Georgia vs. Ball State picks, predictions: College football Week 2 computer picks, betting odds, lines

Expert game picks and predictions for Georgia vs. Ball State as the Week 2 college football schedule finds the national champions back in action

For the second straight week, Ball State is on the road against an SEC East team. After taking on Kentucky, the Cardinals arrive in Athens, Ga., to take on the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs in college football's Week 2 action on Saturday.

Georgia discarded UT Martin easily enough at home in the opener, as Carson Beck went 21 of 31 for 294 yards passing with a touchdown, while backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff added another score while the Bulldog backs tallied 159 yards on the ground for a 5.3 ypc average and three touchdowns.

Beck and Co. could be in for some highlight plays against a Ball State defense that surrendered several long gainers to Devin Leary and the UK offense a week ago, but the Cardinals did have an early lead in that game before a mistake-filled second quarter. Down the stretch, they failed to run the ball with any power, posting just 1.8 yards per touch while the aerial attack mustered under 8 yards per pass.

What do the experts think of this matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Georgia vs. Ball State picks, predictions

Georgia vs. Ball State picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Georgia odds: Don't sweat this one out, Bulldog fans. Georgia has the convincing 98.7 percent chance to win the early season tilt and move easily to 2-0, according to the model that picks winners by simulating games 20,000 times.

Ball State odds: That leaves the MAC visitors with a meager 1.3 percent shot to pull off the impossible upset, according to the index.

Point spread: Georgia enters the game as the 42 point favorites against Ball State, according to the lines at Caesars Sportsbook.

Total: 53 points

Georgia predictions: The index rates the Bulldogs as the No. 3 team in the 133 college football rankings owing to its projected 24.7 point per game scoring margin against an average opponent, estimated to win 10.8 games this season, and is surprisingly ranked third nationally with a 9.7 percent chance to win the national championship.

Ball State predictions: The Cardinals came in at No. 109 on the national index rankings, expected to be 10.3 points worse than an average opponent, and estimated to win 5.4 games this season.

Georgia vs. Ball State schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 9
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: SEC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia (58)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Alabama
4. Florida State (3)
5. Ohio State
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Tennessee
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon State
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma
19. Wisconsin
20. Ole Miss
21. Duke
22. Colorado
23. Texas A&M
24. Tulane
25. Clemson

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