DawgsHQ Staff Predictions: Week 4 (Georgia vs. UAB & others)

It’s a quick return to the non-conference schedule for Georgia this week as the Bulldogs welcome the Blazers of UAB to town. One final chance to tune up before the bulk of the SEC schedule. Here’s how the DawgsHQ crew expects it to play out – plus our picks on an incredible slate of games from around the country.

*** Georgia did not cover the spread last week against South Carolina. Wes, Jeremy, Reuse and Palmer predicted that they would while Rusty and Rowe correctly said that it’d be closer than Vegas thought. This week, UGA is a 42.5-point favorite. ***

Wes Blankenship (8-8)

Georgia Football. What are you right now, old friend? Are you the dominant team we saw in the second half of the South Carolina game, and in a handful of quarters against lesser competition? Or are you just going to be a team that feels its way through games, knowing you’re good enough to win but not consistently elite enough at this point in the year to cruise? I don’t think we’ll know the real answer to that until Georgia plays its first road game at Auburn. I do think we’ll see Georgia come out of its shell a bit and crush Trent Dilfer and the Dragons. (Georgia 45, UAB 0)

Jeremy Johnson (10-6)

This is the week the second half of last week carries over into a fast start. Georgia plays its most complete football game of the first quarter of the season. (Georgia 51, UAB 3)

Rusty Mansell

I think this is an opportunity for Georgia to make the fans happy, especially on offense. UGA should be able to do some things. Key players to watch include some young names showing out. Carson Beck takes a step in the right direction and hit a couple of long touchdowns to the likes of Rara Thomas, Dominic Lovett and Arian Smith. Big games for those guys. (Georgia 44, UAB 10)

Jake Reuse (8-8)

Will it be a fast start this weekend? Will the passing game click? Will a true running back other than Daijun Edwards step up to the plate and have people feeling better about the run game? To be frank, we just don’t know. This Georgia team has been a lot of up and down to this point, and I don’t know that they’ll get it right this weekend. They’ll be hoping so, and UAB would be a good squad to do it against. Still, they’re gonna have to prove it before I am all in on a spread like this. I think CJ Allen and Joenel Aguero get plenty of run in this one and audition for much bigger roles in the coming weeks. (Georgia 48, UAB 7)

Jake Rowe (7-9)

Georgia needs to start fast and I think it will. There will be something that gets Bulldog fans in a bad mood though. Maybe it’s Carson Beck “letting it rip” and getting picked off or Trent Dilfer’s crew dialing up a big play. It won’t be a perfect day but I predict a fast start and a solid red-zone performance. The spread is massive and I just don’t see Georgia covering it. I think it’ll be in position to but the Blazers score a time or two late. (Georgia 51, UAB 13)

Palmer Thombs (8-8)

I think Georgia wins this one with ease, but until this team starts strong in the first quarter, I’m not picking them to cover a spread this big. Carson Beck looks better, finding Rara Thomas as a bigger part of the offense. Daijun Edwards has another strong showing. Defense forces a few turnovers against a pass-happy UAB offense. Starters are out mid-third quarter, but I don’t like laying all those points if I’m gambling on this game. (Georgia 41, UAB 3)

National Games of the Week (Against the Spread)

No. 4 Florida State (-2) @ Clemson / 12:00 p.m. ET, ABC
Wes: Florida State
Jeremy: Florida State
Reuse: Florida State
Rowe: Clemson
Palmer: Florida State

No. 19 Colorado @ No. 10 Oregon (-21) / 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Wes: Oregon
Jeremy: Colorado
Reuse: Oregon
Rowe: Oregon
Palmer: Colorado

No. 15 Ole Miss @ No. 13 Alabama (-6.5) / 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Wes: Alabama
Jeremy: Ole Miss
Reuse: Ole Miss
Rowe: Alabama
Palmer: Alabama

No. 6 Ohio State (-3) @ No. 9 Notre Dame / 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Wes: Notre Dame
Jeremy: Ohio State
Reuse: Ohio State
Rowe: Notre Dame
Palmer: Ohio State

No. 24 Iowa @ No. 7 Penn State (-15) / 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Wes: Penn State
Jeremy: Penn State
Reuse: Penn State
Rowe: Iowa
Palmer: Penn State

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