The #11 Kentucky Wildcats (6-0, 4-0 SEC) attempt to continue their undefeated season with a significant Southeastern Conference battle against the #1 Georgia Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0 SEC). The winner gains control of the SEC East and puts themselves in the driver’s seat for a spot in the SEC Championship.
Saturday’s kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. EST inside Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. ESPN’s College Gameday will be on campus to get the fans fired up, and the contest will air on CBS. Georgia is a 23-point favorite over the Wildcats, and the over-under total is at 45.
What to Know – #11 Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky is 6-0 for the first time since 1950 and has taken down the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators in back-to-back weeks. The Wildcats will have to put together their best effort on both sides of the ball if they want any chance at taking down the top team in the country on their home turf.
Will Levis played his best game of the season last week against the Tigers, completing 14-of-17 passes with three touchdowns. It was the first game this year that Levis didn’t turn the ball over. Wildcats’ wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is one of the best in the country, amassing 527 yards through the air and adding four rushes for 78 yards.
Kentucky’s defense is solid, keeping teams to an average of 17.5 points and 305.0 yards of offense per game. The Wildcats haven’t allowed a team to score 28 points or more this season.
Kentucky is 5-1 against the spread over its last six contests but just 2-6 ATS in its previous eight against Georgia.
What to Know – #1 Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia moves to the top spot in the college ranks after a 24-point victory over Auburn and an Alabama defeat. After Kentucky, the Bulldogs face one more ranked team (Florida Gators) to close out the season.
Georgia’s defense plays aggressively and is littered with NFL talent. The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 5.5 yards per game and only 201.2 yards of total offense, and teams are gaining only 64.2 yards on the ground against Georgia’s vaunted front seven.
Offensively, Stetson Bennett has filled in admirably under center for the injured JT Bennett. The rushing game is aided by a trio of backs highlighted by leading rusher Zamir White. Through the air, tight end Brock Bowers leads the receiving core with 20 receptions and four touchdowns.
The Bulldogs are also 5-1 ATS in their last six contests and 5-1 ATS against conference opponents.
The Pick is In
Georgia’s defense will give Kentucky’s offense fits, and the Bulldogs’ offense has playmakers in the backfield and outside that the Wildcats will need to account for. If Kentucky can control the football and play the field position game, the Wildcats’ defense is good enough to keep this one relatively close.
The Bulldogs have beaten the Wildcats eleven straight times, and the score will reflect a game a lot closer than it ends up being, but we will side with the Wildcats and a late backdoor cover.
Betting Pick: Kentucky Wildcats +23
