Georgia Opens the Favorite Over Florida

For the sixth straight game, Georgia opens as the favorite.

For the sixth straight game, Georgia opens as a favorite against their opponent. The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are 7-0 and fresh off a bye week as they get ready for Jacksonville to take on the Gators. 

The season opener against Clemson was the last time Georgia opened the underdog when the betting lines were released. The Clemson Tigers were a 4-point favorite over Georgia; in the end, the Bulldogs pulled out a narrow 10-3 win over the Tigers. 

According to FanDuel, the Bulldogs are listed as a 14-point favorite over Florida. Unlike Georgia, Florida is also coming off a bye week, but they already have losses on their record. The latest one came in Death Valley a week ago, taking on unranked LSU. 

For the second straight year, the LSU Tigers pulled off the upset over Florida, this time without a cleat being thrown 15-yards downfield, ultimately costing Florida the game. Despite not being able to retell the "LShoe" joke again, the Tigers rushing attack was the undoing of the Gators in the 49-42 shootout. 

LSU previously ranked near the bottom in rushing offense heading into the game with the No. 20 ranked Florida team at the time. However, LSU rushed for 321 yards against Florida's defense en route to another victory against Dan Mullen's Florida. 

Not only did Florida's defense fail to stop the run, but the Florida offense also didn't lend much help as the quarterback inconsistency continued to hurt the Gators. Emory Jones was pulled from the game after getting the start over Anthony Richardson; Jones finished with two interceptions and one touchdown while completing 12 of 19 passes. '

The much more dynamic option, Richardson helped Florida with three passing touchdowns and one rushing but turned the ball over with two interceptions. Many expect Richardson to be the starter against Georgia. Still, Mullen is keeping to himself on who will be the starting quarterback, similar to how Kirby Smart is handling his own quarterback battle.  

Kirby Smart is just 3-2 against Florida at Georgia; the most recent game saw the Gators topple the Dawgs 44-28. Georgia started with a 14-0 lead, but things changed spiraled out of control following an injury to Stetson Bennett. 

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