Who would’ve thought the biggest game in the SEC and quite possibly the entire season would not have Alabama involved? That’s the case when unbeatens Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs meet in a clash of the top two teams in the country.
Most expected Georgia to be lurking around the top of the rankings after their national championship last season, but I’m not sure anybody had the Vols sitting at 8-0 and ranked No. 2 this late in the year. UT ended a lengthy losing streak to the Tide a few weeks back and has dropped five straight in this series. The Vols are an 8-point road dog on the college football betting line.
The Week 10 college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs will take place at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 5, 2022 and will be televised on CBS.
Tennessee vs Georgia Odds
Tennessee Volunteers +8
Georgia Bulldogs -8
Over/Under 66
Odds Analysis
The Bulldogs opened as a 9-point favorite in this contest that likely determines the SEC East champion. However, the Vols have attracted plenty of attention with their high-powered offense and five wins over ranked opponents moving the spread down a point. Just in the previous three weeks the Vols had impressive wins over Alabama and Kentucky part of a stretch that earned four straight payouts. Overall the Vols are 7-1 ATS. They also boast the country’s top offense in yards and points leading to a 5-3 mark against the OVER. The Bulldogs are bolstered by a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 22 points in a game this season, but the group will be tested. The total of 66 is the highest in any UGA game this year.
Tennessee Volunteers
Only six unbeaten teams remain in the FBS and I don’t think anybody would have predicted Tennessee to be one of them. The meteoric rise under Josh Heupel has been fueled by an unstoppable offense that figures to be severely tested by UGA on Saturday. But no team to this point has been able to stop Hendon Hooker and the relentless attack. Hooker has thrown for 2,338 yards and 21 touchdowns with only one interception. He also has 338 yards and four scores on the ground. The Vols have scored at least 34 points in every game while going over the 50-point mark four times.
Five of their eight wins were against ranked teams at the time of the game. The most impressive of the bunch was probably the 52-49 affair with Alabama in Week 7. That was the only one of the eight games where the Vols were underdogs, catching 9.5 points on the closing line. They also beat LSU 40-13 taking down the top teams in the SEC West. The Vols played only two road games so far with their contest at Pitt the closest of the year. UT triumphed 34-27 in overtime back in Week 2.
Georgia Bulldogs
The defense gets plenty of accolades for Georgia’s current 10-game winning streak as well it should. The Dogs won the national championship last season holding Michigan and Alabama to a combined 29 points in the CFP. The group has been stingy this year holding opponents to an average of 10.5 points while pitching a pair of shutouts. Georgia did allow a season-high 371 yards in last week’s 42-20 win over Florida, but a good chunk of that came late in the game with the outcome already sealed.
The group suffered a potential devastating blow when possible first round NFL pick Nolan Smith sustained a season-ending injury in last week’s game. Smith leads the team with 3.0 sacks and seven TFLs. The Dogs will now have to find other ways to pressure Hooker. It’s not all about defense in Athens, though. The Dogs boast an elite offense ranking second to UT with 530.1 yards per game and sixth nationally with 41.8 points. UGA is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in the last five matchups outscoring the Vols by an average of 28.6 points.
Tennessee vs Georgia Prediction
We saw the Vols end a long skid to Alabama a few weeks ago and if you still had doubts a 44-6 thumping of Kentucky last week should make you a believer. What concerns me though is they’ve played just two road games and going between the hedges is something teams don’t often survive. Still the balance on offense is scary and will keep the game tight, but UGA’s D will come up with a key stop or two to turn the tide, though I do like the points.
Prediction: Tennessee Volunteers +8 and UNDER 66
