Georgia-Mississippi State
Saturday, Nov. 8
12 p.m. Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific
ESPN
Georgia-Mississippi State is a game which might seem straightforward on the surface, but which might at least become somewhat complicated if recent history is any indication. We have to first realize that Georgia trailed Florida late in last week’s game and needed a fourth-quarter rally to pull that game out. Georgia needed a second-half rally to beat Ole Miss. Georgia needed to scramble late to beat Tennessee. Georgia has been a great second-half and fourth-quarter team this season, but the Dawgs have fallen behind a lot and have played with fire. The old truism applies: Play with fire and you eventually get burned. Georgia has to be on guard and alert as it goes on the road for this SEC football game.
Mississippi State has struggled to win, but the Bulldogs have been robustly competitive in the SEC. The problem for MSU is not that it has competed hard; it just hasn’t been able to finish games off. Mississippi State had Tennessee in deep trouble but lost in overtime. MSU had Texas in huge trouble but collapsed in the fourth quarter to allow the Longhorns to escape Starkville with a win. This team has battled, but it has simply not had the clutch gene this season. Can it get an early lead? Georgia often falls behind early in games. If MSU does get a lead, can it hold on and protect its advantage?
Georgia-Mississippi State is a landmine game
Kirby Smart has to survive one more road trap
Kirby Smart has been able to guide his team through a lot of close, hard-fought games this season. Georgia hasn’t dominated, but it has been able to consistently make the big play in the big moment. Georgia trailed Auburn by 10 points and was able to battle back. This team has responded well to adversity and has gotten used to difficult situations. The question is whether one more flirtation with disaster could cost Georgia. Mississippi State might not be good at winning games, but MSU is good at playing close and competitive games against good, talented opponents. For a lot of bettors, the big question is whether MSU has enough left in the tank mentally, or if all these close losses have set up Mississippi State for a crash-and-burn game in which the team wilts at the first sign of trouble. That could certainly lead a lot of people to go with Georgia, believing it is finally time for UGA to blow the doors off a mediocre opponent.
Georgia Bulldogs-Mississippi State Bulldogs Odds
Hear TJ Rives and Jason Powers break down this game on the 3Dog Thursday Podcast by clicking Play below:
Spread: Georgia -9 (-110), Mississippi State +9 (-110)
Total: 56.5 (Over -105, Under -115)
Underdog moneyline: Mississippi State +280
This Georgia team has fallen behind so many times this season that the right angle seems to be to wait for UGA to fall behind and then grab the Dawgs live on the moneyline at a very agreeable and reduced price. If you have been doing that this season, you have done extremely well. Why sweat out a nine-point spread when you can just bet on the moneyline or perhaps just a 2.5-point in-game spread?