No. 1 Georgia (10-0) will travel to Kentucky (6-4) on Saturday for the Bulldogs last SEC matchup of the season.
UGA is coming off of a 45-19 win at Mississippi State and the Wildcats look to bounce back after a 24-21 loss to Vanderbilt in Week 11.
The game is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Georgia is a -22.5 point favorite, per BetMGM. The over/under is set at 49.
Here’s why Georgia finishes its SEC schedule strong and moves to 11-0:
Trouble on the offensive line
Kentucky is last in the SEC with 40 sacks allowed this season.
Quarterback Will Levis , along with powerful running back Chris Rodriguez, have not had much room to operate in the Wildcats backfield this season.
UK gave up four sacks to last week to Vanderbilt, which is, statistically, the worst defense in the SEC.
Georgia is only 10th in the SEC in sacks (17), but the Bulldogs have shown effectiveness to get to the quarterback when they want.
For example, the Bulldogs racked up six sacks versus Tennessee in Week 10.
UGA's defense is no fluke
Georgia’s defense was expected to take a step back after losing eight defenders to the NFL draft this spring.
That hasn’t been the case to this point as the Bulldogs lead the SEC in almost every defensive category.
Kentucky’s offense ranks last in the SEC in offense (339 yards per game), and are currently 11th in the SEC in scoring at 23 points per game.
Jalen Carter
Junior defensive lineman Jalen Carter has done enough since his return from injury to warrant his own category.
Carter in his last two games: 11 tackles, two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Kentucky’s struggling offensive line will have its hands full on Saturday afternoon.
Weapons everywhere
Georgia’s offensive weapons shined bright against Mississippi State.
Sophomore receiver Ladd McConkey racked up 141 total yards and two touchdowns, star tight end Brock Bowers caught five passes for 41 yards and a touchdown, and junior tight end Darnell Washington racked up 60 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Washington (3rd) and Bowers (5th) are two of the top tight ends in the FBS, according to Pro Football Focus.
Kirby Smart vs the SEC East
Georgia under Kirby Smart is 34-5 versus SEC East opponents since 2016, with the last loss coming in 2020 to Florida.
Until the SEC East starts to fight back, it’s a safe bet to take the Bulldogs to take advantage of their talent in matchups like this.
Prediction
This is a favorable matchup for Georgia’s defense.
The pro offense scheme that Kentucky plays will allow UGA to load the box and send the STAR, cornerbacks and safeties on a blitzes, or support the run to help stop Chris Rodriguez.
Since Kentucky hasn’t been much of a threat deep, you can expect the Georgia cornerbacks to play bump-and-run.
I expect the Wildcats, like the majority of teams this year, to struggle to put together scoring drives on this Bulldogs defense, which has only allowed six touchdowns in 21 redzone attempts this season.
Georgia’s defense will keep the hot streak going and Stetson Bennett and company will push the ball down the field enough to win this won comfortably.
Prediction: 38-3, Georgia wins, covers and moves to 11-0.
Click here to place your bets at BetMGM.
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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