Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Georgia Bulldogs are looking to become the first team to repeat as national champions in a decade. The Alabama Crimson Tide won consecutive national championships in 2011 and 2012, and Georgia is looking to follow in their footsteps. Georgia is currently the top-ranked team in the nation heading into its SEC Championship Game showdown with the LSU Tigers, and the Bulldogs are the largest favorite of the week by the college football betting odds. These teams will face off on Saturday, December 3, at 4 p.m. ET on CBS from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers Betting Prediction

There isn't going to be a lot of moneyline action on LSU after the Tigers lost to 5-7 Texas A&M by 15 points last week. LSU is one of the weakest SEC West champions we have seen in recent years, as the Bayou Bengals are just 9-3 coming into the SEC Championship Game and won't make the College Football Playoff even with an upset of Georgia. However, the Bulldogs shouldn't be favored by this many points with LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels cleared to play this weekend. Daniels will be able to keep the Tigers in it, as Georgia's offense will be content to control the ball and grind out a win.

Score Prediction: Georgia 30, LSU 20
Best Bet: LSU +17.5 (-110)

Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds | CFP Central

Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers Betting Resources

• Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
• Matchup: SEC
• Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Time-TV: CBS, 4:00 p.m. ET
• Expert Picks

Georgia Bulldogs Betting Analysis

Kirby Smart is fully aware of Stetson Bennett's limitations as a quarterback, but Smart continues to roll with Bennett as he protects the ball and doesn't try to play outside the system. Bennett is completing 67.2% of his passes for 3,151 yards (8.6 YPA) with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He hasn't thrown for more than 300 yards in a game since October, and he isn't much of a mobile threat, so don't expect Georgia to score a lot of points considering the circumstances this weekend.

The Bulldogs are ranked just outside the Top 25 in Offensive SP+. They have two running backs that have proven to be equally effective carrying the load in Kenny McIntosh and Daijun Edwards, and Kendall Milton is averaging 6.6 YPC as an occasional big play threat. McIntosh is also the third leading receiver on Georgia, ranking behind star tight end Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. Bowers is the biggest weapon in this offense, but we haven't seen much production out of him over the last month. Since a monster outing against Florida, Bowers has caught just 15 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns over Georgia's last four games.

Georgia has the best defense in the country with an exclamation point. The Bulldogs lost a ton of talent to the NFL after last year's national championship, but they are still ranked No. 1 in Defensive SP+. They are allowing just 12.4 PPG and 283.6 YPG this season, and they rank first nationally in red zone defense. Georgia is doing this without a lot of havoc plays, forcing just 13 turnovers and registering a grand total of 22 sacks. No one on the Bulldogs recorded more than three sacks this season as Smart's defense simply kept everything in front of it.

LSU Tigers Betting Analysis

Brian Kelly has to receive a ton of credit for the job he did at LSU in his first season. Although LSU is one of the best 10-12 head coaching gigs in the nation, the situation he came into this offseason was not ideal. A substantial percentage of players left the program either through graduation or the transfer portal, leaving Kelly with little depth and a lot of fresh faces. That was apparent in the team's clunky performance in a season opening loss to Florida State, but Kelly was eventually able to turn the team around and make the Bayou Bengals into SEC West Champions.

Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels was mainly a mobile threat early on this season. Daniels became more of a passer the more comfortable he became in Kelly's system and finished with solid numbers, completing 68.6% of his passes for 2,566 yards (7.4 YPA) with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. Daniels was sacked a whopping 40 times, but his stats as a runner are superb if you take out the sack yardage. In just 134 carries, Daniels amassed 1,008 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Malik Nabers is the top receiver for the Tigers with 58 receptions for 726 yards and a touchdown. Kayshon Boutte is an effective underneath target with 42 receptions for 431 yards and a touchdown, but no one else has more than 30 receptions in this offense. Josh Williams is the top running back on the Tigers, and he is expected to be the starter on Saturday after missing the last two weeks with a knee injury. Noah Cain and John Emery Jr. should also see some work in the backfield for LSU.

LSU's defense is ranked 23rd in SP+. The Tigers have done a solid job against the run, allowing just 3.9 YPC, and they are giving up 21.9 PPG this season. Tennessee was the only offense that really torched this unit, and Georgia does not have the same big play capability. Standout freshman Harold Perkins Jr. leads the Tigers with 7.5 sacks, and defensive end B.J. Ojulari can get to the quarterback too.