Georgia doesn’t have much time to bask in that 20-17 road win over Alabama. Auburn is next, and the Bulldogs will get the Tigers at home in their first rivalry game of the season.
The oddsmakers aren’t exactly expecting drama. Georgia is a heavy favorite, listed at 18.5 points over Auburn by DraftKings Sportsbook. The over-under sits at 49.5 points, and ESPN gives the Bulldogs a 90.3 percent chance to win.
That line stands out because Georgia has spent most of this season flattening opponents. Outside of the Alabama game, every win has come by at least 24 points. Auburn looks more like the kind of opponent Georgia has been steamrolling than the kind that can hang around, but Vegas is not projecting the Bulldogs to run away quite that easily.
That could give Georgia a little extra edge heading into the week. After beating Alabama on the road, the expectations are now sky high, especially with Georgia likely moving up to No. 1 in the country after Texas’ upset loss to Oklahoma.
That creates a different kind of pressure. Georgia already had a massive target after winning the SEC two years in a row, and it only got bigger after the Alabama win.
If the Bulldogs do land at No. 1, the spotlight gets even brighter. Auburn would love nothing more than to spoil the moment in Athens, so Georgia can’t afford to drift into the game thinking the job is already done.
The Tigers do bring a little more freshness into the matchup. Auburn is 3-2 and is coming off its bye week, while Georgia just came off a physical win over Alabama. That won’t change the favorite’s status, but it does give Auburn a small advantage in rest.
And the Tigers have at least shown they can make Georgia work. Last year’s meeting ended 20-10 in Georgia’s favor, but Auburn jumped out to a 10-0 lead and nearly made it 17-0 before halftime. A fumble at the goal line flipped the game, and Georgia responded with 20 straight points.
The Bulldogs handled Auburn more comfortably the last time the teams met in Athens, winning 31-13. Still, Auburn also kept it tight in 2022, a 27-20 Georgia win. The Tigers have not been a strong team overall, but they have found ways to stay competitive in two of the last three meetings.
So the betting line may point toward a comfortable Georgia win, but Auburn has enough recent history to believe it can make things interesting. For Georgia, though, the goal is simple: win again. A clean, stress-free game would be a nice way to head into the bye week.
In Other News...
Gunner Stockton Is Giving Georgia Fans A New Ceiling To Debate
Gunner Stockton is changing the way Georgia fans talk about the offense, and the conversation now feels bigger than one comeback win. After helping steer the Bulldogs past Alabama and into the top spot in the rankings, Stockton has become the latest reason to wonder just how high this team can climb, especially with the quarterback showing steady growth under offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
What stood out in the moment was not just the result, but how composed Stockton looked against a familiar heavyweight. Alabama left with plenty of respect for his efficiency and his ability to keep drives alive when the game tightened, which only adds to the sense that Georgia may have found a quarterback whose ceiling is still being written. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Beat Alabama And Still Has A Disrespect Problem
Georgias win in Tuscaloosa should have settled plenty of arguments, at least for a week. Instead, the Bulldogs still found room for a little ranking debate after climbing to No. 1 in the updated AP Poll following their first victory at Alabama since 2007. Even with that breakthrough on the road, four AP voters left Georgia outside the top spot, a reminder that one statement win does not erase every opinion already baked into the national picture.
The bigger disconnect comes from the computers, and from one of the sports more familiar blue-blood comparisons. Georgia may have the rsum boost of beating Alabama in its own building, but the conversation has not fully lined up around the Bulldogs just yet. If the season keeps trending toward the playoff path many expect, the next meaningful chance for Georgia to settle another debate could come against Notre Dame, though that kind of matchup would require both teams to make it to the College Football Playoff first. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia May Be Forced To Trust An Improvised Backfield Again
Georgia had to lean on Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker against Alabama when Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens were unavailable, and the backup arrangement held up well enough to keep the offense moving. Kirby Smart made it clear afterward that there are no plans to shuffle other players into the backfield, which leaves the Bulldogs relying on the same group if the depth chart stays thin.
Now the focus turns to Auburn, where the matchup could invite another heavy dose of the ground game if Georgias top backs remain out. The Tigers have struggled against the run, so the Bulldogs may again be asking an improvised rotation to do work that normally falls to more familiar faces, with the bigger question hanging over whether that setup can last for another SEC week. [Read more 🡒]