The best offshore gambling sites opened the Bulldogs as seven-point favorites in the Orange Bowl. They have since been bet up to Georgia -8. The OVER has been from its opener at 43 points up to 44.5 points. The OVER is 12-3 in Michigan’s last 15 games against SEC teams.
The Georgia Bulldogs (12-1 SU, 8-5 ATS) are 16-1 SU and 10-7 ATS in their past 17 games after they had their 16-game winning streak ended by the Alabama Crimson Tide. Georgia will aim to rebound as a favorite of the best online sportsbooks in the Orange Bowl national semifinal against the Michigan Wolverines (12-1, 11-2).
Michigan Wolverines vs. Georgia Bulldogs Orange Bowl Odds by MyBookie.ag
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Georgia | -7½ ( -110 ) | 45 ( -110 ) | -310 | |
Michigan | +7½ ( -110 ) | 45 ( -110 ) | +255 | |
Betting Georgia Bulldogs
After they opened the season with a 10-3 win over the Clemson Tigers as three-point underdogs at the best gambling sites, the Bulldogs tore through the rest of their regular-season competition. Georgia went into the SEC championship game on the wake of an 11-0 SU and 7-4 ATS record. That saw the team outscored opponents 478-80. For an average victory margin of 36.2 points.
The Bulldogs seemed untouchable. And then Alabama crushed them 41-24. This was a defense that hadn’t allowed more than 17 points in a game all season. They had allowed more than seven points only four times in 12 games.
A single loss to a powerhouse like Alabama doesn’t erase all of the remarkable play Georgia has put together this season. It does eliminate though their air of unbeatableness going into the College Football Playoff.
Before the loss to Alabama, Georgia was unstoppable. That run includes blowout wins over then-ranked Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky. If the Bulldogs are able to shut down Michigan’s rushing attack, they could cover the point spread and secure a potential rematch versus the Crimson Tide.
Betting Michigan Wolverines
Even though they are Orange Bowl underdogs according to the best gambling sites, the season Michigan fans were waiting for since the program hired Jim Harbaugh finally arrived. The Wolverines played like a force to be reckoned with throughout the season. They did so when it mattered against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
They scored a 42-27 win over the team’s despised rivals. A 42-3 win in the Big Ten championship game felt like an anticlimax following the win over Ohio State. Michigan heads into the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 program in the nation in scoring defense.
They allow only 16.1 points per game. This Orange Bowl matchup could boil down to how Michigan’s rushing offense (the ninth-best in the nation with 223.8 rushing yards per game) does against a Bulldogs rushing defense ranked third in the country. They allow just 81.7 rushing yards per game.
Michigan’s offense has averaged 47.6 points per game in the team’s past three games. That includes consecutive 42-point outings over Ohio State and Iowa. Couple that with a top-five defense and there are many signs indicating a far more competitive game than the line might indicate.
Michigan Wolverines vs. Georgia Bulldogs Orange Bowl Pick
We understand why the points with Michigan are tempting. After all, you expect a competitive matchup in the playoffs and a double-digit game doesn’t necessarily make for that. However, the Bulldogs have had some time to assimilate on that loss to Alabama in the SEC title game.
We think that has the Bulldogs even hungrier to prove that it was just a fluke. The Bulldogs are basically the same as the Wolverines except they are just a little bit better. Props to Michigan for reaching this point, but the Bulldogs are on a quest. Lay the points with Georgia in this one.