‘Florida’s road win at Texas was very real’ – ESPN’s Greg McElroy predicts the final score of Florida vs Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators will face off in Atlanta this weekend.
The Georgia Bulldogs currently have a 71 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to the A to Z Sports CFP predictor.
If Georgia beats the Florida Gators on Saturday in Atlanta, the Bulldogs’ chances of making the playoff jump to 83 percent.
This won’t be an easy task for Georgia. The Gators have been up and down this season. They looked dominant in a 52-28 win over Ole Miss before losing back-to-back games to Missouri and South Carolina. Then they bounced back with a win over Texas two weeks ago (the Gators were off last weekend).
Florida isn’t consistent, but they’re dangerous.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy, though, has Georgia beating Florida by two scores.
“Does Georgia’s caution keep Florida around?” said McElroy while previewing this weekend’s biggest games. “Look, Georgia goes for it less than any team in the FBS on fourth down, and they run fewer plays per game than most teams in the country. That’s a formula for winning comfortably without covering a massive number because punts and field goals leave the door ajar, and if Georgia gets ahead early, then Smart will happily sit on it and try to pound away.
“So here’s what I’m thinking: these are the two biggest matchups in the game and they both belong to Georgia’s offense. The short passing game against a defense that has struggled to stop it, and third down against a defense that has struggled to get off the field. Florida’s road win at Texas was very real, but Georgia’s front takes away the run game, and that’s what made that upset possible. I’m taking Georgia to win the game 34-20. I think Florida did look really impressive on that road trip to Austin. They came home with a massive souvenir, but this is a different animal. Georgia now will be healthy coming out of the bye, and I think they’ve been excited about this opportunity to host this game in Atlanta.”
Georgia and Florida usually play in Jacksonville, but they’re set to play in Atlanta this season (and in Tampa next season) due to renovations at EverBank Stadium.
