The Florida Gators travel north this Saturday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida comes into the game at 4-3, having been ranked for multiple weeks to start the year. Georgia sits atop the AP Poll with a perfect 7-0 record. They’ve held on to that No. 1 ranking for most of the season. In this post, we’ll continue our college football odds coverage with our Florida-Georgia prediction and picks.
The Bulldogs looked very impressive in their first game of the season, crushing the top-10 Oregon Ducks 49-3. They went on to allow just 10 points through the first three weeks of the season. Georgia then had back-to-back scares against Kent State and Missouri, beating the Tigers 26-22 after taking a 19-12 deficit into the fourth quarter. However, they have since blasted Auburn 42-10 and Vanderbilt 55-0.
Florida welcomed Utah to Gainesville in what was a great season-opening victory for the Gators. They then promptly lost at home against Kentucky. The two most notable games that sum up the Gators’ season were a 38-33 loss on the road to No. 3 ranked Tennessee and, more recently, a 45-35 loss at home to No. 18 LSU. Florida plays four of its final five games on the road, including one against top-25 South Carolina.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at EverBank Field Saturday.
CFB Odds: Florida-Georgia Odds
Stetson Bennett, Home Field Leading the Way for Georgia
The Bulldogs have looked phenomenal all season. While their defense has played a huge part in their success, quarterback Stetson Bennett has been impressive, as well. Georgia is averaging 41.7 points per game, which ranks 8th among FBS teams.
Georgia’s offense is largely reliant on Bennett, who has thrown for 2,033 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He has a 70.4% completion rate and has Georgia ranked 4th in third-down conversion rate.
Running back Daijun Edwards leads the ground attack for the Bulldogs with 336 yards and five touchdowns. Georgia has 24 rushing touchdowns, which will be a focal point of its attack Saturday.
The Bulldogs bread and butter has been their defense. They are 2nd in FBS in opponents points per game, allowing just 9.1. Having taken on SEC sides like South Carolina and Auburn while also having the high-octane attack of Oregon on its resume, the Bulldogs have a schedule that has helped display their dominance. Linebacker Nolan Smith has led the way defensively with six tackles for a loss and three sacks on the season, both team highs.
Anthony Richardson Leads Florida’s Offense
QB Anthony Richardson is the Florida offense. While Bennett gets some help and is great in the red zone, Richardson is the true do-it-all weapon for the Gators. After putting up three rushing touchdowns and over 100 yards on the ground and through the air against Utah, Richardson was considered one of the early-season favorites for the Heisman Trophy. Richardson has 1,367 passing yards and the team’s second-most rushing yards with 391. He averages 7.0 yards per carry as well as totaling six touchdowns.
RB Montrell Johnson has seven touchdowns and a team-high 425 rushing yards and 7.2 rushing yards per carry. Johnson has been extremely productive and has helped Florida average 212.7 yards on the ground. Missouri got to Georgia on the ground with their top-2 rushers totaling 126 yards on 15 carries. That will be something the Gators must exploit in order to stay competitive.
Florida runs a lot, and it allows its opponent to run a lot as well. Its main weakness defensively is in its run game, allowing 185 yards per game and 11.4 rushing first down a game. The Gators force a fumble per game and have seven recovered on the season, which could flip the script in this battle. LB Brenton Cox and LB Amari Burney lead the team defensively and have combined for 13 tackles for a loss and six sacks.
Final Florida-Georgia Prediction and Pick
Georgia is 6-7 against the spread (ATS) as a home favorite since 2020. While it has played well the last few weeks, the Bulldogs have had a tough time pulling away from teams this season.
The opposite can be said of Florida who, in its lone road game, lost to Tennessee by 5. Richardson has been good enough this season and is shifty enough to assume he’ll either be able to keep this game close or get it within three scores late.
Final Florida-Georgia Pick: Gators +22.5 (-105) at FanDuel | Playable to +22.5 (+100)
