Seemingly the last obstacle before the SEC Championship Game for the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0 SEC) is a road contest Saturday against the No. 18 ranked Tennessee Volunteers (7-3, 3-3 SEC).
Only three of Georgia’s games this year have been decided by 10 points or less as the Bulldogs have steamrolled their competition. With an average margin of victory over 25 points, Georgia has relied on junior QB Carson Beck to lead an offense averaging over 500 yards per outing.
After their incredible run last season, Tennessee has fallen slight this year. All three losses for the Volunteers have been to SEC foes, including a 36-7 drubbing last week by the Missouri Tigers. Tennessee’s balanced offense is led by RB Jaylen Wright, a junior athlete that has amassed over 1,000 total yards on the ground and through the passing game.
As the featured contest this weekend, what can bettors glean from previous contests in wagering the Georgia at Tennessee contest Saturday? We’ll cover the best prop bets for this contest as well as reveal our best bet for the game in this article.
Daijun Edwards Anytime TD Scorer (-270)
While Georgia has relied heavily on Beck’s arm this year, the Bulldogs maintain a run-first identity. Georgia has run the ball on more than 58% of their plays with senior RB Daijun Edwards handling a majority of the workload for 692 yards and 10 TDs.
Edwards has scored four rushing TDs in his last three games and scored in six of the eight games he’s played. The Volunteers are susceptible to strong rushing attacks, giving up six of their 11 rushing TDs this season in their three losses.
With Georgia showcasing one the country’s best rushing attacks, expect Tennessee to yield one or more rushing TDs to the Bulldogs’ featured back Saturday.
Joe Milton III OVER 210.5 Passing Yards
The question coming into this season for the Volunteers’ offense was how would QB Joe Milton perform in place of Heisman finalist Hendon Hooker. The answer thus far has been comparable as Milton recorded 2,283 passing yards and 16 TDs through the air and 301 rushing yards and five rushing TDs.
Against the Bulldogs, opposing QBs often find life difficult. Georgia is yielding a paltry 181 passing yards per outing, and the Bulldogs have not allowed more than 230 passing yards in their last three contests.
Expect Milton to at least reach the 210.5 passing yards total needed to successfully earn bettors a payout in this matchup.
Brock Bowers OVER 55.5 Receiving Yards
After a four-game absence, Georgia TE Brock Bowers returned to the field last week in his team’s 52-17 victory over Ole Miss, netting 34 receiving yards and one TD on three receptions. On the year, Bowers has 44 receptions for 601 yards and 5 TDs receiving while notching a rushing TD, also.
Although Tennessee’s defense is vastly improved, Bowers is easily the top TE in the country. Only Kentucky’s TE Jordan Dingle – four receptions, 61 yards – has surpassed this mark against the Volunteers this season at that position.
Expect Bowers to add his name to this short list by leading the Bulldogs in receiving yards against Tennessee.
Best Bet: Georgia (-10)
While the Volunteers will look to make this game competitive, the Bulldogs have been a dominant team this season. With or without Bowers dominating defenders in this game, expect Georgia to control Tennessee with ease and win this game handily in Knoxville.
The Vols may hang tight for a quarter or even a half, but in the end, the Dawgs have too many advantages on both sides of the football. Our power ratings are predicting a 14-point win for Georgia, so we'll gladly lay this number, even on the road.
