Game Prediction: No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 11 Oregon Ducks
Last year was last year ... and the Georgia Bulldogs knows that they've got a target on their backs.
If Kirby Smart's team is going to repeat as champs, they'll have to do it with basically an entirely new team. They lost 15 players to the NFL Draft, including seven defenders in the first three rounds (five of which came in the first round).
Standing in their way in Week 1? A team that knows a thing or two about ruining national championship dreams. The Oregon Ducks tortured Ohio State fans last year after knocking off the Buckeyes in Columbus and they'd love nothing more than to fly home from Atlanta with a sweet, sweet victory. Dan Lanning won the title in Athens last year and now wants to build a dynasty on the west coast.
Here's what the BuckeyesNow staff expects in Saturday afternoon's season-opener.
What's the betting line for Georgia vs. Oregon?
OREGON at GEORGIA– Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Spread: Georgia (-17) on SI Sportsbook
O/U Total: 52.5
Georgia vs. Oregon Predictions
Brendan Gulick: Georgia 31, Oregon 27
I think this is going to be a closer game than Vegas is expecting. Oregon is heading in the right direction, they've got a head coach who literally knows all of the tendencies of the defense he used to lead, and the Bulldogs defense doesn't have a ton of experience.
Georgia is a more talented team and Oregon has too many question marks for me to pull off a win of this magnitude for the second year in a row. I'm not sure how Oregon is going to effectively cover the Bulldog tight ends, but Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe are really good linebackers and will give it their best.
I think the Ducks are going to be back in the Pac-12 title game for the fourth year in a row, but their season starts with a loss.
Andrew Lind: Georgia 30, Oregon 17
The Ducks have to feel good about their overall direction under new head coach – and former Bulldogs defensive coordinator – Dan Lanning, who was the architect of the nation's best defense one season ago.
With Georgia losing some great players on that side of the ball, there could be some growing pains that allow Oregon and quarterback Bo Nix to keep it close early on. Still, there's a large gap in talent, and that will make the difference in the second half.
Caleb Spinner: Georgia 31, Oregon 14
This pairing can be described in one word: blowout. Georgia comes in as 17-point favorites, which is easy to see given their returning offensive stars, quarterback Stetson Bennett and tight end Brock Bowers. Bennett threw for 2,862 yards last season, including 224 in the 2022 National Championship against Alabama’s incredible defense. Bowers, on the other hand, beat out ever other pass catcher on the team for the most season receiving yards with 882, a feat rarely seen accomplished by a tight end.
Oregon will be looking for a way to deal with the loss of Kayvon Thibodeaux, which will almost certainly be seen on defense right off the rip. Couple that with the departures of Anthony Brown and Travis Dye, who were drafted and transferred respectively, and there isn’t much good to look for at this point in the season.
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