2014
Georgia Bulldogs
College Football
Betting Preview
Schedule and Odds
Georgia is in the same boat as a lot of other SEC schools with its former starting quarterback departing. Life without Four-year starter Aaron Murray shouldn’t be all that bad for the Bulldogs though and the bookmakers show that as they are sitting with about the 10th-best odds to win the national championship. 5 dimes sportsbook lists Georgia at 28 to 1 odds to win it all.
Senior Hutson Mason will finally take over at quarterback and shouldn’t be that much of a drop off. Mason got some time last year when Murray got hurt toward the end of the season and he was solid, completing 60 percent of his passes and reaching 300 yards in his last two Games. Granted, they lost their bowl Game to Nebraska, but now with a full offseason as the starter, Mason could prove to be a nice option.
In addition to Mason, the Bulldogs have one of the best backfields in the country led by possible Heisman candidate Todd Gurley if he can stay healthy. Gurley showed at times last year that he can be a complete beast averaging six yards per carry, but injuries derailed an even better season. He’s backed by an experienced crew of J.J. Green, Brendan Douglas and Keith Marshall. Mason will also have an experienced core at wide receiver with Michael Bennett and Chris Conley back. And if Malcolm Mitchell can stay healthy (torn ACL last year, leg injury keeping him out of spring practice), he’s another solid receiver. The offensive line is the biggest question on the offensive end as injuries killed their 2013 season.
The defensive side looks great with only one full-time starter leaving. The squad is filled with juniors and seniors and should improve after last year’s inconsistent season. With a solid ground Game and better defense, the Bulldogs stand out as a top SEC team once again despite last year’s 8-5 record.
Their Schedule sets up nicely as well, as long as they can get through a couple early Games. Facing Clemson in the first week and then travelling to South Carolina is going to be a tough task, but they’ll only have three more road Games the rest of the way with one of them coming at Kentucky. A stretch of Games at Missouri, at Arkansas and against Florida (in Jacksonville) will ultimately decide their season. Georgia’s final SEC Game comes against last year’s champions Auburn.
If the Bulldogs can leave their first two Games unscathed, we could be seeing a run for the SEC title. But if they fall at South Carolina and Mason isn’t getting the job done, this team will be getting asked tons of questions and could be in trouble during that mid-season stretch. No matter, they should finish with more wins than last season.
The Bulldogs will likely be underdogs against the Gamecocks, but that’s definitely a Game they can win if they get any kind of momentum from the opener.
2014 Georgia Bulldogs Football Schedule
Aug. 30 vs. Clemson
Sep. 13 at South Carolina
Sep. 20 vs. Troy
Sep. 27 vs. Tennessee
Oct. 4 vs. Vanderbilt
Oct. 11 at Missouri
Oct. 18 at Arkansas
Nov. 1 vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
Nov. 8 at Kentucky
Nov. 15 vs. Auburn
Nov. 22 vs. Charleston Southern
Nov. 29 vs. Georgia Tech