Saturday college football and we will see the Tennessee Volunteers take on the Georgia Bulldogs between the hedges in Athens, Georgia. The game has a start time of 12:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN. Current Vegas odds have the Bulldogs listed as 17 point favorites, while the total is set at 56.5.
Analysis: The Tennessee Volunteers have flirted with bowl eligibility the last two years, but could only notch just 5 wins in each season. This year they have just 10 starters back but also have landed the 8th best recruiting class in the nation, which should help them break through to bowl eligibility. The Vols started out the year with solid home wins over Utah State and Arkansas State, but then last week the suffered their first loss of the year, which was a 34-10 decision at Oklahoma. The Vols were outgained by 141 yards in the game, but also held the Sooners to just 3 of 12 on third down and were only outfirstdowned by 3. They didn’t play all that bad in the game. Justin Worley did not have a good game, as he hit just 21 of 44 passes for 201 yards, with a TD and 2 INTs. For the year he has hit 58.3% of his passes for 721 yards, with 6 TDs and 3 INTs. The offense has not been great for the Vols overall as they rank 96th in total offense (370.3 ypg) and 83rd in scoring (27.3 ppg), while defensively they have been solid, ranking 38th in yards allowed (343 ypg) and 32nd in points allowed (20 ppg).
The Georgia Bulldogs had a disappointing 8-5 season last year and if not for injuries it could have been a much better year. This year they have 14 starters back, a new DC and the 9th best recruiting class in the nation, which should mean that they will be a real threat to win the SEC East this year. The Bulldogs started their year with a 24 point rout of Clemson, but then took a hard fought 38-35 loss at South Carolina in game 2, which means they need to win out and the gamecocks to slip somewhere if they are to win the SEC East. The Bulldogs did bounce back for the loss to South Carolina with a 66-0 rout of Troy last week. The offense has been strong in the early going for the Dawgs as they come in ranked 38 th in total offense (471.3 ypg and 4 th in scoring (48.7 ppg). They are also 13 th in rushing (304 ypg) thanks to Todd Gurley, who has rushed for 402 yards on 41 carries (9.8 ypc). He is the most explosive back in the nation. On defense the Dawgs have been solid as well, ranking 25 th in yards allowed (318 ypg) and 28 th in points allowed (19.7 ppg).
Pick: Gonna look to the Under in this one. Both of these defenses come in in very good form, as they Bulldogs have allowed just 19.7 ppg so far, while Tennessee's improved defense has allowed just 20 ppg in the early going. The Bulldogs have an explosive offense but have yet to play a really good defense like the one they will face in this one. The Tennessee offense is not all that explosive and a bit more conservative as they know they have a solid defense behind them. This one will not be a typical SEC shootout as we get a game in the upper 40's at best.
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