The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs visit the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. In our continued college football odds series, we provide our Georgia-Kentucky prediction, odds and picks. Nevertheless, with a focus on Stetson Bennett and other key players, let’s make our best Georgia-Kentucky bet and picks using data and tools.
Kentucky (6-4, 3-4 SEC East) suffered a devastating 24-21 home loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores last week as 17-point favorites. The Wildcats were able to get a turnover on the Commodores’ first drive and turned that into three points but never truly got going, scoring nine points through three quarters.
Georgia (10-0, 7-0 SEC East) destroyed Mississippi State 45-19 last weekend after playing four straight road games.
College Football Odds: Georgia-Kentucky Odds
Georgia: -22 (-112)
Kentucky: +22 (-109)
Over: 49 (-109)
Under: 49 (-112)
Will Levis a Dual Threat for Kentucky
Will Levis has the chance to be one of the best quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL draft class, with Bryce Young (Alabama Crimson Tide) and CJ Stroud (Ohio State Buckeyes). However, he has shown too many inconsistencies over the past few weeks.
Much of Levis’ issues have come from a poor offensive line, and he has thrown 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has thrown an interception in three of his past four games and five interceptions in those games. Levis also hasn’t improved his completion percentage much, with that still around 66%.
His struggles have limited the Wildcats’ ceiling, and they got back into the game against Vanderbilt because of running back Chris Rodriguez, who had 162 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Kentucky averages 119.6 rushing yards per game.
The Wildcats have a strong pass defense but struggle in run defense, allowing 135 yards per game. Any weakness could be a problem against this well-run Bulldogs program.
Stetson Bennett Leads Georgia Offense
The Bulldogs have some stats that should automatically demoralize an opponent. They aren’t just undefeated, but they rank seventh in the nation in points per game and second in points allowed per game, scoring 40.6 and allowing 11.6. Couple that with a strength of schedule that is 31st out of 131 FBS programs and you have a team that is the favorite to win the College Football Playoff.
With three running backs who have more than 300 yards, the Bulldogs truly use a committee approach with Kenny McIntosh the most impactful in the pass game. QB Stetson Bennett has seven rushing touchdowns, and 11 players have caught his 14 touchdown passes.
The Bulldogs have covered three of their past five SEC games (voiding the other) by the current 22-point spread. Georgia has wins over Tennessee and the Oregon Ducks, each by at least two scores. Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson is a key factor for a defense that allows just 82.5 rushing yards per game.
Final Georgia-Kentucky Prediction and Pick
There’s really no reason to bet against Georgia, even at this amount and on the road. Kentucky is coming off an embarrassing loss and showed little offensively for 45 minutes. The crushing blow is that it was at home, as well.
Each team is 6-4 against the spread (ATS) this season, but Kentucky is 3-3 ATS at home and Georgia is 2-1 ATS on the road and 5-2 ATS against SEC teams.
Best Georgia-Kentucky Bet: Georgia -22.0 (-112) at UniBet | Playable to -22.5 (-105)
