The SEC has the two biggest college football games of the week on the first Saturday of November. Two gigantic matchups highlight the whole slate. Everyone will be watching the top four teams in the SEC. Let’s look at those two games plus an intriguing third game which is up for grabs.
Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Bulldogs
Odds: Georgia -8
The Tennessee Volunteers are No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, which were revealed on Tuesday night. The Georgia Bulldogs are the defending national champions of college football, but they are ranked No. 3. That might be a powerful motivational factor for the Dawgs, but motivation alone won’t enable them to beat Tennessee. They will actually have to play well. To be brutally honest, Georgia has not been nearly as good or as dominant this year as it was last year. That is to be expected, however.
Georgia had 15 players drafted this past spring, a record. That 2021 team was absolutely loaded. It was deep at nearly every single position on the field. Losing all that depth is going to have an impact. Georgia is still unbeaten, but the Dawgs have not smothered opponents on defense the same way they did last year. Tennessee has an elite offense under quarterback Hendon Hooker, who is the current front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
Editors' choice: top sportsbook.
Georgia probably has enough quality on defense to prevent Tennessee from scoring a huge number of points. Tennessee beat Alabama by scoring 52. Georgia can probably hold Tennessee under 30. Then the question becomes, “Can Tennessee’s defense slow down Georgia’s offense?” The Georgia offense has not been brilliant in 2022, but it can probably score just enough to win this game outright. Tennessee will cover the spread, however. This should be a terrific game.
Pick: Tennessee +8
Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers
Odds: Alabama -13
This is a very interesting game. Both teams had the past weekend off and were able to study film for each other. It’s a showcase coaching clash between Alabama’s Nick Saban and LSU’s Brian Kelly. The two coaches met in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game when Saban’s Alabama team thumped Kelly’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the national title. Alabama and Notre Dame met once again in the 2020 College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl.
Kelly’s Notre Dame defense did a decent job against the Alabama offense, but the Alabama defense was able to clamp down on Kelly’s Notre Dame offense. That might be the best comparison for this game.
Alabama’s offensive line is not that strong, which gives LSU a chance to limit what the Tide can do on the scoreboard. However, Alabama’s defense should be able to handle LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. This won’t be a blowout. LSU will stay close enough to cover, but Alabama will win.
Pick: LSU +13
Kentucky Wildcats at Missouri Tigers
Odds: Kentucky +1
Missouri’s defense has been consistently good this season. Kentucky has struggled on offense, but quarterback Will Levis – who missed games earlier this season – should play. This figures to be a very low-scoring game, but Kentucky has shown it can (and does) usually win games against teams it is supposed to beat.
If you're look at the total, under might be the way to go. A lot of sharp money has already hit it, though, as the total opened at 44.5 and after a quick BetOnline review you can see it's down to 40.5 at last check.