Georgia vs Tennessee prediction, odds, spread, preview

The Georgia Bulldogs — now No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings — will look to finish with a perfect 8-0 conference record for the third consecutive year when they travel to Neyland Stadium to take on the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.

Georgia (10-0, 7-0) has won 26 straight SEC games, the Bulldogs’ last conference loss was November 7, 2020, against the Florida Gators. The Bulldogs have won 27 straight games overall.

Last week, it was Georgia taking Ole Miss behind the woodshed in Athens and walking away with a 52-17 victory. The Bulldogs ran off 31 unanswered points to turn a 14-14 game into a blowout. All-American tight end Brock Bowers returned the lineup and had three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Tennessee (7-3, 4-3) is coming off of arguably its worst performance since Josh Heupel took over as head coach as the Volunteers were crushed 36-7 by the Missouri Tigers. Tennessee gave up 530 total yards with Missouri running back Cody Schrader gashing the Vols defense for 205 yards and a touchdown. Discipline and ball protection issues came up for the Volunteers as they were penalized nine times for 95 yards and had three turnovers.

Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com, is favoring the visitors by 9.5 points with the over/under set at 58.5 total points.

Let's take a look at the odds:

Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers

Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS)

Spread: Georgia -9.5

Over/Under: 58.5

Moneyline: Georgia -375, Tennessee +280

Analysis: Georgia leads the overall series 27-23-2. The Bulldogs have won six straight and 12 out of the past 15 against Tennessee. Georgia has beaten Tennessee by an average of 31.3 points in the past three games at Neyland Stadium.

The Bulldogs seem to be rolling right now, but Tennessee is a dangerous opponent that will walk into its house with nothing to lose and a chance to shake up the entire College Football Playoff. A win against a juggernaut like Georgia can do a lot for the Volunteers in what's been somewhat of a lost season. 

Expect the Volunteers to come out the gate strong and make an early push, but Georgia will eventually be able to control the game with their defense and the resurgent running game on offense. The line was at 10.5 earlier, but it’s come down a bit and at 9.5 it’s more appealing to take Georgia to win and cover behind a strong effort in the second half.

The under 58.5 is also very much in play. 

Prediction: Georgia 31, Tennessee 21