\u201cThe World\u2019s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party\u201d, EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville FL
\nSaturday, October 29, 3:30 pm EST
\nNCAA Odds from Sportsbook.com:
\nMoneyLine: Georgia -154, Florida +127
\nSpread: Georgia -3, Florida +3
\nOver\/Under: 49<\/p>\n
Earlier in the regular season, it was looking like the Georgia Bulldogs were the SEC East division pretender and the Gators were the divisional contender. In recent weeks, however, a combination of injuries and teams showing their true colors have shaken it down to be the opposite between these two rivals.<\/p>\n
Florida got out to a great start on the campaign, steam-rolling opponents and showcasing a very dangerous and cohesive offense. Yet the Gators have lost their last three games and have had devastating injuries at the quarterback position, with starter John Brantley going down a few weeks ago and freshman back-up Jeff Driskel also dinged up. True freshman Jacoby Brissett has been starting for UF, sharing time with Driskel for the last couple games against Top 25 opponents (Alabama, LSU, Auburn). Brantley is finally listed as \u201cProbable\u201d for this Saturday\u2019s game against Georgia.<\/p>\n
In truth, the injuries have been far more pervasive than just under center. Listed as \u201cQuestionable\u201d or confirmed \u201cOut\u201d for this coming week are the following starters: RG Dan Wenger, WR Andre Debose, K Caleb Sturgis, super-speedster RB Jeff Demps, DE Ronald Powell and CB Jeremy Brown. This type of attrition obviously has had a lot to do with why Florida has lost three straight games against elite SEC West division teams. Florida has had excellent fortune in the past several years; perhaps it was high time for \u201cthe other shoe to drop\u201d in Gainesville. Either way, it seems like that is precisely what\u2019s happening in 2011.<\/p>\n
On the other sideline, the Bulldogs are a little banged up themselves \u2013 WR Malcolm Mitchell and LB Alec Ogletree are big absences, and a few other defenders will be out for only part of the Florida game, due to personal foul suspensions. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n
Freshman WR Mitchell was Georgia\u2019s leading receiver, but QB Aaron Murray has the skill and the weapons to go elsewhere and still be productive.\u00a0 Tight end Orson Charles is a vital option for Murray, and freshman RB Isaiah Crowell has been a huge help, with 608 rushing yards and four TDs on the year. The Dawgs lost their first two games to Boise State and South Carolina, respectively, but have reeled off five straight wins since then.<\/p>\n
With Auburn being the only other ranked team Georgia faces the rest of the season, Georgia has a good chance to finish the season with only two losses and perhaps win the division. However, assuming Brantley is back in the lineup, he instantly brings credibility to a sputtering Florida attack. The absence of Demps will certainly be felt, but Brantley can spread the ball around and the versatile RB\/WR Chris Rainey leads the Gators in both rushing and receptions.<\/p>\n
This should be a close rivalry game played in the No Man\u2019s Land of Jacksonville (east towards Athens, GA, but still in the Sunshine State), but I give the edge to Georgia because of a few reasons: the continuity Murray has established with his offense, Georgia\u2019s 27th<\/sup>-ranked defense and the blood in the water that opponents doubtlessly smell when they play Florida these days.<\/p>\n Florida will have a better showing than it did against any of its last three opponents, but I don\u2019t think it will be enough to best the rolling Bulldogs right now. Georgia should continue to look like the top Dawg in the SEC East, while Florida seemingly continues its limp to the finish line. Florida has plenty of speed and talent \u2013 as it showcased in the first four weeks of the season \u2013 but it desperately needs to get healthy.<\/p>\n Score Prediction: Georgia 24, Florida 17<\/strong> #22 Georgia Bulldogs (5-2, 4-1 SEC) vs. Florida Gators (4-3, 2-3 SEC) \u201cThe World\u2019s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party\u201d, EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville FL Saturday, October 29, 3:30 pm EST NCAA Odds from Sportsbook.com: MoneyLine: Georgia -154, Florida +127 Spread: Georgia -3, Florida +3 Over\/Under: 49 Earlier in the regular season, it was looking like the Georgia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":27733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ncaa-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44979"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45017,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44979\/revisions\/45017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nOver\/Under Prediction: 41<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"