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Prop bets for the SEC’s ninth Saturday:
GEORGIA’S OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION VS. FLORIDA
Options — Less than 150 yards; Between 151-250; Between 251-350; 351 or more
Projection: Can Georgia beat the SEC East front-runner in Jacksonville with a third-string quarterback making his first career start? Expect some late movement on the point spread in this one, currently sitting at 2.5 in favor of Florida before this week’s late breaking news that Faton Bauta is getting the call under center for Georgia. Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins has to be licking his chops — and daring the Bulldogs to throw — knowing how inconsistent Brian Schottenheimer’s passing game has been to this point. Sony Michel is the key cog in this prop bet for Georgia, a talented runner capable of surpassing triple digits by himself if the Bulldogs can control the line of scrimmage. Somewhere in the 335-yard range sounds manageable for Georgia against the top defense the Bulldogs will face the rest of the way.
AUBURN’S POINT TOTAL VS. OLE MISS
Options — Less than 10; Between 10 and 17; Between 18 and 24; More than 24
Projection: The Rebels held Texas A&M without a touchdown last week, a dominant performance at home that kept Ole Miss in control of its own destiny in the SEC West. Auburn’s presents a much different challenge offensively with more a run-first approach instead of the Aggies’ spread-it-out mindset. I like the Tigers’ chances if they get into a shootout since Chad Kelly’s shown a propensity for mistakes this season (tied for SEC lead with 10 interceptions), but relying on Sean White to shred the Ole Miss secondary is a bad bet. For this wager, go with two touchdowns and a field goal for the home team.
NUMBER OF CUTAWAYS TO JAKE SPAVITAL VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
Options — None; 2 or fewer; 3-5; 6 or more
Projection: How important is Saturday’s game to Texas A&M’s offense and most importantly, to primary play-caller Jake Spavital? One of college football’s youngest coordinators has come under serious scrutiny over the last several weeks, struggling to generate a rhythm on an offense lacking confidence under center. Kevin Sumlin has come to his defense multiple times and refrained from going into details concerning Kyler Murray’s shouting match with Spavital during Texas A&M’s loss to Alabama. It’s obvious Sumlin and Spavital aren’t on the same page and things need to move in the right direction quickly. The Aggies have an edge at every offensive position against South Carolina and should be able to snap out of their October funk. But it’s a safe bet, at least early, much of the talk is centered around Spavital’s recent struggles. We’ll go two cutaways in the first quarter and one in the second half here.
