The SEC East will likely be decided this week when the No. 8 Florida Gators face the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. As usual, these teams will meet at a neutral field in Jacksonville. The early betting line has the Bulldogs favored by 3.5 points.
The Gators were just happy to be back on the field last week after a COVID-19 outbreak forced them to postpone a game against LSU. The week off didn’t seem to have much impact on Florida in a 41-17 win. The Gators are now 3-1 on the season and are still alive for an SEC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff if they can win the rest of their games.
Of course, Georgia is in the same boat. The Bulldogs suffered a loss earlier this season to Alabama, but they were able to bounce back with a 14-3 win over Kentucky last week.
If Georgia wins this week, the Bulldogs should be able to coast through the rest of their schedule and get a rematch with the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game and play their way into the top-4.
Sticking With Bennett
There is no quarterback controversy at Georgia despite a disappointing offensive performance against Kentucky last week. Stetson Bennett will remain the starter, although he has two touchdown passes and five interceptions in his last two games.
Against Kentucky, Bennett threw just 13 passes but still managed two interceptions. Prior to that poor performance, Bennett has done a fine job of managing the game and allowing the Bulldogs to excel with Zamir White and their rushing attack.
Meanwhile, the jury is still out on the Florida defense, which was atrocious early in the season. The Gators gave up 100 total points over their first three games, although they dominated Missouri last week. Of course, it’s worth noting that Missouri is one of the worst offensive teams in the SEC, so it could be premature to say that the Florida defense has rounded the corner and put a troublesome start behind them.
Air Gator
While the Florida defense has struggled at times this season, the Gators have more than made up for it with a potent offense. Quarterback Kyle Trask is putting up numbers that could put him in the Heisman conversation.
Despite throwing a pick-six last week against Missouri, he quickly rebounded with four touchdown passes. He’s thrown at least four touchdown passes in every game this season, giving him 18 touchdowns to just two interceptions in four games.
Of course, the Georgia defense will be the biggest challenge that he and the Florida offense have faced this year. The Bulldogs had some lapses against Alabama, which should give the Florida offense some hope. But the Georgia defense has been otherwise dominant, preventing both Auburn and Kentucky from finding the end zone.
Bulldogs Pull Out the Win
While the matchup between a lackluster Georgia offense and a questionable Florida defense will be important, this game will come down to the stout Georgia defense facing the potent Florida offense. While the Gators have a great quarterback, they don’t have the same caliber of skill players that Alabama had when they did damage against the Bulldogs.
Look for the Georgia defense to dominate and bet on the Bulldogs to win and cover.
