Oddsmakers have UGA as underdog vs. Bama, favorite vs. Notre Dame
Georgia would be an underdog against Alabama in the SEC Championship game but, if the Bulldogs pull an upset there, would be favored over Notre Dame in the national title game.
That’s the early word from oddsmakers.
Todd Fuhrman, former sports oddsmaker at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, said Monday that he projects Georgia as a 7-point underdog to Alabama in the Dec. 1 SEC title game. But if the Bulldogs beat Alabama in the Georgia Dome, they would be a 4-point favorite over Notre Dame in the Jan. 7 BCS title game in Miami, said Fuhrman, now senior market analyst for betting information services provider Don Best Sports.
RJ Bell, of sports betting news website pregame.com, sees it similarly. He projects Georgia as a 7-point underdog to Alabama but views the Bulldogs as 1-point favorite if they play Notre Dame.
All of this could be altered by what happens Saturday, of course.
Notre Dame, No. 1 in this week’s BCS standings, closes its regular season at USC and needs a win to secure a spot in the national title game. Alabama, BCS No. 2, plays Auburn and needs a win to clinch a berth against Georgia in the SEC title game. And BCS No. 3 Georgia plays Georgia Tech, which could knock its arch-rival out of the national-championship picture with an upset victory.
The top two teams in the final BCS standings, to be released Dec. 2, will reach the national-title game. Although there are no guarantees in a system driven by polls and computers, BCS analysts agree that if Alabama and Georgia win this week, then the winner of the SEC Championship game would rank in the top two.
If Alabama faces Notre Dame in the BCS title game, Fuhrman projects the Crimson Tide as an 11-point favorite over the Fighting Irish. Bell figures Alabama as a 10-point favorite over Notre Dame.
– Tim Tucker, AJC
MORE ON GEORGIA FOOTBALL
- SEC Championship remains the toughest ticket around
- Notebook: Shawn Williams downplays ’soft’ comments in defensive turnaround
- Oregon’s loss was must-see TV for Bulldogs
- Georgia coach Mark Richt determined to keep focus on Tech
- UGA moves up to No. 3 in BCS standings
- After Saturday’s upsets, Bulldogs can get national title shot
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277 comments Add your comment
someone who knows
November 20th, 2012
11:06 am
ATLien
that was easily your dumbest post ever! way to go!
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
11:07 am
Only Tech’s offense can save them Saturday. If the Dawgs learned their lessons well against GA Southern then Moobs will have to pull something out of his arse to even have a chance. They do a good job but remember how Iowa ate them alive in the bowl game a couple years back? That’s because they were prepared… the Dawgs actually have game experience against the triple option. It will be interesting to see how we get after it Saturday.
It looks like the Garbage Can Scavengers are pretty bad vs the pass. They will be loading the box to stop the run so we can’t play keep away. I hope Bobo decides to blitzkrieg them and put them in a hole early. If we can force them into catch up mode it is all over. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if we see a repeat of “we run this state”. Gurley and Marshall are the best backs Tech has seen all year and if we can run early I would expect that we will continue to pound them.
WDE
November 20th, 2012
11:20 am
Man if ND loses to USC this week and Bama and UGA win that would put Bama no.1 and UGA no.2 first that will drive the SEC haters round the bend then if UGA could beat Bama that would mean UGA with their “soft” schedule had managed to beat the no.1 and no.2 teams in the nation at the time we played them and that my friends will cause the trolls to swallow their tongues in outrage…it would in a word be…..wonderful !! But first beat the Bugs !! Go Dogs !
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
11:25 am
Just scrolling these blogs occasionally as I work through my day is entertaining. I learned a while back not to get to excited about the Dawgs. Can you imagine the backlash from disappointed fans if the Richt machine crashes and burns as it has so many times over the last five years. Not enough koolaid in the world to cure that hangover.
I will wait to celebrate, and then only one game at a time. Some of you people have already crowned the Dawgs National Champions, simply amazing how short your memory is and how short of logical your thinking really is, at least some of you.
Dawg Fud
November 20th, 2012
11:27 am
The Saint,
If you really believe that Georgia’s OL is better than Bama’s OL then everything you have stated must be discredited.
You are simply delusional.
I am a UGA Alumnus and love the Dawgs but c’mon dude. Get real.
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
11:27 am
Okay this just “what if’s” but… what if ND loses this weekend. That would make Bama #1 and UGA #2. Then say the Dawgs beat Bama. That means UGA is #1 and if UF takes care of FSU then they should move up to #2. Would ya’ll be up for a Dawg vs Gator bout round 2? I don’t like rematches because it usually favors the loser of the first game. But wouldn’t that be wild?
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
11:31 am
The “what if” game is a lot of fun, imagine, what if Mark Richt had been as focused on his job as say Nick Saban for the last six years or so, wonder how many crystal balls we might have?
LHarding Dawg
November 20th, 2012
11:43 am
Here comes the Coach Richt haters.
TideAlum
November 20th, 2012
11:49 am
Alabama will roll over the Dawgs in the SEC title game. UGA’s “soft” defense will be opened up like a hot knife going through butter. Bama will crush the Dawgs on their way to the National Title.
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
11:49 am
Matt Barkley is out for the Notre Dame-USC game according to the USC web site. Stewart Mandel’s latest bowl projection has Georgia (SEC #3) facing Northwestern (B1G #3) in the Outback. Florida (SEC #2) vs. Michigan (B1G #2) in the Capital city.
Joey
November 20th, 2012
11:53 am
I refuse to even consider a BCSCG berth too, Mobile. It’s right there in front of UGA’s nose apparently, though I never underestimate the power of ESPN to sway BCS voters.
Joey
November 20th, 2012
11:55 am
TideAlum = nerdy tech fan.
You little fellers are so predictable . . .
WDE
November 20th, 2012
11:58 am
I sometimes wonder how many crystal footballs CMR needs to get many of the UGA “fans” on his side…I assure you one is not enough…unreal. For me the most important game this year is this week, beat the Bugs. Then we can start the discussion on how it is crazy to even think we could beat Bama, but that is next weeks issue…Go Dogs!
Joey
November 20th, 2012
11:59 am
Delbert, I’m not so sure UF can beat FSU right now. But Mandel is right. This finish is an “all or nothing” scenerio for UGA.
We either get in the Big Game, or it’s on to sunny Florida, while UF or LSU gets the Sugar.
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
12:10 pm
But Mandel also has 5-6 Central Michigan in a bowl, while fellow MAC member 8-3 Ohio is left out. CMU had 5 blowout losses where opponents scored 40 or more points. Ohio, who was the first school to become bowl eligible this year, had one bad loss, 2 close losses and beat Penn State. Mandel loses a lot of credibility on that.
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
12:12 pm
This week is what matters… same scenario as last week. Win or it is all for naught. There is the added incentive of it being the bugs… that can’t be under estimated.
But I still do not see where everybody is so afraid of Bama. Their defense is nearly as good as UF’s. UF plays the pass much better than Bama has. Are they a good team, yes. Do the Dawgs have no chance against. NO. They have as good a chance against Bama as they did against UF. A&M won not so much because they were better than Bama but because they didn’t buy into the “Saban will outcoach you” “Bama is a juggernaut” BS everybody in the SEC seems to swallow. LSU had Bama beaten until they played soft on that final drive. They screwed up 4 or 5 times and STILL had them whipped. The Dawgs need to view Bama as just another good SEC opponent not some invincible giant that requires an insane amount of luck to beat.
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
12:14 pm
Joey – UF, I don’t know what to think after the Jacksonville State game. They have a stellar defense, but FSU’s is pretty good, and the ‘Noles have a decent offense, even without Chris Thompson
RxDawg
November 20th, 2012
12:15 pm
That sounds about right to me. I’ve always said that winning the SEC champ game will be harder then winning the BCS champ game. I mean take a look at the top 10 and try to refute that.
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
12:16 pm
Delbert I think Mandel is off but I do think that should the Dawgs lose in SEC championship game they will screwed on the bowl selection.
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
12:20 pm
But there again I do not think it is whacko to think UGA will beat Bama. I just hope the Dawgs do not listen to the Bama rah rah before the game. They need to come in with a big chip on their shoulder. A “No one is giving us any respect” type chip.
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
12:30 pm
NCDawg – Mandel obviously has Florida beating FSU, and with no SEC Championship Game, they move past Georgia. Strictly a won-lost record thing. They drop below LSU and Florida, and you might say Texas A&M (projected Cotton Bowl vs. Texas) for bowl pickin’s.
I finally found Ohio. Mandel has them as the “Big Ten #7″ slot vs. Iowa State in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. I feel so much better now.
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
12:31 pm
Mark Richt is the Head Coach at one of the “premier” schools in the nation. It’s his job to recruit well, and he has overall, it’s his job to get quality coaches, groom them to move on, and replace them with quality coaches, not so well here. Programs get stale without some turnover, some new ideas. It’s his job to make sure his team shows up fit and ready, mentally and physically, to play in the toughest conference in the country, that’s where he’s abysmally failed the last few years LHarding Dawg, and a few others. If you can’t see that, or won’t admit that, I could care less, nothing to do with hate.
WDE, I have made comments that our program shouldn’t get embarassed by anyone in the country, especially on a consistent basis, and I stand by that. We should consistently compete for championships, East, SEC, and National. Losing, we all lose games, even Bama, their fans were disappointed with a loss, but they realize it comes with the territory.
I haven’t given Mark Richt a pass for mismanaging the tremendous resources he has available to him. He’s heading in the right direction I believe, hopefully the problems we had before won’t repeat themselves. Mark Richt got comfortable and quit working hard, and it should have cost him his job, in this league you can’t rest on what you’ve accomplished.
WDE
November 20th, 2012
12:36 pm
Mobile Dawg I agree and with back to back SEC East Champ titles I think we are on the right track, do I want to win the SEC this year without a doubt, but I’m very proud of the way this team and coaching staff have recovered from the USC loss. We need to beat the Bugs this week and we can hash out the rest later…Go Dogs !
7576DAWG
November 20th, 2012
12:40 pm
NCDawg
There is no way Georgia can avoid getting screwed if they lose to Tech or Alabama. Alabama would go to the Championship game and no more than two SEC can make out the rest of the BCS schedule. With an SEC in the Championship game at least the SEC will have three teams in BCS games total but no more are allowed from any one Conference. If we beat Tech but lose to Alabama , Georgia will have two losses in the minds of the Bowl selection committee and Georgia will get the Capital One , Outback or maybe even the Chic-Fil-A Bowl. The lost to South Carolina made it certain that the only BCS Bowl game Georgia will end up with is the National Championship Game so all we have to do is beat Alabama.
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
12:42 pm
Agree WDE, I just hope we come ready to play Saturday and the ball bounces our way. I remember how much luck and good fortune we had in 1980. This is a much better overall team than 1980 IMO, but did we ever have some playmakers on that team.
The Bama game is winable but I will be happy with a well played game, win or lose.
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
12:50 pm
The way I read the rules is that a conference can get 3 BCS berths only if 2 non-champions meet in the BCS championship game, in which case then the conference champion would also get a BCS bowl.
yellow hammer
November 20th, 2012
12:51 pm
it seems we all agree the SEC championship game will be the NC game also.has anyone checked BAMA’S record in big games in domed stadiums.they play big in big games
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
12:53 pm
It would be disappointing, especially to the players, to lose a “hard fought” game against Bama and get relegated to anything less than a BCS bowl.
Joey
November 20th, 2012
12:53 pm
Agreed Mobile, it ain’t the losses. I can deal with losses, as long as we were competitive. As long as we fought til the buzzer.
Too often that hasn’t been the case. This can all change in the next two Saturdays.
Richt has the chance of a lifetime in the next 2 weeks – I don’t see how he can even sleep.
I hope he wins it all, and rides off into the sunset, on top.
WDE
November 20th, 2012
12:53 pm
Mobile Dawg great minds thinking alike….beat the Bugs and play hard, fast and smart vs Bama and we have a chance…. we need to come out of the opening whistle on fire vs Bug U to get in their heads and to get ready for Bama we can’t get off to a slow start vs them period…’
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
12:56 pm
Joey, you really think he retires if he wins? I admit it would make sense, and be the perfect time. I remember some reads a while back, even after USCe game that had him talking about next year. It was my mindset after the USCe game he might not be back due to other reasons.
Joey
November 20th, 2012
12:57 pm
If we win Saturday, I hope in the Dome, we see some new things vs Bama. I don’t mean trick plays – just different sets, mis-direction, passes to Marshall and Gurley in space. And please get the ball in JSW’s hands.
By the way, Chris Conley was impressive last Saturday, huh. The WR depth we started the season with was amazing..
someone who knows
November 20th, 2012
12:57 pm
Andy Staples on SI’s power poll this week has UGA at 8th in country…rips their SCHEDULE…beating Bama WILL NOT GUARANTEE a BCS title game trip for Georgia…believe it or not, scheduling and 35-7 are damning indictments AGAINST Georgia…disagree with that all you want, the press ain’t impressed with UGA…
WDE
November 20th, 2012
1:01 pm
someone who knows …lets see how many teams can say they beat the no 2 team in the nation this year twice…cause if we beat Bama and they have beaten Auburn we will have….and if ND loses and we beat bama it would be a win over the no1 and no2 teams in the land…no I think that is a resume that gets you to the NC game.
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
1:03 pm
My best-case scenario for Georgia to reach the BCS CG prior to the LSU-South Carolina game was for SC to win out. That didn’t happen; Florida beat LSU and finds themselves in that position, not having to play the SEC CG and possibly finishing the season with only 1 loss.
Joey
November 20th, 2012
1:05 pm
What else would he have to prove Mobile?
And it will more difficult the next few seasons to even get back to the Dome.
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
1:06 pm
Mobile Dawg – I’ll take a well played game in the SEC CG but I won’t be happy with it. This team CAN win it all. It’s the best overall team that Richt has had. Arguments could be made about the defense but this offense has way more firepower than 2002, 2005, or 2007. The line is not as good as those teams but pretty close. Gurshall is better than Moreno… he had moves but he didn’t have break away speed. The D has way more talent top to bottom but I don’t know if they have worked as well as a unit as those teams. The performance against UF was reminiscent of those teams however.
Bottom line – this team CAN win it all. I can’t say should because we don’t the opponent beyond Bama in SEC CG. I can’t honestly say that the Dawgs should win that one but I can say they CAN.
WDE
November 20th, 2012
1:09 pm
Joey CMR is 52 and if and its a big if he wins it all this year….how much will the Bull Dog Nation be willing to pay him to stay? Answer enough over 4-5 years to retire and do a lot of wonderful ministry work with….and I think that would sway him that and he still loves the game if you watched him after the UF win you could tell he does. Just my 2 cents.
GTBob
November 20th, 2012
1:10 pm
I hope he wins it all, and rides off into the sunset, on top.
He has no chance of winning it all but yes, him riding off into the sunset would be the best thing for UGA.
pk
November 20th, 2012
1:11 pm
To the uga fans that think Bama cant pass(84th), when the game is out of hand in the second quarter we quit throwing the ball the rest of the game. McCarron was in the top 5 in passing efficiency the whole year
Delbert D.
November 20th, 2012
1:12 pm
Well, Stanford and Texas A&M each beat the #1 team in the nation. Texas A&M lost to Florida and LSU by a total of 8 points, but one of Stanford’s losses was to the current #1 in overtime, and the other was a 17-13 loss to Washington. Should Stanford be ranked ahead of LSU and A&M? Pretty quickly these arguments become almost circular.
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
1:14 pm
Excellent Point Joey, but my counter points are the money, the staff, i.e. if he left most of the staff would probably be forced to leave, and the fire that burns in the heart of a competitor, although I’m not sure that drives Mark Richt. The staff might be the key concern he would have in leaving.
someone who knows
November 20th, 2012
1:15 pm
believe what you will WDE…you are putting too much stock in that Florida win…they had played TAMU, LSU, and SC before they got to UGA…the beatdown in Columbia is gonna be the killer…quitting on national tv with Herbstreit and Musberger questioning the team and staff left a stain on Georgia’s resume…even if you beat Bama (which you won’t), if FSU throttles Florida, they will be heading to Miami…sad but true…
Joey
November 20th, 2012
1:16 pm
What do you mean, “he has no chance…” GTBob.
You know he has a chance – with the talent on this team.
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
1:16 pm
Not to mention the committment to his players he recruited.
Mobile Dawg
November 20th, 2012
1:18 pm
someone who knows, you know nothing….go away
NCDawg
November 20th, 2012
1:19 pm
pk – they can dink and dunk the ball pretty well but when LSU pressed them… they struggled. A&M’s defense isn’t nearly as good and they gave them trouble. If UGA shows up in “kill gator” mode as they did against UF… Bama will be cursing Jarvis Jones. They can’t pick who will block him.
someone who knows
November 20th, 2012
1:19 pm
GTBob is correct…Choker Murray will see to it…
someone who knows
November 20th, 2012
1:21 pm
Today, A&M is the best team in the SEC…followed by Bama, LSU, SC and Georgia, and Florida in that order…
7576DAWG
November 20th, 2012
1:23 pm
With Langley de-committing from South Carolina and committing to Georgia a few minutes ago this recruiting class is turning out to be what Georgia needed in order to have another great year in 2013. Richt will not retire anytime in the next 4 years. What Georgia needs to do is find a way to keep Grantham from leaving.