Friday, Nov. 29
7:30 p.m. Eastern, 4:30 p.m. Pacific
ABC
The Georgia Bulldogs will play in the SEC Championship Game next week. How will that influence the way they go about this rivalry game versus Georgia Tech? It’s an important game for Georgia, but managing the roster and keeping players fresh is a real consideration for Kirby Smart. Georgia is a heavy favorite against Georgia Tech in a Friday game. The fact that this game is on a Friday means UGA gets an added day of rest before the SEC title game. Smart could therefore go guns blazing in this game and not worry too much about rest. Yet, everyone in that Georgia locker room is certainly thinking about playing in Atlanta for a conference championship and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. It’s a fascinating situation which offers bettors plenty to think about.
One thing which has to be said about Georgia Tech coach Brent Key is that he has been nails as an underdog against ranked opponents. Georgia Tech under Key has scored several outright moneyline wins as an underdog versus ranked teams, including the win over Miami earlier this season. The Yellow Jackets’ moneyline underdog track record has been strong. Therefore, their spread track record is even better. Now they’re getting almost 20 points. It would seem that Georgia Tech is the obvious spread bet, but there’s more to be said about this below:
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets-Georgia Bulldogs Odds
Spread: Georgia Tech +19.5 (-110), Georgia -19.5 (-110)
Total: 53.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Underdog moneyline: Georgia Tech +725
Hear why T.J. LOVES the Yellowjackets in this rivalry game off “3 Dog Thursday” podcast by clicking play below,
Key Georgia Tech Injury
In this game, you will need to pay attention to the health of Georgia Tech starting quarterback Haynes King, who has been playing hurt the past few weeks. Georgia Tech has been hammered by injuries at the quarterback spot this season. When Haynes missed games, Georgia Tech lost them. He is the best option Georgia Tech has, even if hurt, but his physical limitations could come into play against Georgia’s defense. If he gets knocked out of the game or is rendered ineffective in the first half, this game could certainly snowball against Tech and Georgia could cover the spread.
That’s the real reason this game is tough to bet on: King’s health and effectiveness might be hard to pin down, and something could happen in the middle of the game which affects King’s ability to compete and pose a real threat to Georgia’s defense. We’re not saying you should take Georgia; we’re saying that a midgame plot point could emerge which changes the state of play. This might be a game in which you make a live in-game bet rather than a pregame bet.