The top eight teams in the College Football Playoff rankings remained unchanged Tuesday when the new rankings were released. There figures to be more movement next week with key conference bouts between top-10 teams on Saturday’s slate.
No. 3 Michigan and No. 10 Penn State kick things off at noon in a pivotal Big Ten bout and later in the day No. 9 Ole Miss will try to slay the giant that is No. 1 Georgia in an SEC showdown. There’s a handful of other key games, including No. 18 Utah at No. 5 Washington and No. 13 Tennessee at No. 14 Missouri, but all eyes will be on University Park, PA, and Athens, GA, come Saturday.
Let’s get into the games of the week: Ole Miss-Georgia and Michigan-Penn State.
No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Georgia
Spread: Ole Miss +10.5 (-110) | Georgia -10.5 (-110)
Moneyline: MISS (+300) | UGA (-450)
Total: 58.5 – Over (-105) | Under (-120)
Game Info: Saturday, Nov. 11 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Location: Sanford Stadium | Athens, GA
It’s been more than a decade since the Rebels played the Bulldogs between the hedges. Their showdown Saturday at Sanford Stadium has the potential to send the college football world careening further toward chaos with the regular season winding down and the playoff race heating up.
Ole Miss (8–1, 5–1 SEC) hasn’t lost since a late September trip to Tuscaloosa. A 24–10 loss to the Crimson Tide is the only blemish on the Rebels’ resume. However, they not only have to win out but also need Alabama to lose out to win the West — an unlikely scenario. Georgia (9–0, 6–0 SEC) last lost two years ago in the SEC title game and Kirby Smart’s team is barreling toward another trip to Atlanta. A Bulldogs win Saturday would lock up the division title.
As for the actual matchup, Ole Miss has the offensive firepower on paper to hang with the No. 1 team in the nation. The Rebels rank 14th in points per game (38.8), just a few spots behind the Bulldogs (39.3). Running back Quinshon Judkins has rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown in three straight games and receiver Tre Harris had a career-high 213 receiving yards in a 38–35 win over Texas A&M last week. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is at the heart of that unit and he’s a threat on the ground as well.
Where things might fall apart for Ole Miss is on defense. The Aggies just hung 35 on the Rebels in Oxford and A&M is nowhere near UGA’s level on offense. Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck is top 10 in passing yards and the machine kept churning the last two weeks in wins over Florida and Missouri without star tight end Brock Bowers, who could potentially be back this week. Receiver Ladd McConkey led the team in receiving against the Gators and Tigers and running back Daijun Edwards kept the chains moving on the ground.
UGA backs up its offense with an exceptional defense that allows an SEC-best 15.4 points per game. For what it’s worth, Vanderbilt, Florida and Missouri each scored 20-plus in the last three weeks against this defense, which only gave up 20-plus twice in its first six games. It’s especially hard to run on this unit as it gives up just 100 rushing yards on average.
The Bulldogs have been one of the worst teams to bet on all year with a 2–6–1 mark against the spread. Though this is the fewest points they’ve been favored by all season, there’s more value in targeting the total in this game. The under hit last week against the Tigers but before that the over had hit in five straight for UGA. And while the under has hit more often than not for Ole Miss, the total is typically in the 60s when the Rebels are on the field. These two offenses — both of which average close to 40 points per game — should be able to combine for more than 60.
Best Bet: Over 58.5 (-105)
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