Georgia Football: Bulldogs fight Kentucky for SEC East crown
Georgia Football looks to capture its second consecutive SEC East crown but will have to get past the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington.
Fresh off of a statement win at the Cocktail Party over Florida to seize back control of the SEC East, Georgia’s gauntlet continues as they head to Lexington to take on Kentucky in a game that will decide the SEC’s Eastern division.
The Bulldogs debuted at No. 6 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, and they look to be in firm command of their own destiny. If they win out, it’s likely that Kirby Smart will be taking his Alma Mater to the playoff for the second consecutive season.
Standing in their way is a Kentucky team intent on crashing the party. The Wildcats, normally known for basketball, have injected themselves into the playoff conversation, debuting at No. 9 in Tuesday’s rankings.
Mark Stoops has led Kentucky on an improbable run to 7-1, with their lone loss coming in overtime on the road to Texas A&M. Like Georgia, Kentucky seems to be in control of their playoff destiny if they can win out from here.
First things first, and the Wildcats can clinch a spot in Atlanta for the first time ever if they can knock off Georgia in Lexington.
Kroger Field is sure to be rocking for one of the biggest games in Kentucky football history this weekend.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday afternoon’s matchup between the Bulldogs and Wildcats:
Date: Saturday, November 3
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lexington, KY
Venue: Kroger Field
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Georgia will look to bottle up Kentucky standout running back Benny Snell Jr., forcing the Wildcats to throw the football to win the game. When Snell is held in check, so to is the Kentucky offense. Snell leads the SEC in rushing at 116.9 yards-per-game, and the Bulldogs have been susceptible this season to the run, ranking 40th in the country in run defense. If Georgia can win the battle up front when their defense is on the field, it seems unlikely that Kentucky will find much offensive success.
For Kentucky to pull the upset, they’ll need their QB Terry Wilson to make plays down the field with his arm in order to keep the Georgia defense honest and allow Snell to find some running room. Wilson was briefly benched in the Missouri game last week before coming back in and producing his most prolific passing game of the season. What does Wilson have in store for an encore this week? The sophomore QB ranks 12th out of 14 starting quarterbacks in the SEC in passer efficiency. He’ll have to have a big day in order for Kentucky to knock off Georgia and earn their first trip to the SEC Championship game.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Georgia -9
Over/Under: 44
Next. Picks for the biggest games of Week 10. dark
Prediction
Kentucky has firmly outplayed its ability this season, but eventually something has to give. They might have the worst offense in the SEC, and yet they’ve gone 7-1 and sit in the Top 10 of the committee’s rankings, solely on the strength of their defense.
Georgia is no stranger to stout defensive units, having faced LSU and Florida now in back-to-back weeks. I expect a pretty low scoring game with the Wildcats staying in it through three quarters, but eventually I think their defense will wear down in the fourth and allow Jake Fromm and company to hammer in the final nails.
Final Score: Georgia 26, Kentucky 10