By John Jackson 
The Georgia Bulldogs continue their quest for the College Football Playoff and an SEC Championship this Saturday as they take оn the Florida Gators іn a conference battle. Now, both teams are coming off a bye week and will meet іn Jacksonville tо play this game оn a neutral site. With both squads being well rested coming into this matchup, I’m sure we are іn for quite the thriller.
Last time out, the Gators put up 48 points against the Kentucky Wildcats, winning 48-20 іn the Swamp. Against that same Wildcat defense, the Bulldogs only mustered up 13 points. Now the Gators have won 3 оf their L4 games, including losing an overtime heartbreaker іn Knoxville, but they still sit at just 2-2 іn SEC play and 4-3 оn the year.
The Georgia Bulldogs are back to being the #2 team in the country, and have won 3 straight games following their loss to Alabama. Two weeks ago, they went into Austin and took down the Longhorns, 30-15, and they look rock solid on both sides of the ball. In their last 4 games, Georgia is scoring 34 points per game while allowing just 25.
Can they keep it going against the Gators in Jacksonville? Or will Florida defend their state and upset the Bulldogs?
Florida Gators Vs Georgia Bulldogs: Dawgs Back In Business
Matchup Information – Florida vs Georgia
- Venue & Location: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, FL)
- Date: Saturday, November 2nd, 2024
- Kick Off: 3:30pm Eastern
- Broadcast: ABC
Spread
- Florida +16 (-105)
- Georgia -16 (-115)
Money Line
- Florida +580
- Georgia -800
Total
- Over 52.5 (-110)
- Under 52.5 (-110)
Can Gators Take Down Dawgs In Jacksonville?
Since taking over as the official starter for Graham Mertz, true freshman DJ Lagway has been producing. He battled to overtime against Tennessee in Knoxville, and they lit up a tough Kentucky defense for nearly 50 points. Lagway only had to throw for 259 yards on just 7 completions as RB Jadan Baugh lit up the stat book for 106 rushing yards and 5 TDs on the ground. The Gators will not have the same success on the ground against the Bulldogs this weekend.
They give up just 105 rushing yards per game, and less than 3 per carry. Last time out against Texas, they held the Longhorns to just 29 yards on the ground and 1.1 per attempt. Ultimately, Georgia will force Florida to throw the ball and keep up through the air, which I don’t see the Gators being able to do.
The Georgia defense is fantastic. They give up less than 20 points per game, and against a very one dimensional Florida offense, they should have no problem slowing the Gators down. Offensively, things are clicking for the Bulldogs, and I don’t see them having much trouble against the Gators. Florida allowed 41 points to Miami and 33 to Texas A&M, so I trust Beck and the Bulldogs to produce enough points to cover the spread this Saturday.
Florida Gators Vs Georgia Bulldogs Best Bets
Florida vs Georgia Prediction: Georgia Wins & Covers, Over 52.5
Best Bets: Georgia -16 (-115) BetOnline
I’m not the biggest fan of backing these big numbers, but in my mind, the Bulldogs are rolling. They are a 1 loss SEC team that knows they can’t afford another one if they want a shot at the conference title. That all starts with picking up a must win game against a much inferior Florida Gators team.
We also have the revenge narrative for Trevor Etienne as the former Florida Gator faces his former team this weekend. He could certainly be in for a big game, as the Gators do not do a good job at stopping the run. Etienne should get plenty of touches as I expect Georgia to dominate from start to finish on Saturday.