Here’s a betting preview of the much-anticipated SEC Championship showdown between the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers, plus analysis of the MAC Championship game between the Miami (OH) RedHawks and the Central Michigan Chippewas.
Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers (-6.5)
Moneyline: Bulldogs +230, Tigers -270
Betting Total: 57 points
Time (Eastern), TV: CBS, 4 p.m.
Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers (12-0) should keep their undefeated season intact as they meet Jake Fromm and the Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
LSU’s dynamic offense gets what appears to be their toughest assignment of the campaign as they face Georgia’s third-ranked defense by yards allowed per play. But Burrow (78.3 percent completion rate, 10.9 yards per attempt, 44-6 TD-INT ratio) and company seem equal to the task as their offense is rated second in the corresponding category. Bettors should be wary of Tigers wide-out Ja’Marr Chase, who has triple-digit reception yards in five straight contests (eight TDs in that span), stamping him as a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ modest offense has managed an average of just 21.5 points over their last six conference games. The Tigers’ defense is nowhere near as stingy as Georgia’s, 28th by yards allowed per play, but Fromm (62 percent completion rate, 7.6 yards per attempt, 21-3 TD-INT ratio) is playing checkers while Burrow is playing chess. Lay the points with LSU on Saturday.
The play: LSU spread
Miami (OH) RedHawks vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (-6.5)
Moneyline: RedHawks +210, Chippewas -250
Betting Total: 53 points
Time (Eastern), TV: Noon, ESPN2
The Miami (OH) RedHawks (7-5) simply don’t have the firepower to hang with the Central Michigan Chippewas (8-4) at Ford Field this Saturday.
Central Michigan’s defense is not the strength of the team, as the unit is ranked 49th in yards allowed per play, but they draw an easy matchup with Miami (OH)’s dreadful attack that’s 114th in the corresponding category. Brett Gabbert is completing just 53.9 percent of his throws while averaging just 7.6 yards per attempt with a sub-par 10-8 TD-INT ratio. Running back Jaylon Bester has added a modest 4.7 yards per carry on 132 attempts with 11 TDs.
By contrast, the Chippewas’ offense is a respectable 42nd in yards per play. Their balanced unit is led by quarterback Quinten Dormady (67.4 percent completion rate, 8.4 yards per attempt, 13-5 TD-INT ratio) and running backs Jonathan Ward (6.4 yards per carry, 164 attempts, 15 TDs) and Kobe Lewis (5.6 yards per carry, 170 attempts, 11 TDs). Central Michigan has scored no fewer than 38 points in six of their last seven conference clashes, so they should have success against the RedHawks’ 72nd-rated scoring defense.
The play: Central Michigan spread
