heads into the weekend as an 8-point underdog against No. 2 Georgia. The Volunteers and Bulldogs will square off Saturday between the hedges in Athens, Georgia. Tennessee is the first No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings to be an underdog in the regular season since Mississippi State in 2014.
The betting action on this game is one-sided and all of the interest is on the Vols," Joey Feazel, lead college football trader for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN on Thursday.
"Georgia might be our biggest need of not just the week but the season," Seamus Magee, sports trader for BetMGM, added in a company release.
As of Thursday at Caesars, approximately 87% of the money bet on the game's point spread was on Volunteers -- that's despite the largest bet placed on the game, $50,000, being on Georgia -8.5. Bigger bets, some from professionals, are expected as kickoff approaches.
"The $50,000 bet that came in on Georgia on Sunday was respected money, and the line has since moved in the opposite direction, which is rare," Feazel added. "I expect to see some late sharp money on Georgia if the line gets closer to seven."
The action was lopsided on the Volunteers at sportsbooks around the nation. FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM each were reporting greater than 85% of the money bet on the game was on Tennessee. The betting percentages, of course, are even more lopsided at sportsbooks in the Volunteer State. DraftKings reported that 99% of the money wagered on the moneyline -- the odds to win the game outright -- was on the Volunteers at its Tennessee sportsbook.
Tennessee bettors also have been backing the Volunteers to capture the national title and for senior quarterback Hendon Hooker to win the Heisman Trophy. At FanDuel in Tennessee, 72.4% of the bets on the odds to win the national championship are on the Volunteers, who began the season as 100-1 long shots. Hooker was also a long shot to win the Heisman Trophy but has emerged as the consensus favorite. At BetMGM sportsbooks in Tennessee, 75% of the money bet on the odds to win the Heisman Trophy is on Hooker. He has attracted only 12% of the money wagered nationally.
"Hendon Hooker is pulling away from the rest of the field," Feazel said. "If he pulls off this upset win over Georgia, it will be very difficult to make case for anyone other than Hendon as the recipient of the of the trophy."
Georgia has had a tendency to allow big yardage air in these spots
Hooker had well over 300 last year against a stronger defense, Bryce Young carved them up pretty well twice
Georgia only has 10 sacks on the year (one of worst in country) and their leading pass rusher is out for the year
I played Georgia because they are at home and can generate a balanced offense in this spot but I am a little less confident about it now
Hooker had well over 300 last year against a stronger defense, Bryce Young carved them up pretty well twice
Georgia only has 10 sacks on the year (one of worst in country) and their leading pass rusher is out for the year
I played Georgia because they are at home and can generate a balanced offense in this spot but I am a little less confident about it now
No bet.
But I think Georgia by at least 10
Good luck
But I think Georgia by at least 10
Good luck
Tennessee ball
Fummmmbleeeee
Fummmmbleeeee
