The College Football Playoff committee might view Georgia as No. 1, but Las Vegas and Westgate SportsBook sees it differently.
Ed Salmon, an oddsmaker with Westgate SportsBook, told Covers recently that they would place Alabama as an 11.5-point favorite over the Bulldogs if they played right now on a neutral field. Interestingly enough, the two could meet on a neutral field in December if they continue winning with the SEC Championship on the line.
“Georgia has an offense that tries to rush the ball 40 to 50 times a game while huddling,” Salmon said. “No team has ever rushed the ball against Alabama without playing no-huddle or hurry-up (offense).”
Last year in the national championship game, Clemson gave Alabama fits with its quick-offense. The Tigers, led by Deshaun Watson, ran 99 offensive plays against the Crimson Tide defense. Coming into the game, teams had ran an average of 63 plays against Bama.
Georgia ranks 112th in the nation in plays ran from scrimmage this year with just under 66. In 2016, the Bulldogs ran 73 plays per game.
Texas A&M, the only team to play Alabama within 10 points, ranks 38th in the nation at 75.7 plays per game.
The move by Las Vegas is different from what the CFP is doing with their rankings, as they take into consideration what has happened so far in the season. Vegas oddsmakers, meanwhile, can try to forecast what will happen moving forward.
Both the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have a game with Auburn remaining on their schedules. Georgia also holds the best win of anyone in the top-10 of the rankings, as they defeated third-ranked Notre Dame earlier this year.
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Alabama hosts LSU Saturday night with Georgia welcoming South Carolina in SEC action.