Georgia vs. Auburn point spread: Picking Bulldogs vs. Tigers

Georgia’s quest for a three-peat has gotten off to an interesting start. The Bulldogs haven’t started games very fast, but still bring a 4-0 record into Saturday’s game against Auburn.

UGA is a heavy favorite, giving 14.5 points, according to FanDuel. To Ralph Russo of the Associated Press, that number could be even higher based on how Auburn looked last week against Texas A&M.

“You’ve got 14.5. I’ve seen it even down to as low as maybe 12, maybe 12.5. But maybe it popped back up,” Russo told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “So it’s moved around just a little, just a little. But even at 14.5, I found myself going, I watched Auburn play football last week. I watched Auburn tried to pass the ball last week, Andy. My eyes were bleeding.

“I know Hugh Freeze will figure it out eventually. It’s early on. He’s a good offensive coach. He will get that thing figured out. But Auburn’s offense, especially Auburn’s passing game is a disaster. And I can’t imagine that it’s going to get a whole lot better against Georgia.”

Auburn struggled mightily in College Station last week, totaling just 56 passing yards in the 27-10 loss to Texas A&M. It’s led to quarterback questions on The Plains as the Tigers get ready to face the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs.

Russo thought 14.5 points was a little too low, but he’s trusting his instincts and picking Georgia to cover against Auburn.

“I was expecting that line to be much closer to 20,” Russo said. “But again, Vegas tends to know. I will also say this. I like to, you know, check in on a few of my analytics buddies and see how they have it projected. It’s around that 14.

“So this is one where I’m going to trust my eyes, and I’m going to lay them points and take the Dawgs. But I will say, clearly somebody knows something here, because it didn’t look right to me. That 14.5 didn’t look right to me after what I saw out of Auburn against Texas A&M.”

Auburn’s offense faces a tall task against the Georgia defense this week

Freeze is known for his offensive prowess, but Auburn has struggled mightily to start the season. The Tigers rank second-to-last in the SEC with 371 yards of total offense per game, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for this week’s matchup against Georgia’s league-leading scoring defense.

Considering Freeze pointed out some problems with Auburn’s offense last week, Staples doesn’t think the Tigers can pull off the stunner, let alone cover the spread. Plus, if Georgia comes out firing, it’ll make the day even longer for Auburn.

“You had Hugh Freeze all week saying hey, don’t blame Payton Thorne for this. We’ve got to coach him up a little better. But then also, he’s holding the ball too long or there are receivers getting open and we’re not hitting them,” Staples said. “Auburn’s defense is opportunistic. We know that. And maybe that’s thinking is that there will be some quick momentum change, that Auburn may either score defensive touchdown or get a short field, that the offense can punch out a couple of easy points.

“I don’t know, though. I’m with you on this. I don’t see it. And the thing is, we’ve yet to see a fast start from Georgia. What happens if we get a fast start from Georgia?