The Georgia Bulldogs looked like the best team in college football for almost all of last season, and they finished the year on top. This season, they are looking to be the first team to repeat as national champions since Alabama did so in 2011 and 2012.
Every year, the narrative surrounds whether a team is capable of repeating and overcoming adversity. With this team, we are asking a different question. Who can stop the Georgia Bulldogs?
The next team to take a stab at stopping the top team in college football is LSU. The Tigers already beat Alabama this year to earn a spot in the SEC Championship, but a loss against Texas A&M to end the year ruins any chance for the Tigers to make it to the College Football Playoff. Still, an SEC Title would be huge for this team.
Georgia is heavily favored at the NCAAF odds, but we’ve seen crazier things in college football. What can we expect? Here are some key details for the SEC Championship game
LSU Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Saturday, December 3, 2022 – 04:00 PM EST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Why Is UGA so Dominant?
Georgia’s offense is led by a former walk-on quarterback. This team lost practically every major starter on defense, including the first overall draft pick from a year ago. This team also lost key players to injury this year, but it remains the best team in college football by a wide margin. So, how is this possible?
First and foremost, credit the recruiting and coaching abilities of Kirby Smart. He is bringing in great talent, but he is also doing what is necessary to make players better over their collegiate careers. He puts them in a position to succeed, and this leads to success both in college and in the NFL.
Also, Georgia has done a great job of minimizing mental errors. This team doesn’t lose a ton of turnovers, and penalties are minimized. They let the opposing team make mistakes, and they capitalize on those opportunities.
Injury Update
LSU suffered a key injury to Jayden Daniels in the regular season finale. He tweaked his ankle, but it was crucially not a high ankle sprain. He has a chance to play, but one has to expect his mobility to be lacking even if he plays.
Daniels thrives on running the ball and extending plays with his legs, so even a mental hiccup will impact his ability to take over games.
So, what can we expect in this game? Here are the picks and reasoning.
The Picks
You can’t reach the conference championship and say you have nothing to play for, but this will be one of the more lackluster games in recent memory for the SEC. A win won’t save LSU, and a loss wouldn’t eliminate Georgia from the College Football Playoff.
Still, I expect both teams to play well at first. At the end of the day, the postseason experience and health of Georgia will override anything LSU can do. The Tigers will not be able to keep up, and this will be over by halftime. I expect Georgia to win by at least three touchdowns, easily covering the spread established at the best sportsbooks.
Since Georgia will be happy with dominating the trenches, this won’t be a true shootout. For my NCAAF picks, I have Georgia covering while the Under hits. This might be an unpopular pairing, but I don’t see LSU’s offense having any success against the Bulldogs.
NCAAF Pick: Georgia -17.5 (-110) at BetMGM
NCAAF Pick: Under 51 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
