Georgia opens as 5.5-point favorites over Tech (surprised?)
Mark Richt got the obligatory Gatorade shower after clinching the SEC East. (AP photo)
Paul Johnson's team is 8-3 but had some hiccups at Duke. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
Welcome to Georgia-Georgia Tech week. Is it just me or does the point spread seem a little thin?
Most sports books have installed Georgia as a 5½-point favorite. Granted, the game will be played at Tech — home field is worth three points in wagering circles — and this is a rivalry game, which generally screams, “Beware!”
There’s also the uncertain status of Georgia running backs (either because of injury or immaturity).
But the Bulldogs (9-2) have won nine straight and secured a spot in the SEC championship game. The Jackets (8-3 after a 6-0 start) have had a better season than expected, but they just allowed 31 points to Duke in a 38-31 win (the Blue Devils entered the game ranked 99th nationally in scoring offense at 21.8 points per game).
Georgia is ranked 13th in the BCS and the Associated Press. Tech is 23rd and 25th, respectively. I would’ve thought given the way perceptions tilt, the line would open at 10 points or higher.
I’ll have more looking ahead to the game in the next few days, but I figured this would be a good place to start the banter.
By Jeff Schultz
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819 comments Add your comment
GTBob
November 21st, 2011
1:32 pm
thUGA, then go bet everything you have on the game. Easy money, right?
let's see
November 21st, 2011
1:32 pm
the ga offense scored 1 offensive TD over mighty KY.
Don Draper
November 21st, 2011
1:32 pm
@5150 UOAD — Much to the dismay of the Tech faithful, Richt job is NOT “riding on the last 3 games”….his job is secured….
SEC East Champs 5 out of 10 years (tied in ‘07)
.745 Winning Percentage
3-1 vs ALA
7-4 vs AUB
3-8 vs FL
9-1 vs GT
2-2 vs LSU
7-4 vs SC
7-4 vs UT
He will be around for a long time….I know it sucks for GT, but it is what it is.
Powerade
November 21st, 2011
1:32 pm
No disrespect Jeff, but at UGA it isn’t a gatorade shower, it is a Powerade shower. They don’t have that gatorade stuff in Athens. Other than that, have a happy thanksgiving and GO DAWGS!!!!!
Tony
November 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
I predict a Tech win. However, it depends. If UGA plays like it did against Kentucky, we will lose. If we play like we did against Auburn, we will win.
Ron Swanson
November 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
Nerd logic: Tech campus is in same state, thereby being 39-61 constitutes a rivalry
WDE
November 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
@5150 UOAD what makes you think Wattle Neck Goon is disrespectful, he is a hell of a coach,just not as Coach Bobo very marketable. Bobo loves UGA and would be hard to lure away, never heard that he really wants to be a HC so why would he take a lateral move unless the money was huge. Your guy brings a offense that a lot of fan bases right or wrong don’t embrace and as a top notch school would be a huge challenge to recruiting.
I Crowell
November 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
jus hope I get to burn some before the game
WDE
November 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
@George Stein Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Dawg1
November 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
Tech is 8-3.
Georgia 9-2.
In state rivals.
History of close games.
No, I’m not surprised.
And Dawg Fans should pay attention to this. We were all surprised at the Auburn ‘line’ – turned out that the odds makers knew a little more than the rest of us. Should be no different here.
Go DAWGS!
macrotech
November 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
This is TYPICALLY a close game with the edge going to UGA. IF the team that beat Auburn shows up…we’re going to have to play like we did against Clemson in order to have a shot. If the dawgs that beat Kentucky show up…the Tech team that beat UNC could win! All that said…everything goes out the windows for this game….who knows?! GO TECH no matter what!!!
duh, i luv ga
November 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
Ron Swanson
November 21st, 2011
1:33 pm
Kinda like 4 out of 22 is a “rivalry”, huh.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 21st, 2011
1:35 pm
Pencil necked geek. Well you got that part right. And you’re head is the point.
AJC bias
November 21st, 2011
1:36 pm
If the AJC had made the line then UGA would probably have been favored by 35.5
UGA is always the pre season champions in the AJC
Dawg1
November 21st, 2011
1:36 pm
Jeff, if your paid by the replies – your going to have a good week. You could post an article that says Tech has better Pizza than Georgia and draw 500 comments.
GTBob
November 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
He will be around for a long time….I know it sucks for GT, but it is what it is.
Most GT fans hope for this. We wouldn’t ever even be competitive with you guys if he wasn’t holding you back.
Ron Swanson
November 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
39-61 is overall, just like 47-40 overall UGA over UF. Nice try, chief. If you want to play that game, I think your record is 6 of of 22.
Matthews Dawg
November 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
UGA Insider….keep us up on the goings on this week in Athens! Any recruiting news would be great too.
As always this is a tight game and it could go either way. The spread is about right and we just have to be ready to go.
CMR is not CPJ (thank the good Lord) and he won’t say “We have bigger fish to fry” if we lose. He realizes that GT is a huge fish we like to eat after EVERY Thanksgiving!! Go Dawgs!!
St Simons - we're on Island time
November 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
Its clear that ESPN (or the Big 10/12PAC Apologists network) is not
going to let us and USCe in the Top 10, so I say save the offense for
the Championship Game, let this one fall where it may. Don’t give LSU
any film. Tech is better than Kentucky I think, but they’re not going
to affect us like the haters at ESPN. Have we sued Craig James yet?
I sent in money for that.
5150 UOAD
November 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
Don D. If Richt gets beat by Tech, Blown out in the Dome again this season, and losses in the Bowl please don’t think Richt is safe. McGarity has not made that call yet. Richt could lose all or 2 the of the last games and keep his Job but Bobo will be gone or demoted.
TechGrad
November 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
ARdawg
I’ve got no arguments there. I think that our guys can score more than two TDs, but we’ll need special teams and turnovers to give us a short field from time to time like you mentioned.
Ron Swanson
November 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
How is 1-9 “competitive” Bob? Is Tech now into moral victories?
ZinoDawg
November 21st, 2011
1:39 pm
Well at least the home field advantage is minimal. Just a short bus ride for the Dawgs and there will be plenty of Dawg fans in the stands.
Ramblin Man
November 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
Hard to put a spread on two teams that have not put together to many complete games. GT looked sloppy against Miami, VT, and Duke while UGA looked sloppy against Vandy and Kentucky. This game could go either way and it will be interesting to see which teams show up. UGA could also easily be caught looking ahead with the SECCG ahead.
duh, i luv ga
November 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
Ron Swanson
November 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
How bout posting your “overall” against Bama, LSU, and ARK…”chief”
Red Stick
November 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
Jeff,
I thought Georgia would be favored by 9-10.
What has not been mentioned is that LSU is favored by 14 over Arkansas. I figured it would be 5-7. Seems like a big spread.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
BananaJacket
November 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
I love my Jackets, but, as someone has pointed out, they cannot run, pass, tackle or catch consistently. That is especially true against big lines. UGA obviously has way, way more talent than Tech, but our guys will play hard. In reality, UGA should be favored by at least 30. Good to see MOST fans of both schools civil in their comments. Condolences to the Georgia fans and family on the passing of Larry Munson.
CHDawg
November 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
Geek, pretty interesting. I also think TB is one of the keys in this game. CMB has a lot of talent to play with, but he doesn’t always threaten opposing Ds with it. Boo is strong, and should have been in more on the attacks to the middle. I love Harton in space, as well as Smith and Boykin. He may have to get creative in using them, which probably isn’t likely. Your comment about getting ahead is interesting, too. UGA has given up most of their ground in the first two or three offensive pushes from the other teams. It has been very consistent lately, and then the D adjusts and locks down. I think Tech’s best hope is to gash us early, and then try to win the shootout, with turnovers and penalties. The refs Saturday were really after UGA–terrible calls. If the refs come in with an agenda that could help you. That is the danger in the late shots we had against Vandy. You get the same refs, and they may be looking to settle scores. UGA is very, very talented, but I think Tech has more than a small chance of pulling off an upset.
LET THE BIG DAWG EAT!
November 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
Tech would only be an Ole Miss or Kentucky in the SEC so I don’t think we have anything to worry about. UGA 38 Tech 10.
duh, i luv ga
November 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
so, using “duh ga” logic..1-9 is competititve and 3-8 isn’t …hahahaha.
thUGA
November 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
It’s the lock of the millennium. It’s the biggest no brainer in the history of the world.
GT cannot win.
Period.
GTBob
November 21st, 2011
1:42 pm
Ron Swanson, I mean the games themselves. If UGA fired Richt and got a good coach we may not ever come within 3 touchdowns.
Ramblin Man
November 21st, 2011
1:42 pm
Ron,
If you look at the talent difference then yes 1-9 with several close games is competitive. Now if every game was like 07 then no. On paper UGA should be playing 2nd and 3rd string guys by the second half but that rarely happens.
Les Miles
November 21st, 2011
1:44 pm
Yeah, I would consider ga just a little better than MS, MS State and other middle tier SEC teams.
Ramblin Man
November 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
Is that the same Kentucky that UGA had to rely on four turnovers to beat just this past weekend. Come on man.
Don Draper
November 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
@UOAD — “if…if…if”
@GTBob — you have a remarkable way of interpreting a 1-9 record as being competitive…obviously, you are really the former Iraqi press secretary “Baghdad Bob”…. by the way, how are things in Baghdad these days?
timthebrave
November 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
The key in the game will be who gets the lead and Techs yardage on first down….Tech plays well with the lead but are horrible when they get down…I think Georgia wins in a close one….I don’t see this as a blow out so 5.5 sounds about right
5150 UOAD
November 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
LET THE BIG DAWG EAT! considering the Only SEC to beat Tech during the regular season in the last 15 years is UGA I think Tech would be a LOT more than Ole Miss and Kentucky.
WD
November 21st, 2011
1:45 pm
I don’t have a clue on this one!
If the Tech team that played against Clemson shows up, it should be the Jackets in control; However if the Ga team that played Auburn shows up, it should be the Dawgs all the way.
Ga’s taiback situation is awfull, which means Murray might really struggle, but if Jones and Ogletree stop that pich, Tech’s in for a long night…….I just don’t know.
Wish the game were on later though… this needs to be a nightgame.
Ron Swanson
November 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
Agreed Ramblin. It is a rivalry game so all bets are off. Regardless of how either team is doing,location, injuries, etc. it is typically pretty close.
bigGTfan
November 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
Everyone thought the line was too low when Tech played Clemson and you saw how that turned out. UGA defense won’t shut us down and I don’t think the Jackets will slow down UGA. I expect a high scoring game with the winner having the fewest turnovers and the most sacks. Of course, that will be GT!
Go Jackets!!
RiffRaff
November 21st, 2011
1:46 pm
The difference in the AU and KY game was the run game. The Dawgs had basically two third stringers in there for most of the game and it showed. If IC and Thomas ( not sure what’s up with him ) show up for the GT game and split time rolling the rock then UGA takes this one. If these guys are out for most of the game Tech may pull the upset.
Palmetto State Dawg
November 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
Hey GTBob, newsflash…..Richt IS a good coach. If you don’t believe me, just look at his career record. You Trekkies are supposed to be good with numbers, so do the math. Sometimes the grass is not always greener. Just ask the Vols of Tennessee.
Crazi Women
November 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
Columbus Dawg: If the University of Alabama football team is allowed to play in BCS Title Game, there should be lawsuits filed by any and all schools who have to play conference championship games.
Lawsuits? Just a couple of rifles would clean up the mess faster.
5150 UOAD
November 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
Don D and IF UGA played any good team for the WEST they wouldn’t have a 9 game winning streak.
GFY
November 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
Hey UOAD/TOAD:
I would think you would be over on the nerd blog worried about somebody stuffing that Turkey Necked Gobbler you have as your football coach. This week is dangerous times for “The Tom” of North Avenue.
WDE
November 21st, 2011
1:48 pm
@duh, i luv ga we own the series vs the gators and we always will….this week the annual Bug Tussle will be close well unless the Bugs start throwing it all over the yard then UGA wins big.
Baddabing
November 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
McGarrity isn’t fooled by all the hype of a winning streak against weak opponents and that’s why he’s waiting till after the season to talk contract extension. He’s wants to see how UGA does against some quality competition. I say Tech wins straight up and the Dawgs are embarrassed by LSU
Paul Johnson's Turkey Neck
November 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
Tech has not seen a defense near as talented as what they will see on Saturday. GA has a huge def line, and their linebackers are better than any in the ACC. GA may not stop the option, but they will slow it down enough to let the offense pull away. 10-2 baby!!!
GFY
November 21st, 2011
1:50 pm
I think we all noticed what a fraud Clump Son was this weekend. Good to see the nerds still hanging their hat on beating “the #5 team in the country”.LMAO