The race to the SEC Championship game in three weeks is still open to nearly half of the league. Eight teams have two or fewer losses heading down the stretch, and a two-loss SEC team could reach the conference title game this season.
That’s one reason why the contest featuring the No. 6 ranked Tennessee Volunteers (8-1, 5-1 SEC) and the No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2 SEC) this Saturday is so important. The winning team will have one of the strongest resumes heading into the final weeks of the season to make the SEC Championship.
Will the Bulldogs claw their way back into the conversation after last week’s surprising upset by Ole Miss? Or will Tennessee involuntarily force Georgia out of the playoff picture this season? We’ll cover that and our three best player prop bets below.
Bulldogs are supposed to produce offspring, but no one would have expected it would be in the form of an egg.
I’m talking about the goose egg Georiga quarterback Carson Beck laid last week as he went 20-of-31 passing for 186 yards and an interception against Ole Miss in a 28-10 thumping.
Bettors should expect him to return to form on Saturday against Georgia. Tennesse’s defense has surrendered big passing performances despite their improved defense, and Beck is looking to get back on track. The 6-foot-4 senior could finish above 300 yards to cover this player prop bet.
The Volunteers have one of the best running backs in the country in junior Dylan Sampson. The runner is among the country leaders with 1,129 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns off 201 carries.
Even going against the likes of Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas, Sampson has posted 100-plus yards each time.
There’s little reason to expect he won’t again on Saturday against Georiga, especially after Ole Miss finished with 134 rushing yards against the Bulldogs last weekend.
Five different Bulldogs have led the team in receiving throughout the season, but the hot hand currently belongs to Dominic Lovett. The 5-foot-10 senior has caught a team-best 42 passes this season, including 11 over his past two outings.
Lovett certainly receives the touches to cover this player prop bet if not the deep targets. In nine games, he’s surpassed this 48.5 receiving mark only four times, but he’s recorded at least one reception of at least 15 yards in seven of his team’s nine contests.
Expect him to cover this player prop bet as the Bulldogs will need his sure hands to keep Georgia moving down the field.
Make no mistake, Georgia is clinging to faint hopes of making the first-ever 12-team playoff picture. Without a win against Tennessee, the Bulldogs could be left on the outside looking for a second straight season.
It’s hard to predict an upset here. But a 10-point blowout over Tennessee is not something I would expect, either. The Volunteers will keep it close with their stronger-than-expected defensive front if not outright win the game.