No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 8 Arkansas picks and best bets for Week 5

One of the two marquee SEC games on Saturday’s slate is in Athens as the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks will try to boost their national profile by upending the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs. The game is getting the ESPN College Gameday treatment and it will bleed right into kick off at noon ET.

Arkansas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) has been one of the welcome surprises in the country this season as they’ve proved the gains made by head coach Sam Pittman last year was no fluke. The Hogs went to Jerry World last Saturday and stymied Texas A&M 20-10 in a game where they held the Aggies to just 272 yards of total offense on 4.6 yards per play. Quarterback KJ Jefferson has been effective as the leader of the Arkansas offense but he’s listed as questionable with a knee injury heading into Saturday. Pittman has indicated that he should be good to go but we’ll see how effective he can be at less than 100%.

Georgia (4-0, 2-0 SEC) has been a killing machine and what they did to Vanderbilt in a 62-0 blowout last week was borderline unfair. The Dawgs clinched the over by themselves and limited the poor Commodores to just 77 yards of total offense throughout the entire game. It was the largest SEC road win in program history and most importantly, they got to get their backups plenty of valuable playing time while some of their starters rested. Starting quarterback JT Daniels only played one quarter and even though he’s been dealing with injuries of his own, he should be good to go for Arkansas.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Arkansas: 16th overall, 28th offense, 17th defense
Georgia: 1st overall, 14th offense, 1st defense

Injury update

Arkansas

OL Dalton Wagner Ques Sat – Undisclosed
DL Dorian Gerald Out For Season – Leg
QB K.J. Jefferson Ques Sat – Knee
RB Marcel Murray Ques Sat – Undisclosed

Georgia

WR Marcus Rosemy Jacksaint Ques Sat – Ankle
TE Darnell Washington Prob Sat – Foot
WR Arian Smith Ques Sat – Knee
DB Tykee Smith Prob Sat – Foot
QB JT Daniels Questionable Sat – Back
LB Rian Davis Ques Sat – Quadricep
DL Julian Rochester Ques Sat – Knee
RB Kendall Milton Prob Sat – Shoulder
CB Jalen Kimber Ques Sat – Shoulder

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Arkansas: 4-0 ATS
Georgia: 3-1 ATS

Total

Arkansas: Over 3-1
Georgia: Over 3-1

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Arkansas: 35th overall, 29th offense, 42nd defense
Georgia: 3rd overall, 3rd offense, 2nd defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Georgia -17
Total: 48.5
Moneyline: Georgia -1000, Arkansas +650

Opening line: Georgia -18
Opening total: 49

Weather

85 degrees, 5 MPH winds SE, 11% chance of rain

The Pick

Over 48.5

The strength of these two teams have been in the trenches, and it’s not surprising considering that UGA has arguably the best front seven in the nation and Sam Pittman is a longtime offensive line coach who’s previous stint was at none other than UGA.

Georgia has enough talent on both sides of the line of scrimmage to put up their fair share of points, so the onus for the over hitting will be if the KJ Jefferson-Trelon Smith-powered Arky offense can push UGA around just enough to generate some points on the board. I think they can and do just enough to get this over 48.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN). 21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.