No. 5 Florida Gators -5.5 (6-1) 5-2 ATS, 4-3 O/U/P at No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs +5.5 (7-1) 3-4 ATS, 3-4 O/U/P Saturday, November 1 Sanford Stadium (92,746) Athens, Georgia 12:30 p.m. EST
By Wilson of Predictem.com
The fifth ranked Florida Gators will try to payback the eight ranked Georgia Bulldogs this weekend in Athens after the Bulldogs downed the Gators last season 42-30 and basically knocked them out of the SEC title race.
The Florida players were obviously under a tight lip order from head coach Urban Meyer as they would not comment on the upcoming matchup versus the Bulldogs. One player said that he didnt want to get into trouble; while another teammate humorously said that he couldnt recall who they were playing this weekhe thought it might be a conference game! In any event, this game will be a huge step toward an SEC title and possibly a BCS appearance come New Years time.
The Gators come into Sanford Stadium with a ton of confidence after Heisman stud, Tim Tebow and the crew put on a clinic against the University of Kentucky. The Gators beat the Wildcats 63-5! This game was never close, well, they were tied at 0-0 just before the first series for Florida, and then it was over quickly.
Tim Tebow racked up more impressive numbers with a total of four touchdowns. He had two through the air for 180 yards passing on 11-of-15 attempts. Tebow also rushed 9 times for another 49 yards and two TDs on the ground. Tebow is now tied with Emmitt Smith for the schools record for most rushing touchdowns at 36.
Perhaps the fuel behind the Gators quick-work of Kentucky was the fact that they started their day earlier than normal. The Gators got up and going at 6:30 in the morning. They have had some slow starts when they play the early games, so the coaches made an adjustment that seemed to work well.
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Georgia picked up a strong win last week versus the LSU Tigers 52-38. The win moves the Bulldogs into position for a chance to take the top spot in the SEC as long as they can get by the Gators on Saturday.
The Bulldogs Knowshon Moreno carried the ball 21 times for 168 yards and a touchdown. Morenos longest run was a 68-yard dash for his only TD. QB Matthew Stafford had a solid performance and continues to mature behind center as he completed 17-of-26 for 249 yards and TDs. Stafford also rushed for a touchdown on a 7-yard carry. Stafford is 24-5 as a starter for the Bulldogs.
Both teams can score a lot of points but its Florida who may have the better defense as they only allow 11.9 points per game, while the Bulldogs give up 20.3 to their opponents. Most sportsbooks have this game in favor of the Gators by 5.5 points. If the Gators play aggressive on defense and apply pressure on Stafford they should be able to contain the Bulldogs and force them to alter their game plan.
Georgia was impressive against LSU, which is a much better primer than Floridas destruction of Kentucky as far as preparing for a certain level of play. The SEC is a tough conference, and Florida will need to get it started early again if they plan on squaring-up the score after last years loss to the Bulldogs.
Wilsons Pick: Hey, this is a big game. I like the way Georgia stepped up and knocked out LSU. The Gators and Tebow will need to execute every play if they intend on stealing a win in Athens. I like Florida to win but Georgia covers the points at home.
