Auburn Tigers at Georgia Bulldogs College Football Betting Preview

The first top 10 matchup of the college football season is known as Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry as No. 7 Auburn (1-0) travels to No. 4 Georgia (1-0) in an SEC showdown on Saturday. Both teams were slow to get going in their openers but eventually pulled away for comfortable wins.

Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., and will be televised on ESPN.

The first time these teams met was in 1892, and the rivalry has played every season except 1893 and 1943, making it the second-most played rivalry in college football. Georgia leads the series 60-56-8 thanks to a 12-3 record in the last 15 meetings. The Bulldogs won at Auburn 21-14 last season, and Auburn’s last win in Georgia came in 2005.

Auburn pulled away from then-No. 23 Kentucky for a 29-13 home win last Saturday as it covered the 9.5-point spread. Auburn passed for 233 yards, ran for 91, and its 324 total yards rank 59th in the nation. The defense allowed 145 rushing yards and 239 passing yards to rank 34th overall at 384 yards allowed.

Quarterback Bo Nix completed 16-of-27 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the win while also rushing five times for team-high 34 yards. He completed 30-of-50 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 42 yards and a score last year against Georgia.

Running back D.J Williams was held to just 21 yards on eight carries but scored a touchdown against Kentucky. Shaun Shivers had 29 yards on six carries while Tank Bigsby ran six times for 15 yards. Last year, Auburn tallied just 84 yards on 36 carries against Georgia with Williams limited to 26 yards on eight carries.

The top target for Nix in the opener was wide receiver Seth Williams, who had six catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Eli Stove caught four balls for 55 yards and a score while Anthony Schwartz caught three passes for 40 yards.

Dealing with a running quarterback, Auburn had two sacks and eight tackles for loss last week. Roger McCreary had an interception that went for a touchdown, but the score was nullified by a personal foul penalty.

Last year, Auburn limited Georgia to 110 passing yards but allowed 141 rushing as it fell behind 21-0 and couldn’t catch up.

Georgia had trouble in the first half before getting into gear and beating Arkansas 37-20 in the opener, but it missed out on a cover by 0.5 points. Georgia ran for 121 yards, passed for 266, and its 37 points ranked 23rd in the country.

The defense held Arkansas to just 77 rushing yards, 10th best in the nation, and its 280 total yards allowed ranks 11th.

With USC transfer J.T. Daniels (ACL) not available for the opener, Georgia played both D’Wan Mathis and Stetson Bennett at quarterback. Mathis started and was pulled after going 8-for-17 for 55 yards with an interception.

Bennett went 20-for-29 for 211 yards and two scores, and Daniels could start this week if he is medically cleared.

Running back Zamir White led the ground game with a touchdown and 71 yards on 13 carries. James Cook ran for 26 yards on seven carries, and Bennett had 20 yards on five carries.

The Bulldogs spread the ball around with 12 different players getting at least one reception. Tight end John Fitzpatrick and wide receiver George Pickens had the touchdown catches, while wide receiver Kearis Jackson led the way in both receptions (six) and yards (62).

As usual, the defense made life tough on opposing quarterbacks with two sacks and three interceptions. Defensive back Richard Lecounte III had two interceptions while defensive back Eric Stokes had one. Linebacker Nolan Smith led the way with 1.5 sacks.

● Auburn spread: +6.5 (-110); Auburn moneyline: +210
● Georgia spread: -6.5 (-110); Georgia moneyline: -250
● Total: 44.5 points (Over -110, Under -110)

The way these teams play defense, points will be hard to come by Saturday. Georgia held Nix in check for three quarters last year in a game that totaled 35 points.

The Bulldogs had trouble moving the ball against Arkansas for most of last Saturday, and the degree of difficulty will be ramped up this weekend, even if Daniels is able to play.

Free Pick: Under 44.5 points (-110)