Georgia at Ole Miss Week 3 Expert Pick & Lines Analysis

It’s a potential SEC title game preview from Oxford in Week 4 of the coming college football season when Georgia, which will be the second-favorite behind Tennessee to win the SEC East Division, faces Ole Miss, which likely will be third on NCAA football odds to win the ultra-tough SEC West. Ole Miss is an early 8.5-point favorite on NCAA lines for the game.

Taking a Closer Look at the Georgia at Ole Miss Week 4 Expert Pick, Lines Analysis & TV Info

When: Saturday, Sept. 24, TBD Where: Sanford Stadium, Ole Miss TV: TBA (ESPN family or CBS) Stream: College Sports Live Radio: Georgia / Ole Miss Opening NCAAF Lines: Ole Miss -8.5

Georgia vs Ole Miss Historic Betting Trends

Georgia and Ole Miss last played in Athens in the 2012 season and Georgia rolled 37-10 — but the Rebels are a much better team these days. Aaron Murray, now in the NFL threw four touchdown passes for the Dawgs. Georgia trailed 10-0 before scoring 37 unanswered points. Ole Miss used blitzes to record five sacks in the first half. The defensive gambles left opportunities for Murray, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 384 yards with no interceptions and touchdown passes of 66, 40, 42 and 28 yards.

Why Bet on Team Georgia?

The Dawgs have one of the best running back duos nation in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, but they are both injury concerns right now. Both should be ready to play by this game but perhaps not in the season opener. New Georgia coach Kirby Smart anticipated not having one of his star running backs available at the start of preseason camp, but he didn’t expect both to be sidelined. The coach isn’t sure how much either one of them will be available for the Sept. 3 opener against North Carolina in the Chick-fil- A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Chubb, who ran for 1,547 yards as a freshman in 2014 and had 745 yards in the first five games last season, is still recovering from torn knee ligaments and cartilage damage in his left knee. He underwent surgery on Oct. 23, after injuring his knee on his only carry in a 38-31 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 10. Michel underwent surgery on July 4 after breaking his left forearm in an ATV accident a day earlier in his native south Florida. Smart said Michel suffered an open wound and wasn’t released from the hospital until Friday. Michel ran for 1,161 yards with eight touchdowns last season, with much of his production coming after Chubb’s injury. Who will Georgia’s starting QB be? That’s to be decided. Smart on how he’s handling freshman and former No. 1 QB prospect Jacob Eason in the midst of a position battle: “We have to do what’s best for our team, and we’ve also got to develop a talented kid while we do that. That’s the toughest part about juggling that job.”

Why Bet on Ole Miss?

Mississippi has won more games in every season than it did the one before in each of Hugh Freeze’s four years as its head coach. With the Rebels’ win over Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl, they finished 2015 with a 10-3 record — their first double-digit win season since 2003. Ole Miss has announced itself to the SEC with consecutive wins over Alabama. But what will the NCAA make of recent allegations of wrongdoing? Questions are now popping up as to how the Rebels were able to procure such classes without much recruiting success historically. It remains to be seen what the NCAA will uncover in its investigation and how it will respond. It’s quite possible that Ole Miss isn’t eligible to play postseason football this season. The Rebels might have the best returning QB in the SEC in Chad Kelly. He was one of two players last year to throw for at least 4,000 yards and run for 500 more, the other being Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy favorite.