Georgia Opens as a Two-Score Favorite Over Oregon
With spring practice in the books for the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, the attention now turns to preparing for the fall and, more specifically, fall camp. The Bulldogs will open the 2022 regular season on a "neutral field" yet again as they take on the Oregon Ducks in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga, in what surely looks to be a top-25 showdown to kick off the 2022 season.
According to Caesar's Sportsbook, Georgia will open the season as a 15-point favorite over the Oregon Ducks on a "neutral field," using the word "neutral" very lightly as Georgia will bring a strong backing from Athens to Atlanta.
The Bulldogs went 14-1 last season when listed as the favorite in a game, the only loss coming in the SEC Championship game against Alabama. The Crimson Tide went into Atlanta as a near touchdown underdog against then No. 1 Georgia. The point spread proved to be nothing more than some "tasty rat poison," as Nick Saban called it, following his team's 41-24 win over Georgia in the conference title game.
The September 3rd, 2022, the matchup will be the first time in 1977 that the Ducks and Dawgs will meet. Georgia beat Oregon 27-16 in the first and only matchup between the two programs. The two programs will have some increased familiarity as first-year head coach Dan Lanning takes on his former boss Kirby Smart.
Lanning spent four seasons in Athens, working under head coach Kirby Smart as the outside linebackers coach in 2018 before being promoted to the defensive coordinator role from 2019 through 2021. Lanning's top-ranked defense helped guide the Bulldogs to a national championship.
Lanning will become just the third former assistant coach to take on Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, joining the likes of Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and South Carolina headman Shane Beamer. No former Kirby Smart assistant has beaten him in three tries; Pittman came close in 2020, holding a 7-5 halftime lead over the Bulldogs in the season-opening game. Georgia would score 32 points in the second half to defeat the Razorbacks 37-10.
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