Georgia Bulldogs vs LSU Tigers Point Spread Picks

Brian Kelly has had a successful first season as head coach of LSU, which is 9-3 straight-up and 7-5 ATS, but now the Tigers go up against Georgia in the SEC championship game and the top-ranked Bulldogs lead the country in scoring defense allowing just 11.3 points per game and they are #4 in total yards allowed as well as #1 in rush defense. Also, Georgia is #8 in total offense yards and scoring 38.2 points per game while losing only one game the last two seasons. Stetson Bennett has completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,146 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions for a 150.2 QB rating for the Bulldogs. LSU comes off a 38-23 loss to Texas A&M, which piled up 274 yards rushing on 50 carries and Jayden Daniels finished 21 of 35 for 189 yards and no TDs or picks. The Tigers are #33 in total offense yards allowed and #58 in rushing yards allowed with 143.4 per game. Georgia is 7-2 ATS its past nine December games and 23-8 ATS its past 31 games following an ATS loss. The Bulldogs have the clear advantages on both sides of the ball. Take Georgia - Max Play 

Last week there were virtually no quality games between top teams. That changes this week with this matchup between top 10 teams. There is one certainty about the SEC Conference, and that is that there are very few easy games. For the most part you're facing a top 15 team almost every week. LSU and Georgia are ranked #8 and #7 respectively and both have BCS Bowl aspirations. This game will go a long way in determining that fate for both. LSU is off to a 4-0 start, and what it looks like to me is that this team is better than they have been on offense as Mettenberger comes of age. However, they are not quite so good defensively as we have seen in the past. Georgia has already had a game at Clemson that was a 3-point loss - nothing to be ashamed of there. I think that loss gives us some value here on them at home. I think the difference here is the experience at QB in Murray and the home field. Under Les Miles, LSU has struggled in SEC games, going just 26-38 ATS in conference matchups. The Miles-led Tigers are also a woeful 14-27 ATS after back-to-back-to-back wins. In his coaching career, Miles is just 5-12 straight-up on the road vs. great offensive teams like Georgia (teams averaging 34+ points per game). And, under Mark Richt, this Bulldogs team is 77-20 straight-up as a favorite and 24-10 straight-up overall in September games. Richt is also 54-28 straight-up vs. winning teams and 21-10 straight up vs. teams that average 425+ yards pre game. This game is going to be higher scoring than the typical SEC game, and that favors the experience of the Bulldogs in what should be a fun and competitive game. Take Georgia on the moneyline.