Oregon vs Georgia NCAAF Week 1 Preview and Prediction September 3, 2022
Posted 3 years ago | Betting Previews and Predictions, NCAAF | 0 comments
Oregon vs Georgia September 3, 2022 @ Atlanta GA
Opening Betting Odds
Spread: Oregon +17.5, Georgia -17.5
Moneyline: N/A
Total: 51
Preview
The Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game will feature defending champions Georgia taking on Oregon at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Ducks will be playing their first game under new head coach and former Georgia Bulldog Dan Lanning.
The Bulldogs are favored by three scores, but keep in mind that these Oregon Ducks upset #3 ranked Ohio State in Columbus early last season. The Buckeyes were a 14.5 point favorite in that game, and lost by a score of 35-28.
Former Auburn Tiger Bo Nix takes the reigns at quarterback for the Oregon offense, but he’ll be facing a Bulldogs defense that ranked first nationally allowing just 9.5 points per game in 2021.
Oregon
- 10-4 overall in 2021
- 7-2 in the PAC12 in 2021
- 5-9 against the spread in 2021
Auburn transfer Bo Nix will be re-united with offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who was at Auburn when Nix was a freshman. The job is his to win, but he will face a challenge from Ty Thompson. “Competition breeds excellence,” said Lanning. “Ultimately we’re going to have competition at every position across the board, quarterback included.”
The strength of this unit will be the offensive line, which returns almost entirely intact from last season. Formerly known as an offensive juggernaut during the Chip Kelly era, the Ducks focused a bit more on defense under Mario Christobal. With the defensive coordinator from the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs now in charge, we might expect even more emphasis on that side of the ball.
Georgia
- 14-1 overall in 2021
- 8-0 in the SEC in 2021
- 10-5 against the spread in 2021
They say that defense wins championships, and last year’s Georgia Bulldogs were a fine example of that. They lost a record five starters to the NFL draft, but a string of strong recruiting classes should help them reload without suffering many growing pains.
Zamir White and James Cook ran for a combined 1,584 yards and 18 TDs last season, and both of them have taken their talents to the NFL. Given the returning talent on the offensive line and the reputation for routinely producing NFL caliber running backs, replacing them won’t be difficult.
Stetson Bennett is back at quarterback for his sixth season with the Bulldogs, and he’s coming off an MVP performance in last year’s playoffs. He’s not the flashiest quarterback you are going to see, but he’s proven to be effective when he’s surrounded by elite level talent.
Relevant Trends
- The Ducks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 neutral site games.
- The Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games.
- Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
- The Ducks are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games overall.
- The Ducks are 1-4 ATS in their last five non-conference games.
Prediction: Georgia 28 – Oregon 17
While it’s true that Georgia has a seemingly endless supply of five star recruits to replace the record amount of starters they lost in the NFL draft, it could take a few games for them to find their footing. We can look back to last season when the Bulldogs scored just 10 points in Week 1 versus Clemson.
Dan Lanning has plenty to work with taking over a defense that had already made strides under Mario Christobal. Facing his former team in Week 1 won’t hurt from a motivational standpoint. Don’t expect the Ducks to lay down here, they should have plenty of fight in them.
Before you dive into the Week 1 betting action, you might want to consult Kyle Hunter. His impressive resume includes finishing #1 overall with college football in 2021, Top 5 All Time with college football, and he was named Handicapper of the Decade in 2020.
