The Georgia Bulldogs are the preseason number-one-ranked college football team in the nation. They are expected to win a crowded SEC Conference this December and earn a top-four seed in the College Football Playoffs.
Anything less than a CFP National Championship for the Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart will be considered a failure.
Tomorrow at noon on ESPN, Georgia will play the Clemson Tigers in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons and the annual SEC Championship Game.
Clemson was projected to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year, but they are now considered the top team. The Florida State Seminoles lost to Georgia Tech last weekend in Ireland, and the Tigers have replaced them in the ACC futures as a result.
The once-mighty Clemson Tigers were often part of the national championship picture, but they’ve fallen on hard times recently. A side effect has been the downgrading of the ACC as a whole.
When the Tigers were elite, the ACC was easily the second-best conference in college football behind the SEC. Now that Clemson is struggling for relevance, the conference is battling it out for third place with the Big 12.
That status can instantly change with a win over Georgia tomorrow. 18+ sports betting sites aren’t placing much faith in that outcome, as the Bulldogs are favored by 12.5 at most books.
Clemson vs. Georgia Game Line
- Spread: Tigers +12.5, Bulldogs -12.5
- Moneyline: Tigers +375, Bulldogs -525
- Over-Under: 48.0
The venue is located in Georgia, and it will basically be a home game for the Bulldogs. They also have plenty of experience playing against top teams in Atlanta with massive stakes on the line.
Everything seems to be stacked against Clemson. The all-time series record favors Georgia in Athens, Clemson, and neutral locations. The Dogs won the most recent match-up in 2021, a 10-3 snoozer.
The over/under of 48 points indicates more offensive fireworks this go-round, with GA scoring around 30 and the Tigers outputting roughly 18.
If Clemson does the improbable and wins tomorrow, they can focus on becoming the champion of a reinvigorated ACC and bringing another national championship home to South Carolina.
Through the upgrading of the conference, other teams, such as the Miami Hurricanes and FSU Seminoles, can also gain traction with the CFP Selection Committee.
If the college football odds are correct and the Bulldogs win big, the ACC can only hope to place one team in the new 12-team CFP bracket. At least five SEC teams are expected to make it to the playoffs.
The above betting line can be found at Bovada Sportsbook.
Other Resources: USA Today, The Red & Black