Hard Knox: No. 1 Georgia ATS Pick vs Tennessee

Georgia has won six straight games against Tennessee, with the average margin of victory being 26.2 points. Georgia has won three straight games in Knoxville against the Volunteers.

The college football odds have Georgia favored by 10½ points. It could be the ninth time in the last 12 meetings that Georgia is a double-digit favorite against Tennessee.

Ladd McConkey had a touchdown catch as Georgia scored 21 points after Tennessee opened the scoring with a field goal in the 2022 matchup. The Bulldogs won 27-13 to cover as the 9½-point favorite. After the previous three Georgia-Tennessee showdowns went over the total, the 2022 game fell well under the 65½-point total.

Receiver C.J. Smith (6 catches, 116 yards) is questionable for Georgia while linebackers Jamon Dumas-Johnson (34 tackles, 3½ sacks) and E.J. Lightsey are out.

For Tennessee, running back DeSean Bishop, defensive backs Christian Charles and Kamal Hadden (19 tackles, three interceptions, eight pass breakups), and receiver Dont’e Thornton (13 catches, 224 yards) are out.

When it comes to the best college football teams, Georgia is tied with Michigan at +250 in the odds to win the national title. Tennessee came into the season 12th at +2200 in the odds to win the national title, but with the Volunteers eliminated from contention for the SEC title game, they are off the board in the national title odds.

When it comes to the NCAA football futures odds, Georgia jumped over Ohio State to take over the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings while Tennessee fell from 13th to 18th after a Week 10 loss to Missouri.

The Bulldogs received 102 of 116 first-place votes in the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association poll. Tennessee fell seven spots to No. 21 in the AP poll and tumbled from 12th to 19th in the coaches poll.

Georgia TE Bowers is Back

The best recent news for Georgia isn’t that the Bulldogs leapfrogged Ohio State to take over the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, but that tight end Brock Bowers returned to action.

Bowers had missed the previous two games after injuring his ankle in a win over Vanderbilt and there was a concern that it might end his junior season and perhaps his Georgia career.

Bowers was back on the field against Ole Miss last week and had three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.

BROCK BOWERS IS BACK 😤 pic.twitter.com/gOnIuBPDYi

— ESPN (@espn) November 12, 2023

While his numbers against Tennessee are somewhat mediocre, a player with 25 career touchdown catches changes a Georgia offense that was playing pretty well without him.

In conference play, Tennessee has allowed the ninth-most passing yards in the SEC. The presence of Bowers is going to open up things for the outside receivers. Keep an eye on the player props for Bowers after he managed just five catches for 50 yards in his first two games against Tennessee.

Go with Georgia To Seal the Deal

Georgia hasn’t won 37 consecutive regular season games with smoke and mirrors. The Bulldogs have topped ranked teams, won on the road, and found a variety of ways to win games.

It is all there for the taking for a Georgia team eyeing a third straight national title. If Georgia wins its final two regular season games, the Bulldogs might not even have to win the SEC title game to get into the College Football Playoffs – depending on what happens in the Big Ten and SEC.

This has the potential to be a dangerous game if Tennessee can put it together. A problem is that quarterback Joe Milton has been just OK this season as Tennessee’s group of pass catchers aren’t as talented as last season’s group. It doesn’t help that Bru McCoy won’t play again this season.

The Bulldogs haven’t done well against the college football betting lines, and the 10½-point spread is resulting in plenty of money coming in on the Volunteers. This just feels like a day when Georgia shows the country why they are the two-time defending champions.

Georgia has covered against the college football spread in six of the last seven games against Tennessee.

College Football Pick: Georgia to cover as 10½-point favorites versus Tennessee

Props to Tennessee

There are ugly losses and then there is what happened to Tennessee last week.

Missouri is a much-improved team but Tennessee punting four times, turning the ball over, and missing a field goal on its seven-second-half possession was a pretty sad effort. Look for a little more fight against Georgia.

After having more yards in penalties than rushing yards against Missouri, what will Tennessee do when they need to eat up the clock against Georgia?

Tennessee has lost by 41, 29, and 24 points the last three times that Georgia came to Knoxville. What will the Volunteers be able to do on Saturday?

Look for Tennessee to step things up a bit and keep Georgia from rolling, at least for a while.

College Football Pick: Either Georgia or Tennessee will score three times in a row – NO +214.

Georgia vs Tennessee Betting Lines

Georgia vs Tennessee Game Information

• Game: Georgia (10-0, 7-0 in the SEC) at Tennessee (7-3, 3-3)
• Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN
• Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 18, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Georgia vs Tennessee TV/Live Stream: CBS, ESPN

Here’s a look at some NCAA football odds and college football lines that those who bet online might want to consider.

Question Of The Day

The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.